Dexter: New Blood Review: Cold Snap (Season 1 Episode 1)

(Warning: This review contains spoilers!)

Dexter Morgan has returned at just the right time.

Michael C. Hall effortlessly reprises this role in Dexter: New Blood, capturing every detail of the Dexter Morgan we used to know, while also showing a level of growth that’s needed for this new iteration. 

Dexter: New Blood Season 1 Episode 1, “Cold Snap,” opens with Dexter running through the snow, the song “The Passenger” playing in the background. It’s a callback to what he refers to as his “Dark Passenger,” though a failed attempt at killing a deer immediately shows a change in who Dexter Morgan is.

We see that ten years later, Dexter is now living under an assumed name in a new town. And he has a whole new life, set against a gorgeous, yet wildly different backdrop.

Dexter is not living in exile, as we might have expected based on the way the original series ended. Instead, he has a job and a girlfriend and friendships, trying to exist as a normal person and suppress his old ways. And it’s been nearly a decade since he’s killed anyone.

That premise on its own is pretty satisfying. Dexter set aside his old life at the end of Dexter Season 8, following Deb’s death. We’re led to believe he chose to punish himself by leaving everything behind. But also by separating himself from everyone he loves, he believes he’s keeping them safe. 

Yet Dexter is able to move on as Jim Lindsay in the town of Iron Lake, where it’s cold and everyone knows him — or at least, they think they do. (That assumed name is a nice nod, by the way, given the author of the books Dexter is based on is named Jeff Lindsay).

In this new town, Dexter exists as Jim. He’s helpful to his neighbors, goes line dancing at night, and he’s still bringing sweets to work. He works a humble job at Fred’s Fish and Game store, which is fitting and convenient — if he ever needs it to be.  

It’s fun to see him walking about town as the nice guy once again, all while we know what’s really beneath the surface. Everyone here knows him by name, even the town pastor. One neighbor even calls him “a lifesaver” when he delivers him a freshly sharpened set of knives. 

It is everything we used to love about his character, and it’s reminiscent of the early days of the series.  

More than just staying away from his old life, Dexter really is trying to be better. Presumably, the reason his girlfriend, played by Julia Jones, is one of the few police officers in town isn’t a coincidence, either. It’s a way to keep himself in check just a little more. 

Mostly, Dexter isn’t tested here. This is a nice town with good people where not much happens — stolen pecan pies and loose sheep are the kinds of things that keep law enforcement busy around here.

That is until Matthew Caldwell shows up. 

Caldwell is a spoiled rich guy with a loose moral compass and rude temperament. He’s disrespectful when he first meets Dexter at Fred’s, hoping for a gun that will make his friend jealous. But it’s worse than that.

And when Dexter learns what Caldwell is responsible for, his Dark Passenger can’t be held back any longer. 

It’s telling that when Dexter makes the decision to go after Caldwell and kill him, the audience feels a certain level of satisfaction.

While part of the reason we love Dexter is that he genuinely tries to better himself, we also love to see him get the bad guys and succeed in that area. And the fact that the first episode of the revival reveals that he hasn’t had a kill in almost ten years makes it feel like we’re in on something extra special. 

Of course, he does have Deb in his ear on this one, and that’s clearly going to be an overarching conflict.

The revival wouldn’t be the same without Jennifer Carpenter in this role, and it’s perfect that she’d essentially just take the place of Harry now that she’s dead.

She’s keeping Dexter in check and reminding him why they are where they are in the first place. That’s true when he decides to kill Caldwell — and for the record, Dexter is a little messier and a little more careless than he used to be, but his rituals are still just as elaborate.

It’s also true when Harrison shows up. And that is the true catalyst for the revival series.

When we last saw Dexter’s son, he was with Hannah McKay in Argentina. Now, a grown teenager, he’s found his father in upstate New York.  

When Dexter sees him, it’s clear he wants to welcome him right away, but he has Deb in his ear reminding him that the reason he’s living under a new identity in a brand new, freezing cold small town is that everyone he loves winds up getting hurt. Including her.

So Dexter lies. He insists Harrison has the wrong person, that his name is Jim Lindsay, and hey, he won’t press charges for the breaking and entering. 

It’s not until after Dexter kills Matthew Caldwell that he goes to find Harrison and tells him the truth. One less lie in a truth adjacent life, he says.

Dexter becoming a father was one of the most interesting developments for his character in the original series, and to see how this affects him now is completely justifies why a revival series is a good idea in the first place.

The series finale didn’t sit right with a lot of people, but it was left open in such a way that this new story would be possible, and that feels like a gift. Based on everything that occurs on “Cold Snap,” there’s plenty of story left to tell, and the chance at a more satisfying conclusion down the road. 

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Dexter: New Blood streams Sundays, beginning November 7th, and airs at 9/8c on Showtime.

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