Michael C. Hall has excelled in every series that he has played Dexter Morgan, the serial killer who kills serial killers, in. Across the eight seasons of Dexter, the series has placed him up against some high profile actors - specifically, John Lithgow's Trinity Killer. However, the newest series in this franchise has gone all out when it comes to putting Hall to work to act against several thespians with major chops.
The first season of the series alone (of which there has already been three announced) sees Dexter facing off against the likes of Uma Thurman (Kill Bill), David Dastmalchian (The Suicide Squad), Krysten Ritter (Jessica Jones), and Neil Patrick Harris (How I Met Your Mother), but the biggest name of all is arguably Peter Dinklage (Game of Thrones), who's acting prowess makes him the biggest get since Lithgow.
Spoilers ahead...
Dinklage portrays billionaire Leon Prater, a man who obsesses over serial killers much like Dexter Morgan does. He uses his wealth to track down and bring together killers from all different backgrounds to host secretive dinner parties in which they can connect and trade stories. With such a big actor aboard the cast, it begs the question, why wasn't Dinklage cast as a killer himself? Certainly it would be incredible to see "The Big Man" wind up a victim on Dexter's table. Well, we believe that may just be where this season is headed after all.
All throughout the freshman season of Dexter: Resurrection a mysterious serial killer has been teased in side plots known as The New York Ripper. On the surface, this murderer is touted as simple baggade of the New York Police Department in being their own white whale that they could never catch. It surely seems precarious that Dexter wouldn't take on the mission of discovering who this killer is himself to prove himself better than law enforcement and take matters into his own hands, but despite the many kills Morgan racks up in his new home of New York City, he never shows any intention of being interested in The New York Ripper whatsoever.
Now, the only person who has been established to potentially know the identity of The New York Ripper is Leon Prater, Dinklage's character, as he brandishes the weapon of choice of The Ripper in his museum alongside his collection of trophies from other killers established in this series. In Episode 7, Course Correction, Prater opens up to Dexter and expresses to him that he has been in contact with many killers over the years, following the relationship he built with the man who murdered his parents, and that would explain why he was able to discover The New York Ripper, but it would be the ultimate twist for this series to take Dexter by surprise by establishing The Ripper and Prater to be one and the same. Of course, as it stands, Leon and Dexter have a similarity between them in the fact that they both essentially collect serial killers in a way, with the main differential being that Dexter dispatches of them himself.
If Leon is revealed to be The New York Ripper after all, it would make him even more like Dexter, because it can potentially suggest that these killers he builds relationships with ultimately wind up as a part of his own noble code, hence the real reason for holding meetings for killers and giving them so much money. This would make it even more difficult for Dexter to dispatch of Prater in the end, because how could he justify putting an end to someone who is just like himself? Not only has Prater offered Dexter a road to a potential recovery through a fellowship of like-minded individuals and the power of connection, making this a unique relationship that Dexter likely cherishes, but if he were to deem another person with a similar code of justice, it would disrupt his own justification for keeping himself out from behind bars.
It is worth mentioning that Prater's right hand woman, Charley, played by Uma Thurman, could ultimately be revealed to be The New York Ripper herself, but that would be less of a shock considering that she's already been shown to have murdered multiple people, and she doesn't abide by such a code. Dexter also wouldn't benefit from having any trouble with dispatching her, as she hasn't done nearly the sae amount of work to help him in the way that Leon has, making that a much less tragic showdown. The only person we saw Dexter have reservations about killing this season was Mia, Krysten Ritter's character, and that's because he thought she had a code like his.
There would be a duality to Dexter and Leon learning each other's identities in the finale, as it is still unknown to Prater that he is actually The Bay Harbor Butcher, someone he has expressed utmost respect for. For the two of them to both come to the realization that they share the same code at the same time, it would make for a thrilling end to one of the best seasons of the entire franchise.
But what do you think? Is Prater the New York Ripper? Does he have a code like Dexter? And how will things end when this showdown ultimately happens?
Be sure to let us know your thoughts in the comments section and check out the trailer for Dexter: Resurrection below!
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+.