Paul Levinson's Infinite Regress

reviewing Black Doves; Dark Matter; Dept. Q; Detective Hole; Dexter: Resurrection; Fauda; For All Mankind; Foundation; Hijack; Memory of a Killer; MobLand; Outlander; Paradise; Presumed Innocent; Reacher; Severance; Silo; Slow Horses; Smoke; Star City; Star Trek: Strange New Worlds; Tehran;The: Day of the Jackal, Diplomat, Night Agent; Your Friends & Neighbors +books, films, music, podcasts, politics

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

Friday, November 13, 2026

Dexter: Resurrection 2.3: Dexter on the Fly with Glasses

So let me begin by mentioning that The New York Times, in its "The 100 Best TV Shows of the 21st Century," an insert in its Arts & Leisure section, published in paper October 25, that I just read today, lists the original Dexter series as #88. Unbelievable! The list got some things right, like The Wire at #2. But Dexter at #88? I guess it shows why I'm a Professor of Communication and Media Studies (at Fordham University), and not a TV star, showrunner, or other "expert" (the NY Times word), that the newspaper enlisted to make this list. I review TV here as a very enjoyable hobby, and it's astonishing to me that Dexter wasn't in the Top 10. I often complain about myopic professional critics, but now I'll have to include practitioners of the art of TV in that category. (I. A. Richards wrote a century ago about the error of asking creators of fiction to evaluate their work.)

Now about this week's Dexter: Resurrection, episode 2.3: it was another great mix of heart-pounding action, picking right up after (and a little before) what we saw last week at the end of episode 2.2, with the Five Borough Killer doing just what he does right under Dexter's nose, or more precisely, some stories above it.

We see more of Uma Thurman's Charley, working together with Dexter, as they focus on bringing one of the two remaining serial killers from the Prater group to Dexter's kind of justice. Charley stops short on joining Dexter on his mission, which tells us something we may already have known about her -- she's not a fan of the actual killings she helps makes possible. The other point is the chemistry between them, which is subtle and I mentioned last week, but I'd say now is undeniably there.

And on the subject of getting to know people better, we learn the source of Det. Wallace aka Claudette's obsession with the Bee Gees' "Stayin' Alive," and since I'm trying to keep this review relatively free of spoilers, all I'll say about that is the title has a very real and literal connection to her obsession.

Last but lot least, apropos of the word "Resurrection" in the title of this series, Dexter's age continues to be a crucial part of this show. It therefore was nice to see him need glasses for his painstaking preparatory work, and that's why we see that in the poster for the series, also at the top of my reviews.

See also: Dexter 2.1: His Work Brilliantly Cut Out for Him ... 2.2: What Do Aaron Burr and Phil Spector Have in Common?

And 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 ... 1.9: And Then There Were Two ... Season 1 Finale: First Place in TV Age of Sequels

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