Dexter Resurrection: Call Me Red

"To new friends!"

I had no idea what to expect of this "dinner party." Certainly not how much fun it would turn out to be.

There was a lot of "Harry" in the early scenes as Dexter was having plenty of second thoughts about accepting the invitation. That was appropriate, because Dexter always misses Harry's love and support, which is of course why "Harry's ghost as Dexter's conscience" is a character on this show. During all eight seasons of the original series, Dexter kept trying to connect with a living friend or lover that he could be himself with, that he could confide in, and his attempts have always failed. (Except maybe with Hannah, who was a lot like Mia.)

Venture capitalist Leon Prater is just incredibly creepy. What an exceptional actor Peter Dinklage is. Prater says he's not a killer himself, he's just a huge fan, but how likely is that? What kind of man needs to control a collection of serial killers, of all people? It's funny that he's so obsessed with trophies when he's collecting the actual perps, isn't it?

The memorabilia museum was a wow. (The prop department at the Dexter studios must have gotten a workout.) Trinity's hammer. The Ice Truck Killer's table. Dexter's slides? Really? I couldn't tell if Dexter was thrilled or revolted. Objects like Jeffrey Dahmer's fridge were almost comical, but the overwhelming amount of Dexter collectables made me think Prater knows exactly who Dexter is. Or not. Hey, I don't know. The vegan entree suggested that Prater and Charley believed Dexter was Red, although that could have been cover.

But Dexter immediately connected with Mia (Krysten Ritter), a "Lady Vengeance" who kills sexual predators. It felt a bit like Dexter was connecting with Jessica Jones, didn't it? Throughout the gathering, Mia kept feeding asides to Dexter that echoed what he was thinking. They both disliked Lowell, a jerk of a womanizer. And they'd probably have hit the sheets after their jogging date in the park if Dexter hadn't prioritized killing Lowell over sex with Mia.

Of all the other guests, Lowell was an obvious first target, which is a shame because I like Neil Patrick Harris and would have enjoyed it if he'd stuck around awhile. His death scene at the tattoo parlor was a bit subdued and almost disappointing, like he wanted to die. Maybe he did. Is Dexter really going to take out the other guests, too? They're a diverse group. There's Al the family man who thinks of his hobby as "self-care." Gareth the Gemini Killer, the quiet one that feels like a serial killer. Of course, Prater is the ultimate target. I can't tell what's up with Charley.

Dexter is supposed to give a show-and-tell at a later event. I wonder if he'll have the nerve to do Lowell? If not Lowell, what can he show-and-tell?

Angel Batista tracked Harrison to the Hotel Empire and immediately lucked out, since Harrison still thinks Dexter is dead and is feeling super guilty about Ryan. I absolutely loved Ryan's ticking watch as a way-too-obvious tell-tale heart symbol of Harrison's guilt.

(Although I wonder why the watch is a problem. Ryan asked Harrison to get it fixed for him right in front of Harrison's boss, after all. Couldn't Harrison just take the watch to Stefan and say, hey, boss, what should I do with this?)

Anyway, Angel decided on the spur of the moment not to enlighten Harrison just to see what he could get out of him. Harrison held his ground and kept his cool, but during their coffee date later on, Angel brought up all of the innocents who have died because of Dexter, including Rita. That got to Harrison, even if he didn't respond right then.

Dexter has realized he would rather have a relationship with Harrison than with Prater's club. If Dexter hadn't stopped him in the last minute of the episode, Harrison would have walked into the precinct and confessed to Claudette. Fabulous timing on Dexter's part. Now what? Angel just teamed up with Claudette and that's not good news since she is already fixated on Harrison as Ryan's killer. Angel probably made Claudette's day, bringing her information about the nine-body-pieces-in-garbage-bags Bay Harbor Butcher.

Everything is in motion. Can't wait for next week's episode.

Bits:

— There were two mentions of the New York Ripper, an uncaught killer who was active when Prater was a child. Claudette told Oliva that she had taken on a speaking engagement about the New York Ripper, a case that she screwed up. I'm sure we'll be hearing about him again.

— Mia's career was launched when her stepfather victimized her younger sister Hazel. Mia keeps her trophies in a ballerina jewelry box. Dexter misses his trophies and started a new very large slide collection.

— Kale pastries? Tell me it isn't so.

— Charley doesn't like the serial killer curios. She's still a cipher. The guy she killed in the previous episode, Keith the Canton Clubber, was punished for "turning on the group." How did he do that?

— Harrison made a poorly timed and unsuccessful pass at Elsa.

— Harrison's nanny Jamie is now a middle school principal!

— The original model of the Statue of Liberty made me laugh out loud. Talk about the ultimate in kitsch.

Quotes:

Harry: "There's only been one other known serial killer meet-up."
Dexter: "The Pig Farmer."
I assume they mean this guy? What meet-up?

Dexter: (re: Prater) "I know it takes one to know one, but this guy's fucking nuts."

Mia: "Prater likes to own things. And people."

Lowell: "Welcome to the freak show."
Dexter: "No place I'd rather be."

Harry: "If I didn't know any better, I'd think I was watching some kind of boogeyman club. You're still gonna kill these guys, right?"
Dexter: "I don't even have concrete proof. Remember that whole Code thing you taught me?"
Harry: "I also taught you not to play with your food."

Lowell: "I feel the pressure rise, becomes so intense, it's dizzying, unstoppable."
Dexter: (to himself) "I know the feeling."
Mia: "I call it 'The Itch'."
Al: "The Need."
Gareth: "The Great Yearning."
Dexter: "The Urge."

Dexter: "Tattoo parlors really do have everything I need. And lucky for me, Lowell brought everything else."

This was an audacious, unusual, and rather amazing episode. Four out of four tattoos,

Billie
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Billie Doux loves good television and spends way too much time writing about it.

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