'Dexter: Resurrection' Episode 2 Recap & Ending Explained: Who Is The Dark Passenger?

With episode 2, Dexter: Resurrection is back to the usual format: the titular character following the “code” and chasing a serial killer, only this time, the hunt is in New York City. In the previous episode, Dexter found out about a homicide where the killer had dismembered their victim’s body into nine parts. This particular detail reminded Dexter of his own modus operandi. In the previous season, he was trying to teach the same to his son, Harrison, which brought Dexter to the conclusion that Ryan’s murder might have been Harrison’s doing. He surmised that, after killing his father, or believing he had, anyway, Harrison left for New York City, where he started following in his father’s footsteps, hunting down repeat offenders in order to protect their victims. However, Dexter, like all fathers, believed that Harrison still had a lot to learn, and therefore arrived in the city in order to tie up the loose ends if Harrison had left any.

Spoiler Alert

Dexter Arrives in New York City

In New York City, Dexter quickly drove to the Empire Hotel, where Harrison worked as a bellboy. Dexter sneaked into the hotel and reached the eleventh floor, where the crime was committed. Here, Dexter was looking for evidence that could be tracked back to Harrison. However, when he arrived in the room where the crime took place, he was quite impressed with Harrison’s work. Coincidentally, at the same time, homicide officer Claudette Wallace arrived in the room and, while investigating the crime scene for the second time, pointed out that the killer cleaned the room with an oxygen bleach that not only hid all evidence but also removed all signs of bodily fluids, which is kind of odd. She also noticed the new plastic curtain liner, assuming the killer used the old one to wrap Ryan’s body. And last but not least, she even figured out the murder weapon. 

Wallace noticed that the lid of the flush toilet was of a different color than the bowl, and as per the forensic report, Ryan was repeatedly hit with a flat object. She assumed that the killer used the toilet lid to bash Ryan’s head in, and later replaced the lid with a new one to avoid suspicion. And while making these deductions, Dexter wondered if his son was really following the code, or if he gave in to his rage and ended up killing Ryan to save a girl the scumbag had drugged. Well, whatever the case might be, Dexter was certain that Wallace was good at what she did, and therefore he needed to thoroughly examine the hotel to remove any evidence Harrison might have missed. Well, he did spot one blot of blood on the kitchen ceiling, which he removed before Wallace could notice. But Dexter knew that Wallace already knew a lot, and therefore he needed to stick close to Harrison so he didn’t end up making another mistake and giving himself away.

Dexter Hunts for the Dark Passenger

As soon as Dexter left the hotel, he found out that his truck had been towed, and he needed to go to the impound lot to get it back. He booked a taxi, an UrCar, to be precise, where the rideshare driver, Blessing Kamara, while driving the car, told him about a serial killer whom they called the Dark Passenger, who had been targeting rideshare drivers and had killed seven of them so far. Well, Dark Passenger is the name Dexter had given to his inner voice, the monster inside him, and he really didn’t like the idea of sharing his trademark. Also, this killer fit the code, giving Dexter all the more reason to go after him. So, Dexter decided to become an UrCar driver in order to set a trap for this imposter “Dark Passenger” and kill him before he would take any more victims.

Dexter Figures Out the Killer’s Identity

After dropping Dexter off at the impound lot, Blessing invited him to a little party at his house. He wanted Dexter to meet a friend of his, named Chike, who’d managed to escape the attack of the Dark Passenger by the skin of his teeth. At Blessing’s house, Chike told Dexter the killer looked about his age and had the same build. He said if Dexter would wear a hoodie, he would look exactly like the Dark Passenger. Yes, the irony isn’t lost on me here. Dexter is the real Dark Passenger. Nevertheless, Chike showed him the footage from his dashcam where the killer was wearing a “camera-shy” hoodie, which has infrared lights aimed at the man’s face, because of which the cameras couldn’t capture the person’s face. However, in the footage, Dexter did spot a logo on the killer’s backpack, which gave him a lead, but before that, he needed to get his Car2Go permit, which was impossible without a permanent address in the city. This was the moment when Blessing told his new friend that he had a vacant basement if he was looking for somewhere to stay. At first, Dexter was a bit hesitant because he didn’t want to share the roof with strangers, but he didn’t have many options either, so he rented Blessing’s basement, purchased a new car, and finally got his cab driver’s permit to become an UrCar driver.

