SPOILER WARNING! The following contains MASSIVE SPOILERS for the third episode of ‘Dexter: Resurrection’ titled ‘Backseat Driver’ - Proceed with caution.
Episode three of Dexter: Resurrection continues to skillfully move the pieces around on the board while deftly leveraging the New York backdrop to breathe new life into the series. For a show that is now (technically) in its 11th season - following two controversial “endings” since 2006 - I continue to be impressed at how successfully they are managing to walk the line between nostalgia and reinvention.
Following Dexter’s arrival in New York City, the character has seized his second chance at life and embraced his reality in a way that we haven’t really seen since the early 2010s. One might be tempted to feel like the show is starting to play it a little too safe but the developments in the broader story that start to take shape in this episode are anything but indicative of the status quo. Read on for my full review and analysis.
EPISODE RECAP
Before we jump into the analysis, let’s take a look at the most important story developments in the episode:
- Dexter begins his new gig as a rideshare driver in New York City and despite realizing the potential it holds for his extracurricular activities, quickly discovers that it may be harder than it looks.
- Dexter’s new landlord runs an online background check on him and he realizes that he may have found a useful tool in helping to stalk and vet his victims.
- Detective Wallace interrogates Harrison and indicates that he will need to give them an alibi or risk becoming the focus of their investigation.
- Detective Wallace interrogates Harrison and indicates that he will need to give them an alibi or risk becoming the focus of their investigation.
- Dexter resurrects his old veterinary alias, Patrick Bateman, to order a new batch of M99 as he gears up to take out Red.
- Dexter breaks into Red’s apartment and finds his trophies and murder weapon (a garrote wire).
- Detective Wallace figures out the timeline for the murder and uses it to try and coerce a confession out of Harrison. He reveals that he is homeless and has been living in the hotel which provides a suitable and alternate explanation for their circumstantial evidence.
- Batista gets a lead on Dexter’s truck in New York City and jumpstarts his retirement so that he can focus on getting to the bottom of the Dexter situation. Quinn and Masuka meet him at bar in Miami before he leaves but he decides to keep them in the dark about Dexter for the time being.
- Dexter springs his trap on Red and uses a clever trick to avoid injury before successfully injecting him with M99.
- Dexter takes out Red and ends up learning about a mysterious invitation to a Serial Killer dinner party.
- Dexter disposes of Red’s body in an abandoned incinerator and realizes at the last moment that he needs Red’s thumbprint to access the dinner party. He pulls his arm from the fire and “collects” the thumb.
"Anticipate their every need"
In a lot of ways, episode three is about getting back to basics. Dexter is adjusting to his new life in New York City while re-embracing his serial killer persona after years of wallowing in regret and loneliness. It’s about putting down roots, getting re-acquainted with the code, and getting back into fighting shape so to speak. That means securing the tools of his trade, being honest with himself about his own limitations (aging and physical well being), and remembering how to anticipate every possible scenario.
Of course, it wouldn’t be Dexter if the twisted themes of the show aren’t also mirrored within the mundane (fake) life that he tries so hard to maintain. While he is learning to be a killer again, he is also learning how to blend in as New York’s newest rideshare driver. What first seemed like a simple (and opportunistic) profession soon proves to be a bit more complicated than anticipated and the results inject some of that critical Dexter humor that fans yearn for.
Watching him awkwardly grapple with the complexities of making a living in the big apple feels like classic Dexter but when Blessing injects himself into the situation, I couldn’t stop smiling. Dexter’s cluelessness juxtaposed against Blessing's horror at a 3-star rating on UrCar is hilarious and endearing and it reminds me of the good ol’ days when Dexter had no idea how to respond to Batista’s untamed generosity. At the same time, Blessing’s efforts to help Dexter anticipate the needs of his passengers is doing double duty; reminding him of how important it is to anticipate all of the “x-factors” when he is on the hunt. At the end of the day, this dynamic alone is proof that the writers haven’t lost touch with the core of the show; even after all these years.
"Let us find every piece of surveillance we can on Mr. Morgan"
While Dexter’s new lease on life allows him to slip into a life of crime with relative ease, Harrison continues to find himself in hot water. I half expected the truth to trickle out over the course of the season but here we are in episode three and Harrison is already backed into a corner by a talented and relentless detective. The speed at which we have reached this point only heightens my excitement for what the writers have in store later in the season.
The early episodes are doing an admirable job of highlighting the stark similarities and differences between Dexter and Harrison. Watching him rely on his own intuition and street-smarts is riveting but it is clear that it doesn’t come easy to him. I have to give props to Jack Alcott in this episode for his use of micro-expressions during the intense interrogation sequences. His dialogue is brief but his face communicates so much more to the audience given what we know.
