It may be hard to believe but with Leon Prater’s group dwindling fast and Batista finally taking aggressive action towards bringing down Dexter, the dramatic conclusion to season one of Dexter: Resurrection feels imminent.
Despite having the shortest runtime of the season, episode eight, titled ”The Kill Room where it Happens”, packs quite a punch and sets the stage for some serious conflict in the final two episodes. With that said, it also feels like time is running thin when you consider all of the important questions that are yet to be answered. 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:
- In his hotel room, Batista reviews the state of his Dexter investigation into a digital recorder. He is tracking his movements through the city and making note of any unusual activity that might indicate a break from his routine.
- Dexter decides that it’s time to finish dismantling Prater’s group so he sets his sights on Al. He quickly discovers that his window is closing because Al is going to see Hamilton on Broadway and then leaving town.
- Dexter finds an unoccupied wig store and sets up a kill room for Al. Unbeknownst to him, Batista has tracked his car to the area and is already snooping around trying to figure out where Dexter is and why he has been spending so much time in the area.
- While getting his acupuncture treatment, Dexter let’s slip that Blessing was a child soldier; A details that even his own daughter was not aware of. When Blessing finds out that Dexter betrayed his confidence, he is hurt.
- While Prater is busy overseeing the preparations for his gala honoring injured NYPD officers, Charley interrupts him to express concern over Red. She is nervous about how little is actually known about him and is growing suspicious of him as the group continues to fall apart. Prater is not convinced of his guilt but urges her to do her due diligence nonetheless.
- Elsa confides in Harrison that the behavior of her corrupt landlord (Vinny) is getting worse which inspires him to reach out to Dexter for advice on how to handle the situation. Dexter offers to use his experience in law enforcement to confront him on their behalf.
- Dexter moves to intercept Al after Hamilton ends but finds out that he actually left town during intermission. Perturbed by his missed opportunity, Dexter pivots and debates whether or not it would be appropriate to put Vinny on the table instead.
- Dexter confronts Vinny and discovers that he is potentially responsible for a number of tenant deaths due to negligence. The plan quickly shifts focus and Dexter nabs Vinny as he’s leaving the office at night.
- Honoring his promise to Harrison, Dexter opts to use the kill room as a means of scaring Vinny straight rather than killing him. However, at the last moment, Batista enters the wig shop and forces Dexter to improvise an escape. He cuts Vinny loose and then retreats out the back before Batista catches him red handed. He then finds the tracking device in his car and destroys it.
- Batista calls the NYPD detectives to the wig shop and tries to explain what he found but they are unconvinced. Unsure of what to make of Batista’s unorthodox investigation, Detective Wallace makes a call to Quinn in Miami and finds out that Batista retired and is no longer an active law enforcement officer.
- Harrison continues to grow close to Gigi. The two go out dancing and end up sleeping together.
- As Dexter and Harrison discuss Vinny’s miraculous change of heart over lunch, Prater shows up at the restaurant to confront “Red.” Charley stands outside, clearly proud of herself for managing to track Dexter down and surprise him in front of his son.
"Where are you now, Dexter Morgan?"
It is no secret that Dexter is at its best when the walls are closing in on our titular anti-hero. While we may not want him to get caught, there’s something addicting about watching this serial killer with a code navigate unusual ethical dilemmas or find morally questionable ways of keeping those close to him in the dark. With that in mind, it’s not surprising that episode eight comes across as one of the most exciting episodes of the season so far. Even before the episode title flashes across the screen, Batista is putting in the work as his investigation into Dexter intensifies.
In his hotel room, he takes electronic notes and walks us through his investigative approach. He uses his history with Dexter to create a profile and then uses it to formulate a plan; one that will hopefully allow him to catch the Bay Harbor Butcher red-handed. Despite representing an enormous threat, I found that watching Batista channel his prowess as a Detective - especially when Dexter is his target - to be surprisingly cathartic. It reminded me that even as the “end” approached in 2013, the writers were unwilling to let the other core characters peek behind the curtain; A misstep that Resurrection appears more than happy to rectify twelve years later.
Batista’s makeshift tracking device serves him well and allows him to track Dexter’s movements throughout New York. While the two don’t cross paths directly (or even share screentime this episode), Batista’s presence is felt throughout. One such scene even has him standing just outside a vacant shop as Dexter prepares a kill room just inside the front door. The proximity of Angel’s investigation (and his persistence) gave me flashbacks to Doakes in season two which raises the stakes considerably as we close in on the finale.
Of course, the difference between then and now lies in the nature of the relationship between the hunter and hunted; While Doakes and Dexter were clear adversaries, Angel and Dexter’s relationship was once defined by decency and respect; even friendship. How that will ultimately impact the tone of their inevitable confrontation in the final episodes makes things much more difficult to predict. It also, as anticipated, makes Resurrection feel like a dream come true for longtime fans; myself included.
