{"id":291415,"date":"2025-07-12T01:34:52","date_gmt":"2025-07-12T05:34:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tvobsessive.com\/?p=291415"},"modified":"2026-08-14T03:32:29","modified_gmt":"2026-08-14T03:32:29","slug":"the-dexter-resurrection-two-episode-premiere-is-a-return-to-glory","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.andrewgrevas.com\/?p=291415","title":{"rendered":"The Dexter: Resurrection Two Episode Premiere Is a Return to Glory"},"content":{"rendered":"

Tonight\u2019s the night. Television\u2019s favorite fictional serial killer is back with the two episode premiere of Dexter: Resurrection, the fourth series in this franchise<\/a>. This article will be full of spoilers for the first two episodes, \u201cA Beating Heart\u201d (written by Clyde Phillips and Scott Reynolds) and \u201cCamera Shy\u201d (written by Scott Buck), with both episodes directed by Marcos Siega. If you haven\u2019t seen the episodes, proceed with caution. Both are currently available to stream on Paramount + and will air Sunday evening on Showtime.
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Past, Meet Present<\/h2>\n

For many Dexter<\/em> fans, there were several burning questions headed into the premiere of Dexter: Resurrection.\u00a0<\/em>How would the titular character be brought back? What would his dynamic with Harrison be like? Has Harrison gone completely down his father\u2019s path, or is he just an emotionally damaged young man who can still pull through? Would there be much retconning of the previous series\u2019 narratives? Then of course, there were questions about the tone of this new series.<\/p>\n

To start with tone, there is a heaviness to Dexter: Resurrection\u00a0<\/em>that I personally rarely felt with the other series in this \u201cDexter-verse\u201d. In the first two episodes alone, concepts such as aging, the notion of our own mortality and multigenerational parenting are addressed. Dexter<\/em> has always had a pretty fast paced narrative throughout all its incarnations, and while it is still moving quickly here, some of the underlying themes resonated more strongly. The story had more time to linger over the details.<\/p>\n

Much like how the character of Dexter Morgan is now firmly middle-aged, so is the core fan base. Throughout both episodes, Harry is frequently seen talking to Dexter, critiquing his parenting skills and offering input. Dexter<\/em> isn\u2019t typically a show that makes me think about my own life, but multiple times I found myself thinking about my father, talking to me about my kids. Sometimes us middle-aged people appreciate the advice. Other times we want the older generation to back off. Dexter went through both of those feelings with Harry in these episodes and it felt very true to life. In a show as fantastical as Dexter<\/em>, we don\u2019t often have those moments.<\/p>\n

The Plot<\/h2>\n

I assumed going into Dexter: Resurrection\u00a0<\/em>that I wouldn\u2019t be fully happy with how Dexter was not only resurrected from what we thought was a fatal gunshot at the end of New Blood<\/em><\/a>, but also how he would escape arrest over Deputy Logan\u2019s death and Chief Bishop\u2019s assertion that Dexter was in fact the Bay Harbor Butcher. It\u2019s a lot to back away from narratively. But I was also determined to not allow my appreciation of the New Blood<\/em> ending to hamper my enjoyment here.<\/p>\n

The results were mixed. I could rationalize Dexter\u2019s survival due to the extreme cold. Even the idea that the gunshot fired in his jail cell implied self defense with Logan\u2019s murder made sense. But Chief Angela Bishop not only taking the rap for shooting Dexter but also saying that she was wrong about him being the Bay Harbor Butcher is what didn\u2019t sit well with me. She could have taken the blame for shooting him to protect Harrison without letting Dexter off the hook for all his murders in Miami. But if that\u2019s my only sticking point with the story, I suppose I can let it go. But if we don\u2019t see Chief Bishop again, I for one will be disappointed. She\u2019s easily one of the best and most well rounded characters in this narrative universe.<\/p>\n

I did like Dexter seeing all of his ghosts at the beginning of the first episode of Dexter: Resurrection.\u00a0<\/em>There was a fan service element to seeing the Trinity Killer, Miguel Prado and James Doakes, but their appearances were used for a purpose: Trinity and Prado (the bad guys) reminded Dexter that innocent people get hurt when he\u2019s trying to be more than a killer, and Doakes (the cop) was there to tell Dexter that he has it in him to save his son. Dexter\u2019s conflicting thoughts and morals were on full display here. Even his ghosts that visit him are just as conflicted as he is.<\/p>\n

But one face from Dexter\u2019s past was very much alive and well when he came to visit, and that was none other than the now Chief of Police at Miami Metro, Angel Batista. Angel\u2019s return was teased to the point of frustration in New Blood<\/em>, but all signs point to his role being much larger in Dexter: Resurrection.\u00a0<\/em>Angel visited Dexter in the hospital, asking his questions and walking the thin line of old friend and highly motivated officer. It doesn\u2019t take much to deduce that Angel is going to be the background of this new series, following Dexter\u2019s every movement, waiting for the chance to bring him to justice.<\/p>\n

