Dexter: New Blood | Episode 5 Review 

Yes! Before Angel even turned around and said Harrison, I said “there’s no way Angel would forget Harrison’s name, he was so close to them”

I think something that gets missed is that Dexter no longer has “access” like he did when he worked for the police dept. Dexter was like a detective and spent whole episodes using his job to get his victims and manipulating the police. Every so called mistake this season Was due to police interference. I think if he worked for the sheriffs office, none of these mistakes would have happened.

This episode was so much fun. He does have a history of being a freaking idiot when he gets emotional(ex: hitting paul with a frying pan while rita and kids were in the house), but setting up the kill room in his house, when the police were bound to be swinging by at any moment, made my jaw drop. I couldn't even believe he was going to go after him, after what had happened earlier. Seems like he's using harrison as a guise for his reemerging "dark passenger' tbh

Batista name dropping Deb & Trinity made sense. Him name dropping Harrison was way too much. The dialogue was clunky. Just didn't feel like a realistic exchange. I disagree that Ghost Deb hasn't displayed anything other than rage. She seems to alternate between aggressive & tender depending on how Dexter is feeling in the moment. The episode starts with her screaming in his face, only for her to pull a 108 & hug him. She has a few other moments like that. A nice change of pace from Harry.

the recklessness and rustiness (and generally doing things stupider than he did in the previous series) I can buy, Look at the serial killer BTK, he was a serial killer that evaded capture for DECADES but when he finally started up his activity again after years of silence and inactivity he got really careless and started contacting police again and look at how he was caught, it was the most stupid idiotic thing ever...(seriously look into it) it's almost unbelievable, and thats the ONLY reason he was caught, They had nothing else serious as far as leads, if he would have not been so stupid he'd still probably be free to this day. Scary thought, I think sometimes the lust of their "Dark passenger" takes over logic...especially after years of inactivity

Angel being there and telling Angela all about Dexter was wayyyy too convenient. It was such a lazy way to reveal Dexter's identity.

I was worried they were building up Clancy Brown's character to just be a grieving father who happens to be a serial killer who then takes revenge on Dexter by trying to kill his son, but I think they're doing something much more interesting here where Kurt Caldwell is actually a rivaling serial killer parent figure. It's a neat concept to have another guy pose a threat to Dexter by being a more appealing role model to his son with the potential to corrupt his urges by teaching him his own "code". Also, I am SO thrilled Angela was smart enough to figure out who Dexter actually was so quickly. This was definitely the kind of hand grenade tossed into the narrative I was hoping for to shake things up, and I can't wait to see how the rest of the season unfolds.

I agree with the criticism of Bautista. I also miss Dexter's inner monologue. I wish we had more of that.

Honestly, the whole killing the dude at the house thing reminded me of the season 6 finale, when he kills Travis at the church that all of Miami PD knows he is investigating as a crime scene

Far as the Dexter being rusty thing, I don’t really see what he did with the pill maker as rusty. I see it as thrill seeking, which has always been a component of his behavior. I think he enjoys almost getting caught. Remember his giddiness knowing Matt’s body was right under their feet.

I would say this kill was sloppy because he was seeking vengeance and wasn’t thinking straight while the first kill was him actually being rusty

Dexter making the kill room in th house makes sense. Not the first time he makes kill rooms places he shouldn't. He killed Travis on an active crime scene. He also killed people in hotels and airports very public places.

I loved the episode!! Everything was great, although I would have preferred Angel would tell Angela about Harrison and Dexter in a different way or maybe her finding about it through seeing a photo of the whole family on that podcast

I loved seeing Angel, but OH MY GOD, WHAT THE HELL ARE THE ODDS?!?!? He literally sat down with Dexters girlfriend of all people and gave her that exact information she needed. It's NYC of all places!