As the season continues and the noose tightens around Harrison even further, I suspect they will continue to explore the differences and similarities between father and son. The idea that Harrison is developing his own code independent of his father speaks to his desire to avoid following in his footsteps while also making that inevitability more apparent than ever. How Dexter eventually re-enters the picture and influences the evolution for Harrison is anyone’s guess but it has already become one of the most narratively enticing questions of the series.
"When it all goes down, believe me, you’ll understand."
Of course, the talk of the town in episode three is the detour it takes through Miami. Batista gets a lead from Teddy about the location of Dexter’s truck and immediately gets the ball rolling on his retirement so that he can be free to pursue Dexter. When Quinn and Masuka find out, a heartfelt reunion takes place at a Miami bar. It’s a brilliantly crafted and nostalgic moment (annoyingly spoiled by the flash-forward at the top of the episode) that answers several burning questions while posing a new one for fans to chew on.
While the return of Quinn and Masuka (Desmond Harrington and C.S. Lee) felt somewhat inevitable - especially if you were paying attention to their social media accounts during production - seeing them together on screen again felt like magic. The two slip back into their roles with so much grace that it feels like almost no time has passed since we last saw them. Batista stops short of filling them in on the Dexter situation but assures them both that they will understand in time. As the moment ends, we are left to wonder if we will see more of these two as the story continues. If you ask me, the answer is most certainly “yes.”
"I’m taking my life back and the name you stole from me"
Even though great strides are taken in Harrison’s storyline this week, the bulk of episode three deals with Dexter’s hunt for Red - aka the Dark Passenger. It is perhaps the most nostalgic episode of the series thus far because it embraces the classic “kill-of-the-week” formula; albeit through the lens of a now aging Dexter. These classic elements were definitely present in New Blood but they always had a hint of spontaneity to them because of Dexter’s efforts to resist. Now he is embracing it fully and reveling in the process like the Dexter of old.
The episode gives fans a heavy dose of “the good stuff” but it also serves to acquaint (or reacquaint) the audience with his methods while putting his cleverness on full display. He’s resurrecting old aliases to acquire M99, vetting his target thoroughly, and thinking 10 steps ahead the way he did in his prime; In all honesty, it is glorious to behold. Between the clever circumvention of the digital lock on Red’s apartment door to the brilliant “turtle neck” maneuver he pulls during the takedown, this whole scenario - while familiar - felt symbolic; Or as Dexter himself put it: like he is reclaiming the life that he lost.
When the moment of truth finally arrives in the kill room, Red’s true motivations are laid bare and they aren’t what we had been led to believe. This small twist was not entirely unexpected but it felt appropriate because of its ties to the culture and history of New York City and served the larger narrative beautifully. Three episodes in and I think it has become abundantly clear that the character of Dexter remains in Michael C. Hall’s DNA. His performance, especially in these moments of dominance, is electric. The intriguing dichotomy between Dexter’s heinous actions and his noble intentions once again makes the kill a wonderfully delicious guilty pleasure.
"You are cordially invited."
While Dexter’s kill ritual signals a return to form and welcomes audiences back into his twisted world in very familiar fashion, the revelation that Red drops just before his curtain call is anything but normal. What started as a very run-of-the-mill exercise (for Dexter) suddenly blossoms into one of the most intriguing inciting moments in the history of the series.
Assuming that Dexter is somehow related to the surprise left by Charley in episode one, Red offers the money she left as a bargaining chip for his life. As we all know, Dexter is unswayed by such things but the mention of an “invitation” is enough to peak his interest. The gold-plated invitation hints at a secret gathering of Serial Killers at the behest of a rich admirer; A prospect that is obviously way too tempting for someone like Dexter.
The discovery of this invitation is almost exciting enough to completely overshadow the reveal of Dexter’s new body disposal strategy; An incinerator located deep in an abandoned building in one of the most deserted and lawless areas of New York City. As Dexter ponders this unexpected new temptation in front of the flames, the excitement for what’s to come is palpable; Both for the character and for the audience. In one final jolt of dark humor before the episode ends, Dexter pulls the charred arm from the furnace and cuts off a thumb in order to successfully infiltrate the gathering disguised as Red. The moment is twisted but light and it left me the perfect sense of forward momentum and anticipation.
“Backseat Driver” is another wonderfully paced episode that feels like it is firing on all cylinders; an undeniable and impressive feat for a show that has been going for almost 20 years (with an obvious 8 year hiatus). With an unmistakable glint of anticipation in Dexter’s eye as the episode ends, it feels like the series has officially reclaimed that playful ambition that was so evident in the earliest years of the show. What comes next is anybody’s guess and I wouldn’t want it any other way.
Score: 9.5 out of 10