Welcome back to TV Obsessive. If you’ve followed the site, and my Dexter coverage, for a while now, you might remember that with New Blood, I did a special bonus article going over some of my theories for that season. Today, I’m going to do the same with my Dexter: Resurrection theories. There are several to explore in what’s shaping up to be one of the best seasons in this television franchise.
Before we dive into the first theory, something that’s been on my mind this season is the absence of a “big bad.” Dexter seasons have always been built around one central villain that we know will be the source of end of season conflict for our anti-hero. That’s not been the case here. An argument could be made that Prater might be the “big bad” but certainly not in the traditional sense. The hinted at New York Ripper (which will be the first of the Dexter: Resurrection theories we dive into) feels like they could be the big bad of a future season, but we haven’t met this killer yet. Or have we?
Who is the New York Ripper?
This is clearly the biggest talking point amongst YouTube channels, blogs and social media after the most recent episode. While the New York Ripper has been hinted at all season long, we really didn’t know much about this serial killer until Episode 7 besides the fact that Detective Claudette Wallace never solved the case. But now we have a few bits of information to work with:
- The killer is male.
- The killer is particularly brutal, ripping his victim’s bodies apart with his hook on the end of a crowbar.
- The New York Ripper allegedly has stopped killing but to this day calls family members of his victims to taunt them.
- The Ripper cases started around the time that Wallace joined the force.
- A newspaper clipping indicated that there were 22 known victims of the New York Ripper.
That’s a lot to unpack. Given that there are only three episodes left in this season, it seems like the Ripper is being set up to be a villain for future seasons. But my TV brain is telling me that the identity of the Ripper will be revealed in the season finale, giving us a year in between seasons to process what a showdown between Dexter and the New York Ripper could look like. Personally, I’m leaning towards us already knowing who the Ripper is. Let’s look at a few possible suspects.
Blessing Kamara: Many online took Blessing’s confession to Dexter about killing a man in Sierra Leone and ran with it. Blessing’s admission about his mother helping him keep the darkness away from home was enough to get social media commentators going. He does check the boxes of killing before (although he was a child forced into a civil war) and speaking of darkness surrounding him. He’s in his 40s and has lived in New York for years, which both add to him being a possible suspect.
But to me, this feels like a red herring. Blessing’s narrative purpose seems to be pushing Dexter towards family and ensuring that Harrison doesn’t get pulled into Dexter’s secret life. While we can’t rule Blessing Kamara out as a possible New York Ripper candidate, to me the odds feel low. I’m actually expecting him to be a victim at some point, pushing Dexter over the edge.
Jonah Mitchell: While the son of the Trinity Killer would certainly check a lot of boxes, the age doesn’t feel right to me. Jonah seems too young. I would also argue that Jonah as the new “big bad” would be the worst kind of fan service. It would feel like shoehorning in a legacy character just for the sake of doing it. I’m confident that Clyde Phillips and team know this and won’t jeopardize the good will they’ve built up by making Jonah Mitchell the New York Ripper.
Claudette Wallace: While I do think Claudette as the killer would be much more interesting than Blessing or Jonah, it doesn’t feel right. She seems way too married to the job to be faking it. Her partner Detective Melvin Oliva would make more sense than Detective Wallace, although still not the most exciting possibility. Calling both of them a no for now.
Leon Prater: I do believe we’re getting warmer. Prater has the Ripper’s killing tool on display in his serial killer museum. This lends credence to the Ripper being retired and Prater knowing who the Ripper is (and vice versa). Prater’s true identity is obviously a well guarded secret. Only killers that he and Charley know of and recruit discover Prater’s true identity. Nobody (allegedly) knows who the Ripper is. Well, clearly Prater and the Ripper have had some communication. It would be easy to jump to the conclusion that it’s Prater himself, but he doesn’t like to get his hands dirty. Prater likes to watch. He likes to live vicariously through these killers. He himself is not the New York Ripper.
