Dexter: New Blood Episode 9 review: Not for the squeamish

3.5/5

Story:

Harrison seeks answers from his father, Dexter, regarding “The Dark Passenger”. Dexter’s torn between revealing his true self to his son and protecting Harrison from who Dexter really is. Meanwhile, Kurt Caldwell hatches a plot of his own to kill Dexter and Harrison, whereas Angela gets closer to the truth about Dexter and his mysterious past.

Review:

The penultimate episode of the limited series, Dexter: New Blood, puts further emphasis on Dexter’s relationship with his son, Harrison, as well as revisiting Dexter’s Code that helps him contain his Dark Passenger. So far this season, Dexter’s motivation and character development hinged on his newfound selfless nature and his drive to become a better man, father and member of society. However, at the first instance of his son hinting at a Dark Passenger of his own, Dexter is willing to abandon everything in order to find out whether his son shares his proclivities.

Even though it is a heartwarming moment when Dexter finally reveals his true self to Harrison, despite his conscience, visually embodied by Debra (Jennifer Carpenter) pleading him not to. Jennifer Carpenter’s performances in these scenes, in spite of having very few lines, are instrumental in capturing the essence of the screenplay. This is by no means an indication that Michael C. Hall (Dexter) and Jack Alcott (Harrison) essayed unconvincing performances. They were undoubtedly exceptional. Rather, it is a testament to Carpenter’s engrossing performance.

The bonding moment between Dexter and Harrison, albeit a tearjerker, slowly descends into an unsettling conversation between the two as Dexter explains Harry’s Code on how to suppress the dark urges for blood. Despite Harrison’s initial eagerness to stop Kurt Caldwell, there are hints throughout the narrative that Harrison may have bargained for more than he could chew. The writers toy with this idea as fans are well aware of what happened to Harry Morgan after Dexter’s first kill, decades ago.

The final sequence of the episode suggests an action-packed and fast-paced finale. Angela’s quest to find more about the ‘Bay Harbor Butcher’ has the potential for a nail-biting finish that could make or break the limited series. There still remain several unanswered questions regarding how Dexter’s dynamic with Harrison will evolve going forward, considering how some of the scenes were truly horrifying, which Harrison did not even have the stomach to witness to completion. The parallels to the ‘Trinity Killer’ and Kurt Caldwell are irrefutable, and just like the Trinity Killer’s parting surprise for Dexter in Season four of the original series, Kurt Caldwell may end up changing Dexter’s life forever with his own ‘parting gift’.

Verdict:

The ninth episode of Dexter: New Blood, titled, ‘Family Business’, is thrilling, harrowing and depressing, in equal measure. If the upcoming finale, releasing next week, can wrap this limited series in a spectacular fashion, fans of this iconic character will finally get the closure that they have been yearning for nearly eight years.