The following article contains spoilers for Dexter: New Blood.
The pressure keeps on mounting in Dexter: New Blood as Dex has to deal with an intense situation involving Harrison and his (seemingly) new best friend Ethan (the classmate from school who is constantly bullied). When Dexter learns that Harrison and Ethan were both involved in a school stabbing, the reality of what actually happened is more complicated than it initially seems. Dexter also has more one-on-one confrontations with Kurt Caldwell, who continues to uncharacteristically lie to everyone by saying that he saw his son Matt alive. Podcaster Molly Park also has a larger appearance as she makes her case to Chief Bishop by claiming that she intends to help the police in their search for the increasing number of women who have gone missing in Iron Lake.
This episode explores multiple sides of human nature, questioning what is right and wrong, and who can be classified as good and evil. These moral dilemmas are issues Dexter has always dealt with, especially in his original series. However, now that he has an older son in Harrison, who is intelligent and capable of making decisions on his own, Dexter is contemplating how to express empathy and stand by his child but is unable to fully commit because he knows that Harrison is holding deep secrets.
Could Harrison Already Be A Killer Like Dexter?
While there isn't enough evidence to prove if Harrison is a vigilante killer like his father, there are signs that point to this being a possibility. Dexter and Harrison are both not being truthful to each other, signifying some lack of trust between the father and son. Of course, Dexter cares about Harrison and his well-being but doesn't know how to express empathy towards him because he always intends to do things his own way without fully expressing his emotions. Dexter also doesn't intend to reveal his true identity as the dark passenger in order to prevent Harrison from becoming like him.
After Harrison's acclaimed attack from Ethan, Dexter asks his son more about how the incident occurred rather than how Harrison is feeling. Of course, the young man feels frustrated because he feels like his father is trying to interrogate him instead of providing support. There are also moments in which Harrison feels neglected by Dexter, such as when he asks his dad how he deals with intense situations that are impossible to get out of, while Dex gives simple responses without full explanations. Harrison knows that his father isn't fully open and truthful with him either.
The episode's best scene involves Dexter trying to analyze the crime scene in school (which is effective because the confrontation between Harrison and Ethan is never shown, leaving Dexter and viewers to wonder what really happened between the two teenagers). Dexter figures out that Harrison's story doesn't match the evidence and the blood spatter. As Debra emphatically mentions, this shows that Dexter still places his beliefs first over his son, both as a heroic killer and a forensic specialist, or it could mean that by discovering the truth behind Harrison's "attack," he is trying to protect his son and encounter his true intentions. Debra's conscience rattles Dexter's mind due to their small arguments, raising questions over how Dexter intends to handle Harrison's issues.
Harrison may also remember more about his mother's death (Rita) than he seems to let on. There is a pivotal moment in which he's listening to a podcast by Molly Park about the Trinity Killer (who killed Rita), and there are quick flashbacks that disturbingly show baby Harrison covered in his mother's blood. This reflects Harrison's trauma because he is desperate to understand why his mother was killed, but the incident with Ethan also displays Harrison's heroism (since he knows Ethan planned on attacking students in school) and Harrison's dark side (since he initiated the confrontation and slashed Ethan first). As Harrison says in a speech, there are two sides to every person, which likely applies to him in the same way as it does to his father.
Kurt Caldwell May Also Have Two Sides
While Dexter and Harrison may represent heroic killers, the father of Matt Caldwell continues to raise major suspicions (and not in a positive light). While oddly claiming that he saw his son alive, Kurt is also shown talking to a young woman who's desperate to get more money. Kurt acts nice and courteous towards her, offering her a job at his diner, but while she refuses, he drives her to an unknown location (presumably the same shelter where the previous woman who was held captive there got shot dead). This leads to the belief that Kurt may in fact be an evil serial killer, the one responsible for the kidnapping and deaths of missing women.
Kurt may not even care about Matt at all, perhaps already knowing that he's dead, and just wants everyone in Iron Lake to focus on Matt's case so that he can cover his own tracks to kill more women. Kurt also meets up with Dexter a couple of times, which raises questions about what Kurt knows (if anything) about Dexter. Kurt may also be suspicious of Dexter after he revealed to Kurt that he heard about Matt's boat accident (which killed five people). Dexter and Kurt may turn out to be perfect enemies, considering that they're both conflicted fathers who love their sons but have had difficult times caring for them.
Molly Park May Prove To Be A Worthy Ally In Solving Cases
Just like Debra, Angela Bishop and Molly Park are proof that tough, intelligent women have always been one of the biggest strengths in Dexter's original series (and this one as well). While she initially appeared to be just a pretty podcaster looking for attention during Matt's disappearance, Molly pleads to Chief Bishop how worthy of an asset she could be in investigating complex crimes, particularly the cases of several missing women. One statement Molly makes that's attention-grabbing is when she says she can turn up evidence in hours, thanks to her Instagram followers (which reflects on the tremendous power social media has had over the years, and this show makes the case that it can be both a resourceful tool in true crime and a dangerous scam like cyberbullying).
Whether or not Dexter and Harrison can overcome their personal demons and open up to each other about Rita's death, as well as their internal conflicts, remains to be seen. However, if they intend to have a bonding father-son relationship, they have to trust each other first, or their enemies will reveal their weaknesses and get the better of them.
New episodes of Dexter: New Blood air Sundays on Showtime.