SPOILER WARNING! The following contains MASSIVE SPOILERS for the season one finale of ‘Dexter: Resurrection’ titled ‘And Justice for All’ - Proceed with caution.
Season one of Dexter: Resurrection officially draws to a close with an episode that is both unconventional and safe in equal measure. It moves swiftly to tie off the season’s major arcs while planting seeds that could be explored in future seasons but it also dabbles with genre tropes that have never been seen before on Dexter.
Regardless of where it ultimately lands in the eyes of the fandom, the episode does a worthy job of closing out an incredibly strong season while preparing for the potential future that lies ahead. 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:
- Leon and Charley butt heads in the wake of the action in the vault. Charley is disturbed by the escalation but Prater is clearly pleased with himself for taking Batista’s life himself.
- Prater leaves Dexter in the vault while he attends to his NYPD gala that is just about to begin downstairs. Charley voices her concerns but is ultimately overridden by Leon.
- While Dexter wrestles with Batista’s demise, Brian appears and tries to convince him that giving in to his darker urges will release him from the pain and guilt that he feels. Dexter ultimately rebukes the notion and pushes Brian away.
- As Dexter searches for an escape, he stumbles across a filing cabinet full of files on all of the killers that Prater has been tracking. He also finds a compromising file on Charley which he realizes he can use as leverage to get Charley under his thumb.
- Dexter finds Batista’s phone and uses it to call Harrison for help. Upon hearing of his dad’s predicament, he calls Lance and accepts the catering job at the Gala as a way of getting to Dexter.
- At the Gala, Harrison stays on the phone with Dexter as he guides him to the vault. The infiltration mission ultimately goes sideways when Charley catches Harrison in the stairwell trying to gain access to the penthouse.
- Over the phone, Dexter confronts Charley with the file and tries to use it as a way of bargaining his way out of the vault. Charley ultimately decides to split the difference and let Harrison go but leave Dexter trapped.
- Dexter tries to use Prater’s files to guess the vault combination and Harrison gets ready to enter the code. He decides to try using Cooper Morris’ inmate ID number as the code and it ultimately proves to be the right call. The vault opens and Dexter is reunited with Harrison.
- Dexter sends Harrison to escape through the Gala when he realizes his fake thumbprint went missing during the chaos. He eventually finds the thumbprint embedded in Batista’s neck from their struggle before he wipes everything down and makes his escape through the private elevator.
- Charley resigns her position with Prater and threatens to expose him if he stops paying for her mother’s care. In his frustration, he notices Harrison in the crowd and quickly moves to intercept him at gunpoint as he exits through the kitchens.
- As Dexter is leaving, he gets a call from Harrison who is being held hostage back at the vault. Dexter returns to the vault where he eventually gets the upper-hand with help from Harrison and a surprise dose of M99.
- Harrison makes his escape as Dexter puts Leon on a kill table in the vault. Before he delivers the killing blow, Dexter decides not to take a blood slide from Prater.
- Dexter takes Prater’s files (and his blood slides) before escaping with Leon’s body and setting off the alarm. The NYPD, along with the Detectives Wallace and Oliva, invade the vault, find Batista’s body, and a bunch of evidence that points to a new suspect in the New York Ripper investigation.
- Dexter comandeers Prater’s yacht and uses it dispose of Leon’s body in the harbor. He basks in the moonlight and embraces his true nature and acknowledges the important role that people like Harrison and Blessing ultimately play in his life.
"Remember the rule of threes"
Early in the season finale, Leon Prater contemplates his next course of action and brings up the “rule of threes;” a twisted rule related to how long someone can survive without oxygen, food, or water. Ironically, it also reminded me that Dexter: Resurrection represents the third follow-up to the iconic series that ended in 2013. While I firmly believe that New Blood and Original Sin were wonderfully executed in their own right, Resurrection is the series that will ultimately be remembered as the one that recaptured the passion and imagination of the fans.
Ironically (and perhaps unexpectedly), this finale ends up feeling like a do-over of the controversial finale of New Blood. While the setting and circumstances of the episode couldn’t be more different, it wrestles with the same questions and even mirrors key moments that ultimately split the fanbase the first time around. Of course, the writers seize this unique opportunity to call attention to those similarities while exploring a wildly different set of outcomes that are sure to sit better with fans who felt betrayed by the original ending.
Don’t believe me? The similarities are striking, intentional, and undeniable. Instead of a jail cell, Dexter finds himself locked in Prater’s vault and forced to call Harrison for help. Instead of killing an innocent during his escape, Dexter is determined to avenge the death of Batista at the hands of a villainous third-party. At one point, he even asks to be shot in the chest again! This time, the self-sacrificial act doesn’t involve dropping an enormous burden in the lap of his beloved son. But most importantly, it ends with Dexter acknowledging - even embracing - his true nature as he literally rides off into the proverbial sunset. Basically, if you hated the ending of New Blood (for the record, I did not), this episode feels like a clever - and wildly entertaining - olive branch.
"I’m glad I killed you when I had the chance"
While not necessarily a surprise given the numerous social media teases that came before the season even premiered, a major highlight of the finale is the brief return of Brian Moser (Christian Camargo). As Dexter mourns the death of Batista and questions his own complicity in the tragedy, Brian takes over his subconscious and tries to once again tempt him away from following the code given to him by his “fake dad.” In season six, his return represented Dexter’s submission to the dark passenger but here, his presence is used to illustrate the strength of his convictions.
Unlike the appearances of Trinity, Miguel, and Doakes in episode one, Brian’s appearance here represents something a bit more nuanced. While the ghosts of Dexter’s past in the premiere served to pull him back from the brink of death, they were little more than dreams. Brian’s appearance negates Harry all together and represents the constant temptation to reject the humanity that he has clung to his entire life. It’s especially poignant considering he is trapped in a room surrounded by reminders of what he could have become without Harry’s code.
