Dexter: Resurrection Season 1 Episode 9, “Touched by an Ángel” is the heaviest episode Dexter has given us in a long time.
It picks up exactly where it left us last week, with the consequences of Dexter mixing his work and personal life. Leon Prater is onto Dexter, and the fact that he is inching closer to the truth tells us everything may blow up in Dexter’s face during this episode.
He may avoid confrontation, but he’s never been afraid of it, especially when it comes to the people closest to him. His reaction to Prater toying with Harrison is reminiscent of his reaction when Lila began to mess with Rita.
It’s exciting to see Dexter display that fearless attitude, showing he’s not one to mess with, but will his overconfidence hurt him or others?
Harrison echoes these thoughts when he asks Dexter if it’s a similar situation to when he was getting too close to the Trinity Killer and he ended up killing Rita. Even Harrison is familiar with this “trope” of Dexter’s, even if the extent of his knowledge is his mother.
Prater promises Dexter he won’t mess with Harrison, but by now, we should know to take everything he says with a grain of salt.
Charley intimidates Harrison at his job, and when Dexter finds out, he immediately hunts for Charley. Charley reveals that Prater exploits everyone’s weakness, and it was he who told her to intimidate Harrison.
All of this leads to the buildup of not only Prater getting closer to the truth, but also our beloved Angel Batista. While Detective Claudette and Oliva discover the truth about Batista lying about still being in law enforcement, Batista soon learns the truth about Prater.
He thinks he’s doing Prater a favor by warning him about Dexter after seeing them together. He reveals to Prater and Charley that Dexter is the Bay Harbor Butcher and that he worked with him at Miami Metro for 20 years.
This episode may have been frustrating for fans, but at the same time, it really showcased who Angel is at his core.
He’s not a perfect detective, but he is a good person—something Dexter once said in the original series. He truly believes he’s protecting Prater by warning him about Dexter, which, on the surface, he is.
Unfortunately, Batista doesn’t quite know what he’s getting tangled up in—Dexter’s mess. His good intentions are taken advantage of and ultimately end up getting him into trouble.
This reaffirms the trope that was hinted at earlier in the episode—whenever Dexter gets too close to his prey, someone around him dies.
Dexter finally arrives at Prater’s, but he’s not prepared for what he’s about to see—Batista tied to a kill table. It’s written all over Dexter’s face that he has to accept the truth that Batista now knows he’s the Bay Harbor Butcher.
In a heart-pounding final few minutes, Prater proposes Dexter kill Batista in front of him. Dexter bets on the idea of Batista coming around, now that he’s seen Prater’s true colors. When Dexter cuts Batista free, Batista immediately attacks him instead.
It would have been too convenient and a bit unrealistic had Batista decided to team up with Dexter. It would have meant his pursuit of justice for Doakes and Maria would be for nothing if he let the truth about Dexter slide.
Batista has been wanting to get Dexter for so long—similar to Doakes’ downfall—and may have been slightly blinded by his pursuit, but nothing less than who he is at his core. Justice first, not second.
Two things can be true: we can root for our favorite serial killer, but we can also understand why Batista doesn’t come around to accepting Dexter’s truth and coming to his defense. Two things can be true, but there’s only ever one outcome.
A mirror is held up to the audience with this episode: at the end of the day, Dexter killing people is not good, and we can understand why Batista wouldn’t let up.
Batista’s death solidified the trope that Dexter never kills the people closest to him, but he inadvertently gets them killed. Batista is no exception, and it feels like a sucker punch when we see him take his last breath and utter his final, harsh words to Dexter.
The episode left me wondering: when does it stop for Dexter? The only thing stopping him now is Prater’s locked vault, and his only chance at getting out is Harrison.
“Touched by an Ángel” pulled on our heartstrings and felt like a final goodbye to the life Dexter lived in Miami. That part of his life truly is in the past, and he’s got the bodies to prove it. With the finale to look forward to, we can only hope Dexter brings Prater to justice.
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Samantha Barker
Samantha Barker is a writer and fangirl from New Jersey. When she's not rewatching Daredevil or listening to the Beatles, she's cosplaying and attending comic-cons with her friends. Sam also co-hosts a podcast called Fangirl Confessions and writes for her Substack, Samantha, etc. Connect with her on X: @0nyourleftsam and IG: @onyourleftsam.