The Dexter: Resurrection season finale brings the ultimate form of justice while also resurrecting one of the original series’ most iconic characters.
Showrunner: Clyde Phillips
Genre: Crime Drama, Mystery
No. of Season 1 episodes: 10
Season Finale Release Date: September 5, 2025 on Paramount+ with SHOWTIME
Last week’s episode of Dexter: Resurrection ended on a cliffhanger, with Prater (Peter Dinklage) killing Angel (David Zayas) before locking Dexter (Michael C. Hall) in his private vault with the body. Episode 10, “Justice For All…”, picks up right where we left off and wastes no time in having Dexter figure out how to escape.
In this explosively chaotic season finale, Prater’s annual police gala kicks off, Dexter stumbles upon Prater’s secrets, bold decisions are made, and the Dark Passenger delivers the ultimate form of justice as he accepts his new slice of life, which includes accepting a life with family.
Perhaps the most exciting thing that happens in the season finale, aside from the justice, is the resurrection of one of the most memorable, iconic characters from the original Dexter series.
Alright! Let’s get into this full recap and review of the Dexter: Resurrection season finale.
An iconic character is resurrected
While Episode 10 picks up right where Episode 9 left off, with Dexter locked in Prater’s vault, it kicks off with the biggest HOLY SH*T moment of the season, which just also happens to be the most memorable hallucination of the season.
As Dexter covers his dead friend’s body, he hallucinates seeing his dead brother Brian (Christian Camargo, of See), a.k.a. The Ice Truck Killer from Dexter Season 1. It’s a completely unexpected moment that will excite long-time fans at their core. I actually gasped, then squealed like a girl.
Just like Dexter’s hallucinations in the season premiere, Brian taunts his brother for trying to have a normal life when he’s really a serial killer. He takes it a step further when he scolds Dexter for having feelings, implying that real killers don’t get attached, and that’s something Dexter would know and understand had he listened to his own flesh and blood—the only person who understood his urges—instead of listening to his “fake father,” he wouldn’t be in this current situation of being responsible for the death of perhaps Dexter’s oldest friend.
Dexter’s response?
“I’m glad I killed you when I had the chance.”
Boom. This serial killer has a heart, and it hasn’t just evolved; it’s become enlightened.
Dexter works his way out of Prater’s vault
Before his hallucination with Brian can intensify, Angel’s phone rings, offering Dexter a lifeline. He uses the phone to call Harrison for help, who sneaks into Prater’s gala in disguise as a waiter and, with his father on FaceTime, makes his way to the vault.
In the meantime, Dexter goes through Prater’s vault, thinking the code may be hidden somewhere inside, and he isn’t exactly wrong. In searching, he comes across Prater’s hidden files on his employees and his serial killers—including Cooper Morris, the man who killed Prater’s parents.
When Harrison is intercepted by Charley (Uma Thurman) on his way to the vault, Dexter uses her file to prove to her that Prater has been manipulating her this whole time by taking compromising photos linking her to the crimes she committed under his orders. So, she can either let Harrison and Dexter go and the cops will never see her file, or he will expose her to the police.
Charley has her own plans, though, and none involve letting the Bay Harbor Butcher out of his cage. She leaves to go confront Prater, then, in a tense moment of breath-holding suspense, Dexter gives Harrison a code to unlock the vault, not knowing if it’s the right one. He only has one shot to enter it correctly and if he doesn’t, an alarm will sound.
Luckily, it works, and guess what it is? Cooper Morris’s prisoner number. Shocker. Dexter is free, and it’s a heartwarming reunion between father and son as the door opens and the two share an embrace, grateful they’re even getting to see—much less hug—one another again.
Prater’s gala goes sideways after bold moves are made
Prater’s 10th annual gala for the NYPD gets underway and, with cops everywhere, Dexter and Harrison must figure out a way to escape without being noticed, but that proves difficult for Harrison, who must avoid Prater, Detectives Wallace (Kadia Sarif) and Oliva (Dominic Fumusa), and catering staff managers.
Moreover, Charley is furious at Prater’s betrayal and makes a bold move in confronting him in front of all his guests. She quits her job, refusing to let him control her any longer, and she blackmails him into letting her go free while continuing to pay for her mother’s healthcare.
When she storms off, Prater redirects gala attention with a speech, at which point he notices Harrison in the crowd, confirming his suspicions that something is wrong. He then makes his own bold move in cutting his cameras and cornering Harrison with a gun before leading him back down to his vault.
Just as Dexter exits the front door of Prater’s mansion, his phone rings and he’s lured back inside. See, the Dark Passenger has been awake since Prater’s first dinner party, and he’s harbored a hefty amount of disdain. However, after Prater kills his oldest friend and holds his son at gunpoint, Dexter and his Passenger are explosively enraged, and this battle is on … on like Donkey Kong.
