Dexter Should Have Seen Resurrection's Episode 8 Twist Coming, But I Can't Tell If His Sloppiness Is A Character Flaw Or A Writer Issue

Spoilers below for anyone who hasn’t yet watched the latest episode of Dexter: Resurrection via Paramount+ subscription or on Showtime, so be warned.

Since the start of Dexter: Resurrection, fans have watched Michael C. Hall’s Dexter fighting to keep his fatherly duties separated from his Code-related activities, only for it all to dramatically dovetail when the episode "The Kill Room Where It Happens" hit the 2025 TV schedule. Our morally driven protagonist was in the midst of having a jolly good non-Vegan meal with Harrison when Peter Dinklage’s Leon Prater made his presence known, thus signifying “the jig is up,” as it were.

I’ve no doubt Dexter will be able to totally bullshit his way out of being instantly taken down by Prater and Uma Thurman’s Charley, because that’s precisely the skillset that got him to this point. But the fact that he was publicly accosted in such a way flies in the face of this character’s logic, and so much of what we’ve seen this season should have helped prep him to avoid this very situation. I’ll allow Al’s escape being a smart plot move, but have to draw a line somewhere.

Dexter should be as anonymous as anyone in a metro area as bustling as New York City, and yet it didn’t take that long for Charley and Prater to track him down. As such, I’m not sure whether this issue is meant to be seen as a specific character flaw, or if it’s an issue the writers just didn’t think to address properly. Let’s get into several reasons why Dex should have been ready for this.

Dexter Spent The First Few Episodes Tracking Harrison And The Dark Passenger Killer

Before directly connecting with Prater’s serial killer club, Dexter spent his early days in NYC stuffing his face in his car while following Harrison, and as soon as he gained knowledge of someone killing rideshare drivers, he quickly gained all the knowledge he needed to identify and track the movements of Marc Menchaca’s “Red,” and was able to approach both his son and target without either being aware of it. I get that he didn’t immediately think others might do the same to him, but that instinct should have kicked in soon after.

Dexter Knew Charley Had Also Followed Red And Broke Into His Apartment

Though he didn’t know everyone else who was involved from the jump, Dexter finding the invitation to Prater’s gathering made him instantly aware that Red’s movements and homebase were identified and infiltrated by someone else, and he later determined that Charley was responsible. To the point where, when suspicions were raised about that apartment’s lack of recent activity, Dexter improvised the excuse that he could no longer live somewhere that others knew about. So why didn’t that immediately tip him off that Charley and others could do the same thing to him?

Dexter Knew That Batista Was Following Him

Even if Dexter didn’t grasp how effective Prater’s head of security was at her job, due to not having known her for well over a decade, he has known Angel Batista for ages, and knows the man is a good detective, whether he’s on active duty or not. Not only that, but in witnessing Batista mixing it up with Blessed’s family, Dexter discovered his former colleague was able to track him down to his living arrangements, likely setting up a major showdown. But did he really think that making threats would successfully keep Batista from telling other proper authority figures where he’s living? Also, how the hell did it take him that long to clean out his passenger door? No wonder he’s not a five-star driver.

Knowing All This, Why Didn’t Dexter Take Better Precautions To Not Be Followed?

As a dude who’s mostly evaded capture for an untold number of murders over the years, Dexter should still be the most evasive and paranoid creature on the planet, regardless of the Bay Harbor Butcher being misidentified. The character shouldn’t have any spare time at this point, because he should be constantly on alert and changing locations on an hourly basis. He should have left Blessed’s house behind the second he saw Batista’s face on the property. He definitely shouldn’t be sitting comfortable and having meals with Harrison.

So what is the deal here? Is this another symptom of Dexter getting older and non-wiser? Perhaps a mental setback to accompany the physical muscle pains he’s been facing? Or is this just a character detail that the creative team didn’t think was pertinent enough to address in full? I can’t imagine that’s the case, though, and would more readily assume it slipped through the cracks.

Of course, the next episode could always feature a big reveal that Dexter DID know he was being followed, and that he set up some kind of elaborate cat-and-mouse scenario to draw Prater and Charley out at just the right time. If that happens, I’ll be the first one in line to congratulate all involved for pulling the wool over my eyes. But until then, I’ll be sitting outside in my car, watching and judging Dexter from afar without him realizing it.