I was skeptical. I mean, I was not a fan of "New Blood", and arguably the last season of the original show (maybe even last 2). The moment I saw the opening though - I knew, it will be good. They were able to recreate same vibes for it, as the original series without really copying it, which is not an easy task for any sequel or prequel. But the show was done with care. Felt almost like "for fans by fans".
Another concern from my side was "do we even need something like this?". "New Blood" was an attempt to fix the ending of the original series. It did and did not at the same time, partially thanks to "breaking the mold", which made sense for Dexter, I guess, but was not necessarily as smooth for the show, even though it was not like it was a complete disaster or anything. But now we have a prequel?
Concern was misplaced. This prequel is not perfect, of course, there are some "gaps": Dex is supposed to be in college, but we do not see him there at all, he has practically no supervision as an intern, Brian's character has some weird choices for his development, but... We do learn more.
We learn more about Harry and his relationship with both Laura and his own wife. We learn a bit more about Deb, although her career pivot did feel a little bit forced to me (just a few more minutes of focus on her closer to the end might have helped). And, of course, we learn more about Dexter, how he became the serial killer we all love (no matter how weird this may sound).
None of that is groundbreaking by any stretch of imagination, but same as with the opening - it was done with care. If you watched the original show (and you probably should not watch this, if you have not) you will notice those little (and not so little) things here and there that will have consequences in the future. Everything is well-placed, well-timed, and well-placed. Even the cast was selected just about right: not as perfect as with the Dark series, but that one was shot with time-lapses in mind, unlike this.
So overall, if you liked the original show, at least its 1st season, and regardless of whether you liked the "New Blood" - you will probably like this one, as well. It's not exactly the same, but just as good.
