Editor’s note: The below contains spoilers for the Dexter: Resurection Season 1 finale.
It might be a bold statement, but Dexter: Resurrection was the best installment in the franchise’s history since the original Showtime series. This time around had it all, including a new setting of New York City, Dexter Morgan (Michael C. Hall) finally getting in touch with his emotional side, some strong character development from Harrison (Jack Alcott), and a unique villain in Leon Prater (Peter Dinklage). Dexter: Resurrection has already tapped its writers’ room for Season 2, but when it undoubtedly returns, there’s only one thing that has to change from a near-flawless first outing. The franchise needs to become scary again, with a Big Bad villain so horrific that even Dexter is taken to the brink.
Dexter Morgan Has Battled Some Terrifying Villains
Up until this year, the Dexter franchise followed a simple but well-executed formula. As he took out Miami’s worst killers who had fallen through the cracks of justice, Dexter would come up against someone who truly challenged him. These serial killers were not only sinister but cunning. They knew how to control themselves and fit in just like Dexter when necessary, but unlike our protagonist, they had no qualms about killing anyone. Season after season, we’d see their graphic crimes while Dexter was challenged in new ways.
The best example of this, of course, is John Lithgow‘s iconic portrayal of Arthur Mitchell, the Trinity Killer, in Season 4 of Dexter. He might look like a normal family man, but he was as scary as it gets, and even after his death, he was still in control, with his last act revealed to be the murder of Dexter’s wife, Rita (Julie Benz). It remains one of the most shocking moments in TV history, primarily because the creators gave Dexter a villain who could actually hurt the show’s lead.
Even though no antagonist could ever match the Trinity Killer, the original series still tried. Dexter’s brother, the Ice Truck Killer, Brian Moser (Christian Camargo), got under his skin and played mind games in a way no one else could. The Doomsday Killer, Travis Marshall (Colin Hanks), was creepy with his religious motives, while Oliver Saxon (Darri Ingolfsson) was able to kill Dexter’s sister Debra (Jennifer Carpenter), and Dexter: New Blood‘s Kurt Caldwell (Clancy Brown) was sick on a level rarely seen.
‘Dexter: Resurrection’ Was a Fun Thriller, but the Franchise Needs More Scares
Arguably the best change to the franchise was the addition of Leon Prater’s serial killer club in Dexter: Resurrection, with the New York billionaire assembling them for secret dinner parties. This gave Dexter several new future victims to hang out with, but despite the top star casting to play those characters, including names like Neil Patrick Harris, Krysten Ritter, and David Dastmalchian, Dexter was easily able to outsmart and overpower them. These killers were built up as being the most vile of all, but the star of the show cut them down like he was batting a fly.
Dexter: Resurrection‘s first season ultimately lacked a Big Bad. With Prater not being a killer himself, it couldn’t be him, but at the last minute, he came the closest to satisfying the role following his murder of Angel Batista (David Zayas) in the penultimate episode. Still, Dexter and Harrison, combined, were able to outsmart him in seconds, and once Prater was on the kill table, the threat was gone as he cried and begged for his life. He talked a big game, but in his final moments, Prater revealed that he was more of a fan than a major challenge.
Scary wouldn’t be the word to describe Dexter: Resurrection. It was a perfect fun thriller, but it didn’t deliver a terrifying villain who had viewers squirming on their couches. While the series delivered a major death in the form of Batista, that felt more like a necessity than a shock. Dexter and Harrison were both safe throughout, and it never seemed like their lives were on the line. However, one name brought up in the first season could change everything for the series’ future.
How Would the New Dexter Fare Against a Top-Tier Serial Killer in Season 2?
In the background of Dexter: Resurrection lurks a retired murderer known simply as the New York Ripper. Leon Prater is a fan, displaying his crowbar-like weapon in his museum. Detective Wallace (Kadia Saraf) would love to catch him, but with the Ripper no longer killing, he’s a minor subplot. The closest the story gets to any tension with the Ripper is when Wallace plays an audio tape at a college seminar, where the Ripper verbally terrorizes the families of his victims via phone. For many killers, death is the release, but for the Ripper, the evil continues inside his head even after blood has been shed.
For weeks, fans dropped theories about who the New York Ripper might be, but in the end, it was revealed to be a man named Don Framt. He’s not someone we know or have ever met, but when Wallace sees the file Dexter left behind, her knees buckle. Now, she can pursue the white whale she has never been able to capture, but instead of a detective simply arresting him, Don Framt needs to be used to bring back the best of the original Dexter.
Moving forward, Dexter Morgan requires a genuine threat who can prove to be his equal. Whether that be the New York Ripper, or Al (Eric Stonestreet), or one of the other names from Prater’s files, Dexter: Resurrection is missing a menace who can make the audience sweat. Now is the perfect time for it, especially because Dexter is feeling his emotions and ready to be human. How would an avenging serial killer with a new vulnerability handle this kind of deadly challenge when he’s not as focused on his craft, especially in a world where even Harrison could die? This past season, Dexter was already terrified that his son would reject him. Imagine his terror at encountering a killer he can’t outsmart or overpower — especially because he’s no longer the sociopath he used to be.
