Dexter: New Blood Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.5

Dexter: New Blood Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman March 29, 2022

Some spoilers for 'Dexter' as well as 'New Blood' appear below.

It's difficult to believe that Dexter debuted way back in 2006, first arrived on Blu-ray in 2009, and last aired in its original form in 2013; the complete Blu-ray set has been out for some time, so even without the show in production there has been no shortage of opportunity to revisit it, or explore it for the first time. Now going on a decade since its last airing, Showtime has revived the series for a special 10-episode run titled New Blood, set ten years after the series' end and picking up Dexter Morgan's story. This is a quality outing that has not been rushed to air but rather built with the care and concern fans would expect to find in a Dexter sequel, though as the series ended last time, this ending will polarize fans.

Official synopsis: Michael C. Hall returns to his Golden Globe-winning role as Dexter Morgan. The world at large believes Dexter Morgan died in a tragic boating accident, and in a way the world at large isn’t wrong. Far from the life he knew, living under a false name in the small town of Iron Lake, NY, he’s successfully tamped down his Dark Passenger for nearly 10 years. With a normal job and a Chief of Police girlfriend, it seems he’s got life under control – until his son shows up and turns his world upside down. Rattled, Dexter yields to his homicidal urges and soon finds himself on a collision course with a very dangerous local.

The show has moved on quite a bit since it last saw Dexter escape to Oregon and build a "new life" in the Pacific Northwest. New Blood basically moves the story forward, not ignoring the core qualities and characteristics that previously defined it but removing itself from the controversial series ending by dropping Dexter across the country in New York state where he has been doing his best to subdue the "Dark Passenger" within. But this is not called Dexter: New Beginning. It is Dexter: New Blood. Big difference. Of course, the character, despite his best efforts at starting fresh, cannot help but to be drawn back to the world and the violence that makes him tick. This new series puts some new spins on the tale and drops some new characters into the fray but is still the same old Dexter when it's all said and done, which is exactly what fans have been clamoring for the whole time, anyway.

Then there is this finale, which is vastly different form that finale, but still one that is certain to divide fans. It would seem the whole point of making New Blood was to take the previous ending out of the equation, but it's still only been replaced by another that didn't resonate with fans, if the low ratings and general Internet chatter are accurate barometers. Nevertheless, most will agree that it's a superior way to finish off the show in something a little truer to the show's spirit. It's an ending that at least feels more appropriate if not still up for debate, but such is the problem with TV show endings, generally: there's never going to be a universal appreciation for any direction any ending takes because more than anything a series ending signals, well, the end. It can be like losing a friend, and there's never an easy way to process that.

If nothing else, here are ten more Dexter episodes that see Michael C. Hall at the top of his Dexter Morgan game, capturing all of the character flavors fans have come to expect with his trademark delivery and style. Regardless of the end, the rest of the series -- 9.75 of the 10 episodes -- feel right at home, and audiences should be delighted to again have the opportunity to snuggle up to Dexter. For fans, this a well worthwhile add-on to the larger Dexter universe.

Dexter: New Blood Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The 1080p picture has a certain frigid feel to it. It's flat and looks slightly washed out, with colors lacking vitality and intensity, favoring a lesser dynamic that lends the impression of the landscape around it: cold and unwelcoming. Blacks and skin tones are pale, too. Clarity is quite good, though, and details are fine. Neither reach format peak, but the source is not exactly angling to reach the level of high yield exactness as some others. Still, viewers will appreciate the finer point definition to hairs, pores, and clothes. Environments are nicely defined, too, ranging from frozen tundra without much opportunity or complex definition to more interesting interiors around town or in Dexter's modest home. The picture is well encoded, offering stable clarity and never showing any banding or compression issues of note. Source noise is kept in check as well. This is not a world changing type of picture but it suits the material well enough.

Dexter: New Blood Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The included Dolby TrueHD 5.1 lossless soundtrack offers a good foundational listen. Clarity impresses to allow elements, including music as well as dialogue, to present with fine clarity and stability. The former spreads with impressive front-end engagement and balanced surround integration, and the latter with a grounded and centered positioning that is stable and firm for the duration. The track folds in various additional cues to fine effect for detail and placement. While this track is not so fully aware and engaged as to transform the soundstage into a living, breathing location environment, the basics are certainly in good order and do the job of recreating the environment to satisfactory effect. Note that the menu screen lists the audio track as "English 5.1 Dolby Digital" but is in fact Dolby TrueHD 5.1.

Dexter: New Blood Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This four-disc set for Dexter: New Blood includes extras on three of the four discs. No DVD or digital copies are included with purchase. This release does not ship with a slipcover. Disc One:

• Why Now? (1080p, 2:13): Answering questions looking at Dexter's decade-long absence on the world scene and giving the show a fresh look and new start.
• Dissecting Dexter: New Blood: Deb Is Back (1080p, 1:58): A look at the internal relationship Dexter has with Deb. The piece also takes a glimpse at Jennifer Carpenter's performance. Note that this supplement includes spoilers.

Disc Two:

• Dissecting Dexter: New Blood: The Kill Room (1080p, 1:58): Exploring the space where Dexter makes his kills. The piece also glimpses into the photography, psychology, and more. Note that this supplement includes spoilers.

Disc Four:

• All Out on the Table (1080p, 30:04): This supplement explores the show's legacy and popularity, returning to the Dexter universe, core plot content for New Blood, shooting locations and the new setting, new characters and interpersonal dynamics, kills and kill rooms, and plenty more. Note that this supplement contains spoilers.

Dexter: New Blood Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

It's nice to see a fan favorite show earn a second go as the situation warrants, and the Dexter-verse was certainly ripe for the picking, to explore the ins-and-outs of the show's namesake's life in the years to follow the series' controversial end. Whether this succeeds is the question and its ending may again divide fans, but it is certainly an ending cut from a radically different cloth than the previous effort. Paramount's four-disc set snuggles in nicely with the larger series Blu-ray releases, offering quality video and audio presentations to go along with a few extras on three of the four discs. Recommended.