"And then there was Al"
If you had asked me which killer in Prater’s group would live to see another day (or maybe another season), I would never have guessed it would be Al. Yet, as the bodies continue to drop, Al takes the hint and acts in the interest of self preservation; forcing Dexter to think on his feet in order to get the job done before his mark slips away. He moves quickly to establish a kill room in an unoccupied wig store and schedules an acupuncture session to help loosen up before the kill. Unfortunately, despite his efforts, another surprise twist (who knew Al would not like Hamilton!?) sends Al packing sooner than expected and moves him out of Dexter’s reach (for now).
All things considered, life has been going pretty well for Dexter since his brush with death so Al’s escape represents the first real test of his resolve. All season, we have watched him reclaim his “neat monster” persona while making a real effort to keep that side of himself separate from his role as a father. Despite that, as the disappointment sinks in, he starts to devolve slightly and Harry is forced to step in and keep him grounded. It’s a welcome reminder that despite the progress he has made as a father, he is still compelled by his predatory urges and that is never going to change. Luckily, as we all know, Dexter is an expert at finding loop holes and solving problems.
"When one door closes, another opens"
When Harrison asks him for advice about how to deal with Elsa’s abusive landlord, Dexter offers to speak with him (WITHOUT committing murder). With someone already destined for his table and Dexter fully recommitted to being a better father, this promise seems easy to keep at first. However, when Al slips through the cracks and Dexter meets Vinny face-to-face, that promise quickly becomes more of a burden; one that will serve as a real test of his commitment to Harrison and to himself.
Where I found this episode to work exceedingly well is in the way it keeps the viewers in the dark until the last possible second. Dexter is faced with a unique moral dilemma that threatens to knock him off the metaphorical wagon. He tries to push back against Harry’s guidance and it’s clear that he wants nothing more than to let Vinny take Al’s place on his table; he even goes through his usual vetting process while bending the code slightly to better fit his potential victim. It’s a test of his resolve that we have seen him fail many times before but his desire to be a better father elevates the stakes higher than ever before.
Since episode two when he acknowledged a noticeable shift in his priorities, it has become increasingly apparent that Dexter has evolved. While he wants to continue killing, it feels like he is finally aspiring to overwrite his innate selfishness and live up to the promise of Harry’s code. When the moment of truth arrives, Dexter proves himself capable of walking the fine line between human and monster. He obscures his face, puts Vinny on the table, and puts the fear of god in him; all the while, he is intending to set him free in the interest of honoring his word to Harrison. That, ladies and gentlemen, is growth.
"That part of my life was always to remain separate"
While one of the longest running conflicts of the entire show has been Dexter’s struggle to keep the two sides of his life separate, that theme has never felt more relevant or important than it does in Resurrection. He is embracing both roles (killer and father) to their fullest extent and doing an admirable job of keeping those worlds from colliding. However, the futility of that struggle becomes the dominant theme in episode eight as Dexter’s priorities become entangled just as Batista and Prater are closing in. On top of that, a slip of the tongue ends up betraying Blessing’s trust and emphasizing how important it can be for people to compartmentalize their lives.
Ironically, despite Dexter’s good intentions, Batista’s investigation brings him dangerously close to exposing him as the Bay Harbor Butcher. As Batista entered the wig store and approached the plastic covered kill room, I couldn’t help but think of LaGuerta walking through the kill room at the end of season seven. These moments featuring core characters walking into Dexter’s world are all-to-rare but they are always electric; even if Dexter once again manages to slip away.
While he misses his chance to catch Dexter in the act, Batista still does his best to present the evidence to Detective Wallace. Unfortunately, the lack of any real incriminating evidence ensures that his pleas remain unsubstantiated. Despite that, I suspect that won’t be the case for long as these two remain on an inevitable collision course in the final two episodes.
In the final moments of the episode, after basking in the glow of his clever escape and the gratitude he received from Harrison, Dexter is snapped back to reality when Prater interrupts their meal together. The worlds that he tried so hard to keep separate have officially collided. His charade is on the verge of collapse and Harrison is now officially on the board despite his ignorance to what has been going on in his father’s life since arriving in New York City. How this ultimately impacts their relationship and Dexter’s outlook on Prater is anyone’s guess but it’s hard not to be reminded of Trinity when he brazenly walked into Miami Metro and turned Dexter’s life upside down forever.
“The Kill Room Where It Happens” effectively sets the stage for an intense final act of season one; placing Dexter in a precarious position as serious threats approach from all angles. It cleverly weaves together the show’s most important themes and challenges Dexter to prove his newfound resolve to his son and to the audience in equal measure. More importantly, it does all this while serving up all of the components of a classic Dexter episode and continues the impressive run for Dexter: Resurrection’s debut season.
Score: 9.5 out of 10