Dexter: New Blood Episode 3 review: The plot thickens as Dexter tries to cover his tracks

3.5/5

Story:

New problems emerge for Dexter as tries he to steer the investigation into Matt Caldwell’s disappearance away from himself whilst also learning the ropes of parenthood.

Review:

The decision to cast Jack Alcott as Dexter’s son is a stroke of genius. The way in which his character, Harrison, turns from the harmless friendly teenager to a menacing foe in the blink of an eye is a flashback of Dexter himself when he confronted Arthur Mitchell (John Lithgow) aka the Trinity Killer in season four of the original series. Alcott has convincingly mimicked Michael C Hall’s portrayal at times, truly making the audience believe that he is Dexter’s son. It is also made abundantly clear that he is highly intelligent and has good hand-to-hand fighting skills, which begs the question of whether he is more like his father in other ways than what the narrative has revealed so far.

Whereas for Dexter himself, his persona as Jim Lindsey, is in desperate need of a reprieve as the authorities have found further evidence that points towards Matt Caldwell being attacked rather than fleeing as originally established by the authorities. This presents several hurdles for Dexter as he tries to solve this problem, a problem that he was adept at solving with consummate ease for years. However, his ‘no kill’ rule for over a decade has made him rusty and susceptible to mistakes.

All Dexter yearns for is to be a good father to Harrison, which he is struggling with, given the circumstances. Harrison on the other hand is branching out in his own narrative with Audrey and his new friend, Ethan. How these narratives will interact with another remains to be seen. So far, the limited series has hardly made any missteps and it appears to be slowly building up to something truly explosive. The return of Clyde Philips as showrunner could be the reason why the show has maintained its quality three episodes in.

Details regarding the villain are still scarce, but the episode did go into a bit more detail about the man. It is abundantly clear that he is a serial killer and he has been killing for years. It is also clear he is not far off from where Dexter lives, which is an intriguing prospect as to how they would interact when they do eventually meet. More details will likely be shed in the upcoming episode.

Verdict:

Smoke Signals is yet another well-executed episode full of drama and a hint of black comedy.