Dexter: New Blood Season 1 Episode 5 Review: Runaway
Mary Littlejohn
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Dexter just can't help himself.
On Dexter: New Blood Season 1 Episode 5, Dexter took revenge on the man responsible for harming his son -- forgoing Harry's Code for something more primal.
Is he finally getting himself into a mess from which he can't escape?
Michael C. Hall continues to kill it (in every way) as Dexter. He knows this character inside and out, and it shows. Every inflection, every nuanced movement, every sideways glance -- you can tell he relishes this role.
Hall's Dexter is so intriguingly conflicted. He knows he has to tread lightly with Harrison, but he still manages to screw it up. The more he tries to get Harrison to open up to him, the more Harrison pulls away -- and possibly under the wing of an even more terrifying serial killer.
Dexter's humanity is no longer up for debate. In the early seasons of the original series, there was still the question of whether Dexter could feel emotions. It's clear now that he loves Harrison. His relationship with his son is what gives his life purpose -- he's no longer in survival mode.
I'm a great fucking dad.
Dexter
Dexter is still incredibly narcissistic, so much so that he forgets that his old ways won't exactly work in his new life.
Dexter is getting so sloppy that it seems almost inevitable he gets caught.
Sometimes you have to say "yes" to drugs.
Dexter
Dexter takes many supplies from Dr. Patel. Dexter meets Miles at a bar, with witnesses, in broad daylight. He also enters Jasper's home in the daytime.
There obviously had to be some kind of time jump from Dexter seeing Logan pull up outside Jasper's house to when the police enter because that kind of set-up and take-down is a lot of work. Otherwise, it's barely plausible.
Meanwhile, he's out all day, and if Harrison were even the least bit curious, he could check in with Fred Jr. and find out that his father isn't at work.
Dexter's barely covering his tracks, and if he gets away with it -- again -- it will feel cheap. Not only that, but he's no longer following the Code. He's killing people who "deserve" it, but Jasper and Miles were close to being apprehended, and he knew it.
The party sequence from Harrison's drunk-and-high POV was suitably warped. Director Marcos Siega's choice of effects accurately portrays the blurring of Harrison's senses as the night progresses.
Jack Alcott does a great job keeping his intoxication realistic and indrawn, opening up only to Audrey. Audrey is clearly her mother's daughter. She cares deeply for those around her -- especially Harrison, it seems. Thankfully, she knows when it's time to call for help, and she's not afraid of the police.
Harrison's slip-up about his father, compounded with the information Angela gets in New York, is set to knock everything off the rails.
There's such tenderness when Dexter goes to Harrison in the hospital, in the way he holds his son's hand to his heart, the grief, regret, and all the mixed emotions he feels in that moment. Dexter truly is an "evolving monster."
Alano Miller did fantastic work this episode as Officer Logan.
Logan is really showing up as an excellent police officer and an adult who cares about the kids in his community. He's also a concerned friend, unwilling to back off when a kid need helps.
Logan's scene with Miles showed Dexter -- and us -- that Logan has an edge to him. He knows how to work the system and intimidate suspects into giving him what he wants.
Damn, Logan. Even I feel intimidated.
Dexter
He could be shaping up as a worthy antagonist for Dexter. He shows that he's not afraid to keep pushing if it means a kid will get the help he needs. If he suspects "Jim" or something, he's not going to be afraid to follow up. Would Dexter be able to do the unthinkable to someone as noble as Logan if it endangered his survival?
The Dexter-Logan relationship will likely come to a head at some point down the road. With Logan's working relationship with Angela and his other relationship with Molly, he may eventually access information that helps him connect the dots.
Molly and Angela continue to be a dynamic duo. It would have been worth the trip to find out the information about Matt -- namely, that whoever was at the hotel under Matt's name, using his credit cards, was not the right Matt Caldwell. Now they are left wondering why Kurt would lie about his son being safe.
However, Angela gets much more than she bargained for at the missing persons' conference when she meets with one of the speakers who might have some advice for her investigation.
Now, I've said it before, and I'll say it again -- I'm a fan, and I enjoy being serviced.
It was so great to see David Zayas as Angel Batista again!! Did it feel contrived? Sure. Does it matter? Not a bit. His appearance felt like a stretch, especially since he mentioned Debra Morgan, her brother, and nephew, making sure to get the kid's (slightly uncommon but totally normal) name out.
It was a little clumsy, but the fangirl in me was too busy squealing to care.
Dexter, again, proves that he thinks he's smarter than everyone else. Any other criminal on the run would balk at the idea of dating a cop -- especially one as determined and intelligent as Angela. If she ends being his undoing, he's got no one to blame but himself.
Angela will have to be very careful about how she acts around Dexter. She doesn't know what he's capable of, but she's astute enough that she wouldn't confront him directly about this without more information without a plan.
Molly knows about the Bay Harbor Butcher and the Trinity Killer cases. Will she and Angela continue to work alongside each other and start putting the pieces together? Will they involve Logan?
Something tells me that Angel will make a re-appearance -- this may also be a way to get cameos from other cast members from the original series! Angela is going to want more answers about Dexter's past, and it makes sense to go to the source.
Damn, the Kurt/Chloe scenes were hard to watch. Chloe did so well, trying to find ways to get Kurt to deviate from his ritual. She seemed like she had a decent shot at escape -- if only she'd stabbed him in the gut instead of going for his face!
Kurt's reaction to killing her in the "wrong" way was incredibly disturbing. He obviously likes his victims to look clean -- but to what end? Why is he doing this, and how many of Angela's missing women is he responsible for murdering? Where are their bodies?
What is Kurt planning for Harrison? Did Kurt somehow find out about what Dexter did to Matt, which would be a way to get revenge?
Sometimes you gotta laugh at the fucked up stuff.
Harrison
It's not a great time to be a teenager with fentanyl, possible school shootings, and climate change. In Harrison, we have a kid who has been through the wringer in terms of trauma -- from his mother's death, his stepmother's death, the foster care system, and life on the streets.
Harrison needs something from Dexter since he sought him out in Iron Lake, but he has no idea how to ask for it. He is more willing to accept help and care from others -- namely Audrey and Kurt. Audrey would pull him to the light, but Kurt surely would lead him down a dark path -- perhaps darker than Dexter.
All that's standing between us and chaos is a tiny, fragile thread. Cut that thread, and we're all just falling into space.
Dexter
So much happened on this episode! Now that Angela and Audrey are on to "Jim," the fun will come in how they, along with Molly, unearth the information about this mysterious man and his troubled son.
How did you feel about the serendipitous re-appearance of Angel? How do you think Angela will navigate this revelation about her boyfriend? Will Harrison spell Audrey's doom, or will she be his saving grace?
Share your thoughts in the comments!
Mary Littlejohn Mary Littlejohn was a staff writer and critic for TV Fanatic.