While investigating the logo on the backpack, Dexter found out that it belonged to the cybersecurity company, Bridge Data Network. He checked their company website, only to find one suspicious Ronald Schmidt, who hadn’t uploaded a picture to his profile. Dexter was certain that this was his man. Also, in the previous episode, you might remember, Charley broke into a serial killer’s house, where she found his souvenirs hidden inside the drop ceiling. Well, Ronald was the same killer to whom Charley had delivered her boss’ invitation. And as Dexter is going to end up killing him or following him, I guess it’s safe to assume that he’ll encounter Charley or her employer very soon. The second episode further builds on Charley’s character, revealing that she works for a person who hires serial killers to conduct his business; Charley is his middleman. She’s the one he sends when a client breaks the rules or goes rogue. Killing Ronald may bring Dexter into direct conflict with Charley and his boss, who may force Dexter to continue the deal they made with Ronald if he wants to live. Additionally, it goes without saying that the way Ronald Schmidt slays his victims is quite similar to how Ryan Foster was murdered. So yes, Dexter is likely gonna frame Ronald for Ryan’s murder, but the only thing I am not sure of is if Dexter is going to kill Ronald for that or get him arrested.

At the end of episode 2, Dexter, waiting outside the Bridge Data Network offices, finally spotted Ronald coming out of the building. He was going to kill someone, and therefore Dexter decided to intervene. This was something he hadn’t done before. He tried to save someone’s life instead of focusing on killing his prey. It seems like Dexter has started seeing himself as some sort of vigilante who has started caring about other people. Has Dexter really become an empath? Well, it’s too early to say anything, but this change is for good, I suppose. Anyway, Ronald got a bit freaked out after an encounter with Dexter, leaving him scrambling for the subway. Dexter tried to follow him, but on the stairs, someone bumped into his chest, likely the same spot where he had been shot. This triggered an intense amount of pain, because of which Dexter couldn’t follow Ronald to the train, giving him the chance to disappear before Dexter’s eyes. Yes, the hunt continues, to say the least.

Harrison Is In Trouble

In Dexter: Resurrection episode 2’s ending, Wallace dug up the CCTV footage in which she spotted Ryan with Shauna, the girl whose drink he had spiked with Rohypnol inside the hotel’s bar. Until now, the NYPD had a running theory that it was Ryan’s date who killed him in a crime of passion, which is why Wallace had asked her juniors to bring Shauna in for further interrogation. Here, I am not sure how much Shauna really remembers from that night, but if she will tell the cops that it was Harrison who took her to her hotel room, then the lad’s busted. But it’s possible that Shauna doesn’t remember, or that she’ll hide the details from the cops to save Harrison’s life. The young guy has quite an effect on women around him, just like his father. You know what I mean. However, what’s worse is that Wallace already suspects the bellboy. She thinks he is acting quite strange around the cops, as if he’s hiding something. Throughout the episode, Harrison had been having visions of his father, whom he’d presumed was dead, and Ryan, whom he had killed. Well, obviously the lad’s struggling with the inner guilt of killing people, and is afraid of ending up becoming a psychopath like his dad. And if Wallace can crack him during interrogation or Harrison admits to his guilt, then not even his father can save him from an arrest. Also, I know Ryan had given Harrison his watch to get it fixed, which is a connecting link between the two, but Wallace wouldn’t find anything incriminating there, as Ryan gave him the watch in front of the hotel manager, so it’s already proven that Harrison didn’t steal or take it from Ryan’s room.

There’s another potential problem that could catch up with Harrison in the later episodes. In this episode, Dexter’s friend, Batista, who had picked up some dirt on his old pal, had asked the local sheriff of Iron Lake to put Dexter’s truck under surveillance, as he wanted to know where Dexter was and what he was really up to. Actually, it was Harrison who took Dexter’s truck to travel to New York City, and later in the episode, he sold his father’s ride to a friend, Lance Thomas, as he wanted to bury his past and get rid of any trace of his father. Well, Lance, the valet of Empire Hotel, looks like a pretty adventurous guy, so it can be possible that he will get himself or the truck in some trouble, probably involving the police. Long story short, Batista will get to know that Dexter is hiding in New York City and will leave everything behind to arrive at the location to finish his last conversation with his friend about the real Bay Harbor Butcher.

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