Harrison The Killer \/ Victim<\/h2>\n

Perhaps what intrigued me the most about these first two episodes was Harrison\u2019s story arc. He\u2019s clearly haunted by his past. He sees visions of the violence 10 weeks prior in Iron Lake. He\u2019s reminded of Kurt Caldwell\u2019s victims. He\u2019s reliving watching his father kill Kurt. He replays shooting his own father in the snow that fateful day, after his father reminded him to turn the safety off.<\/p>\n

Harrison works at a hotel in NYC where a maid helps him find rooms to sleep in each night. He helps babysit for her and she pushed him to get his GED. In the city that never sleeps, they seem to have each other\u2019s backs out of necessity. Much like his father, Harrison puts on a public face of being friendly and social with his co-workers, but his inner turmoil is eating him alive. He constantly has his earbuds in, to perhaps drown out the voices in his head, filling his mind with a plethora of troubling thoughts.<\/p>\n

Harrison kills a wealthy mover and shaker, who according to the newspaper just got out of another sexually related crime. Harrison\u2019s victim fit the code but he didn\u2019t know that—Harrison just knows that he saw this man almost rape a woman and that pushed Harrison into a blind rage. He couldn\u2019t let that happen. Which perhaps makes him somewhat different than his father, whose thoughts were typically on the criminal and not the victim.<\/p>\n

Harrison was very detailed cleaning up the mess of his murder, but he wasn\u2019t perfect. Dexter is stalking his son, trying to keep him safe from a distance, but the NYPD has a detective who seems to be part Rust Cohle from True Detective<\/em> and part Dale Cooper from Twin Peaks<\/em>. Translation: This cop is good and borderline psychic. Best of luck Harrison.<\/p>\n

But to get back to a previous point, Dexter: Resurrection<\/em> is giving time for the emotional gravitas to sink in. As an audience, we spend enough time with Harrison to have our collective hearts break. This young man has had a truly traumatizing life. He really has nothing but his own desire to keep moving forward. NYC has given him a platform to do just that but his own baggage is in the way. There\u2019s part of me that wants Dexter and Harrison to reunite because Harrison needs something good in his life. Someone who loves him at the very least. But part of me wants him to make it on his own and to escape the cycle of violence this family continually live through.<\/p>\n

Other Beats<\/h2>\n

Dexter went from being high strung and self-reflective to being completely comfortable once he found a \u201cbig bad\u201d to chase. A ride sharing serial killer is certainly an unsettling thought but a unique enough construct to make Dexter: Resurrection\u00a0<\/em>feel modern. Of course, this serial killer being called the Dark Passenger is hilarious to everyone but Dexter. His tantrums over the name are funny but also serve as a reminder that his need to kill has already become just as important to him as keeping his son safe. Dexter might be evolving to some degree, but his urges and needs are still animalistic. He hasn\u2019t changed as much as perhaps some wanted him to.<\/p>\n

Uma Thurman\u2019s character is a fun layer to the story. So far, she\u2019s been in her own lane, but once she integrates into Dexter (or Harrison\u2019s) story, she should be a formidable foe. Right now, she\u2019s a mystery, but a welcome mystery bound to make this story more complicated and compelling.<\/p>\n

I can\u2019t shake this bad feeling that Dexter\u2019s new friend Blessing isn\u2019t long for this world. When that happens, look out. Dexter will snap.<\/p>\n

Final Thoughts<\/h2>\n

Dexter: Resurrection\u00a0<\/em>feels like an evolved version of the story many of us have loved for years now. So far there seems to be a maturity to it, an introspective quality almost and a meditation on the life we want for ourselves versus the life we have. The morality questions of whether what Dexter does is acceptable or not have been put to rest. We\u2019ve had those conversations before. The question at hand now is if Dexter can be himself and a good father at the same time. What does being a good father in this situation even look like? While most of us can\u2019t relate to an insatiable desire to kill, we can relate to questions of our desired identity and wanting to be many things at the same time. How will this play out for Dexter? Only time will tell.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Tonight\u2019s the night. Television\u2019s favorite fictional serial killer is back with the two episode premiere of Dexter: Resurrection, the fourth series in this franchise. This article will be full of spoilers for the first two episodes, \u201cA Beating Heart\u201d (written by Clyde Phillips and Scott Reynolds) and \u201cCamera Shy\u201d (written by Scott Buck), with both […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":291429,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"saved_in_kubio":false,"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[283],"tags":[295,153,97,39],"class_list":["post-291415","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-tv-recaps","tag-dexter","tag-michael-c-hall","tag-paramount","tag-showtime"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.andrewgrevas.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/291415","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.andrewgrevas.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.andrewgrevas.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.andrewgrevas.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.andrewgrevas.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=291415"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.andrewgrevas.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/291415\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":298893,"href":"https:\/\/www.andrewgrevas.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/291415\/revisions\/298893"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.andrewgrevas.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/291429"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.andrewgrevas.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=291415"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.andrewgrevas.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=291415"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.andrewgrevas.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=291415"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}