We remember and discuss what we saw in the second episode of the season of the series 'Dexter: New Blood'.
The second episode of the show 'New Blood' is titled Storm of F*** (feel free to practice your translation for fun). We'll tell you how it briefly managed to evoke the early seasons of the popular series and add intensity to the events.
Previous recaps:
Warning: spoilers for Episode 2 of the series 'Dexter: New Blood' follow below
Covering Tracks
The murder of Matt Caldwell in the debut episode could not go unnoticed, especially given his prominent and influential father (played by Clancy Brown). Hence, an investigation is inevitable. This left Dexter no choice but to plant evidence for the police suggesting the guy ran away, while simultaneously covering up the bloody traces left in the woods.
In parallel, we are reminded of a missing local girl (not the first, by the way), and you don't have to be Hercule Poirot to pick up on the authors' subtle hints linking Brown's character Kurt Caldwell to the events unfolding in town. It's unlikely Kurt is entirely saintly, given what we already know about his offspring. And let's not forget that before his death, Matt promised his father would kill Dex.
The creators of 'Dexter' have never shied away from quickly killing the mystery of 'Who is the killer?' So there's no problem if Clancy Brown's character indeed turns out to be another 'season's maniac.' Especially since the actor is charismatichol, and the backstory emerging for him could serve as an excellent platform for character development. So let's catch the vibe of earlier seasons and move on.
Dramaturgy
We already wrote in the previous recap that 'New Blood' has lost the lightness inherent to the show (despite all the bloodiness and abundance of severed body parts on screen). But the authors compensated for the lack of humor with touches of drama and a drive to develop the characters' personal relationships. Thus, during the episode, Dexter learns from his son Harrison that his former love Hannah died of cancer, and that Harrison himself bounced around foster homes ('Teenagers don't get adopted'). Police Chief Angela meets Harrison (naturally, she didn't know about Dexter-Jim's son). And the boy himself quickly starts showing interest in Audrey, Angela's daughter. Such Mexican passions unfold in the snowy town.
Meanwhile, the ghost of Deb is increasingly desperately reminding Dexter that he is sick and that killing Matt could make him lose his mind. She regularly tells him that he keeps making the same old mistakes (here, it's not even about the murders, but about letting people get close to him who then end up dead). And none of Dex's phrases about his son protecting him from his killings have any effect on her.
As strange as it may sound, Jennifer Carpenter's character is currently the most interesting: not annoying, not clichéd (like teenager Harrison with his teenage antics from teenage shows), and unpredictable. The actress doesn't have much screen time, but she makes the most of it.
And what about Harrison? He perfectly understood that the locals didn't know Jim-Dexter had a son, but he didn't even try to hide this fact. Instead, like a hurricane, he burst into his father's measured local life, undermining his cover. Now Harrison balances on the edge between a vulnerable child once abandoned by his father and a nervous teenager planning to destroy Dexter's peaceful existence.
It's unlikely the authors of 'New Blood' planned to sow seeds of hatred for the teenager so early. But so far, he only evokes a desire to get rid of him quickly. This primarily refers to the character's scripted traits, but actor Jack Alcott could also be more vibrant and interesting. However, let's not rush to conclusions here. Perhaps that very dark side that Dex always feared will help Alcott fully showcase his talents.
'New Blood' is taking quite a while, for a mini-series, to gain momentum and still doesn't provide a clear understanding of whether the story of our favorite maniac is moving in the right direction. There are cool solutions here, like using Deb as the voice of rationality. There are several potentially intriguing plot twists (Kurt might not be any kind of maniac at all). But overall, it's not yet possible to unequivocally assess Dexter's return. Maybe this intriguing approach is for the best; who knows.
Teaser for Episode 3:
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