Dexter's getting all warm and fuzzy.
On Dexter: New Blood Season 1 Episode 3, Dexter pushes his limits, trying to stave off a criminal investigation.
It's not as easy to be a serial killer in Iron Lake as it was in Miami.
Come to think of it, maybe it is easy enough -- you just have to pick victims no one will miss. There's the "hunter" who kept Lily the backpacker captive, only to release her and gun her down for sport.
He then proceeds to wash her, drain her body of blood, and embalm her. It's certainly not the first time he has done this. Does he keep them all? Like hunting trophies?
That has got to be the man responsible for the missing women Angela is so desperate to find -- even Iris, who appears to have been Angela's good friend at the very least.
So, who is it? Kurt Caldwell? Edward Olson? Old rich white men always seem to get away with everything, but maybe it's a misdirect. Olson was SO creepy in his interaction with Audrey. It couldn't be that obvious, could it?
Watch, it'll be Fred Jr. or someone innocuous like that, just to mess with the viewers!
Dexter directly references Fargo with the woodchipper, and the homage is definitely felt, particularly in the scene of Lily running in slow motion across the white, snowy field.
The writers enjoy being playful with Dexter. When he mentions enjoying those "CSI" shows to Damian, Michael C. Hall even looks at the camera for a split second.
Now, they've even got a true-crime podcaster in on the action -- Molly Park (Jamie Chung).
Will she be a ruthless femme fatale, with her sights set on Sergeant Logan?
Here's the thing -- when it comes down to it, Logan is a decent cop. When questioning Dexter, he remains genial but relentless.
Logan has known "Jim" for a while, so maybe he has a sense about him -- an intuition that something's a little off about the guy.
It's ironic because it feels like Dexter has now genuinely lost his urge to kill. He wants to maintain this family he's creating with Harrison that extends out with Angela and Audrey. Covering up the one murder is going to take every trick in the book.
It's not that he feels bad about killing Matt, but now his stakes are significantly higher because he has more to lose. It's possible he would kill again to cover his tracks if he had to.
It's a good thing for Dexter that he didn't drop Matt's remains down the mine shaft, as Angela promised Kurt she would search up there.
What might happen is that the search party will find the bear and decide that's the end of it -- it's fair to assume Matt could have been mauled and eaten.
What's confusing is Kurt's supposed FaceTime with Matt. If he's lying deliberately, why would he do such a thing? If he's been tricked, that's another story. Who, other than Dexter, would want Kurt to believe his son is alive?
Where has Matt's friend Bill (AKA Dickface) been in all of this mess? We haven't seen him since Dexter: New Blood Season 1 Episode 1. His absence is notable. Did he have something to do with Kurt's video?
He may have some answers that could either help or hinder Dexter.
Audrey and Harrison are getting closer, sharing secrets about their past.
How much does Harrison know, really? Hannah was a serial killer, too. Did she keep that part of herself closed off from him as Dexter is doing now? By all accounts, he seems to miss her, the only mother figure he had.
What if Harrison is protecting Hannah for something she did, and now he's on the run? He's not yet eighteen -- is CPS going to come looking for him? He's wary of the police chief but not worried enough to avoid spending time with her daughter.
It's clear Harrison has seen some violence, but whether he will ever divulge this to his father or Audrey remains to be seen.
What's worrisome is Harrison's friendship with Ethan and what will grow from it. Ethan has violent thoughts. Harrison can manifest them physically.
Someone's going to get hurt -- maybe even killed -- and my money's on Zach. If Harrison comes to Dexter for help, Dexter might show him how to cover it up or frame Ethan somehow.
Is Harrison really a good kid, or does he have his father's dark tendencies after all? Is he Rita's son or Dexter's?
Maybe Harrison's whole reasoning behind seeking out Dexter in the first place was in the hopes that his father could shed some light on his darkness.
One thing that Dexter: New Blood does well is giving space to the traditions and rituals of the Seneca people.
The deer burning scene was beautiful. It felt right to give reverence to the "character" that was arguably the catalyst for Matt's murder.
Audrey's care for her land is evident in her environmental stance and the animals that live there. She and her mother may have a tense relationship at times, but there's lots of mutual love and respect between them.
In a place that's so remote, Angela Bishop is the bridge that tries to hold both sides --the settler and the Indigenous -- together. It's always going to be tenuous, and she may never feel truly connected to either side, but it's worth it to her.
Angela is a great character -- she's not afraid to stand up for herself but still knows how to be a diplomat. She says what she means, whether it's to her team, her old friends, Kurt, or her daughter.
Dexter's runarounds were inspired and frantic. The "dance of the dogs" had an almost mystical quality to it -- and, as always, the soundtrack is on point.
Things got a little wild went Dexter found the bear -- but only for a moment! Dexter got to feel like prey, and it didn't seem like an enjoyable experience. He's not in Miami anymore!
It was also extremely convenient that the incinerator was just left burning, unsupervised. Is this just a normal, small-town thing? Hopefully, Dexter was watching his back, and he'd better hope there were no hidden security cameras there.
I'd be surprised if this act doesn't come back to haunt him. For all the trouble he went through to cover up Matt's murder, the solution seemed almost too easy.
Dexter continues to underestimate those around him.
Small-town cops can be just as good at their jobs as big-city police. Angela and Logan (and Teddy to a certain extent) may not have as much experience as their Miami counterparts, but they are also not as jaded or burnt out.
Damian, the crime scene investigator, proves that he's damn good at his job despite appearances. Despite it creating a huge headache, Dexter has to admit that Damian is as good at his job as Dexter once was.
Watching Damian work, Dexter also seems to feel a twinge of remorse for having had to leave his other passion behind -- analyzing crime scenes.
How did you feel about Episode 3?
Are you still enjoying this new take on an old favorite?
Share your thoughts in the comments!