Major spoilers below for Dexter: Resurrection’s Season 1 finale for anyone who hasn’t yet streamed it via Paramount+ subscription.
Somebody better call the local PD’s glee spatter expert, because I spattered glee all over the damned place several times while watching Dexter: Resurrection’s first season finale. (Okay, I guess no experts are required, since I just willingly confessed.) The last time I felt this enthusiastic about a Dexter finale was well over 15 years ago, when the titular vigilante took down John Lithgow’s Arthur Mitchell, only to discover the Trinity Killer’s final victim was Rita. Since then? Not so wonderful.
The next few season finales from the OG series were more miss than hit, with Debra learning Dexter’s secret and her killing LaGuerta being the two main highlights, and the eight season’s final episode has notoriously been viewed as one of the worst series endings of all time. Clyde Phillips spoke years ago about wanting to repent, though the ball was dropped once more when Dexter: New Blood seemingly killed Michael C. Hall’s character off. The prequel Original Sin raised the ante somewhat, but not enough, and its out-of-nowhere cancellation destroyed any positive momentum.
Despite all that, and against all my expectations, Dexter: Resurrection still managed pulled off quite the impossible victory within the 2025 TV schedule. So grab your camera-thwarting hoodie and let’s dive in.
Dexter: Resurrection Did The Impossible By Restoring My Faith In This Franchise’s Ability To End A Season Pleasingly
Like many other longtime Dexter fans, I’ve been having a total blast with Resurrection’s New York City-set plotline and Leon Prater’s killer club meetings, and I think everything involving Harrison has worked worlds better than it all did in New Blood. Yet, given everything that came in the years prior to this spinoff’s existence, I went into “And Justice For All…” expecting to be let down or disappointed in one or more ways.
The egg is all up in my face, though, because the episode was as close to a perfect finale as I could have forced myself into imagining against my own will. It was also a top-notch episode of Dexter: Resurrection overall, which is indeed a separate but equal distinction here, since it could have been a great finale while not matching up with the rest of the season, and vice versa.
The creative team managed to get Dexter out of his seemingly doomed situation
from the penultimate episode’s cliffhanger, and in ways that were both suspenseful and sensible (enough), and without the Morgan gents suffering too much. I would have absolutely flipped my lid had Dexter allowed Batista’s phone to die without giving Harrison the password, but that shitshow of a trope was thankfully avoided.
Leon Prater, both the guiding force and the guiding threat of the season, lost the upper hand while gaining his bloodlust, and was taken down without any big unbelievable showdowns, while also allowing for Uma Thurman’s Charley to escape from Prater’s grip and take better care of her mother. (For now, at least.)
Even Detective Claudette got a happy ending, as she was able to hit the dancefloor for “Stayin’ Alive” before having the New York City Ripper’s identity handed to her on a silver platter, along with the ensuing investigation into Prater’s incriminating collection. The same goes for Blessing, whose temporary foul feelings quickly faded.
A Clear And Logical Route Was Set Up For Dexter: Resurrection Season 2
Had Dexter: Resurrection been a one-and-done season, that ending would have been absolutely perfect, at least within the parameters of this fictional universe. But thanks to its quick success, Paramount+ confirmed its future by ordering up another season. Thankfully, Clyde Phillips likely had an inkling that could happen, and worked the story so that there’s a natural next step to this storyline.
While he doesn’t seem to have kept the vast extent of Leon Prater’s connections to serial killers around the country (and possibly beyond), it does appear as if Dexter curated a list of future targets, that includes the only surviving member of Prater’s club that we’ve been made privy to, including Eric Stonestreet’s Rapunzel killer. I can only imagine he’ll be among the first to be tracked down when new episodes start again.
I’m sure there are others who will be affected by learning of Prater’s death, though. Is it possible that one or more of those other killers will get suspicious about the details behind his death, and will try to avenge him? I like the idea of other killers chasing Dexter, although I don’t want to end up with another Rita situation, especially if Gigi is the stand-in for Rita.
None Of My Endgame Theories Panned Out, And I’m Perfectly Fine With Being Wrong
One sign that a show nailed the ending is when a whole host of one’s theories turned up empty, and it doesn’t even matter. Such was the case here, as evidenced by some of the speculation highlighted below.
- Theory: Det. Melvin was the actual New York Ripper.
- Result: Debunked completely, probably.
We’d previously theorized about the New York Ripper’s identity tying back to Dominic Fumusa’s Detective Melvin Oliva, thinking that his boyish fascination with her would be exactly how a serial killer cop would react to being in such a situation. However, Prater’s file on the guy had “Don Frampt” as his government name. So unless Melvin legally changed his name at some point while also rising in the NYPD ranks, then this theory is busted.
- Theory: Leon Prater would fund Dexter to track down killers around the world.
- Result: Debunked completely.
To be sure, this idea was more or less shot down (literally) when Prater shot Batista to death and locked Dexter up. But cooler heads have prevailed from more strenuous circumstances, so I still held out hope that Prater might suggest this as a last-minute way to have his life spared. But he only appealed to Dexter as a father by saying he could pay for future generations’ educations.
- Theory: Blessing Kamara would catch Dexter in the act.
- Result: Debunked for now.
Part of still wants to think that Ntare Mwine’s Blessing has even darker skeletons in his closet than the ones that Dexter let slip out. But for the most part, I was able to tamp that idea down in place of the theory that Blessing would catch his downstairs tenant in the act of something murderous and force him to choose whether or not to break his code and kill a mostly innocent person. That said, it could still happen in the future.
- Theory: Harrison’s gal pal Gigi would be revealed as the daughter/relative of another major character.
- Result: Debunked for now.
I’m not saying that Harrison isn’t the kind of guy who could easily attract women at unforeseen times of life, but I was immediately suspicious after Gigi went so hard on flirting with him from the jump. Granted, I think they’re a genuinely cute couple, and I HOPE she’s not a vile person in any way. But how many times has a show like this introduced a new love interest with a great personality who was legitimately only around as a source of pleasure and sympathy? I’m holding off on throwing this theory out as we make our way to Seaosn 2.
While the finale didn’t fully reverse the heartbreak of Batista’s death, I did appreciate Dexter making it clear that Angel was a great person, though he could have taken on more direct responsibility for making the dude’s life spiral. Perhaps that’s part of why Dexter chose then to let his brother Brian out of the mental cupboard, to rub it in that he’s always been surrounded by darkness.
Other than that, though, this is as close to a perfect 10 dismount as can be, and is far better than anything I was ready for. I dunno if I like Dexter knowing that I need him, per his final words, but I’m okay with it if it means he’ll continue operating on all cylinders.
