Warning! This article contains SPOILERS for Dexter: Resurrection season 1, episode 4.After 19 years,Dexter: Resurrectionjust released one of the best episodes of the entire franchise since it started.Dexterhas had an impressive legacy for almost two decades now.Dexteris considered one of the best shows of all time. It’s also regained much of its popularity;New Blooddid prove divisive, but newerDexterspinoff shows likeOriginal SinandResurrectionhave reached massive audiences.
While it’s not always consistent,Dexteris often capable of producing incredible episodes of television. Thebest episodes ofDexterinclude some unforgettable moments, like Rita’s death at the end ofDexterseason 4 or Dexter and Brian’s reunion in season 1. Now,Dexter: Resurrectionhas added its own unforgettable episode to theDexterfranchise, 19 years after it began.
“Call Me Red” Is One Of The Best Episodes Of Any Dexter Series
“Call Me Red” Has Tension, Novelty, Humor, Brilliant Acting, Sinister Moments From Dexter, & Everything Else You Could Want Out Of This Franchise
Simply put,Dexter: Resurrectionepisode 4was one of the best episodes in the franchise’s 19-year run.“Call Me Red” had everything you could possibly want from aDexterepisode. Michael C. Hall was a standout, switching effortlessly between darkly comedic, like when Dexter is mistaken for a vegan, moments of truly sinister dark intrigue, like when he was hunting Lowell, and more.
“Call Me Red” also had brilliant tension and a beautiful blending of its A and B plots. Watching Dexter walk into a room filled with serial killers and finally get to be himself while also still pretending to be someone else was amazing. Harrison’s internal guilt, his cat-and-mouse game with Angel Batista, and the moment when he finally reunites with Dexter were also incredibly compelling.
From start to finish, “Call Me Red” had me and countless otherDexterfans on the edge of our seats. There are cute moments between Dexter and Harry, fascinating new characters played by extraordinarily talented actors, a beautifully shot, lit, and acted kill scene, and so much more.Dexter: Resurrectionepisode 4 truly fires on all cylinders to make a fantastic hour of television.
It’s useful to compare “Call Me Red” to other highlight episodes of theDexterfranchise. Theending ofOriginal Sinseason 1, for example, features the same heroics from Dexter and the beautiful lighting thatResurrectionepisode 4 does. Likewise, theending ofNew Bloodhas the sameraw emotions between Dexter and Harrison that “Call Me Red” does, though the latter smartly didn’t kill Dexter.
Resurrectionepisode 4 also recaptures the cat-and-mouse dynamic that the Trinity Killer and Doakes both had with Dexter in the original series.Batista going to the NYPD also feels exactly like the noose-tightening moments of episodes like “Hello, Dexter Morgan” and theDexterseason 6 finale. So many ofDexter’s best episodes do one thing perfectly, andResurrectionepisode 4 feels like a combination of them all.
Dexter: Resurrection Is Feeling More Like The Original Show’s Peak Era
Resurrection Has Managed To Rediscover The Spark Of Dexter’s First Four Seasons
Part of the reasonDexter: Resurrectionepisode 4 works so well is because the entire showfeelslike something we haven’t gotten for over a decade. There was a sharp decline in the originalDexterafter season 4; there are still great episodes, but the show clearly got worse.Resurrectionfeels like a return to the first fourDexterseasons, when the franchise was in its prime.
There’s something about those earlyDexterseasons that were just magical.The balance of Dexter’s many personal and family problems with his serial killer alter ego was just perfect, the villains felt interesting and dangerous, and Dexter was this unique blend of goofy and utterly diabolical.Resurrectionsomehow rediscovered the formula that gaveDexterseasons 1 through 4 that spark.
Resurrection is the best Dexter since season 4, and Resurrection episode 4 is easily the best installment of the new show.
Not only hasResurrectionreturned to the tried and trueDexterformula, it’s also avoiding many of the later seasons' biggest mistakes.Resurrectionisn’t taking itself too seriously likeNew Bloodtried to. It also doesn’t make questionable choices, like having Deb fall in love with Dexter or killing off beloved characters.Resurrectionis the bestDextersince season 4, andResurrectionepisode 4 is easily the best installment of the new show.
Dexter: Resurrection’s Serial Killer Group Is A Genius New Concept
Resurrection’s New Serial Killers Are Completely Novel & Add New Stakes & Intrigue To The Franchise
A huge driver of Call Me Red’s success andDexter: Resurrection’s return to the thrills of the original series is the sequel show’s central conceit:Resurrection’s group of serial killers.A serial killer meetup funded by a true-crime-obsessed billionaire is, to my knowledge, a wholly original idea and a sign thatDextercan be just as inventive and groundbreaking as it was in 2006.
The thing is, these new serial killers aren’t a gimmick.Each of the new serial killers feels like they could be a standaloneDextervillain with how well they’ve been fleshed out already, yet we’re getting them all at once. The serial killers aren’t just a way to spark intrigue inResurrection, they’re well-developed characters whose deaths are going to have a real impact on the show.
Mia, Al, Gareth, and Leon Prater also add so much intrigue toResurrection. I want to know what happens next, how the group reacts to Lowell’s disappearance, whether they catch on to Dexter’s ruse, and how he goes about killing them all. There are so many secrets waiting to be unearthed, andI haven’t been this excited about aDextermystery since maybe even the Ice Truck Killer investigation.
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The serial killers also add so much drama and tension intoResurrection.Dexter trying to maintain his cover as the Dark Passenger while also slowly picking off Prater’s serial killers feels both entirely new and exactly like the tension of him trying to evade Doakes inDexterseason 2. It’s a huge new challenge that has found a way to test Dexter’s skills after nearly two decades.
That’s the real benefit ofResurrection’s serial killers: they’re a surprising addition to a 19-year-old franchise.Dexterfelt dead in the water after its finale, and even more so after the ending ofNew Blood.Resurrectionepisode 4, however, just showed us all that there’s still plenty of intrigue left inDexter.Dexter: Resurrectionis already shaping up to be a very special show.
