This article contains spoilers for Dexter: Resurrection Episodes 1-4.
Michael C. Hall has expertly portrayed a serial killer who enacts vengeance under a code that forces him to target like-minded individuals over the years in the series Dexter, Dexter: New Blood, and Dexter: Original Sin. With the latest entry in the franchise, the disease of addiction is personified more than ever by offering Dexter something he has yet to find before his journey to New York City - a fellowship of like-minded sufferers.
The series features a slew of returning faces alongside star-studded additions to the long-time cast. Returning veterans are David Zayas (Angel Batista), Erik King (James Doakes), John Lithgow (Arthur "Trinity Killer" Mitchell), Jimmy Smits (Miguel Prado), James Remar (Harry Morgan), Desmond Harrington (Joseph Quinn), C.S. Lee (Vince Masuka), and Jack Alcott (Harrison Morgan) all join the titular serial killer played by Michael C. Hall.
Where Dexter: Resurrection stands apart from its predecessors in the franchise is by offering Dexter a fellowship of like-minded sufferers with an addiction to killing in a group setting that mirrors those seen in meetings for Alcoholics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous, and Celebrate Recovery. The Physicians Statement of the Alcoholics Anonymous handbook suggests that the closest thing that doctors have discovered for a cure to the disease of addiction is community and relating to a like-minded fellowhip of similary suffering addicts. It is in this way that Dexter: Resurrection inadvertently offers Dexter a potential path toward recovery that he has never seen before.
In episode four, Call Me Red, Dexter finds himself an invitation to a dinner party for people like himself and gains the benefit of being able to process what he's going through with others who understand his compulsion for murder. The group of killers includes The Canton Clubber, who bludgeons his victims played by Max Von Essen. There's Lady Vengeance, who targets sexual predators, brought to life by Krysten Ritter (Jessica Jones, Breaking Bad), Rapunzel, who keeps a lock of hair from the ladies he murders, personified by Eric Stonestreet (Modern Family), The Tattoo Collector, who skins trophies from his victims, acted by Neil Patrick Harris (Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog), The Gemini Killer, who keeps it in the family by offering his victims someone to die alongside, portrayed by David Dastmalchian (Ant-Man, The Suicide Squad), The Dark Passenger, played by Marc Mechaca, and Charley, a mysterious killer played by the inimitable Uma Thurman (Pulp Fiction, Kill Bill).
There is also The Big Man, who is yet to be revealed as a killer, but may be the mysterious New York Ripper, who gathers these killers together due to his fascination with those at the top of the list in their murderous craft, expertly played by Peter Dinklage (Game of Thrones, Avengers: Infinity War). He is a wealthy philanthropist and the facilitator and benefactor of the meetings.
This group of individuals mimics AA and NA meetings by offering these addicts a place to vent their frustrations and burning desires to those who understand their troubles under the guise of anonymity. In the past, Dexter was only able to be himself in the final moments of his victims lives, only being able to speak freely in front of his targets as they laid on his table, and any other relationship he tried to cultivate ended horribly. He is given a phone to exchange numbers with his fellowship, which is one of the key components to prevent relapses.
In a recovery setting, members take turn sharing and listening, and the same is done here with a display of "show and tell". Each of the other killers present provides Dexter with someone to relate to, and he begins to speak honestly, and from the heart, after being let in on the process of his fellow addict.
"I knew this was my next piece the moment I laid eyes on it. What happens next is inevitable. Because I can't stop it. I feel the pressure rise, it becomes so intense. It's dizzying, unstoppable." -The Tattoo Collector
"I know the feeling," Dexter relates internally.
"I call it the itch." - Lady Vengeance
"The Need." - Rapunzel
"The Great Yearning" - The Gemini Killer
"The Urge," Dexter shares, finally being able to admit it openly to people who understand him.
At the end of the meeting, Dexter swaps origin stories with a fellow member. "I'm not immune to mommy issues, mine just come from how I lost her." He then meets with the faciliator and confesses that the fellowship is helpful to him. "Thank you for everything, I said things tonight that I've never been able to express out loud before. I didn't realize it was something I needed." Dexter admits. "Thats what these gatherings are for. So people like you know you're not alone. There's a lot of power in sharing your story, just wait for your show and tell. We just want to know the real Dark Passenger."
It is no coincidence that the members of this group are shown to be drinking alcohol during the meeting, hitting the nail even harder on the metaphorical head. The lens is clear that this is an attempt to humanize Dexter and allow audiences to see what may have seemed less than clear in series previous, that Dexter suffers from the debilitating disease of addiction. After he goes to another group of people later following this needed outlet, Dexter confirms, "These are good people, but they're not my people," showing how much this fellowship of like-minded individuals means to him.
It has yet to be revealed whether this chance at rehabilitation will truly change Dexter for the better, but following just a single meeting Dexter already has chosen to take alternative measures to protect other would-be victims from his colleagues when he could easily give into the desire to kill the killers himself. Sure, all great things in Dexter's life are short-lived, and it wouldn't be Dexter if we didn't follow the character on a journey to kill others like him, but for the first time, Dexter feels less than alone and has a chance to choose how to deal with his urges.
DEXTER: RESURRECTION, a continuation of DEXTER®: NEW BLOOD, takes place weeks after Dexter Morgan (Hall) takes a bullet to the chest from his own son, as he awakens from a coma to find Harrison (Jack Alcott) gone without a trace. Realizing the weight of what he put his son through, Dexter sets out for New York City, determined to find him and make things right. But closure won’t come easy. When Miami Metro’s Angel Batista (David Zayas) arrives with questions, Dexter realizes his past is catching up to him fast. As father and son navigate their own darkness in the city that never sleeps, they soon find themselves deeper than they ever imagined—and that the only way out is together.
Dexter: Resurrection airs on Showtime on Fridays with streaming available on Paramount+.