VERY well deserved!
Every Saturday, website TVLine.com announces the "Performer of the Week" among various weekly television episodes. For this week, our favorite Michael C. Hall was named best performer for the divisive final episode of the first season of Dexter: New Blood "Sins of the Father". Once again, Michael's acting was stellar.
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via TVLine: "In the finale of Dexter: New Blood, viewers finally got to say a proper goodbye to the brutal, yet beloved serial killer, and the character’s swan song was only made possible thanks to Hall’s master class of a performance.
The frantic hour gave Hall the freedom to flex both ends of his character’s spectrum, from “Jim Lindsay’s” feigned shock at Angela’s ace policework, to Dexter’s most evil tendencies that emerged after he was arrested for murder. Once the reality of being outed as the Bay Harbor Butcher sank in, he was forced to rely on his most cunning talents, which unfortunately led to the tragic-but-necessary death of Sgt. Logan.
Hall owned every iota of Dexter’s monstrous nature, including his ability to overlook his broken code with ease. After playing the tortured killer for nine seasons, Hall has perfected the art of swift demeanor changes. His fiery, angry eyes spoke volumes, as did his towering presence and body language. And when it came time to pack an emotional punch, the actor was more than up for the challenge, with his jailbreak serving as the appetizer to the episode’s main course: his final confrontation with son Harrison.
After the teen pieced together that Dexter had shed his code and offed Logan to escape, father and son riding off into the sunset was no longer an option. During the complex and heavy scene, Hall juggled his character’s feelings of panic, determination, fear, and most surprisingly, love. Harrison had seen his dad for the monster he really was, and just moments before the boy shot and killed him, the titular bad guy told us via voiceover: “I never really felt love. Real love… until now.” Even though his end was inevitable, the acceptance strewn across Hall’s face was heartbreaking, yes, but also beautiful to witness.
Were we happy to see the malicious killer finally taken down, or did we feel inclined to mourn the loss of one of Peak TV’s most compelling and richest antiheroes? Perhaps it was a little of both. But thanks to Hall’s terrific return, we won’t soon forget Dexter’s brazen blaze of glory. It’s the ending that we — and he — truly deserved."