At the onset of this week's episode, Harrison thrusts at his father with a damning accusation, "You’re like a horror-movie villain straight out of hell," and it rings eerily true – Dexter Morgan seems invincible, a specter that refuses to fade. Even if 'New Blood' had密封 his fate at season's end, I'd wager he'd still linger, haunting his son's very dreams. How fortuitous, then, that this franchise's relentless pursuit has finally bore fruit in the form of something truly captivating once more. Fears of a return to mediocrity, following last week's exceptional installment, were allayed as 'Resurrection' sustained its momentum with ease. While "Murder Horny" (what an intriguing moniker!) may not quite scale the heights of the serial-killer dinner party, it still offers ample grounds for celebration.
We resume our narrative precisely where we left off, with Dexter finally unveiling himself to his estranged son. Harrison's reunion with Dexter is far from joyous; the shadow of patricide has left him deeply scarred. Dex's clumsy attempt to forge a bond with Harrison over their mutual Dark Passengers falls flat. "When I was your age, I too felt that same oppressive darkness," he confesses. "The urge to kill was a constant companion." Yet, Harrison is not Dexter's clone. He did slay Ryan, but the guilt weighs heavily on him, Ryan's watch serving as a constant, haunting reminder. "Let me bear that burden for you," Dexter offers, gesturing towards the weight of Ryan's demise. Yet, Harrison wants nothing more from his father, scoffing at Dex's ill-timed dinner invitation. "You can't just resurrection and pretend everything's hunky-dory," Harrison retorts, a sentiment I wholeheartedly echo.
Dexter, stung by Harrison's rejection, seeks solace elsewhere. "There exists a woman with whom I share a myriad of similarities," he muses in voice-over. "And she's not unattractive, either." Indeed, it's time for "Red" to reschedule his rendezvous with Lady Vengeance. Mia eagerly agrees, even though she dismisses Dexter's suggestion of 'Swan Lake'. Instead, they find themselves at Brooklyn Bowl, where her eyes sparkle with desire as she watches Dexter bowl – who wouldn't be enthralled? (Though she still emerges victorious.) As their feet brush beneath the table, they engage in the usual date banter, acknowledging the challenges of forging enduring bonds. "It's wretched when you can't be authentic with those closest to you, knowing they'd shun you," Mia confides, a sentiment many can relate to (albeit less so when it concerns serial homicide). The chemistry between them intensifies as she admits enjoying Prater's circle (minus Lowell) but never having one-on-one time with any until Dexter. Then, the conversation takes a scorching turn – Mia proposes a threesome, of sorts. "I'm talking about partnering up on a kill," she clarifies. "Two against one." Could the Bay Harbor Butcher be about to ally with Lady Vengeance? Assemble, avengers of darkness!
The ever-pessimistic Harry insists that this plan is disaster in the making, and as he reminds Dexter of the fiasco with Miguel Prado and Lumen, I find myself nodding in agreement. Dexter counters by arguing that those two were hardly genuine killers, and Mia would be an entirely different case. (It's hard to overlook the convenient omission of Hannah from this discussion.) Perhaps Dexter might even confide in Mia his true identity, forming a bond over their shared sense of a moral code. "Or she could rat you out to Prater as the Bay Harbor Butcher, the man who's terminated over 150 serial killers, leaving you stretched out on your brother's drainage table," Harry shoots back. Harry, as always, has a point! Most significantly, Harry emphasizes that anyone willing to partner with a man who decapitates rideshare drivers must be deeply troubled. He astutely posits that Dexter's involvement with Mia is partly a coping mechanism for Harrison's rejection—Dexter can't fully refute this, though I suspect it's as much about his attraction to her as it is anything else. Later, as Dexter conceals his new blood slides in Joy's former marijuana stash spot, he admits, "I don't need my life encircled by those who know me, but one such person would be nice." Soon, he dials Harrison, who repeats his desire for space and boundaries.
In Harrison's defense, the weight of being a murder suspect, a role he's woefully unsuited for, is immense. Wallace brings him in for another grilling—she wasn't blind to the aborted confession call he missed. His excuse, that he was merely seeking Shauna's contact info, falls flat. Harrison expresses considerable guilt for not stepping in when she was obviously drugged and targeted by a predator. Wallace finds it peculiar that he wouldn't have played the hero, considering he once halted a school shooting in Iron Lake. (Well, not that peculiar, but let's not revisit that.) As Harrison and the detective converse, he's somehow taken aback to learn he remains a suspect. When he inquires about leaving, Wallace informs him, "Of course, you're not under arrest... yet." Harrison's brief recap of this encounter to Dexter is enough to ignite Dexter's contemplation on how to shield his son. "There must be something a father can do to assist his son," he ponders in a voice-over.