With a gun to his head, Harrison remains calm but terrified as Prater tells Dexter he now understands the urge to kill because he now has it.
“I’m glad you’re here to witness my first proper kill,” he says before Dexter offers to sacrifice himself so that Prater can be the apex predator, known as the man who took out the Bay Harbor Butcher. It’s tempting, but no dice.
Then, in the boldest move yet, Harrison is reminded of the syringe of M99 in his pocket and stabs Prater with it at the last minute, rendering him unconscious, placing the upper hand back in the Dark Passenger’s possession.
The ultimate form of justice yields a new slice of life
After sending Harrison off to safety, Dexter resigns himself to do what he does so well.
Prater wakes to find himself strapped to a kill table—the Ice Truck Killer’s table, no less. As he begs and pleads for his life, the Dark Passenger is jovial and calm. If he was a girl, I’d say he’s tickled pink … until Prater mentions Harrison, then his explosive rage appears.
Prater offers generational wealth over generational trauma for Harrison and thinks he’s almost secured his way off the table after Dexter doesn’t take a blood sample like the Bay Harbor Butcher typically does. Dexter informs him, though, that he operates by a code, not a conscience, then explains how easy it was to infiltrate his little get-togethers.
But this is about justice, not the thrill of the kill … though, in this case, both are true.
Dexter doesn’t take Prater’s blood sample because trophies are for remembering, and Prater isn’t worth it. He then stabs the vampire voyeur with brutal force and releases a satiating sigh.
While Prater’s guests continue looking for him, now chanting his name, Dexter dismembers his body, cleans up the vault, and takes all the photos and files on the Bay Harbor Butcher, as well as his blood slide collection. On his way out, he triggers the alarm, which secures this ultimate form of justice by luring the cops to Prater’s vault to discover Det. Angel Batista’s body, the gun used to kill him with Prater’s fingerprints all over it, and the billionaire’s twisted homage to serial killers. More importantly, Detectives Wallace and Oliva discover Prater’s NY Ripper file and finally have a name: Don Framt.
As Dexter slips away unnoticed on Prater’s yacht, enjoying this new slice of life, Prater is considered a missing cop killer who’s wanted for questioning in more than just Angel’s murder.
Our season ends with Dexter and his Dark Passenger accepting their new identity—i.e., as someone able, willing, and wanting to share their true self with someone who matters. For Dexter and his Passenger, that is Harrison.“He can lean on me, and when my urges start to swell, I can lean on him to become more human, more connected, to remind me why I do what I do. I used to wish I could be … normal, but who am I kidding? … I’m exactly what I need to be, exactly what you need me to be.”
Dexter: Resurrection Season Finale Review
What an incredible season! The surprises, the twists, the turns, and the kills were more than enough to rekindle the Dexter spark, which creator Clyde Phillips fanned into a successful, roaring flame of intensity then quelled into a burning ember of resolution.
In the past, some of the franchise season finales have been hit or miss, so it was thrilling to see how far the writing has come in terms of capturing everything that has made not only this season but also the entire franchise so gripping and brilliant.
Episode 10 provides us with ultimate satisfaction in its resolution and does so without using and relying on overused tropes. For example, I kept waiting for Batista’s phone to die before Dexter could give Harrison the code. That would’ve been typical, but what actually happened was refreshing.
Everything we thought we could see coming was a total distraction of epic proportions that could not have unfolded any better or more timely. Every twist and turn is well earned and received, and our characters’ arcs pay off in satisfying ways while also leaving the door open to future arc subplots.
In giving this well-deserved, proper closure to our titular character’s journey, showrunner Clyde Phillips certainly let fans know he was listening to their disappointment surrounding previous season finales. I’m not saying the Dexter-verse ends here. In fact, while Paramount+ has yet to confirm a second season of Resurrection, all indications point to it happening. Writer and producer Scott Reynolds has confirmed that three seasons of Dexter: Resurrection have been mapped out, with room for more if Hall is interested.
There’s plenty left to explore: the one who got away, the open case of the NY Ripper, whom we now know to be someone by the name of Don Framt, and the world-wide serial killers from Prater’s files. Plus, does Brian’s resurrection mean we could, at some point, be so lucky as to experience him and Harry (James Remar) facing off in Dexter’s psyche? This is what a masterpiece of a season finale looks like, kids. Dexter: Resurrection Season 1 has proven itself to be a phenomenal work that’s been well worth the wait.
Dexter: Resurrection Season 1 is currently streaming in its entirety on Paramount+ with SHOWTIME.
