10 things about Season 1 that ended up being unrecognizable

There is no official word on a second season of the dexter subsequent series, Dexter: New bloodaside from a statement that it’s “too early to tell” if the series will continue (per TVLine). Luckily, a show as captivating and intriguing as dexter guarantees unlimited reunions, especially the final season, which sort of signaled the end of the prolific serial killer’s career.

Season 1 is widely hailed as a groundbreaking debut, with a near-perfect storyline, setting, and characters that made viewers fall in love with Dexter Morgan in the first place. However, when fans compare the killer’s last appearance to his first, there’s a huge difference in what the show was like and what it was about. These things about dexter Season 1 are strange to watch after the freezing darkness of Dexter: New blood.

Dexter’s secrecy

Of all the best and worst seasons of dexterhe was undoubtedly the sharpest and most secretive of season 1. He was young, motivated and precise: nobody could know anything about his dark passenger, and he made sure that nobody ever doubted his persona as the guy next door.

Except for Doakes, no one could ever accuse Dexter of murder, and the sergeant only suspected him of insanity and nothing more. Compared to later seasons, Dexter got sloppy and was spotted multiple times by more than one person. Season 1 Dexter never left a trace.

Summery Miami

The biggest change between the first and last seasons was the setting, which switched from fluorescent Miami to drab Iron Lake. The Miami summer and heat were a big part of the show, contributing to the beach shirts the characters wore and the lowlifes that were always on Dexter’s radar.

Last season drained color and music and replaced it with snow, cool tunes and trucks. The liveliness of the first season was second to none.

Harry’s ghost

TV’s favorite serial killer had a tremendous number of kills, but they were mostly “earned,” at least by Harry’s code. Harry was Dexter’s eternal beacon, offering him some morality in the dark, but Harry completely disappeared into it Dexter: New blood.

It seemed like Dexter was finally disillusioned with the life Harry had taught him, so his mind was replaced with Debras, who gave him more straight-forward life and survival advice. Her aura was very different from his father’s and fans loved her but also missed Harry’s fatherly presence.

Dexter’s clumsiness with women

Aside from being TV’s most popular antihero, Dexter was notoriously edgy and inept around women in Season 1. He tried as hard as he could to humanize himself in front of his family and friends. The logic was that serial killers would not have girlfriends.

Fans can’t forget the scene where he tries to initiate sex with Rita, but his inner monologue only reinforces how nervous he was. In modern times, Dexter was able to find partners quickly and join them in everyday activities very easily.

Comic relief

A key reason for the success of dexter was the humor mingling with the dark imaginings of his mind. His inner monologue was dry and sarcastic, and Masuka, Angels, and Debra’s slapstick humor added to the show’s dark comedy.

This was an element that was particularly absent from the show’s final season. The monologue barely left a mark, and there was absolutely no humor this season. It was all blood, murder and bad intentions.

piece of life

At the start of the show, Dexter was synonymous with his boot, Slice of Life. It was more than just a pastime for the killer — he dropped his bodies and found peace on the yacht during his days in Miami.

However, the boat was caught by the hurricane and most likely wrecked. When Dexter moved to a landlocked city, getting on just any boat was out of the question. The absence of Slice of Life was felt strongly last season.

Paul, Rita and family life

Dexter and Rita were mainstays in nearly every episode of season one, and their domestic struggles with Paul were mostly sorted out by Dexter. His family life with Astor and Cody was a big part of his front line, but he came to appreciate and love them. Watching Dexter do the mundane was a huge draw in the earlier seasons.

After his entire family imploded, that domestic life was never to be a part of Dexter’s days again. It seems like a far off dream that he accused Paul of drugs and was protective of his wife-to-be and children, especially in Iron Lake.

A simple relationship with Debra

The carefree brother-sister relationship that Dexter and Debra shared was at its peak in Season 1, where they traded ideas with each other, engaged in light banter, took advice, and generally had a great time together. Fans loved the bond they had as siblings.

At the end of dexterHer fans only remember how complex and strange her dynamic became as Debra struggled with feelings for her stepbrother. Upon discovering his murderous ways, their relationship further unraveled and fans missed the light-hearted Debra and Dexter they saw in Season 1.

office politics

Crime and gore aside, a big part of season one was office politics, carried on primarily by Maria LaGuerta and Tom Matthews. Any Miami Metro police officer who wanted to be someone had to dip their toes into the dark power play at work in the department, from Angel to Debra.

Although Angela was part of the Iron Lake PD, it was so small that there was no room for politics. There was no office treachery until Season 9.

childhood flashbacks

Dexter’s flashbacks to being in a blood-filled trailer and watching his mother being brutalized were a mainstay on the show. These connected him to the reason he became the way he was and humanized him to a great extent. His childhood had a strong grip on him in Season 1, which was later slowly unraveled.

Dexter: New blood seen none of it. It was clear that the serial killer had grown up and healed from those scars, or at least had moved on to not be able to think about them anymore.

NEXT: 12 Well-Written TV Characters Ruined by One Scene