Believe it or not, the Statue of Liberty scene in the final moments of season 1 wasn’t the first choice to wrap up the season.
In Hollywood, it is almost expected that many script ideas never make it to the screen. In fact, most of them actually don’t. Creative changes, budget limits, always play a role, and Dexter has never been an exception to that rule. Recently, fans learned about a deleted scene from a Season 1 episode, which was already intriguing on its own. But it turns out that an even bigger moment from Dexter: Resurrection nearly didn’t exist at all.
One of the most iconic scenes in Resurrection almost never existed, and it ultimately happened thanks to director Marcos Siega. Siega, who is confirmed to return to direct six episodes in Season 2, recently appeared on The Dark Passengers Podcast and shared behind-the-scenes details that completely reframe how that finale actually came together. For us longtime fans, these kinds of revelations are always fascinating, especially when they involve moments that are inseparable from the season’s identity.
The discussion centered on the final scene of the season, a sequence that actually stands out not only for its impact but also for how it was filmed. Rahter than relying on green screen, the scene was shot on location at New York Harbor, giving it a special and cinematic feel. In those closing moments, we see Dexter piloting Leon Prater’s luxury yacht at night, shortly after killing the serial killer-obsessed billionaire inside his vault.
True to classic Dexter fashion, Prater’s body is disposed of, but the scene doesn’t stop there. Dexter moves toward a bag filled with folders containing personal information on notorious, still-active serial killers, laying the groundwork for the upcoming season. He then breaks the fourth wall, addressing the audience directly with a message that really feels impossible to ignore.
What makes this even more surprising is that the entire sequence wasn’t part of the original script. Episode 10 was initially written with a very different and far simpler ending, one that would have cost less and stayed confined to a familiar setting. During the podcast, both Siega and showrunner Clyde Phillips emphasized a core rule of their creative process: the best idea wins.
Siega explained that the finale went through a major evolution during development. The original ending took place in the basement apartment Dexter rents, and on paper, it worked. It wasn’t broken or weak, and no one reading the script actually felt it needed any fixing. Blessing arrives with a birthday cake, Harrison is there with Gigi, and the story wraps up in a neat and emotionally satisfying way. Everything made sense according to Siega, but something about it felt too small for what the season had been building toward.
As Siega revisited the material, he remembered an idea Clyde Phillips had brought up early on: using the Statue of Liberty as a thematic thread throughout the season. While that concept was present in subtle ways during casting and location scouting, it gradually faded into the background. It was there, but it wasn’t driving the story, especially...not in the finale.
The more Siega thought about the final montage, the more he felt the original ending lacked a sense of weight. Dexter leaving Prater’s place and returning home technically closed the story, but it didn’t feel worthy of a season finale. Even though it actually played well on the page, Siega suspected audiences would feel that something was missing once it hit the screen.
He later described the original version with more details, with Blessing dancing in the apartment alongside his wife, echoing Batista’s dance from Episode 7, while Harrison and Gigi make nachos in the basement. While it was actually warm, and emotionally grounded, Siega saw this as the director’s responsibility: not just to make something work, but to elevate it into something unforgettable.
And that is when the idea of having Dexter back on the water changed everything. Once that concept clicked, the ending suddenly felt inevitable. Siega claimed that Dexter on a boat felt like a visual and thematic callback to the character’s DNA. The very familiar cycle of kill, disposal, and reflection was extended in a way that actually felt larger than life. By tying that moment to the Statue of Liberty and placing Dexter against the vastness of the harbor, the finale gained a sense of scale and symbolism that the apartment scene simply...couldn’t match.
Looking back, Siega has said he can’t imagine the ending any other way, and honestly, it is hard to disagree. The yacht scene now feels very essential to Resurrection’s identity and to where the story is headed next.
So what do you think about the change? Are you glad we got the harbor finale, or do you wish the original ending had made it to the screen?