The beloved morning-routine title sequence is back. Although it's a near-perfect recreation, it also features a few interesting changes.
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| Michael C. Hall in Dexter: Resurrection Season 2. (Photo credit: Paramount+) |
The second season of Dexter: Resurrection is officially here, and with it came something fans have been waiting to see for many years: the return of the classic opening sequence from 20 years ago.
But there's a twist. While the new version is almost a perfect recreation of the original, complete with the beloved Rolfe Kent theme, there are some interesting differences that make it feel right at home in the current era of Dexter Morgan.
One particularly interesting detail is how late the opening sequence makes its first appearance in the Season 2 premiere. It is actually one of those rare moments in the Dexter franchise when the title sequence doesn't begin until around seven minutes into the episode, by which point viewers are already well into the story. So people who weren't aware it was happening were (pleasantly) caught off guard.
There's also an exciting behind-the-scenes detail. While this big change might seem like a well-planned move to celebrate the franchise's 20th anniversary, especially following fans' dissatisfaction with the more... subdued title sequences in Dexter: New Blood and Dexter: Resurrection Season 1, that wasn't exactly the case.
According to Clyde Phillips, the decision to recreate the classic opening sequence for Dexter: Resurrection Season 2 came after the season's budget had already been finalized. In other words, it wasn't something the team had seriously planned when the budget was first put together. Yet they still managed to make it happen, and the result is incredibly well done.
What Stayed the Same: Dexter's Morning Routine
The new sequence actually follows the same formula and has the same duration as the original. It even opens with a near 1:1 recreation of Dexter lying in bed before killing a... CGI mosquito.
The show's logo then appears with a very similar background, followed by several familiar moments. Dexter looks at himself in the mirror, applies shaving cream to his face, and shaves his neck. Just like in the OG, a drop of blood lands in the sink, and he wipes the blood from his cheek with a piece of paper. We then get a close-up of the paper absorbing the blood.
Next, Dexter starts preparing breakfast, frying ham just as he did in the original sequence. But this is where the new version begins to introduce some changes.
What's Different: The New Opening Sequence's Clever Twists
Instead of showing Dexter cracking an egg and frying it, the new sequence actually has him cutting a piece of crunchy multigrain bread in half in a slow-motion shot. He then squeezes an orange before grinding coffee beans and preparing his coffee, with an especially close-up shot showing the coffee mixing with the water.
Another notable change comes in place of the OG shot of Dexter cutting a blood orange in half. This time, we see him pick up a donut filled with red marmalade and take a bite. A small drop of marmalade falls onto the glass table, only to be flattened when he places a glass of water over it. It actually is a clever visual nod to Dexter's collection of blood slide trophies.
The flossing scene remains, as does the moment involving his shoelaces. However, the latter now transitions into a shot of Dexter tying a red ribbon around a black garbage bag.
We then see him put on a T-shirt. But as soon as he pulls it on, he feels some pain in his left shoulder and instinctively reaches for it. It's meaningful detail, as it reflects Dexter getting older and actually ties directly into the midlife crisis he is dealing with this season.
The moment when Dexter locks his door is also similar to the original. However, after leaving his apartment, he carries a couple of garbage bags outside and throws them onto the pile of other bags already on the street. It's yet another direct nod to his old routine in Miami, when he disposed of the bodies of his victims.
The New and Original Sequences Have the Same Runtime
Interestingly, both the OG opening sequence and its new recreation run for exactly one minute and 39 seconds. The main cast members are also credited during the first part of both sequences.
There are some minor differences in the typography, too. The font used for the new version is similar to the classic one, but with the letters are spaced out a little more.
Honestly, this is an incredibly well-done recreation. The small changes they actually made show how flexible the team behind the show can be with new ideas while still preserving what made the original so iconic and... unskippable in the first place.
What did you think of the new opening sequence? Let us know in the comments below.