Episode 3 of Dexter: Resurrection Season 2 finally helps Dexter understand why he does what he does, all thanks to the most unexpected person.
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| Dexter Morgan in Dexter: Resurrection and Laura Moser in Dexter: Original Sin. (Photo credit: Paramount+) |
The following story contains spoilers for Episode 3 of Dexter: Resurrection Season 2.
It looks like Dexter: Resurrection has finally helped Dexter Morgan understand something about himself that he had never fully realized throughout his entire life, even though many viewers had already made the connection. It has to do with one of his most disturbing rituals, and all it took was a brief conversation with Charley Brown.
Episode 3, titled “Live Free and Die,” gave our favorite antihero a rather heartbreaking realization about why he cuts his victims into pieces before disposing of their bodies. Dexter always believed he did it simply because it actually made getting rid of the bodies easier.
However, after talking to Charley, he finally began to understand that his actions may also be connected to the childhood trauma he experienced when his mother, Laura Moser, was murdered.
Many fans may have assumed Dexter had already made this connection years ago during the OG series. Surprisingly, that never really happened. More than five decades after witnessing his mother's murder, Dexter was still unaware of just how deeply that experience could be connected to one of his most disturbing habits.
Charley Brown Helps Dexter Uncover the Truth Behind His Ritual
The moment takes place in the basement of the townhouse Charley rented for Dexter, where the two are preparing to deal with their... latest problem. Gabriel Luna's Sleepy Eyed Stranger is still wrapped in plastic and under the effects of M99 when Charley starts asking Dexter an unexpected question.
“I've met a lot of serial killers. Never one who cares about saving innocent victims. Why?” she asks.
Her question actually brings back a horrifying memory from Dexter's childhood: the moment Laura Moser was murdered in front of her two young sons, Dexter and Brian. The memory of his mother screaming inside that shipping container comes rushing back.
“My mother was ripped apart by a chainsaw. Drug cartels. I saw it all. I was three years old,” Dexter explains.
Charley then asks him something he clearly hasn't considered before: “Is that why you chop up the bodies?”
“No, I do it to make disposal easier,” Dexter replies. But a few seconds later, he seems to put something together for the very first time.
“I never put that together before. Yeah. Maybe that's part of why I do it too,” he admits.
Charley responds with a sarcastic “You think!?”, making it clear that the connection actually is very obvious to her. For Dexter, however, it's a genuinely eye-opening moment.
Dexter Never Made This Connection During the Original Series
It was October 1973 when Dexter witnessed one of the most horrific moments imaginable. Not only did he see his mother being murdered, but he was also left inside that shipping container for nearly two days alongside his older brother, Brian.
That traumatic experience shaped both brothers and played a major role in the people they eventually became. However, thanks to Harry Morgan adopting Dexter and teaching him how to channel his urges, Dexter found a purpose for his dark impulses, unlike Brian.
What's particularly interesting about this scene is that Dexter never consciously connected his mother's murder to the way he disposes of his victims throughout the original series. It actually took decades for someone to finally help him make sense of that part of himself.
And at this point in the story, 50+ years after the horrific events of October 1973, that person turned out to be Charley Brown.
It definitely is an emotional moment, and also beautifully executed. What makes it even better is how naturally the conversation unfolds. Charley doesn't give Dexter a... lengthy psychological explanation, in fact she just asks a question that makes him look at something he has been doing for most of his life in an entirely different way.
This is actually the kind of insight that makes Dexter: Resurrection such an amazing continuation of the franchise. It continues to explore Dexter's mind and reveal things about his character that even he hadn't fully understood, all while staying true to the story that came before it.