Clyde Phillips shared his regret about a certain season finale, admitting it didn’t turn out as good as he had wanted it to be.
The original Dexter series experienced its fair share of creative highs and lows, and fans have long debated the choices made throughout its eight-season run. While the show remained popular to the end, several seasons from the second half were met with heavy criticism. Three of those seasons were overseen by Scott Buck, who took over showrunner duties one year after Clyde Phillips departed.
For many viewers out there, the first four seasons are still considered the golden era of Dexter, though that does not mean Seasons 5 and beyond were without merit. Still, Clyde Phillips’ early work really left a lasting impression, and his influence remains significant to how the series is remembered to this day.
After a 12-year absence, Phillips returned to the franchise to lead Dexter: New Blood, Dexter: Original Sin, and now Dexter: Resurrection. But despite his celebrated legacy, there is actually one creative decision from the classic era that he still regrets to this day.
At first glance, someone might assume this regret is related to one of the show’s biggest deaths, such as Doakes in Season 2, Brian Moser in Season 1, or Rita in the Season 4 finale. Well, surprisingly, none of those moments are what Phillips regrets doing.
During a recent appearance on Love It Film, Phillips was asked if there was anything he would change from any season he worked on, including his three recent Dexter projects. Without thinking much, he pointed to Season 3, also known as the Miguel Prado season, and singled out a decision that was originally meant to subvert audience expectations.
Phillips actually revealed that he chose to kill off Miguel Prado, portrayed by Jimmy Smits, in Episode 11 rather than in the Season 3 finale. At the time, Dexter was still running for 12 episodes per season, and he believed removing the main antagonist one episode early would catch viewers off guard. However, looking back, he feels that choice ultimately weakened the finale and prevented it from reaching its full potential:
“They always expect Dexter to win in the 12th episode. And I regret doing that because the 12th episode wasn’t as good as it could have been. The season finale wasn’t as good as it could have been.”
This admission may come as a surprise, especially since the Season 3 finale, titled “Do You Take Dexter Morgan?”, included one of the most significant moments in the series, which is none other than Dexter and Rita’s wedding. Even so, Phillips actually believes that removing Miguel earlier disrupted the dramatic balance of the final episode.
In retrospect, his reasoning definitely makes sense. In later seasons, major villains like Trinity, Jordan Chase, and Travis Marshall all met their end in the final episode, restoring hte familiar structure Phillips originally tried to break. Season 3’s finale instead had to juggle multiple storylines, including Miguel’s death being framed on the Skinner, Dexter’s abduction by George King, which arguably was one of the least popular antagonists. With so much going on, Miguel’s absence actually left the episode feeling less...impactful.
Even with Phillips’ self-criticism, the Season 3 finale remains one of the higher-rated episodes of the season on IMDb. Still, his reflection really proves how much he holds himself to high creative standards, even after so many years.
Do you agree with Clyde Phillips’ regret about Miguel Prado’s death, or were you expecting him to single out a completely different moment from Dexter’s early years?