by Jeff Alan, Contributing Writer
If you can believe it, Dexter is on its third spinoff series. The latest, Resurrection, graces the screen with more gripping antics from our favorite serial killer Dexter Morgan (Michael C. Hall). With this being a continuation of the predecessor Dexter: New Blood, we see Dexter facing tougher choices and slipping his way out of even tighter spots now that he has moved, along with his coveted code, to New York City.
Resurrection picks up nearly 10 weeks after the events of New Blood, with Dexter in a coma brought on by doctors of Iron Lake saving his life after he had been shot by his son Harrison (Jack Alcott). When Dexter wakes up, he is downright shocked to find himself not taken into custody for his actions, but actually off scot-free. But his luck is soon turned sour when the an old friend greets him as he gets back into the world. Angel Batista (David Zayas) has arrived at Iron Lake to check on his old friend, but has new suspicions Dexter, believing he is the Bay Harbor Butcher serial killer that plagued the Miami area years before.
Meanwhile, Harrison has started a new life for himself in New York City, with new friends and a new job at the Empire Hotel to help keep him on the straight and narrow. But one night, after attempting to help a guest he can see is being drugged and taken advantage of by another regular guest of the hotel, Harrison’s urges get the better of him, and he kills the guest in self-defense. Thinking quickly, Harrison disposes the body the only way he knows how: using methods his father taught him. But his victory is short lived when the N.Y.C. police discover the cut-up body, and it makes headline news. But Dexter hears the news, and knows immediately that it was Harrison’s doing. So Dexter slyly sneaks past Batista and leaves Iron Lake for New York City to find his son, only to discover that Harrison isn’t the only thing in New York City that makes him stay.
What I love about this new series is the fact that it feels more like classic Dexter than New Blood ever did. New Blood wasn’t too bad, but Resurrections is a return to form. Especially with Dexter coming back to his old ways, getting out of tight spots, and having his dark passenger by his side like the good old days. Alcott has been a great addition to this world, and a strong point of emotional connection for the lead, and that plays very well in this continuation of the franchise. We also get some great performance moments from Zayas, Krysten Ritter, Eric Stonestreet, David Dastmalchian, Peter Dinklage, and Uma Thurman, all of whom (minus Zayas) are part of a secret society of serial killers brought together by Dinkalge’s Leon Prater.
As much as I do like the new series, aspects of the “serial killer club” are a bit rushed — the episode count could have been a bit longer to help flesh out more of the finer details of how this gathering really formed, and what Prater’s intentions are with it. But nonetheless, I was still mostly satisfied with the way the finale plays out, and how things come to a head. There are also a few characters I would have liked to have seen Dexter spend more time with, and to find better ways of dealing with them.
Speaking of characters, there is one who bothers me in this series. Kadia Saraf plays Claudette Wallace, a quick-thinking police detective investigating the murder of the hotel guest — she almost immediately suspects Harrison of committing the crime. Her character is almost too good at her job, as she puts on a pair of heavy headphones and blasts the Bee Gees’ “Stayin’ Alive,” and can somehow solve the entire case just by doing that. This is just lazy writing. Granted, she is right, but I think an audience likes the big “a-ha” moments just as much as the other moments. It’s also implied that she has some form of autism or Asperger’s by the way she behaves, but it’s never mentioned or addressed in any way. I wish that would have been explored in more depth, like showing HOW she was able to piece everything together.
One last qualm that I have with this show is the same problem I had with New Blood: Why not just make this a continuation of Dexter, instead of it its own series?! Giving New Blood it’s own platform was a good idea, but then now making a spinoff of the spinoff?? Just make it New Blood Season Two! Instead, viewers have to jump from one show to the next, instead of just watching it consecutively. It’s a small gripe, I know, but I think in this day and age of networks giving a show a shared universe of different spinoffs and continuations, it’s getting completely out of hand.
But overall, with Hall back as Dexter, and just as good as before, I, for one, am looking forward to seeing what other trouble he gets himself into while he takes on Manhattan.
Rating: High Side of Liked It
Dexter: Resurrection is currently streaming on Paramount+
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