A DEXTER RESURRECTION REFLECTION

Some years ago, a dear friend invested time and effort into a nonprofit that pledged to rescue Haiti from its hardships, only to find that the high-ranked, smiling faces promoting it were, in fact, dishonest. The grim realization chilled her to the bone. It chilled me the same way, though neither of us should have been surprised. Big-name cons among politicians (and their celebrity cohorts) are tried and true, repeated to an ad-nauseum point. 

Peter Dinklage's fictional, entrepreneur/"humanitarian" Leon Prater of Dexter: Resurrection is one such prominent con artist. Abetted by Uma Thurman's crafty Charley Brown (a women who's sold her soul so that her mother may stay alive), Prater relishes the slimy underbelly of self-serving intent, no matter who gets terminated in the process. That Prater is a proud "collector" of serial killers makes him all the more abhorrent. In fact, his allegorical persona is ripped straight from Night Gallery's "Rare Objects" and America Horror Story's "Hotel": each  saga, in its own right, a fanciful example of how egocentrism corrupts to the worst degree.   

To emphasis the point, it works well that Prater holds a Jekyll/Hyde quality and that the headlining/carryover cast bounces off his two-faced oppression, led of course, by the effectual Michael C. Hall's Dexter Morgan, Jack Alcott's coming-of-penitent-age Harrison and David Zayas' upright Angel Batista, the latter enlightened yet accursed for his accrued revelation.

The supporting performers, in turn, complement the aforementioned with pragmatic precision: Neil Patrick Harris' Lowell (the Tattoo Collector); Krysten Ritter's Mia Lapierre (Lady Vengeance); Eric Stonestreet's Al Jolly (the Rapunzel Killer); David Dalmachian's Gareth #1 & #2 (the Gemini Killer); Kadia Saraf's analytical Claudia Wallace; Dominic Fumusa's fortifying Melvin Olivia; Emily Kimball's chipper Gigi Jones; Emilia Suaraz's struggling Elsa Rivera; Steve Schirripa's hard-ass, slum landlord, Vinny; and Ntare Guma Mbaho Mwine's hospitable, guilt-ridden "Uber" driver, Blessing Kamara. 

Perhaps more than any other Dexter stint, Resurrection holds the most horrific context, due to its garish rogues gallery, but again it's more Prater's warped obsession that sets it over the edge, that and the season's startling cliffhangers. (Episode 8 & 9's were particular humdingers, perhaps not so much for being over the top, but still surprising for their sinister staging. The finale, on the other hand, was wild beyond wild, with twists and turns at every turn.)

We've been told that another Dexter season will follow Resurrection, though its path is yet to be unveiled, but seeing how it all went down this time around, how could the follow-up not strike another metaphoric chord? My only objection to this season was that it lasted only ten episodes. I'll sure miss catching its installments each Friday, but in related regard, I'm baffled why those at Showtime decided not to renew Original Sin. Talk about what could have been the ideal, alternating combo for Dexter fans, and if the cancellation claim is true (and I'm presuming it is), it could be one of the biggest, missed opportunities in home-viewing history, and I don't think there's a Dexter fan out there who'd disagree with me. 

DEXTER: RESURRECTION (NEW LIFE FOR THE KILLER OF KILLERS)

I don't know what Dexter: Resurrection may entail on the whole, beyond the fact that Jeff Lindsay's Dexter Morgan will return in the guise of Michael C. Hall (i.e., we now know that the character didn't die, as implied, at the end of New Blood, thanks to Original Sin's revealing narration). I trust I'll be surprised by this new track's twists and turns, set in NYC, per a recent trailer, and from what's been publicized, with Uma Thurman on board: a promising start for this resurrected "dark passage." 

I must confess, I never liked the idea of Dexter perishing, at least not in a visible, concrete way. I mean, I know that deaths occur in the fictional realm (and I don't mind them; that's why prequels and retellings exist). However, in Dexter's case, it feels only right that he would prevail in the shady corners of society, always lurking, always looking for his next, deserving victim. 

Dexter is rather like Norman Bates in this respect. On that basis, I always appreciated Psycho IV: The Beginning leaving the door open for another chapter. Sure, we didn't get it, but one's imagination can at least construct an expansion. (On the flipside, I didn't like it when--Spoiler!--Norman bit the dust at the end of Bates Motel. There was so much more to explore for that revisionist incarnation. Too bad the blaring obvious wasn't pursued.)

Oh, well, we'll see what this new Dexter stirs, but whatever it is, I'm betting it turns out as hoped and expected: nice and vengeful. 

Dexter: Resurrection hits the crime scene July 11 (with a fruitful, two-episode drop) on Showtime/Paramount+.