When I first started reviewing Dexter in 2006, I didn't think I was making a twenty-year commitment. But here we are, in the second season of the second Dexter reboot (not to mention the spinoff that didn't take). And here I am.
This premiere felt very much like original series Dexter, but with a new twist – he really is getting older. Finally. He is no longer full of boundless energy, and his body isn't obeying him any more. He even needs a bigger font in order to read the print on his phone.
And they really pushed that "getting older" point. When Dexter heard that there was a Rapunzel murder in Pennsylvania, he was off and running, certain that he could drive all night, take out Al Walker, and then drive even more hours back to New York in time to attend Harrison's gun and shield ceremony. Instead, when Al fought back and nearly won, Dexter was so exhausted that he left both Al and his souvenirs dangling for someone to find. There's a very good reason why Harry told Dexter never to do that.
The thing is, if Al was already looking for another victim, removing him from the board and saving a life was infinitely more important than Harrison's graduation. If Harrison has accepted what Dexter does, maybe he should be giving Dexter more support? Although it's somewhat comical that Harrison was worried about his aging father taking on too much when that "too much" is killing bad guys.
Interestingly, Dexter is also feeling unappreciated. He has probably saved hundreds of possible victims and truly sees himself as a vigilante, not a criminal. Angel's rejection in last season's finale clearly hit a nerve. Such an old friend for so many years, but Angel could never accept Dexter as he truly is.
And now, Joey Quinn has arrived in New York. Could I say up front that I very much didn't want to lose Angel and I don't want to lose Joey Quinn?
I'm very pleased that they brought back detectives Wallace and Oliva from last season. The two of them have to choose a new "baby faced uni" for Homicide, and they of course recognized Harrison's name. I'm willing to bet we all know who their trainee is going to be.
We were also introduced to Brian Cox as Don Framt, the elderly and wheelchair-bound New York Ripper, whom Wallace has been chasing for 23 years. Brian Cox has a laugh like a scream. Plus he fits in with the "serial killers getting older" theme. He's still getting off on cruelty over the phone to the families of his victims. What a monster.
Plus even more set-up – the brand new Five Boroughs Killer from Downton Abbey carried out his first kill, recorded it, and sent it out by phone. "Nobody cares" is his catchphrase. I think someone will care.
Was this episode all cops and killers? Seriously, think about it. Even Harry the ghost used to be a cop.
Bits:
— They recreated the original credits! That made me smile.
— Last season, Dexter's new driver's license was dated March 7, 2022 with Dexter's birthdate given as February 1, 1971. Dexter said he'd been tracking Al Walker for three years. That makes it 2025, and Dexter is now 54 years old.
— Many reminders of Miami, especially in the opening dream. Harrison just moved into a new apartment and his air conditioner was broken, another sideways reference to Dexter's apartment in Miami.
— What Al told Dexter sounded a lot like Trinity. Did Al terrorize his family, too? Will we be seeing them again?
— Dexter and Harrison get together for lunch every week. I like that Dexter is still putting Harrison first and helping him out financially. That location sharing phone thing might turn out to be a bad thing. Or a good thing. I'm sure we'll find out.
— At the blue bar, Harrison successfully picked up a beautiful woman who turned out to be a cop. That could be an interesting relationship, since Harrison has way too much to hide.
— If Dexter has a whole lot of money from selling the Iron Lake property as well as what Prater left lying about, why not just stop driving UrCar? Too suspicious?
— Dexter is still living in Blessing's downstairs apartment, but it's been awhile and he hasn't decorated at all. Loved the blood spatter decorations Dexter was imagining.
— Dexter broke the fourth wall at the beginning and the end of this episode. Did he do it in the middle, too?
Quotes:
Dexter: "Unfortunately for me, gentrification is turning this building into a Whole Foods. Goodbye, surefire body disposal."
Dexter: "This is hardly the life I imagined I'd have in my fifties."
Harry: "You never even imagined you'd still be alive in your fifties."
Dexter: "Yeah. It's not like serial killers get retirement plans. All the good I've done in the world, and still living a two-star life."
Harry: "You've always been five stars to me, kiddo."
Dexter: "Great. My dead dad gives me five stars."
Dexter: "I'm not even supposed to be alive, Dad. Let me live a little, okay?"
Harry: "Killing is a strange way to live."
Dexter: "Rapunzel's not getting out of the tower this time."
Harry: "Spatter matters. Huh, son?"
Dexter: "I've been killing killers for half my life. More than half my life. But no one knows. So yeah, I want people to notice."
This episode felt familiar and comfortable, like we never left Miami. Three out of four exploding frozen dinners,
Billie
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Billie Doux loves good television and spends way too much time writing about it.
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