Amidst his contemplation, he still manages to squeeze in a semblance of enjoyment, as evidenced by his prompt third rendezvous with Mia, mere hours after their second meeting. (Though the newly suggested wine bar, which appears to be nothing more than the unremarkable Library at the Public, a long-standing restaurant, I'll overlook for the sake of the narrative.) Their interaction is both intimate and flirtatious, teetering on the brink of revealing Dexter's true colors when he casually mentions growing up in Miami. Just as it seems he might slip into his familiar Red persona, the conversation takes an unexpected turn. Dexter brings up the concept of a threesome and jokes about the challenge of finding a rideshare driver who happens to be a predator—a comment that prompts Mia to make a startling confession. She admits that while her initial victims resembled her mother's abusive boyfriend, her choices are no longer selective; she derives pleasure purely from the act of killing. She even goes so far as to critique the media's gendered fascination with her as "Lady Vengeance," a critique that, admittedly, holds some merit. With a seductive whisper, she reveals, "The truth is, I'm the predator," leaving Dexter looking utterly flabbergasted.
As they step outside, Mia's eyes scan for a potential UrCar driver to become her next victim—her desire to kill burning with impatience. "Hate to say I told you so," Harry remarks internally, though Dexter lacks the luxury to dwell on such thoughts. He improvises, much like he did with Lowell, informing Mia that he's not prepared to involve another person in his personal ritual. Her response is swift and cutting: "You're a tease. I should've known you were too good to be true." Yet, this delaying tactic buys Dexter precious little time to address the looming Mia problem. Driven by a murderous fervor, she intends to claim another life that very night, even if it means striking out alone.
Lowell's disappearance has already cast a shadow over Dexter's reputation within Prater's circle, and eliminating Mia would undoubtedly draw even more unwanted attention. The last thing he needs is to make enemies of a billionaire with a penchant for serial killers and his ruthless, bob-haired henchwoman. Dexter hatches a plan so unorthodox that I must confess, I never saw it coming. From across the street, he watches as Mia lures her next victim, a seemingly harmless individual named Marc, into her lair. With a swift blow from a wine bottle, she initiates her attack, prompting Dexter to take an unprecedented action: he dials 911.
"There's a guy screamin' next door," he reports in a delightfully exaggerated New York accent, "I think some chick's tryin' to murder him. She even called herself Lady Vengeance or some shit." The police arrive at Mia's Airbnb at the eleventh hour, interrupting her mere moments before she could blind Marc with lye and subject him to a gruesome fate. They swiftly apprehend her. But Dexter's maneuvering doesn't end there. He strategically places Ryan's watch amidst Mia's trophies and mixes oxidized bleach with her cleaning supplies, framing her for Ryan's murder.
"Ryan Foster, serial rapist, you are now a victim of Lady Vengeance," Dexter narrates. While I had speculated that Mia might eventually be implicated in Ryan's death, I never anticipated Dexter's swift execution of this plan. "Even if I can't be in my son's life," his inner voice continues, "at least I can ensure he has one."
Of course, it makes perfect sense and serves as an exhilarating turn of events – following Lowell's grim demise, it almost seemed inevitable that Dexter would methodically dismantle Prater's group, one member at a time. However, this revelation doesn't neatly tie up the Ryan saga just yet. For starters, Batista remains unconvinced, his deep awareness of Harrison's ties to the Bay Harbor Butcher preventing him from brushing this aside easily. Furthermore, Wallace is eager to interrogate Mia promptly, yet what motive would she have to confess to a murder she didn't perpetrate? Perhaps she even possesses an alibi more credible than, "I clandestinely reside at the hotel." But will Mia's life span long enough to engage in such a discussion?
Earlier, she revealed to Dexter another guest of Prater's who, after being apprehended, met an unfortunate end in his cell, purportedly by suicide – a scenario clearly orchestrated by Prater. As Charley pays Mia a visit towards the episode's climax, it appears as though Lady Vengeance is poised to suffer a similar fate. Mia vehemently asserts that she won't indulge in folly such as demanding ransom or issuing threats, which might just suffice to spare her. Yet, Charley's response is shrouded in genuine ambiguity. "Our mutual acquaintance appreciates your restraint and will ensure your stay here is as pleasant and brief as feasible," she replies. I suspect the word "brief" holds particular significance here.
As for Harrison, he's relieved to learn that Lady Vengeance now stands accused of Ryan's murder – so relieved, in fact, that he shows up at Dexter's doorstep. They subsequently engage in the most emotionally transparent conversation they've ever had. Reflecting on his part in Rita's passing, Dexter confides in his son, "She perished due to my selfishness, my blunder, and it shattered me." Harrison expresses that this is the first time he's truly heard the truth. He yearns to know how Dexter intends to prevent further innocent lives from being lost. Dexter expresses hope that Harrison will be the catalyst for change, acknowledging that his son is not his mirror image and vowing to cease trying to mold him in his own likeness. "Harrison, I have countless reasons to kill, but you are my reason to live," Dexter declares. "I still yearn for a family, and you are all I have left." Am I being overcome with emotion? Harrison reaches out and touches his father's hand as he responds, "You're all I have too." Indeed, I find myself slightly teary-eyed. Ever since New Blood – and let's be honest, for several seasons prior – Harrison has been one of Dexter's most persistent vulnerabilities. Though this truce between them may not endure indefinitely, it's a comforting sight to see them finally acknowledging and accepting each other for who they truly are. At long last, Resurrection is nurturing this relationship into something meaningful.
