It appears that Dark Passengers run in the family.
On Dexter: New Blood Season 1 Episode 4, Dexter confirms his suspicions that Harrison has violent tendencies, just like his dear old dad.
Not only that, but now the identity of Iron Lake’s other serial killer is basically confirmed — as well as the people who might bring him to justice.
It’s so much fun watching Jennifer Carpenter and Michael C. Hall play together. They have always had such tense, engaging chemistry, and as a long-time fan, it’s so satisfying to see them back at it again. She’s fire to his ice.
The way Dexter uses “Deb” in this episode is almost theatrical, touching her face tenderly after stabbing her in the gut. She responds by showcasing all the emotion he is forcing himself to suppress — hope, fear, rage, love, disappointment.
You’re so different. It’s going to be impossible for you to have a relationship with your own son.
Deb
Dexter revels in getting to analyze the blood spatter at a crime scene. He may be rusty at covering up a murder, but his “forensic brain” is still as sharp as ever. It was such a “classic” Dexter scene, of him being in his element and deducing what actually happened.
The fact that his son was behind the attack only made it more meaningful.
One thing’s for sure — Dexter sneaks around far too much. The murder, the incinerator, the police station, and now the school. It’s too small a town for his old behavior. Pretty soon, Dexter is going to start arousing suspicions — that is, if he hasn’t already.
We’re pretty sure Kurt Caldwell is the “Hunter” killer, now, right? At this point, it’s unlikely it could be anyone else. There was the creepy cabin, with the hurricane doors, and the voiceover from Harrison about duality. That’s pretty blatant.
Kurt definitely suspects Dexter of something. It could have to do with Dexter living so close by to where Matt disappeared. Do other serial killers have “serial killer radar,” where they can recognize that part of themselves in others like them?
The scene with Kurt and Dexter on the porch felt, again, like “classic” Dexter. It had solid acting, underlying tension, things unsaid, and two monsters conversing as normal humans. Could Kurt have been talking about what a horrible father he was was to lure Dexter into admitting something?
Though Dexter didn’t confess, he did slip up a little. Casual conversation is where you have to be most on your guard!
That guy’s fishing — and I just nibbled.
Dexter
Kurt’s lies about the FaceTime with Matt are sloppy and still confusing. Is he really making it all up so that he can get revenge for himself? That seems like a stretch, not to mention suspicious, especially if he has killed these women.
One thing’s for sure — Kurt seems to have very little respect for Angela’s abilities as a police officer. Maybe he wants the police off his back, and he’s trying to get her to drop the case. Angela might end up doing that anyway since the other case is closer to her heart.
The Molly/Angela team-up is surprising but welcome. Their personalities are in stark contrast, but they both want the same thing — justice for these missing, potentially murdered women. Angela will do anything to find out about these missing women, so she can hardly turn her nose up at the resources Molly provides.
Whether Molly has an ulterior motive remains to be seen — she’s honest to the point of making others squirm. She appears to be on the level, if not a little shameless.
I’m not a reporter. I’m a podcaster. Print is dead.
Molly
This Iris story will need a payoff. It’s Angela’s raison d’etre and she deserves (dramatically satisfying) closure. There is always the possibility that Iris was a victim of the “Hunter” way back in the day, but it would be a relief to find out that she actually did make it out and is thriving somewhere else.
Dexter will need to be very careful around Molly. Odds are she’s already done an episode on the Bay Harbor Butcher — what if Harrison comes across it and puts the pieces together?
Dexter (and possibly Harrison, too) may find out about Angela’s investigation into the missing women, then do some sleuthing of their own and try to beat her to the punch.
Don’t be surprised if that drone Kurt gifted Harrison comes into play somehow, as useful surveillance — maybe it will catch video footage of Chloe escaping the hurricane doors and being shot.
Dexter veered from the Code more often in his later kills. Originally, he was only supposed to kill murderers who had evaded the justice system. But eventually, he started messing with the investigations to have the satisfaction of the kill himself before the police could catch them — see Trinity, for example.
Harrison: What do you do to deal?
Dexter [voiceover]: I wrap bad guys in plastic and kill them.
Harrison knows about the Trinity Killer. What’s more, his weapon of choice is the same one Trinity used to kill Rita. It makes you wonder how much Hannah told him — or what Harrison found out from CPS in Miami. How much he will share with Dexter — or ask of him — remains to be seen.
Harrison is still such a mystery.
He’s been gone so long — what has he done in these last ten years? He’s got demons — he was “born in blood” just like his father. While the Deb aspect of Dexter is horrified and saddened by this news, Dexter appears to be the proudest he’s ever been and feels a closeness to his flesh and blood that has been missing until now.
Is Harrison good or bad? Or a bit of both? And what does Dexter want him to be?
Dexter’s internal struggle is so authentically portrayed by Hall (with the support of Carpenter). Dexter is clearly struggling with being so happy about the whole thing. He knows it would be better for Harrison if he were normal, but Dexter will now be able to connect with him and freely offer helpful advice, at last.
I guess we all have two sides to us. Maybe we’re a little bit hero and, I don’t know, a little bit monster. It’s all about which side wins out in the end.
Harrison
Harrison lies to his father’s face multiple times, but Dexter doesn’t seem to mind. Dexter even realizes that, on an instinctive level, Harrison is trying to honor his Code. It would be special if Dexter could tell Harrison about Harry, what his father did for him, and what Dexter hopes to pass on to Harrison.
What’s telling is that Harrison isn’t afraid to call out the bullies to their faces. He doesn’t care what people think of him, or that’s he’s associated with the would-be school-shooter. Is he genuinely remorseful about losing his only friend? Was it a set-up all along, or did he see the opportunity and seize it?
Harrison is as good an actor as Jack Alcott, who plays him, which is all the more intriguing. Hopefully, more of his secrets will be revealed. Will he confess them to Audrey, who clearly has a soft spot for him? He seems to genuinely like her. It’s all so messy and open-ended, with much ground yet to cover.
In so many ways, “classic” Dexter was on our screens again. Even though he hasn’t killed in a while, you get the sense that this new connection to his son might sate his hunger.
What do you think about Harrison’s motivations? What’s he hiding?
What do we think of Kurt as the killer of the missing women? Will Dexter find out first, or will Angela and Molly?
Share your thoughts in the comments!
Mary Littlejohn is a staff writer for TV Fanatic. Follow her on Twitter.