Paul Levinson's Infinite Regress

reviewing Black Doves; Countdown; Dark Matter; Dept. Q; Dexter: Original Sin, Resurrection; Dune: Prophecy; For All Mankind; Foundation; Hijack; MobLand; Outlander; Presumed Innocent; Prime Target; Severance; Silo; Slow Horses; Smoke; Star Trek: Strange New Worlds; Stranger Things; The: Day of the Jackal, Diplomat, Last of Us, Way Home; Your Friends and Neighbors +books, films, music, podcasts, politics

George Santayana had irrational faith in reason - I have irrational faith in TV.

Sunday, August 17, 2025

Dexter: Resurrection 1.7: Batista and Dexter in the Car

Well, as I said last week, Batista at this point is easily Dexter's greatest danger -- more than Detective Wallace and company, more than Prater and Charley. I mean, he knows about Dexter as much as I and you do.

[Spoilers ahead ... ]

So my favorite scene is episode 1.7 is at the end, when Dexter warns Batista, who is then thrown out of Dexter's car (told to get out by Dexter), after planting a tracking device that presumably Dexter doesn't know about. My only question is why Dexter didn't kill Batista right then and there, or at least try to. And, actually, I'm also wondering why Batista got in the car with Dexter, knowing how deadly Dexter could be.

I guess the answer to the first is Dexter needed to think about the best way to kill a detective. And the answer to the second is Batista wanted to plant the tracker. But there's now a very volatile situation between the two, to say the least.

Over on Mastodon, where I post links to these reviews (I do on all my social media), David Scott Moyer, whom I didn't know before now, commented on my post there of last week's review, "I suspect one of Dexter's upcoming kills will either save or avenge someone close to Batista." I replied "that could be something that could save Batista," which I'd like to see happen, because Batista has always been a great character, and David Zayas gives him a great portrayal. But it was crystal clear in episode 1.7, in that scene in the car, that the hatred Batista feels for Dexter for killing all those people that we the viewers also loved runs pretty deep. (Btw, as Dexter's inner voice reminded us a few episodes ago, it was the Trinity Killer who killed Deb, of course not Dexter.) But I can't see anything Dexter now does slaking Batista's need to bring his former friend and colleague to justice.

And I think Dexter got to realize that in the car ride. (Tour de force acting, by the way, by both Michael C. Hall and David Zayas in that car.) So I'd say, the only thing that could stop Dexter from killing Batista is someone else -- maybe Prater? -- kills Batista first.

I expect some powerhouse episodes ahead.

See also: Dexter: Resurrection 1.1-1.2: The Imposter ... 1.3: Killers and Prey ... 1.4: The Nefarious Club ... 1.5: Father and Son and the Watch ... 1.6: What's Half of Gemini?

And see also Dexter: Original Sin 1.1: Activation of the Code ... 1.2-1.3: "The Finger Is Missing" ... 1.4: The Role of Luck in Dexter's Profession and Life ... 1.5: Revelations and Relations ... 1.6: On the Strong, Non-Serial-Killer Parts of the Show ... 1.7: First Big Shocker ... 1.8: Dexter's Discovery ... 1.9: Brian's Story ... Season 1 Finale: Satisfying