Dexter: Resurrection’s first season has come to an end, and while the ending was satisfying, there’s something unfortunate about it: it seems too final. Dexter: Resurrection hasn’t officially been renewed for a second season. While creator Clyde Phillips has been clear about his intention to make a multi-season series, the green light hasn’t been given yet by Paramount+.
With Paramount+ having unexpectedly canceled the prequel series Dexter: Original Sin after it was presumably renewed, the future of Dexter: Resurrection hangs in the balance. And Episode 10, “And Justice For All…,” provides a finality that is sadly satisfying, wrapping things up a little too nicely for someone like me who is hoping for more.
How ‘Dexter: Resurrection’ Wraps up the Story
Paramount+ with Showtime
The sense you get in watching the final episode of Dexter: Resurrection Season 1 is that the story has come to an end. Overarching storylines wrap up with a red bow, Dexter even taking his own little parting gift: a selection of serial killer files to work through. There’s no major cliffhanger, and no dangling carrot that indicates the inevitability of a second season.
Leon Prater (Peter Dinklage) is gone, finally making his way to Dexter’s table. With Lowell (Neil Patrick Harris), Mia (Krysten Ritter), and Gareth (David Dastmalchian) gone as well, Charley (Uma Thurman) is gone but not dead, which puts an end to the serial killer club. Angel Batista (David Zayas) has tragically died, which means there’s no one left on Dexter’s tail. Harrison (Jack Alcott) has plans to attend school and even become a police officer. He has a new girlfriend, and with suspicion no longer pointed in his direction, his life is finally looking up.
The biggest wrap-ups come for Dexter and the New York Ripper case that loomed over the entire season. After eliminating Leon, framing him for Angel’s death, and exposing who Leon truly is, Dexter tied up every loose end he had in New York.
Meanwhile, in strategically leaving some files in Leon’s museum, Dexter has accidentally (or purposely) helped Detective Claudia (Kadia Saraf) and distracted her with the one case that has haunted her for years. With the police finding both the New York Ripper’s murder weapon hanging on the wall of the museum, along with Leon’s file for the killer that clearly states his name, Claudia is taken aback with a sense of relief. She will likely arrest this man and use all this damning evidence against him to take him down. What’s more, the Ripper’s file wasn’t the only one Dexter left, which means Claudia will be busy paying visits to many more serial killers as well, who have no idea they have just been outed. She’ll likely forget all about Dexter and Harrison.
Seeing Dexter sail away with the files he took, including Al’s (Eric Stonestreet), makes it easy to imagine what he’ll do next. He has a beautifully vetted list of victims ripe for killing, ready to get right back to his old ways. He’s embracing his Dark Passenger in a way he never had before, recognizing it’s who he is, not something to fight. As long as he keeps others close, like Harrison and even Blessing (Ntare Guma Mbaho Mwine), Dexter can balance those dark urges with a sense of humanity, or at least the façade of being a “normal” person. That side of him is essential, not only to conceal his actions but also to remind him why he follows The Code.
It’s a wonderful way to end the series, except fans don’t want it to end. Even with this satisfying closure, much of the story remains untold, and fans still crave more of the beloved vigilante killer.
How ‘Dexter: Resurrection’ Could Continue
Paramount+ with Showtime
There are plenty of opportunities to continue the series. First, the show should explore Dexter’s work as he navigates his way through those files, taking out killers one by one across New York and potentially around the world as though he’s completing a to-do list. Seeing him balance his nightly proclivities with his daily life as a “normal” member of society is at the heart of the entire series. So, while it may sound repetitive, it’s a formula that works and that fans want to continue seeing. Chief among these kills is Al, the only remaining killer from Leon’s serial killer club. Since Al is in Wisconsin, not far from where Lumen (Julia Stiles) lived in Minnesota, a reunion could be a potential future storyline.
The New York Ripper storyline still demands a more satisfying resolution, as fans were disappointed by the anticlimactic reveal. Who is the New York Ripper beyond Don Framt? Knowing the name plays wonderfully into the idea that this notorious killer is just another average Joe, probably living an everyday life under the radar, just as Dexter has all these years. Still, fans were hoping for a bigger storyline involving the mysterious persona. Whether it’s showing Claudia hunting him down or revealing that Don Framt is an alias and the Ripper is actually someone fans already know (Dexter already proved, after all, that both Leon and Charley could be fooled), the story needs more.
From Charley’s disappearance to what will likely be an epic fallout from the discovery of Leon (and a hunt for him since he’s presumed to be on the run and not dead), along with Harrison’s future as a potential student of the law, there are still plenty of angles to take. What happens when Joey Quinn (Desmond Harrington) finds out about Angel’s death, and will he ever learn that Dexter is alive? It’s far too neat not to involve him again, given how the character is the last remaining person from Dexter’s old life who knows he’s a killer, even if Joey has never openly admitted this fact to others, including himself.
Why ‘Dexter: Resurrection’ Must Continue
Paramount+ with Showtime
It was already a brutal blow to fans when Dexter: Original Sin was canceled. Some speculate it was to keep resources firmly focused on Dexter: Resurrection, which has become a massive hit, more popular and better reviewed than the prequel. The show has resurrected (pun intended) one of the best characters ever on television and breathed new life into a show that has now become a franchise.
There’s so much depth to the character, moral ambiguity in our feelings while watching it. Dexter is, without a doubt, a psychopath. He hunts, taunts, and kills people. He dismembers their bodies like he’s carving a Sunday roast. He bags them up and dumps them in the river like he’s taking out the trash. But he also carefully vets his victims. He makes sure they are heinous people who do downright evil things. He rids the world of these people, playing judge, jury, and executioner.
Does he have the right to do that? No. Does every life have value? Perhaps. It’s these challenging questions that fans love to ponder while watching. Let’s not forget that it’s also incredibly entertaining to watch how crafty Dexter is at evading capture, stalking people, and getting himself out of seemingly impossible situations. His quick thinking and resourcefulness are second to none, and it’s fascinating to see how the writers continually find ways for him to escape.
We’re not done with Dexter just yet. As he says so pointedly while breaking the fourth wall for the first time in any of the shows, he is exactly who he needs to be, and “exactly who you want me to be.” How could we not want to continue that journey alongside him? He’s practically calling us to join him. Dexter: Resurrection is streaming on Paramount+ with Showtime.
Release Date
July 13, 2025
Network
Paramount+ with Showtime
Directors
Marcos Siega
You can view the original article HERE.
