Dexter: Resurrection Season 2 Premiere Review

This is a non-spoiler review for the Dexter: Resurrection Season 2 premiere, “Risky Business,” which airs on Paramount+ with the Premium Plan on Friday, October 30.

Uh oh, Dexter’s got that itch again. The itch to kill? Nah, that never went away. I’m talking about the more frustrating itch. The midlife crisis urge to be reckless.

In the first episode of Dexter: Resurrection’s second season — which I really wish had just been given a whole new subtitle — the Bay Harbor Butcher (Michael C. Hall) is feeling a little under-appreciated for what he believes are his life-saving endeavors, and he might be looking for a spotlight of gratitude (think of the parade he imagined for himself at the end of the very first season). “Risky Business” makes for a good start to this new batch of episodes, introducing both an ansty protagonist and a few new Big Bads to contend with. Of course, one episode only gives us a small glimpse into the upcoming season and it’s not enough to fully judge what’s ahead, but if Dexter’s “I’m over 50 now” inner turmoil and restlessness are treated differently than his past bouts of self-reflection and unease, Season 2 could be a very interesting take.

Dexter: Resurrection Season 2 Images

To quickly recap the journey of the series: Seasons 1 through 4 of the original show were groundbreaking. Seasons 5 through 8 were uneven, and at their worst had really bad creative turns. Dexter: New Blood was good, and landed very well as a revised ending for the saga. Resurrection, while initially eliciting eye rolls because of the titular resurrection, wound up being a true return to form for the series, feeling the most like the early seasons of the first show.

One thing that remains true though, Dexter-wise, is that the story stumbles when Dexter doesn’t learn from his mistakes. Sure, he’s flawed and driven by a mad desire to spill blood. He stretches himself too thin and will also kill an innocent person in a pinch in order to escape capture. There’s also a self-destructive element to him that we accept. It’s enticing. What we don’t want is him to be a bonehead who resets anew every season. So far, in the wake of “Risky Business,” we’re safe. After dealing with Peter Dinklage’s Leon Prater and his gruesome gallery of both murderous memorabilia and actual maniacs in Resurrection Season 1, Dex has realized that he’s a big deal. Too big to be toiling away as a ride share driver, for sure, and maybe even too big to let poor James Doakes (Erik King) go down as the Butcher. Perhaps things need to get a bit more… public.

While Dexter is busy feeling time’s encroaching talons, we catch up with Harrison (Jack Alcott), keeping the Morgan family cop tradition alive as an NYPD rookie. How will Harrison deal with his dad pushing things to the edge? Ultimately, where will his loyalties lie, once again, if push comes to shove and Dexter starts kicking up dirt? Because there’s darkness on the horizon. Not only is wise Detective Wallace (Kadia Saraf) still around, and taking notice of Harrison’s new career, but madmen like the New York Ripper (Wallace’s white whale from last season) and the hot-off-the-presses Five Borough Killer are making things super slicey and dicey out there. Fun casting alert for those two, by the way, with “first-ever on-screen Hannibal Lecter” Brian Cox as the Ripper and a stoic, menacing Dan Stevens as FBK.

The juice of “Risky Business” involves Dexter tying up Prater’s loose ends, which means Eric Stonestreet’s Al Walker returns to get some more time in the sun. Here, Stonestreet shows a much more dangerous, horrifying side to his Rapunzel killer, playing even more against his Modern Family persona. I won’t go into any more guest star/adversary/obstacle details than what I’ve already divulged, but “Risky Business” plays well, sets the table nicely, and even has some inspired ’80s punk rock needle drops.