'Dexter: Resurrection' Episode 3 Review: A Brewing Showdown
In the third episode of Dexter: Resurrection, a showdown begins to brew as Dexter attempts to balance his hunt for The Five Boroughs Killer and his new partnership.
WARNING: THE FOLLOWING REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS!
‘Dexter: Resurrection’ episode three picks up right where the climactic finale of episode two left viewers with Dexter (Michael C. Hall) bearing witness to the second murder of The Five Boroughs Killer (Dan Stevens), the serial killer having pushed a man off a rooftop to his death below. Dexter, spotting the killer on the rooftop following the man’s fall, instantly pursues FBK in an attempt to thwart his escape from the building. Despite his best efforts and nearly catching him, Dexter is unable to stop FBK from escaping but manages to capture a relatively clear glimpse of him in his pursuit, his most promising lead yet.
Episode three feels more focused than the previous too episodes, putting the spotlight on only a few storylines instead of juggling too much, a minor issue that plagued the first two episodes of the new season. FBK is shaping up to be a fascinating new enemy for Dexter, Stevens continuing to play him with a palpable cold, steely menace that makes him continuously magnetic to watch. The episode does an effective job at revealing new information about the serial killer, revealing he’s married a man or more notably was one. The audience never sees his wife in the episode, laying the groundwork for a likely reveal she’s dead, which could’ve easily been the catalyst for his newfound identity and M.O. Regardless of his backstory, Stevens continues to be a terrific addition to the series and it’s clear a showdown between Dexter and FBK is slowly brewing, one that should provide ample thrills going forward.
However, the highlight of the episode is the new partnership between Dexter and Charley (Uma Thurman) now that they’ve begun working together to take down some of the most prominent serial killers still operating at large. They’ve set their sights on the serial killer known as The Sleepy-Eyed Stranger (Gabriel Luna), a man who stalks his victims for days before killing them with an icepick in their sleep. The dynamic between Charley and Dexter continues to be a delight, the two of them leaning into their romantic cover quite heavily as they attempt to lure this new killer into their carefully laid trap. Dexter certainly has a type and while it’s refreshing to see him let down his well-constructed, fortified walls with her, especially in regards to his mother’s death, this is territory that feels eerily familiar so it comes as no surprise when Harry (James Remar) pops up in Dexter’s mind to warn him of his burgeoning relationship where the lines between professional and romantic are beginning to blur. Hall and Thurman continue to have fantastic chemistry with one another, especially when Charley helps Dexter make the realization as to why he may cut his victims into various pieces when he bears all about witnessing his mother’s murder. It will be very interesting to see where this relationship leads, but if there’s one guarantee, it’s that Hall and Thurman will make it consistently engaging.
It’s also wonderful how this episode continues to explore Dexter’s middle-aged woes and physical limitations. The first two episodes of the season did an effective job at showcasing how he’s not the unstoppable uncaged animal he once was, now a little out of shape with less gas in the tank. Episode three not only continues to show this with Dexter losing steam in his pursuit of FBK in the opening scene, which concludes in his failure to catch him, but later in the episode as well when he’s trying to prep his signature injection and can’t see the bottle properly, jabbing himself as a result. This continues to be rich new territory to explore for the character, humanizing him further as he has to shop for a new pair of glasses, one of the episode’s most enjoyable sequences.
The presence of Joey Quinn (Desmond Harrington) also continues to plant seeds in the overall narrative. His scenes with Dexter are certainly a highlight, especially as Dexter agrees to help him catch Prater (Peter Dinklage), who he knows full well is dead, in an attempt to control the situation now that Quinn has discovered where he and Charley have laid their trap for The Sleepy-Eyed Stranger. While it’s great to see the two continue to cross paths, the fear is the series giving Quinn a trajectory that feels all too predictable and familiar, a fate that befell Batista (David Zayas) in the show’s first season. However, Quinn could easily be putting a plan of his own into motion in order to catch Dexter, taking a different approach that is far more slippery and friendly.
However, there are some supporting characters that aren’t given much to do this episode. Harrison (Jack Alcott) is trying to aid the investigation into FBK and naturally he gravitates toward his father for some key information, especially since Dexter laid eyes on the killer. Their transparent dynamic continues to be one of the show’s finest assets, the two not needing to obfuscate or conceal anything from one another, but Harrison has felt a little too side-lined so far. Also, Detective Wallace (Kadia Saraf) continues to be an underwhelming addition to the series. While it’s great she finally gets some much needed depth in this episode, especially in regards to her history with The Ripper (Brian Cox) as a young officer, the character continues to fall flat. Saraf’s performance isn’t the issue because she isn’t given much to work with on the page unfortunately.
‘Dexter: Resurrection’ episode three continues to see the series in fine form as it sets the stage for a climactic showdown between Dexter and The Five Boroughs Killer. The season still has many plates spinning in the air, but this episode does an effective job making that balancing act look effortless. However, time will tell if the season will be able to maintain the momentum and balance or if those plates will begin to come crashing down. However, with a cast that’s firing on all cylinders and showrunner Clyde Phillips confident and assured at the helm, the former seems far more likely.