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.

Friday, August 29, 2025

Dexter: Resurrection 1.9: And Then There Were Two

I said and discussed in my review of Dexter: Resurrection 1.8 last week that Dexter was facing three potent enemies (individual and groups) in New York, and Batista was the weakest. In tonight's Emmy-worthy episode, we see all three of them at work, and one of them eliminated.

[Spoilers ahead .... ]

And that indeed was Batista, who is not killed by Dexter, after Det. Wallace of the NYPD gives Batista his marching orders -- get out of our New York, or I'll arrest you tomorrow for impersonating a police officer -- but by Prater. In a brilliantly effective scene (one of many in this episode, and in this series), Dexter cuts not Batista's throat (or plunge the knife into him as Prater is requesting) but Batista's bonds that are holding him on the killing table. And Batista, still understandably fired with fury at Dexter for the killings of LaGuerta and Doakes, jumps Dexter, but is shot (presumably to death) by Prater before Batista can choke Dexter to death.

I thought this was one of the most memorable scenes in the entire constellation of Dexter series. Dexter tells Batista that he (Dexter) wasn't the one who killed LaGuerta and Doakes. Batista says that doesn't matter, Dexter was still responsible for their deaths, as he will soon be for Batista's, lying there bleeding from numerous bullets. I say he's "presumably" dead, however, because I've long had a principle in TV viewing and reviewing: if you don't see a character literally blown to bits, or at least their head blown off, they could still be alive (see what happened from time to time in 24). After all, Dexter: Resurrection is based on that very principle, seeing as how it sure seemed that Harrison had shot Dexter to death at end of Dexter: New Blood.

There were many other prime scenes in this superb episode. It was great seeing Dexter get the drop on Charley, and great seeing Harrison talk his way through Charley attempting to find out more about Dexter.

Just one more episode of this debut season of Dexter: Resurrection left , and I'm looking forward to seeing which of his enemies is left standing.

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? ... 1.7: Batista and Dexter in the Car ... 1.8: The Enemies: An Evaluation

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