All your gripes were correct the dialogue from Angel was so clunky. But 10 years out of anything makes you rusty but a few test runs and it is like riding a bike, if dexter is dumb by the next kill then it's bad writing

The way Batista speaks so fondly of both Deb and her brother means that it's been 10 years and he STILL hasn't figured out that Dexter was the Bay Harbor Butcher, despite having watched him stab a man to death on camera shortly after LaGuerta had died while investigating him... Come on, Angel! You're smarter than this!

When he set up the kill room I was like “why doesn’t he just force the guy to OD on his product?”

The bit with Angel was great. So nice to see him again! I didn't find the exchange unrealistic, because in real life people give too much information away all the time to strangers, especially if they feel comfortable around them. If I was telling the story about the Trinity killer and mentioned that the detective was Debra Morgan, I'd also have a hard time not mentioning that both she and her brother were killed. Also, it's been ten years, Angel has probably had hundreds of stressful cases to deal with since then, and he was already a drink or two into the conversation when he forgot Harrisons' name for a whole five seconds. Yes it was convenient dialogue, but I thought it was natural too. This series has always had plot conveniences in it. Was a good episode. I think so far that episode 1, 3 and 5 have been the best. 2 was only so so and 4 was decent.

Anyone else dig how DeX got frustrated when he found out Logan was outside he looked like a disturbed mad scientist lol

In the preceding scene, dexter heard the cop say that they weren’t gonna be able to get a warrant on the weekend, so, dexter thought that he had time, and probably deemed it the best option, as, where else is he going to deploy a kill room in this small town?

My opinion on each episode. 1 was awesome. 2 & 3 were interesting plot builder episodes so I thought they were good. 4 & 5 are awesome. Definitely one of my favorite dexter seasons so far especially because of the writing and dialogue!!!!

Great episode overall.. I've been thinking he's been reckless since the first episode. He still has his confidence (over confident at this point) but he's done a lot of stupid shit.. It's either bad writing for that aspect, or they're writing that way to lead to his downfall.. I really think it's the latter because some of his actions have been beyond idiotic.. If they write the ending that he's been discovered, I hope it will be through a simple, idiotic mistake. Similar to breaking bad.. Also, while Clancy Brown is a villain, I'm not sure he'll be considered the 'main' villain. I feel like something bigger is going on.

Yeah, like others have said, I think a big reason why Dexter was better at this before was because he had more access to the police department by working there. Plus, it HAS been 10 years, and he has only just started doing this again. I can believe Angel would forget Harrison's name, at least for a brief moment. He's older, and it HAS been a few years now.

I think he got confident about setting up the kill room cause they said the warrant wouldn’t be processed until Saturday which gave him the confidence to kill him that night

He killed that guy in his house because it wasn't a regular kill. He was out for vengeance and that's not normal. The only way for the Kill Room to be anywhere else is if Dexter had time to find a place while researching. This wasn't his regular MO.

I really appreciate this review. A lot of the reviews I watch are people just aying what happened in the show i just watched. You actually theorized, broke down and gave some opinions. Nice set too! Thanks fella #Cheers

I think Dexter being a little careless with this kill is fine, because as Deb stated, he wasn't going by the code, he was out for vengeance, which is a pretty blinding emotion.

It would make sense that Audrey would get in touch with Batista to show him that dexter is alive.

I still don't think Kurt was the one embalming the bodies, if only because it's showed both of his residences and his diner and it doesn't look like the high tech science lab they showed the girl being embalmed in

Agree with the Angel thing. No way he would forget Harrisons name like that.

best episode so far imo

Deb continued to be better. I liked her F you psycho cut to bear hug moment. THAT IS DEB! 😂😂👍🏾

I agree with your knit pick. Bautista mentioning Harrison by name was a huge stretch. Believable mentioning Dexter & Debra

I agree, there was a ton of Plot convenience but aside from that Amazing episode!

I think the deb scene before he busts into jaspers house explains perfectly why dex handled the kill so poorly. he wasn't thinking about the code, just vengeance. feelings got him acting reckless and not like coldblooded dex from the first 8 seasons. He's definitely gonna fuck up and get caught by the end of this season.

