WARNING: MAJOR SPOILERS ahead for Dexter: Resurrection episode 10.
Dexter: Resurrection episode 10, “And Justice For All,” ends with the classic image of Dexter dumping a body off a boat into a harbor, bringing the remarkable first season of the franchise’s third expansion series to a satisfying ending.
Just when it looked like the wheels were starting to fall off the wagon with the arguably rushed death of Miami Metro Captain Angel Batista in Dexter: Resurrection episode 9, the season finale pulls off a clutch and full-circle conclusion. Harrison and Dexter work together to take out Prater, making sure that the NYPD finds his serial killer shrine, but will never find his body.
Dexter: Resurrection Pulls Off A Strong Finale To Become An All-Time Great Season
Michael C. Hall as Dexter Morgan in Dexter Resurrection episode 8.Zach Dilgard/Paramount+ with SHOWTIME
The attention to detail throughout Dexter: Resurrection’s season 1 finale is on an expert level. The idea to include Brian Moser’s Dark Passenger return as Dexter mourned for Batista in Prater’s vault was chillingly perfect. The slow camera pan to reveal Brian in the background, wearing his signature red collared shirt and saying, “Oops, you did it again,” was true Dexter gold.
Through his conversation with Brian, a guilt-ridden Dexter can grieve for Batista. Brian tells him that listening to his “fake Dad,” Harry, is the only reason why he’s in pain over Batista, alluding to the conflict between Harry and Brian at the end of Original Sin (RIP). The finale honors Batista’s death in a way that episode 9 didn’t have time for, despite Brian’s uncalled-for “Batista shashimi” line, while also making him a key part of Dexter’s escape from Prater’s mansion. It’s clever, sinister, and classic Dexter.
Dexter has no choice but to depend on Harrison, who is becoming shockingly well-adjusted, all things considered, to get him out of Prater’s vault. The thrilling scene where Dexter tells Harrison to input the eight-digit code, which wasn’t the date of Prater’s parents’ deaths but in fact the inmate number of their killer, Cooper Morris, was straight out of an action heist movie. Harrison’s loyalty to his father ends up being Dexter’s saving grace.
Dinklage and Thurman have been great all season, all the way up to the finale, which is a relief since they could just have been big-name actors used to draw attention to the series. Thurman’s Charley finds her own freedom from Prater after discovering that he kept a hidden file on her, while Prater was rightfully killed for murdering Batista. Prater’s arc from becoming a fanatic to an actual killer was a smart development. There was a moment when I thought he was actually going to kill Harrison in front of Dexter.
Wallace’s dance scene to “Sayin’ Alive” was the icing on the cake in Dexter: Resurrection’s season 1 finale. Of course, the one moment she lets loose, all hell breaks loose at Prater’s gala. It marked one of two great musical callbacks in the episode, the other one being “Badoom” by Scrounge as Dexter entered Prater’s penthouse to save Harrison through the same elevator that he had used to meet Prater’s kill club in Resurrection episode 4.
Dexter robbing Prater of his blood slide worked well as a way to dishonor him seconds before his death. Something sick inside Prater would have felt honored to be immortalized and included among the Bay Harbor Butcher’s victims. Dexter didn’t want to remember Prater or commemorate him as a trophy and was only interested in taking out the trash that killed Batista.
Dexter: Resurrection’s Finale Perfectly Sets Up A Second Season
After the end seemed near for both Dexter and Harrison at certain points in the Dexter: Resurrection finale, Dexter appears to be in a pretty sweet spot to close out the first season. With a stockpile of files of known serial killers, including Eric Stonestreet’s Rapunzel killer Al, all signs point to Dexter taking a road trip or two in Dexter: Resurrection season 2.
That said, if Dexter: Resurrection’s season 1 finale confirms anything, it’s that the theme of Dexter’s loved ones dying as a result of his actions is still very much alive. With Batista gone, as well as Rita, Brian, Deb, and several other Miami Metro colleagues, that list is gradually dwindling, making Harrison a clear target in season 2. As long as Harrison sticks by Dexter’s side, his life will always be at risk.
It would be fantastic if Charley could somehow return next season, although she told her mother she was heading back to Amherst (presumably in Massachusetts, since she’s a Harvard Law graduate). She’s just too great a character for the series to let go of and could even become an ally to Dexter, whose first target will likely be Al in season 2.
It’s unclear whether NYPD detectives Wallace and Oliva will return in season 2, since their arc pretty much wrapped up when Wallace found Prater’s New York Ripper file, revealed to be a man named Don Framt. This seemingly dispels any fan theories that the Ripper was Blessing Kamara or even Oliva. Unless Resurrection takes place in NYC again, we may never find out who Don Framt is.
If Dexter: Resurrection sticks around NYC in season 2, it might be because Harrison and Dexter split up for a bit while Dexter goes after his new hit list. Harrison is finding his footing in NYC with college aspirations and a new girlfriend, and Dexter may not want to screw that up. That said, if Dex didn’t have a sidekick in the Dexter: Resurrection finale, he would surely have died or been caught. This may be where Charley steps in, or a few new characters, in season 2.
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