Gabriel Luna’s New Dexter: Resurrection S2 Killer Breaks Major Franchise Record After 20 Years

WARNING! This article contains SPOILERS for Dexter: Resurrection season 2, episode 3!

Gabriel Luna’s final moments in Dexter: Resurrection season 2 came with an impressive record for the series.

Longer than many of the killers Dexter Morgan has hunted throughout the 2006-debuting TV franchise, Gabriel Luna’s Dexter: Resurrection character Ray Ballard, aka the Sleepy-Eyed Stranger, experienced a two-episode arc to kick off season 2. After being introduced in episode 2 as a former member of Leon Prater’s Boogeyman Club, whom Charley helps Dexter track down and trap, the Sleepy-Eyed Stranger is placed on Dexter’s kill table and meets his fate at the end of episode 3.

In an interview with ScreenRant‘s Tatiana Hullender, Luna broke down his experience on the Bay Harbor Butcher’s kill table after having become a fan of the original series in 2011. Filming the scene, Luna explained he was on the table for “a long, long time,” as he was still strapped down during the sequence between Charley and Dexter before the latter even wakes Ray up. Luna agreed to stay there “all day” rather than sit in his chair between takes, a feat he was proud of after executive producer Scott Reynolds informed him he set the record for spending the longest time on Dexter’s kill table:

ScreenRant: What was your experience like in the kill room? It’s an iconic rite of passage for a Dexter serial killer at this point.

Gabriel Luna: “Yeah, it was a great scene. I love the way it was written. I love how he wasn’t pleading for his life. It was mostly just trying to regain control and find common ground with Dexter; to have him understand what [Ray is] really about. Because, once again, [Ray doesn’t] deal with people a lot.

But as far as just the physical requirements of being on that table? I was there a long, long time. The scene was twofold: it was a scene between Michael [C. Hall] and Uma [Thurman], and then there was a scene between Michael and me.

I was actually on the table for the duration of the scene, and I also just felt comfortable. The actor in me wants to be in the moment and feel the thing and have that be formative for the performance. Or I could also just be crazy! I was just like, ‘Just leave me here. It’s alright.’ They’re swapping lenses, they’re changing the angles, they’re doing what they’re doing, but what’s the point? What am I going to do? Am I going to go to my chair and sit there? So, I just stayed there all day.

Scott [Reynolds], the producer, said that I may have set a record for the longest time on the table. So, I’m quite proud of that. I think it ended up being a really great scene, and I had some good photographs of it.”

While Ray Ballard’s kill table sequence only took up approximately six minutes of Dexter: Resurrection season 2, episode 3’s runtime, Luna’s decision to stay on the table between takes led to a new record for the series. Ray Ballard’s demise marks Dexter’s second major kill of Resurrection season 2 after killing Al Walker, aka Rapunzel, in the premiere. However, the beginning of the premiere showed a montage of Dexter tracking down some of the killers from Prater’s files during the time jump between seasons 1 and 2.

After taking down the Sleepy-Eyed Stranger, whose M.O. included stalking people in their homes before later killing them in their sleep, Dexter Morgan still has two major serial killers to contend with in New York City: Don Framt, aka the New York Ripper, and Lucas Stark, aka the Five Borough Killer. The former, portrayed in season 2 by Brian Cox, terrorized New York City for decades before a workplace accident led to him using a wheelchair, while the latter, played by Dan Stevens, is just beginning his serial killer career as he taunts the police with warnings of his future crimes across the city.

With episode 3 seemingly serving as Gabriel Luna’s final appearance on the show (a death in the Dexter TV universe doesn’t always mean a permanent exit), Dexter: Resurrection season 2 still has some exciting confirmed guest stars to look forward to. For instance, Paramount+ revealed ahead of the premiere that Krysten Ritter will return as Mia LaPierre in Dexter: Resurrection season 2, though the context of her appearance remains a mystery after her character seemingly died in prison in season 1.

Following his stint in Dexter: Resurrection season 2, Gabriel Luna also has more thrilling roles to come. Luna is currently filming The Last of Us season 3, the final outing in HBO’s adaptation of the hit video game series. The actor is set to reprise his role as Tommy Miller, and while the final episodes are expected to premiere in 2027, HBO has still yet to set an official release window for the post-apocalyptic drama’s third season. On the film front, Luna will star in the upcoming movie Baton, a sports drama from Danny Ramirez.

New episodes of Dexter: Resurrection season 2 release every Friday and can be streamed via the Paramount+ Premium subscription plan.

Release Date

July 13, 2025

Network

Paramount+ with Showtime

Showrunner

Scott Reynolds, Clyde Phillips