If you remember Detective Logan said at the station that they wouldn't be able to get a warrant until Monday because their were no judge on a Saturday so Dexter thought he had time. I guess they were able to get the warrant on the same day.

You don't bring someone like Clancy Brown into a series like this and NOT make him the villain. He's too good at it.

My opinion... 1. You were right about Angel talking about Harrison seeming unnatural. Loved seeing him though. 2. The kill with drugs I didn't mind. I thought seeing him improvise was smart and gave Dexter more layers, instead of just sticking with knife and plastic. He is evolving.

THANK YOU!!! The Angel thing bothered me too! The fact that he couldn't immediately remember Harrison's name, after being so close with Dexter and Deb and his sister Jamie being Harrison's nanny. Also, the way he mentioned Dexter and Harrison. It was like they had meant nothing to him. Just an afterthought after mentioning Deb. It was very weird.

AMEN, Cody! Yes, they have made Dexter into a friggin' idjit this season. One big difference is the way he just accepted Harrison as his son without digging deeply into his background is highly "unDexterlike".

I love the fact that what Deb says is true, as you said, and even Dexter, deep down, knows it and understands it.but since we are attached on Dexter as main character and he is all broken, and since Deb delivers her lines in an all over the place fashion, the show paints her as a "annoying" persona...which, for me, is a very clever thing to do.

Oh but I call BS that Angel doesn’t remember Dexter or Harrison so I’m glad that didn’t stick. But even for that one moment I was like NO. That’s a lie! Lol

I really wish I shared the optimism so far but the only strong character, since Dexter is still a rusty bumbling idiot (without the dad puns we know of all TV shows ever), is Kurt Caldwell. I still have many questions, like why introduce so many characters in the first two episodes when in the end, less than 6 are relevant to the whole plot or will not get resolved because we need to move to another plot point? I mean the millionaire, the bullied kid and what truly transpired at school with Harrison, how Kurt made sure to cover the traces of a son he doesn't know is still alive or dead, what happened to Matt's loser friend, wouldn't he have been involved in the search or at least with Kurt in the background since he gets 2k/month, etc.. I don't know how much they're willing to resolve and how much they're willing to just leave to the "I don't feckin' know" pile, like season 8 did. Especially in only 5 remaining episodes. I'm looking forward to discovering Kurt's story more, but I fear they'll botch Dexter where this season was supposed to repair the damage done.

I 100% agree that Angel was SO out of character.. he talked about Dexter and Harrison as an after thought, like they weren’t a huge part of his life.. I was happy to see him but if they weren’t going to keep with character, I’d rather he not show up 😌

I'd love it for Showtime to Greenlight a Dexter Prequel series that focuses on the origins of Dexter's Villians. Brian Moser and Arthur Mitchell being the primary candidates to have multiple episodes exploring there activities before showing up on Dexter. And don't stop there. We could also perhaps have one episode plots that focuses on Dexter's Killer of the week like Emmett Meridian and Mike Donovan. The newest Killer being Kurt Caldwell

That Dexter/Harrison info from Angel was definitely forced. I hated that part also

I love your channel man. You are just as passionate about 'Dexter' as me!

Cody you’re right about Batista, he would have never forgotten Harrison’s name or stopped looking for him. Another thing that felt forced is the way they had Dexter wanting to seek vengeance like that to me felt contrived and un-Dexterlike…like they felt they had to add some way to add another Dexter kill, when it didn’t feel like it flowed well with the story or what Dexter really would have done. Still a great episode overall.

I think the killer (who isnt a killer in Dexter) needs the vicitims to run to produce adrenaline. Same as with deer and then he drains it for some reason.

Thank you!! Making a kill-room in his own house is AMATEUR!!

