Harry Morgan (James Remar) is Dexter’s (Michael C. Hall) Dark Passenger again inDexter: Resurrection, and his original actor has explained why he’s taking Debra’s (Jennifer Carpenter) place. Deb acted as the manifestation of Dexter’s conscience and Dark Passenger until theending ofDexter: New Blood, but Harry has retaken the role in the sequel series.
In an interview withScreen Rant’s Liam Crowley,James Remar perfectly explained that Harry is acting as Dexter’s Dark Passenger instead of Deb because he’s encouraging Dexter to keep going, whereas Deb was trying to get Dexter to stop.
Well, I love Jennifer Carpenter. She played my daughter, and we had scenes together in the originals. She’s an amazing actress, and she was always the voice of, ‘Dexter, don’t do it. What are you doing?’ She didn’t know how deep in he was. So, Dexter’s in the frozen North, the character of Dexter is kind of frozen in place, he’s trying to restrain himself. He’s not doing the old behavior, and that’s why she’s there more, it seems to me, than Harry. And what has happened with Harry in the new one is that Dexter has reawakened. He’s resurrected, and he needs that code, but the code has evolved and Harry is talking to Dexter in a much more vulnerable way. He’s not just saying, ‘You got to do this, don’t do that.’ He’s expressing consequences in how it’s going to hurt him. We don’t see that quite yet, but we know that if anything happened to Dexter, it would kill Harry. And we saw that in the original series here and there, where Harry got very upset with stuff that was happening. You didn’t get to see that that often.
Remar’s explanation provides an incisive look into the general tone and themes ofDexter: Resurrectioncompared toNew Blood. As he explained,Harry is a motivating force that gives Dexter permission to kill and let his Dark Passenger out, while Deb was trying to keep Dexter from “relapsing” into killing. Dexter inResurrectionhas been “reborn” like he was in the original series, so Harry made his comeback.
It’s also worth noting that Harry and Dexter’s relationship has noticeably changed since we last saw them interact. Inthe premiere ofDexter: Resurrection,Harry has already called his son a “peer,” asked Dexter what he wanted to do instead of telling him what to do, and more. As Remar noted, Harry has evolved just as much as Dexter has.
What Harry’s Return As Dexter’s Conscience Means For Resurrection
Harry Helps Resurrection Feel More Like The Original Dexter & Distances It From The Divisive New Blood
One of the clearest effects ofreplacing Deb with Harry as the manifestation of Dexter’s conscience is that it makesResurrectionfeel more like the original series.Reviews forDexter: Resurrectionhave already been impressive - the show has a perfect score onRotten Tomatoes- and many of them have praised the show’s return to the original formula. Harry is at least partly responsible for that.
Bringing Harry back to the role of Dexter’s conscience also has the added bonus of distancingResurrectionfrom the very divisiveNew Blood.New Bloodwas one of the least popular andworstDexterseries.Having Deb play the Dark Passenger again would have madeResurrectiontoo similar toNew Blood; bringing Harry back helps it stand on its own.
Harry’s presence in Dexter’s mind also makes the tone ofDexter: Resurrectiona lot lighter. As James Remar noted, when Deb was functioning as the Dark Passenger, Dexter was “frozen in place” and deeply ashamed of himself and his urges.With Harry, Dexter is much more free to do as he pleases and continue to grow and evolve inResurrection.
Our Take On Harry’s Return & Deb’s Absence In Dexter: Resurrection
While It Would Be Nice To See Deb Again, Harry Works Better As Dexter’s Conscience
I thinkDexter: Resurrectionmade the right call in bringing Harry back as the manifestation of Dexter’s conscience. Harry simply works better as a mentor to Dexter than Deb did. Remar’s comments are also largely right: Harry lets Dexter do more, grow more, and be more vulnerable. Deb worked for a somber, reflective show likeNew Blood, but Harry is much better for the energy and suspense ofResurrection.
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That being said,I still would have liked for Deb to appear inDexter: Resurrectionin some capacity. It’s a shame she wasn’t one of the ghosts who visited Dexter in his hospital bed, and I think it would have been nice to see Jennifer Carpenter in the role again. Harry and Deb could even have battled for control of Dexter’s actions. Overall, I thinkDexter: Resurrectionmade the right call.
Dexter: Resurrection
Cast
Dexter: Resurrection follows Dexter Morgan as he awakens from a coma to discover his son, Harrison, missing. His search leads him to New York City, where he confronts his past and the challenges posed by Miami Metro’s Angel Batista, as father and son face their shared darkness.
Dexter: New Blood
Set a decade after his disappearance, Dexter: New Blood follows Dexter Morgan living under a new identity in Iron Lake, New York. Despite his attempts to embrace a peaceful life, unforeseen events in the tight-knit community reignite his Dark Passenger, challenging his efforts to leave his past behind.