Which is why it has to be Charley. You don’t cast Uma Thurman unless she’s going to have an incredibly juicy role. Did Prater do something for Charley (like take care of her sick mother) in exchange for her killing for him? Was the New York Ripper persona created for the amusement of the serial killer obsessed billionaire? I tend to think so. Charley doesn’t share this fascination with killers with Prater but she is a hard worker who clearly will do whatever she has to. Did she sell her soul so her mother could live? Which, really, would make Prater the “big bad” after all, orchestrating wide spread panic not seen in NYC since the Son of Sam days. As of now, this is my official theory. Charley is the Ripper at the orders of Prater. She “retired” from killing by recruiting new killers for Prater to get amusement from and hired a man to send these phone calls to keep the mayhem and torture from the Ripper alive.
The Angel Batista Conundrum
Angel has been a problem for Dexter on screen all season long, but he is crucial to examine when exploring Dexter: Resurrection theories. Why you ask? Because he presents a unique narrative obstacle that has to be accounted for. While Dexter clearly needs to kill him so he can be rid of this problem, Angel doesn’t fit the code. We all saw how Harrison reacted the last time Dexter killed someone who didn’t fit the code. It would be a major mistake for the show to have Dexter kill another police officer given how hard they’ve worked to repair Dexter and Harrison’s relationship.
So how does Dexter get out of this problem? The first option would be to make Angel somehow fit the code. Making Angel the New York Ripper is the only option worse than Jonah Mitchell, so let’s not entertain that. But could Angel do something that puts Blessing’s family in danger? It’s possible and not a huge narrative stretch. Angel has already visited their home once. Dexter is incredibly protective over the family. This *could* work.
But the more likely outcome revolves around Harrison. Angel has been all over Harrison this season. If he made a discovery that leads to Harrison being arrested for Ryan Foster’s murder, Dexter would clearly snap. It wouldn’t totally fit the code, but we could justify Dexter killing Angel in this scenario. The more drastic option would be Harrison dying as a result of something Angel did. Maybe he’s chasing Harrison and an accident happens? Harrison fills the role that both Rita and Deb previously filled. If he’s taken from Dexter, the show would take its darkest turn yet. As much as I’ve enjoyed the Dexter and Harrison dynamic, writing wise, all bets would be off if Harrison were killed. It’s interesting to think about.
But what feels most likely is that Harrison himself kills Angel. A full circle moment from Harrison shooting his dad in the snow. This time, Harrison pulls the trigger to save his dad and in the process saves him from having to break his code. Father and son relationship becomes more complex and Harrison going into law enforcement in future seasons has another layer of uncertainty underneath it.
Back To Prater
As I said earlier, I feel strongly that Charley was the New York Ripper and it was orchestrated by Prater. I want to round out my look at Dexter: Resurrection theories today by returning to these characters, but adding another layer of intrigue. At some point, Prater and Charley have to figure out that Dexter is the one killing these other serial killers in the “boogeyman social club” and that he also killed Red to take his place in the group. But what will that fallout look like?
When Prater showed Dexter his blood slides earlier this season, it felt off. Almost as if Prater knew who Dexter was already. Given their strange conversation last week, it feels fairly likely that Prater’s intrigue with Dexter is related to how he infiltrated his group under the guise of being a different killer. To Prater, this is all entertainment. He’s enjoying watching Dexter do his thing right before his eyes. But when will it be time to let Dexter know that he’s been busted and what will Prater do with this information?
Could he tell Dexter that in order to have his secret stay safe that he has to take up then mantle of the New York Ripper, a role that he created? Certainly would be unexpected and a satisfying way to keep Prater and Charley around for another season and make Prater the true “big bad” we thought we might not be getting.
Only three episodes left to find out. Let me know your thoughts in the comments.
love this theory! I also wonder if its Prater himself making the phone calls to the survivors families.
Possibly! I could see him getting a sick sense of pleasure from doing that.