They said they wouldn't be able to get a warrant until Saturday so he thinks he has time. Dexter is unhinged with issues. His dad spirit was all about not getting caught. His sister isn't as helpful of a spirit in that regard because she wants him to suppress it. He also doesn't have access to same equipment/info. Don't necessarily disagree with cody issues but don't have as big of issue. By far my fav episode had the best of modern dexter with classic dexter.

The whole bit with them just bumping into Angel and him just casually mentioning Harrison right after Harrison has arrived at the exact same time that he mentions that Jim's name isn't really Jim was truly terrible television. It felt like it was written by a 7 year old and really took me out of the story. They could have given Angel an appearance without it impacting the whole story. Why didn't they use the podcast girl who was also familiar with the Trinity case? Or just use things Harrison was saying as a reason for the cop lady to look into Dexter's past? This episode for me was a 2/10.

Best episode of the season. That scene with the Freak of the Week was pretty dumb, I was rolling my eyes the whole time. Also thought they’d do more with the building tension with the dealer he literally stuck a needle in. But overall, I’m fucking LOVING this episode and season. Filming with the party scene also had a great style to it.

Hey Cody, great review as always man! As a huge Dexter fan, I think depending on where the rest of the series goes and especially the penultimate episode, I think the final episode should have Dexter’s famous monologue “Tonight’s the night…” but ending with “and it’s going to happen one last time”. Maybe too much fan service, but I think it would be pretty fitting, if this truly is the final season.

totally agreed with you about him setting up his kill room in that guys house after he knew the cops were investigating. Wouldn't he have learned that when he went to kill the other guy and the cops showed up just in time before he tranquillized him.

I agree with you on the angel conversation. It was awful. Honestly the nugget about Deb could have been plenty enough to have lead her to dexter along with what Harrison told her daughter. I mean she's already hanging out with the podcast girl that knows all about the bay harbor butcher and the trinity killer.

I could understand people being so hard nosed about the mystery killer not being Clancy Brown, because it was so heavily put in our faces as being Clancy Brown without officially revealing it, that it tricks the viewer into thinking it’s too obvious for that to be the case, which is not the way you want to trick your audience. The only reason why I concluded that it was Clancy Brown is they gave us a views of his eyes and partial views of his face (which are so insanely distinctive as being him), but even with that I also considered the possibility of a trick, because it was so heavy handed to the point where… why wouldn’t they just completely reveal it, since they pretty much did? It’s one of the weirder writes that I’ve ever observed in a show before.

This episode basically confirmed Dexter gets caught/killed. Why did the girl cop need info from Batista AND her daughter about Dexter? And why is Dexter so rusty? So he gets caught/killed within the next 5 episodes. I am enjoying the show but kinda feel like it needs to be 15-20 episodes to have proper story telling,build up,twists along the way. I think we will all enjoy this season in the end but feel like it was just rushed/restricted by the episode count. Nice vid as always Cody

Completely agree about the Harrison conversation with the Guest Appearance being unnatural, as well as Dexter acting like a bumbling idiot this entire season. The 1st few episodes he was rusty, but now it is just painful to watch. Not only is he a bad parent, he is a bad serial killer. I'm beginning to think they could have stopped the series at season 8, but honestly should have before then.

Just stopping by to support the channel. Keep up the great work Cody 🤘

Episode 4 and 5 were awesome!! Thx for continuing to pump out reviews

I don’t buy that Angel would’ve forgotten Harrison’s name

I think it is natural because Dexter was an integrel employee at the station.

07:54 exactly!! that was also the first thing i thought. to mention Harrison and brother makes no sense and is very unnatural. you would not be able to name Harrison naturally but you would be able to name Dexter. He could have mentioned Dexter by being the best Blood spatter guy to help with all the murder cases he is now lecturing on .. and that he happened to be Debra's brother

And Dexter and Angela, I'm not feeling that at all! No chemistry building up etc.. so if something would happen to her, and he would be all upset about it, I wouldn't buy that for a second! Cause it's not earned..

