When it comes down to it, Dexter is still Dexter Morgan in Dexter: New Blood. He is still a serial killer who has dark and intense urges to kill people. But after 10 years of being "clean" and not killing or even harming anyone, Dexter has changed.
While he seemingly wants to be a better person, there are some things that just can't be changed. Nonetheless, Dexter Morgan, now going as Jim Lindsay, has made tremendous strides. Even though how he is now, it does not erase the things he did in the past. In many cases, however, he is trending towards the positive.
Successfully Suppressed His Urges To Kill
One of the biggest reveals from the season premiere of Dexter: New Blood was that Dexter had been "clean" for a decade. During a chat with the ghost of Debra, she mentioned it had been 10 years since he killed someone.
In another scene, Dexter mentioned that he hadn't killed anyone or anything since he killed an animal when he was a teenager, referencing the moment his Dark enger truly showed its face in his life when he was just a child.
Better At Being "Normal"
Dexter seemed to have to try harder to figure out what it meant to be "normal" in the original series, trying to fake emotions and not being able to pick up on social cues. However, after so many years of working with Miami Metro P.D., being in a relationship with Rita, and having a child, Dexter seems to have hit his stride.
To the average person, nothing seems off about Dexter, whereas in the original, people like Doakes immediately picked up on the fact that Dexter wasn't all he was pretending to be.
Seems To Have Genuine Love For People
While it is likely still a fake act, Dexter comes across as having genuine emotions towards people, particularly his girlfriend Angela and his son Harrison. He even seems friendly and cordial with people like Logan and Fred Jr.
In the original, Dexter was more annoyed with people than anything else, finding daily mundane conversations excruciating. Now, he seems to excel at small talk, bonding with people with ease.
Trying To Be A Better Father
Dexter was just going through the motions of being a father when Harrison was a baby. However, he did feel something toward the young boy, as well as Rita's children for whom he was a stepfather.
It may be out of guilt – though someone like Dexter wouldn't really feel guilt. Or perhaps a sense of duty and responsibility. But he seems to genuinely care for the welfare of Harrison and wants to keep him out of harm's way. If Reddit theories about how Dexter: New Blood will end turn out to be true, then their fractured relationship could come to a head.
His Job
Dexter completely left his old career behind him. Despite being an extremely talented blood splatter analyst, he does not work with the police in any capacity anymore. Instead, he has taken up a sales job in a local fishing store, helping locals and visitors fund guns, knives, and other items that can help with their hunting trips and expeditions.
Interestingly, he is surrounded by products designed to maim and kill every day, as though torturing himself by being next to temptation.
Climatized To Colder Environment
After spending years in T-shirts, cool khakis, and humid weather, Dexter has climatized to a new weather situation in Iron Lake, New York, where it gets extremely cold in the winter. However, he has managed to adapt well, learning how to cut his own firewood and maintain his home.
He owns things like snowshoes, a truck, and clothing he never otherwise would have had to bother owning, from a warm hat and gloves to winter boots and a thick jacket.
No Longer Sees His Father
A big part of Dexter's life in Miami was seeing and hearing the ghost of his father as though he were a conscience on his shoulder, trying to lead him in the right direction. While Harry would try and help Dexter through kills of victims who supposedly "deserved it," Debra is his new ethereal guide.
She is against everything Harry taught Dexter, trying to get him to stay "clean" instead. She urges him to stop killing and to steer clear of Harrison so that he doesn't badly influence the young man. Harry never talked down to Dexter, which almost helped make Dexter think that he was doing something good.
Now Talks To His Visions Of Debra
It's interesting to have the character of Debra back on the show, especially considering one of the things fans don't know about Dexter is that the actor Jennifer Carpenter and Michael C. Hall, who plays Dexter, were actually married for a period of time during the original series run.
As noted, in place of Harry is Debra, who appears more vividly and more often to Dexter. She is far angrier and judgemental, often calling him a monster or a bad person, making him feel guilty instead of trying to console him. Debra serves as his superficial guilt and conscience, which is much different than the role Harry had.
Gotten Rusty
While Dexter had his kills down to a science in the original, knowing exactly how to plan things so each kill would work perfectly, he has gotten rusty. He ran into several snags during his first kill in Iron Lake, most notably not properly thinking through where to put the body.
The second time Dexter wanted to kill, he didn't consider every variable and almost got caught, having to think quickly on his feet to cover his tracks. He so much as itted in one episode that he had gotten rusty, which is understandable seeing as he was now going back to doing the heinous things he hadn't done for a decade.
Wants A Better Life
While Dexter in the original series seemed happy to be living a double life, viewing his average Joe life as simply a necessary cover for his true self. In Dexter: New Blood, he seems to long to live a regular life with a family, a job, friends, and activities.
He is fighting his Dark enger instead of embracing it, which represents a massive step forward for the character of Dexter who some Reddit fans felt should have died in the original finale. While he is still living a lie and hurting everyone around him, particularly if they discover his true identity and what he did, Dexter wants desperately to stop doing it.