Dexter: Resurrection Season 2 - Michael C. Hall Hasn't Lost A Step In This Devilishly Delightful Follow-Up | Review

Dexter: Resurrection season 2 starts off strong with one of Michael C. Hall's best performances, a top-notch story with thrilling villains, and more.

The first two episodes of Dexter: Resurrection season 2 are just as thrilling as the first season, and Michael C. Hall is just as charming as ever, even as his titular serial killer experiences a midlife crisis. Following the very bloody ending of Dexter: Resurrection season 1, Michael C. Hall is back as everybody's favorite serial killer with a code of honor. Though it has been 20 years since he first played Dexter, and there are now four Dexter shows in total, Hall hasn't lost a step even as Dexter himself is beginning to slow down.

As the trailer for Dexter: Resurrection season 2 explained, Dexter is back and dealing with a whole new challenge entirely: a midlife crisis. As he deals with the tolls of aging, both physical and mental, Dexter also has to contend with two rival serial killers. Brian Cox joins the cast of Resurrection as the New York Ripper teased in season 1, while Dan Stevens portrays the young and mysterious Five Borough Killer.

Dexter is also visited by more familiar faces this season, like his son, Harrison (Jack Alcott), his landlord, Blessing (Ntare Guma Mbaho Mwine), and Joey Quinn (Desmond Harrington). With a stacked cast and an excellent precedent set by its first season, Dexter: Resurrection season 2 has very high expectations ahead of it. Luckily, it more than lives up to those expectations, and Dexter himself is better than ever.

Dexter: Resurrection Season 2 Keeps All Its Momentum In Its First Two Episodes

Dexter: Resurrection season 2 doesn't pick up exactly where the first season left off, but it hits the ground running nonetheless. The star of the season is, of course, Michael C. Hall as Dexter. With a renewed lust for life (and death) thanks to season 1's ending, Hall is delightful in his most famous role. He's charming, cunning, and so endearingly awkward. This entire franchise has been built around Hall, and he has once again proven that was a smart decision by delivering another outstanding performance.

Hall may not need it to play Dexter, but he does get quite a bit of help from the story of Dexter: Resurrection season 2. As with the original show, which would routinely force Dexter to blunder through stages of a normal life, this season pits him against the one enemy he can't put on his table: time. Dexter is aging and going through a midlife crisis, and Resurrection uses that premise to the fullest.

Dexter's age becomes the center of several different conflicts and tensions in Resurrection season 2. His relationship with Harrison is tried once again by his midlife crisis and his desire to earn recognition for his years working as a vigilante. Dexter takes unnecessary risks to prove that he hasn't lost a step, and he's just as introspective as ever. In short, Resurrection season 2's story feels like a natural and worthwhile evolution of the character.

The villains of Resurrection season 2 also lend themselves perfectly to Dexter's internal struggles with aging. The older New York Ripper and the younger Five Borough Killer have both gained notoriety and infamy that push Dexter further into his midlife crisis and force him to reconsider his Code of Harry. They give the season a sense that Dexter's life is teetering on the edge of a knife, which is exactly the dynamic that Dexter works best in.

The new villains also inject a much-appreciated new dynamic to the NYPD's side of the show. Claudette (Kadia Saraf) and Oliva (Dominic Fumusa) get to take a much more active role this season in hunting down FBK while also being tormented by the New York Ripper. These characters work much better as a replacement for Miami Metro — acting as secondary heroes who are also competition for Dexter — than they did as antagonists hunting down Harrison. Their hunt for the FBK also gives Resurrection season 2 a cat-and-mouse quality akin to Zodiac in a very good way.

Harrison is also continuing to grow into his own element. Now a uniformed NYPD officer sure of his own morality and of his relationship to his father, Harrison provides a great insight into ongoing investigations. Confidence also looks good on him, and Harrison's B-plot is less suspenseful but more efficient this season. He's no Debra Morgan, but Resurrection season 2 has taken strides to ensure Harrison is a more enjoyable character.

Dexter: Resurrection season 2 also does a lot of smaller things right. I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the return of Dexter's morning routine as an intro, which is as stylish and artful as ever. The lighting in most scenes is also top-notch, though there are some overly dark exceptions. There are also some treats for longtime Dexter fans, such as the long-awaited return of Joey Quinn.

Though there are still eight more episodes that weren't available for review, I'm confident in saying that Dexter: Resurrection season 2 will live up to all the hype. So far, this season has a tighter and more efficient story, a better main villain, and better roles for side characters like Harrison and Claudette. Dexter: Resurrection season 2 is devilishly delightful and could easily be the best season of Dexter that we've gotten in years.

Dexter: Resurrection Season 2 Has A Few Minor Problems That Are Easily Overlooked

Like any show, Dexter: Resurrection season 2 does have its share of problems that keep it from being perfect. Those problems certainly don't keep the series from being great, however, as they're mostly minor and easily overlooked. The most glaring issue I took exception to was Uma Thurman's Charley and her returning character and former lackey of season 1 antagonist Leon Prater.

In Dexter: Resurrection season 1, Charley was a stoic and intimidating presence. In season 2, she's much more over-the-top, and Thurman makes some choices in how to portray that change that I found strange. Most of these changes were necessary as Charley becomes more of a main character in season 2, but I still feel her character could have been handled better and Thurman could have gotten better direction. Still, she's an interesting character, and I have faith that Thurman is a good enough actress to make these personality changes work going forward in the season.

Dexter: Resurrection season 2 also tries its hand at comedy a few times in the first two episodes, and I felt those moments fell flat. This is mostly a matter of personal opinion, and I do appreciate the penchant Dexter has had for comedy as a franchise, but these moments just didn't work for me. Additionally, there are a few scenes, particularly during dialog, that could have been shot and edited better. Dexter: Resurrection simply doesn't look as good as the original show did, but it does still present itself competently.

These are only minor issues, but they did merit mention. On the whole, Dexter: Resurrection season 2 is off to a tremendous start. Michael C. Hall is great, there's a very thematically rich story being set up, and there is plenty of excitement in the first two episodes alone. Most importantly, there's absolutely no reason to believe that Dexter: Resurrection season 2 can't maintain this momentum and keep delivering macabre thrills all season.

The first episode of Dexter: Resurrection season 2 arrives Friday, October 30 on Paramount+, followed by weekly episode releases through January 1, 2027.