5:46 And with Trinity it wasn't just the kills that had to be done in an obsessive ritualistic way because in one episode he went to a diner and wanted a very specific breakfast or dinner and complained to the waitress when it was the slightest bit different, he didn't want anyone touching Vera's urn, he locked Rebecca in her room and so on.

His ritual also involves going once a month to that bar and play that song maybe

I really liked this episode, and have enjoyed the whole season for the most part. But, I do dislike the overuse of 'rusty' dexter to an extent. I feel like it is being played up so if he finally gets caught that can be one of the reasons why. As a fan i I hate seeing the precision tool of Dexter's mind appear tarnished by the writing this season. HOWERVER, It also makes me think about the older killers we had seen on the show previously. For example, the Tooth Fairy or even Trinity's, eh, moments of losing his sanity a bit (like taking Dex to his childhood home and being chased out by the occupants) and I'd rather see Dexter get caught from being rusty than watching him become someone like the Tooth Fairy (who Dexter even idolized) with his sad box of old teeth and nudie mags in a rental storage shed alone.

Yeah, the Harrison scene jumped out at me as contrived also. But I can justify it by thinking well once Angel mentions Deb, he starts to reminisce. Maybe he hadn’t talked about or thought about Deb in a long time, so once it comes to his mind he’s just outwardly reliving memories that have been dormant. Plus seemed he was kinda flirting with her, and men get loose lipped around women they want to impress. I mean yeah, it was contrived in any case though. lol

I definitely agree with you on dexter being sort of dumb this season .Deb gave that one line of Dialogue to sell it a little saying he is killing for revenge. For me the bigger nit pick was angel dialogue I thought it sounded strange but did not even think of his sister Jamie good call. Really enjoyed the episode it’s really heating up

OK, THIS SHOW IS GETTING AMAZING... the studio needs to give us another season. I know they said they won't, but I hope they are lying to us and that we get more seasons

I tweeted you about that Batista scene that felt forced and it made me laugh when you mentioned that same not pick. That’s why I love your channel cause I agree with most of what you say in reviews

9:15 And Dexter even says that if he was a normal person he'd be like Angel in Season 2.

Loved this episode, really beginning to feel like everything is coming together. Seeing the reveal of Batista was awesome + Clancy Brown has been fantastic so far!

Clancy’s character has bodies hidden in the cave where Angela was gonna expand the search for his son. So, he lies about the FaceTiming so the search would be called off.

The tension in this episode was crazy

1. TOTALLY agree about the Batista/Angela exchange. Literally I could've written better dialogue for that conversation. I can do it in this thread is you want. Ugh. So forced. 2. He thought he had time to kill the drug manufacturer in his house because Loan said they probably wouldn't get a warrant until Saturday. Obviously it came sooner than expected, much to the chagrin of Dexter. 3. Nice rack on the girl who got killed. 😍 4. I also got Trinity vibes from Clancy Brown when his kill went awry. He was like a completely different person during that scene. Good acting. 👍🏻 5. The drug scene was really well done. Portrayed Harrison tripping really well. 6. Overall a strong episode. Nice to get a freak of the week. Angela will be closing in on dexter soon. I can't wait for the next episode! Love your reviews by the way. You have great perspective on this show.

I think the big difference is the cities , Miami is that big city where you can just blend in and he can hunt in a big space , the small town is somewhere he can’t do much and it limits his skills

Love Clancy Brown, 1st time I've seen him was in the movie Highlander, great Actor. He was also in another series I watched a long time ago called carnival Which was also great.

I didn't have an issue with him having the kill of the week in the dealers house. The police had to get a warrant which should have given him enough time. He just ended up cutting it too close. I loved the Angel Batista scene. Nice to see an old face be a key part of the season. Without him, Angela might not have ever figured out who Jim was. Do they have similar names for a reason?? Love where the show is going, can't wait for next week

In addition to the rustiness, one of the underlying themes has been Dexter underestimating the police force there. Just in this episode, officer Logan finds the 1st drug dealer and catches Dexter in the act. Then, he got the search warrant a lot faster than Dexter thought he would. I think it's a combination of the 2 things.