As Brian mocks him for his perceived weaknesses, Dexter rebuffs him by embracing the heartache that he feels for Angel and doubling down on his decision to kill his brother. It’s a brilliant way of summarizing just how far Dexter has come over the course of the show’s long history. The decision to kill Brian was a defining moment that didn’t come easy but here, he wastes no time expressing pride in the choice that he made and pushing Brian out of his headspace with enthusiasm.
"You are going through a lot of trouble for a man you barely know"
With Dexter relegated to the confines of Prater’s vault for the bulk of the episode, a lot of the action rests on Harrison’s shoulders as he carries out a harrowing rescue operation at Prater’s gala. It’s a welcome but unexpected set-piece that, at times, feels like something ripped out of a Mission Impossible film. With Dexter’s voice in his ear, Harrison carefully navigates the event while eluding security (and Leon Prater) and making his way to the penthouse. It feels quite unlike anything ever attempted in Dexter but it ends up elevating an episode that probably would have felt a little too “safe” otherwise.
These spy games also serve to set up a climax to another notable storyline throughout the season. When Dexter stumbles across Prater’s recon files within the vault, he not only finds a tempting list of potential victims, but also the leverage he’ll need to talk down Charley after she takes Harrison hostage just outside the vault. With proof that Leon is in possession of blackmail materials, Charley spares Harrison, quits her job as Prater’s enforcer, and flees town with her mother.
But more importantly, this thrilling sequence is the ultimate culmination of Dexter and Harrison’s rekindled relationship. They are forced to lean on each other for help while reinforcing their commitment to each other multiple times throughout the episode. For those of us who didn’t see a clear path forward for these two after the dire circumstances of the New Blood finale, this was a beautiful and incredibly satisfying way to be proven wrong. When the vault door finally opens, father and son are reunited and I couldn’t help but feel an intense sense of catharsis wash over me.
"Both things can be true"
There have been several recurring themes throughout this debut season but the ending seems primarily concerned with one in particular: The fact that humans are complex and multiple truths can exist within us simultaneously. They explore the idea that Dexter can feel shame and guilt for his role in Angel’s death (and others) while also accepting that his way of life is worth embracing. Furthermore, his desire to live doesn’t necessarily have to overwrite his intent to keep Harrison sheltered from his influence. For a long time, his misfortune has been born from the constant struggle to embrace one or the other. In the finale, he is finally ready to shed that misconception.
This idea comes up repeatedly throughout the episode and the end-result is a version of the character that is operating at the top of his game. He listens to his instincts, leans on the people that he cares about, and still does the right thing when the moment calls for it. This is evident both when he returns to the vault to save Harrison and again when he tells Harrison to leave while he finishes off Prater.
In classic Dexter fashion, the themes of the season culminate in the dramatic final kill. As the NYPD applauds Prater’s philanthropy in the Gala below, Dexter basks in his victory as Prater awakens on the same table where he killed his own brother almost two decades earlier. Prater’s reaction to his imminent demise illustrates that he is ultimately no different than anyone else who has ended up on Dexter’s table. Meanwhile, Dexter flexes his own emotional growth and embraces his truth: that his love of killing and his need to enact justice via the code can (and should) co-exist. In the end, it feels like they found a very compelling and complex way of getting back to the basics of the character which is ultimately why I think the finale will resonate with audiences this time around.
"I keep trophies to remember… and I don’t want to remember you"
To me, New Blood was a story about addiction and the catastrophic effects that relapse can have on a family; even one as dysfunctional as Dexter’s. He was a tortured and tragic character throughout that entire season and when the moment of truth finally arrived, his misguided attempt at selflessness almost cost him his life and his relationship with his son. Not only is Resurrection a successful revival of the series, it brings these two characters back into each other’s lives in a way that I think most people will be on board for.
In almost every conceivable way, Dexter is offered the same set of choices all over again but this time, he makes the right choices; the ones rooted in his desire to make amends. With Batista, he saves an innocent at great personal risk. While that effort ultimately fails, it’s a valiant attempt that he doesn’t regret. As Leon holds a gun to Harrison’s head, Dexter offers to take a bullet once again in his place if it means sparing his son’s life. But perhaps most importantly, when faced with the chance to let Harrison in on his crimes once again, he doesn’t hesitate to send him away.
With Harrison out of harm’s way and Prater finally subdued, Dexter finally has a chance to reflect on his misadventures and share his real self with Leon. The irony of the situation is that despite being the one thing that Leon wants more than anything, it also signals his imminent death. Dexter opens up about how Leon’s club ultimately just made it more clear to him than ever that he is different than most serial killers; That despite being a slave to his compulsions, Harry’s code is also a part of him that he can’t shed.
Just before Dexter brings the knife down, he delivers one final rebuke when he stops just short of taking a blood slide for his collection; a symbolic gesture that deprives Prater from one last honor while signifying that Dexter resents everything that Leon stands for. While part of me felt a tad underwhelmed by this climactic kill scene, there simply isn’t any denying the poetic nature of the moment and how it brought the character into sharper focus than ever before.
In the final moments of “And Justice for All”, Dexter ventures out on Prater’s expansive yacht to dump his body in the harbor. It’s a silly contrivance but a fitting one. Seeing him aboard a boat, breaking the fourth wall, and embracing his true nature reminds us that the end of this season (hopefully) signals a new beginning that longtime fans are ready to embrace. The episode cleverly explores new territory for the series while subtly addressing the “New Blood” shaped finale in the room; making it a fitting end to one of the most exciting seasons of Dexter in the series’ long history.
Score: 9 out of 10