Dexter: Resurrection Episode 9 Recap: Touched By An Angel

Warning: Major spoilers ahead. Proceed with caution.

Prater Gets Close

Prater's suspicions about Red lead him to follow him, and that leads him right into the middle of dinner between father and son, a forced meeting that Dexter was not prepared for. Dexter is backed into a corner, having to answer questions about the son Prater should have never known about. Batista shadows Dexter like a hound, and it becomes clear that Prater will know his true identity via Batista, who was warned by the NYPD to stay away.

Charlie’s String

The following day, Charlie dances on Prater's string. She lures Harrison into a hotel room and interrogates him about his last name being different from "Red's". Harrison plays it cool, spinning a story that works because it’s mostly true, but Charlie isn't easy to fool. She's sharp, cynical, and very good at her job. She collects his prints from the glass that was on the room service cart. Naturally, Harrison calls Dexter, and Dexter immediately senses a threat and he is right to.

Dexter tracks Charlie after she returns from buying flowers for her mom. Waiting in her car, he uses the same wire the real Red favored to behead victims, turning her own fear back on her. The confrontation is tense and revealing: Charlie admits she’s acting under Prater’s orders. He manipulates weaknesses: her mother for her, Harrison for Dexter.

Batista's Mistake

Across town, Batista's storyline snaps into focus. Wallace makes it clear she knows Batista is retired and warns him to get out of town or face arrest. But Batista, being Batista, doesn’t take the easy out. On his way out, he spots a poster of Prater and realizes he’s stumbled into something bigger. Cue the surveillance photo he snapped earlier, Batista is heading straight for the Prater.

Batista reaches Prater before the Gala, and it ends badly. He tells Prater that he is in danger not knowing that he was the one in danger. Prater delights in the revelation that Dexter is the Bay Harbor Butcher. Instead of turning him in, he offers Dexter a devil's bargain: work with him. Prater claims he has files on serial killers worldwide and can feed Dexter names to keep the Dark Passenger busy. As always, there’s a catch. Dexter has to be initiated, and to do so, he must kill Batista in full Bay Harbor Butcher style.

Choices, Betrayal, and Blood

Dexter can't do it. He frees Batista, hoping they can team up to take Prater and Charlie down together. But instead, Batista turns on him, and he and Dexter struggle. Failing the test, he nearly succumbs to Batista, but Prater executes Batista. He shot him multiple times, extinguishing a longtime once ally while conveniently tying off another thread in Dexter’s twisted story.

Locked Away

The episode crescendos with Prater and Charlie making their escape. I couldn't tell if it was to frame Dexter or give him time to accept his new fate, a killer for the entertainment of a very sick man. They trap Dexter in that grotesque museum-like cellar filled with serial killer artifacts. Is Harrison their next pawn? It feels like a setup for an even bigger game, a new hunting ground of killers with Prater pulling Dexter's strings.

Final Thoughts

This episode brought the nailbiting thrills with heavy tension. Each beat delivered impact and every character choice felt earned even if they felt foolish, like why didn't Batista play along so that he could live to pursue Dex another day. The pacing didn’t let up, and for once, the show earned a perfect score from me.

10/10. The best episode of the season.

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