Talk about plot convenience when it comes to Bautista bringing up Harrison and everything that followed it.

I thought this was the best one so far too. Here's kind of an odd fact for you. I have a friend who is a fent-addict and apparently its 100 times stronger than heroin. My friend is in recovery by the way, but he said the reason people die from it is because they take too large of a dose. If they are an educated heroin addict they know better than to take so much at once. I guess Harrison should be dead as he isn't a junkie. He said most people who die on it get "hot shots" which is when the dealer mixes it in with whatever the addict usually buys to kill them off for whatever reason. Lol. The more you know.

this season is going really well so far,this is defiantely the best episode so far,kind of hope for another season after this in a way

I don't feel like he would be that rusty. I think if anything, Dexter would be even more careful and cautious.

Omg! I always thought the same thing about Dexter being the worst parent ever!

100% agree on the Batista thing, it was a bit disappointing, but i was still glad he appeared in the episode. Also anyone else felt like the song in the end credits was sang by Michael C. Hall himself ?? I'd swear that was his voice !!

Lol I’m sorry there is no way Angel wouldn’t know Harrison’s name

OK so....SPOILERS------ they really brought back angel!!!! I stood up so fast when he came on! Are they pulling a chucky and returning all old cast members?!!!! Such a surprise this show is getting better and better. This can't be just a one and done season

My biggest question is who will figure out who first between Dexter and Kurt

Honestly I think they wanted to show how vengeful his thinking was, I think it was intended. Cuz he’s all about trying to be a good dad. So a good dad to him would kill the person who almost just inadvertently took his sons life. Because the old Dexter would take into account that the cops knew the address and would be going soon and he’d pick a foreclosure or somewhere quiet. ALSO I found it weird cuz Dexter didn’t know if there was more people In the house he just assumed he was alone lol which could’ve ended bad if there was a girl there or something. Not thinkin straight at all haha

Seeing Angel fed my nostalgia

I was a huge fan of seasons 1, 2 and 4 of dexter, I’ve been somewhat enjoying new blood, but it just doesn’t feel like dexter. For me personally, this episode was very cringy and I paused 5+ times and wanted to fast forward, but I can’t take a show or movie seriously if I fast forward. So I had to suffer For me the best episode so far was the 1st. I’m not interested in all in the high school drama or the podcast girl. Just my two cents

Anybody else love the way dexter says fuck?

Ill be honest…i literally head straight to your review videos as soon as my dexter episode ends. Lol! Also, the Batista scene was cringe. But i enjoyed seeing him. I hated that they made it seem like he just wouldn’t really remember his name. The better way to do that scene is to have him talking about Deb just as he did, but then start talking about dexter and Harrison and how much he misses them, and could have dropped some different info for her to use to discover the truth instead.

the fact that hes acting very rusty is very close to reality, i can think of other real life serial killers who started killing again after years and they were sloppy and it ended up getting them caught. i thought it was actually very clever of them to do this

Things are getting intense.

2:21 It makes sense that he hasn't killed much though since he hadn't killed for a decade before Matt and killing more people while the Matt investigation is going on would draw attention to Dexter.

I just created a theory to why Kurt Caldwell kills. He kills Because he lost a Young Daughter who ran away and was found dead by hunting accident to her back. That's can explain why he targets young girls specifically and why the ones we've seen so far are runaways. As to why Matt didn't mention a sister who died? Maybe it's because Kurt had a daughter before he had Matt. And Matt was a second chance at a child.

Hi Cody, I'm totally agree with the strange Batista line: Oh such a nice kid, Harrison is his name! 😅 7:57 Yes I also think it was a weird writing. Normally Dexter always knows about those kind of choices, the risk that he takes. I rule: Never get caught! He knew that the police will go to the house in less 24 hours.... But still, maybe he's is Ultra rusty....