The world was not ready to receive the news that Showtime’s Dexter would be coming back. When Deadline first reported that Michael C. Hall was making a return as the killer of killers, the general fan reaction was, “Uh, what the fuck?” After all, the show’s ending was one of the most widely panned series finales of all time. (Remember: Before there was Season 8 of Game of Thrones, there was Season 8 of Dexter.)

However, the news of a new 10-part limited series in the hands of Clyde Phillips, the showrunner from the first four seasons, has piqued fans’ curiosity. After all, Seasons 1-4 are widely regarded as some of the best in the biz — and a great stopping point if you’re not committed to seeing the story through to the end.

Rita’s death meant Dexter (both the character and the show) were left to tread new territory after that. While there’s plenty of debate about what worked and what didn’t (I personally enjoyed Season 5 and was ready to roll with the punches of Seasons 6 and 7, though they definitely started to lose me by the start of Season 8), there’s no arguing that the Season 4 finale wrapped up the show so far and left fans feeling equal parts heartbroken and satisfied.

The same can’t be said for Season 8, which saw Dexter pulling the plug on his brain-dead sister, leaving his girlfriend to run off with his son to Argentina alone, and fucking off into the woods to become a lumberjack in isolation for the rest of forever. The shows’ creators thought it was a worthy punishment for a man who spent most of his life committing murder, letting the silence of the last few moments reflect just how empty Dexter’s self-imposed exile is without any of his loved ones.