'Dexter: New Blood' ending explained - Could Dexter have escaped his fate?

Dexter: New Blood has ended the saga of Dexter Morgan (Michael C. Hall) in a nail-biting episode that checked all the right boxes. The episode was expected to have a number of surprises and it did not disappoint. The ending of the episode was a perfect wrap to a story that has spanned decades following the prolific serial killer.

Dexter: New Blood was focused on Harrison (Jack Alcott) for a major part and as expected, he was instrumental in the final episode as well. In fact, it was Harrison's actions that concluded the series and brought things back to complete the circle. But was there another way out? Read on to know more.

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A brief history of the Bay Harbor Butcher

Dexter Morgan like his son Harrison, witnessed his mother's death by a chainsaw. Adopted by a police officer, Harry Morgan, his tendencies were recognized early on. When his adoptive father understood that young Dexter's tendencies could be curbed, he decided to put them into good use.

Harry transformed Dexter's need to kill into a type of vigilante justice. Dexter only murdered other serial killers and with Harry by his side, plotted out elaborate methods which would keep the law from getting to him. In time, he became the fabled "Bay Harbor Butcher."

This method would come back to haunt him in the final episode of Dexter: New Blood where his use of Ketamine is the main link Angela (Julia Jones) used to connect Dexter to the famous Bay Harbor Butcher.

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Complete cycle of life: Harrison's tale in Dexter: New Blood

The ending of the episode of Dexter: New Blood concluded the saga of Dexter in the way most stories like this come to end, and that is, with the death of Dexter Morgan. This came in the most unexpected and twisted way, as it happened at the hands of Harrison.

After Dexter had his back to the wall in the finale of Dexter: New Blood, he killed a poor police officer in his quest to escape. After his rendezvous with Harrison in the forest, Dexter told him about his plan to leave the place for good and urged Harrison to accompany him.

Harrison refused the offer and blamed Dexter for his miserable life. He also told Dexter how he held him responsible for his mother's death. While Harrison had his rifle pointed at Dexter, the Bay Harbor Butcher realized there was no way out of the mess other than the most obvious one.

A teary-eyed Dexter guided Harrison to use the rifle to shoot him. Harrison fulfilled his destiny just as Angela arrived on the scene. But in ways, it still seemed like Dexter could have had it another way.

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Why did Dexter give in?

In simple terms, Dexter could have escaped this fate in Dexter: New Blood. But Harrison's screams changed his mind. He realized the damage he had done for the first time. and it had changed his son.

Dexter also realized that though he may have had a way out, it was the only way that Harrison had. So he urged Harrison to shoot, but not before saying that this was the first time he had felt real love and how that had changed everything.

Harrison came to know about this when he was trying to escape. He discovered a letter Dexter had written to Hannah which stated that he would gladly give up his life if that meant saving Harrison's. Through this, the recurrence of a child being a witness to their parent's death, the disturbing and ruthless saga of Dexter came to an end in the most unexpected and emotional way in Dexter: New Blood.