The showrunner recently discussed his original plan for the finale of the OG Dexter series.
 |
| Michael C. Hall and Jennifer Carpenter in Dexter Season 7. (Photo credit: Showtime) |
Even though the original Dexter series wrapped up its journey 13 years ago, its finale still doesn’t seem to resonate well with fans. While the controversy surrounding the Season 8 ending was much stronger back in 2013 and the years that followed, the existence of Dexter: New Blood and later Dexter: Resurrection has definitely helped soften some of the negativity toward the notorious “lumberjack finale,” especially since that ending is no longer considered definitive.
But there is one person who, despite being a significant part of the original Dexter and now an important part of Dexter: Resurrection, is not responsible for how things wrapped up in Season 8.
That person is Clyde Phillips.
What If Clyde Phillips Had Never Left Dexter?
Phillips was the showrunner of Dexter for its first four seasons before leaving the series. He returned to the franchise 13 years later for Dexter: New Blood, and then continued his involvement with Dexter: Original Sin and now Dexter: Resurrection.
But... what would have actually happened if Phillips had never left the original series in the first place?
Phillips recently sat down with the Television Academy on the occasion of Dexter turning 20 and talked about his time on the OG series. Among the questions he was asked, perhaps the most significant one involved his departure and, more interestingly, what his vision for the show might have been if he had stayed.
Phillips revealed that he did have an idea for how he would have ended Dexter’s story, and he described it vividly enough that fans can easily picture the scene. He said:
“Dexter opens his eyes and he’s on the execution table. He looks out the window, and he sees all the characters from the previous seasons.”
So, if Phillips had still been around for Season 5 and potentially beyond, his initial plan was to kill off Dexter after he was finally caught for everything he had done.
Dexter would then be executed, with the characters from previous seasons, both dead and alive, watching him from the room next door as he took his final breath. It is definitely a very different ending from the one fans ultimately got, and honestly, it sounds pretty chilling.
But the most interesting part of the interview actually comes after Phillips revealed this original idea, because he was brutally honest about what that ending would have meant for the franchise. He continued:
“But had I done that, I wouldn’t have a show (Dexter: Resurrection) now. So, it’s a good thing I wasn’t there. The best thing I did for the show was leave.”
That is actually a very candid thing for Phillips to say. He acknowledges that by leaving Dexter after Season 4, the show was allowed to continue with a different group of writers and ultimately ended with Dexter still alive and living in self-imposed exile.
That decision, regardless of how fans felt about the Season 8 finale or that specific season in general, also left the door open for Phillips to return to the franchise more than a decade later and become part of Dexter: New Blood and eventually Dexter: Resurrection.
In a strange way, the fact that Phillips walked away after Season 4 may have helped make the current era of the franchise possible. Had his original ending actually happened, there would have been no Dexter for Michael C. Hall to return to all these years later.
Why Did Clyde Phillips Leave Dexter in 2009?
Phillips has previously confirmed that his decision to leave Dexter was because he wanted to spend more time with his wife and daughter.
However, over the years, there have also been various rumors surrounding his departure. One of the more... popular theories has been that Phillips wanted to end Dexter with Season 5, while Showtime wanted the series to continue for many more seasons. That claim, however, was never confirmed.
What we do know is that Phillips left after Season 4, and 13 years later he returned to something he helped build. And looking at where Dexter is today, his own words may actually be the most fitting way to describe what happened: “The best thing I did for the show was leave.”