Summary
Dexter: Resurrection hones in on its title character in Episode 3, as his hunt for the Dark Passenger continues while other subplots percolate in the background.
The premiere wasn’t a fluke. Episode 3 of Dexter: Resurrection, aptly titled “Backseat Driver”, feels like a return to the franchise of old with a tight focus on Dexter himself as he works to claim another victim. Sure, Harrison’s still in it, and there’s a much larger subplot percolating in the background, but the simple pleasures of this third episode are to be found in Michael C. Hall getting back in touch with his darker side. His darker… passenger side! Goodness me, I’m sorry.
But that’s what “Backseat Driver” is about, really — the two Dark Passengers, the original and the imposter, facing off for the first and, as it turns out, only time. Dexter’s steady hunt for the killer helps to build tension, though it’s smartly juxtaposed with really upbeat, personable scenes with Blessing and his family. Side note: This show and Apple TV+’s Smoke air on the same day, so I watch the screeners back to back, and it took me until this episode to realize that Ntare Guma Mbaho Mwine is playing both Blessing in this and Freddy Fasano in Smoke. That’s a testament to how wildly different — and equally effective — the performances are.
Anyway, Episode 3 of Dexter: Resurrection finds the eponymous character working as a ride-share driver and not quite grasping the intricacies of it, trying to bait the Dark Passenger out of hiding. His need to understand the job more compels him to get closer to Blessing, who is endlessly eager to give him help and advice, and I think that’s a nice way of killing two birds with one stone in terms of plot and character. It’s Constance, Blessing’s wife, who inadvertently gives Dexter the breakthrough he needs — he can use the same website she used for his background check as a new tenant to track the killer down.
Blessing’s acupuncturist daughter, Joy, also gives Dexter a treatment to help him loosen up physically, and it’s the kind of small scene the show didn’t need to include but really benefits from. I immediately like every member of this family, and I think Dexter does too, which doesn’t bode especially well for any of them.
If nothing else, old habits die hard. When Dexter breaks into the Dark Passenger’s apartment and finds the murder weapon and the driving licenses he takes from his victims as macabre totems, he almost immediately freestyles a plan to entrap him, using himself as bait. It works a treat, and there’s a grim satisfaction in seeing how easily a seasoned killer like Dexter deals with a hobbyist. And in his own apartment, no less.
But as well as this being a chance for Dexter to get back into the swing of things, it opens up a wider plot. Just before Dexter kills the Dark Passenger, he mistakenly assumes that Dexter was the one who left him a rucksack full of money and a mysterious invitation. After the deed is done, Dexter examines these items and realizes the invitation is to a meeting of “like-minded individuals” — in other words, it’s a serial killer soiree. And he plans to attend in the Dark Passenger’s stead, even though he’ll need his thumbprint to get in, which leads to an unexpectedly comedic beat as he has to fish his arm out of a furnace to save the thumb before it burns up.
This serial killer party will be the function Uma Thurman’s character is briefly seen catering here in Dexter: Resurrection Episode 3, but so much about her remains mysterious that finally getting some insight is an exciting prospect. One suspects this is also where most of the high-profile guest stars will be introduced. So, that’s something to look forward to.
Elsewhere, Claudette continues to look into the murder at the hotel, and very much fancies Harrison as a suspect. These scenes fulfil a dual purpose. One is emphasising how smart Claudette is, which turns out to be very smart indeed. With the help of the Bee Gees, she’s able to retrace the exact sequence of events in her mind; however, a CCTV camera covered in bird crap and a convenient alibi for Harrison mean she’s unable to pursue him as a suspect.
That alibi is the second purpose. Throughout all this, Harrison gets a little closer to Elsa, who eventually confesses to Claudette that she allows him to sleep in the hotel’s empty rooms because he’s effectively homeless. She doesn’t totally appreciate Dexter giving her name to the police and risking her job, but she understands why he did. I suspect there’s still plenty more to come from these two, especially since Dexter, watching Harrison from afar, explicitly vocalises the idea that Harrison is going to need her and the human connection she provides.
With a party to get to, Batista coming to town, and Claudette still unsatisfied, the next episode can’t come soon enough. And how often can you say that about a show these days?
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