Dexter: Resurrection Season 2 Episode 2 Explained: Dexter's Midlife Crisis and the Five Borough Killer

Episode 2 of Dexter: Resurrection season 2 has two murders, a city watching, and a killer who seems determined to make sure everyone knows his name. Here's what I find amusing: while the Five Borough Killer chases public attention, Dexter is starting to struggle with the feeling that nobody recognizes his work.

The series stars Michael C. Hall and Jack Alcott. In episode 1, Dexter was quietly waiting for somebody, anybody, to notice what he did to Al Walker. This week it turns into something pettier: jealousy, as he watches a stranger at the gym and a room full of strip club regulars hand his spotlight to other killers. That isn't the only thing changing. Harrison has stepped into law enforcement, Joey Quinn is back with questions about Prater, and Charley is back with something that could give Dexter a completely different way of going about his deeds. The episode is titled Fallen, and someone does fall from a pretty high distance.

Dexter's midlife crisis and Harry's diagnosis

The episode immediately establishes Dexter's ongoing struggle. Trying to understand what's happening to him, he turns to a podcast about midlife crises and the search for purpose. The host explains that people often spend their lives chasing big achievements, only to realize happiness can come from the smaller things around them.

I think Dexter has a different problem. What does a midlife crisis even mean for someone who has spent most of his life hunting and killing serial killers? He even jokes about buying a sporty Italian knife or going after serial killers half his age. I found that amusing. But there's something deeper behind it. Harry, in Dexter's head, seems to understand what he's going through. He reminds Dexter that he's unhappy with where his life has taken him, feels unappreciated, and is constantly trying to prove himself.

Considering how long Dexter has spent keeping his identity hidden, perhaps the attention surrounding the Five Borough Killer is getting under his skin more than he wants to admit.

Why the Rapunzel news stings Dexter

The episode drives that home when news breaks about Rapunzel's death. Dexter has already dealt with Al Walker, but the public has no idea who took him out. A guy at the gym watching the news jokes that Rapunzel sounds like someone their grandmother could handle.

Dexter wasn't having that comment, and it was written all over his face. He was disappointed when the same guy called the Five Borough Killer behind the filmed murder a tough killer, while treating Al's death as something his grandmother could pull off. It adds to what we're starting to understand about Dexter: he has spent years hunting serial killers, yet his work remains largely unknown.

The NYPD struggles to trace the Five Borough Killer

This is where things get troubling for the NYPD. They have the murder on film and a warning call from someone claiming to be the Five Borough Killer, but identifying him is proving difficult. The phone used for the warning call was prepaid, and the AirDrop doesn't provide the kind of digital information that would make tracing the sender easy. The killer also appears to have taken precautions to conceal his identity.

During the police briefing, Wallace lands on the same read I gave in my earlier Ripper theory: this killer wants the whole city watching, and he wants New York to know he can frighten all of it at once.

Harrison joins homicide, and Fiona Mixon is his training officer

Harrison has his own big day. After completing police training, he gets his assignment to the NYPD's homicide division. You can tell he's excited, especially when he calls Dexter to share the news. But a surprise is waiting. Fiona, the woman Harrison had a one night stand with in the previous episode, turns out to be his field training officer.

His first day looks familiar. Remember Dexter's first days at Miami Metro in Dexter: Original Sin, when he shared donuts with the staff? That scene gets a straight replay here. Come to think of it, Wallace and Oliva working in the same office alongside someone Wallace once suspected of murder in season 1 is going to be a ride. When Harrison goes to thank Wallace for the opportunity, she makes it clear she isn't expecting anything from him. Personally, I feel there's more to that statement.

As if that isn't awkward enough, Fiona is Captain Mixon's daughter. She's surprised Harrison landed in homicide straight out of the academy, explaining it usually takes time, and jokes that even she had to spend two years working toward it. When he brings up their night together, she quickly makes clear it was a one night stand and nothing more. Could that make things a little more complicated? That's a lot for a first day at work.

Charley offers Dexter the remaining Boogeyman Club members

Meanwhile, Charley, Prater's former head of security, hasn't forgotten Dexter. She shows up while Dexter and Harrison are eating at a diner and asks to speak with Dexter. Harrison is understandably cautious given her history with Prater, but Charley assures him she has already spoken with Detective Wallace and was cleared after her former employer's disappearance.

She hasn't returned simply to apologize. Charley has been thinking about what she did while working for Prater. Before her mother died, she confessed everything, hoping the money she'd used for her mother's medical care would make up for her actions. Her mother didn't see it that way and encouraged her to make amends.

So Charley has an offer. She knows about the two remaining members of Prater's Boogeyman Club, one of them the Sleepy Eyed Stranger, who disappeared after police discovered the vault. She has their new identities and private email addresses. Dexter isn't immediately interested. He reminds her he works alone and has no intention of getting involved in the New York Ripper investigation because it's still an active police case. Charley isn't asking to partner in the usual sense; she simply wants to hand over the information and leave the rest to him.

Harry pushes Dexter to stop working alone

Dexter insists he prefers working alone and has his own way of doing things. Harry isn't entirely buying it. He reminds Dexter that he has been trying to find these two killers for quite some time without progress, and while he waits for them to show up, they could still be hurting innocent people.

Harry makes an interesting point: perhaps Dexter needs to change his approach instead of doing everything himself. He even suggests that being alone all the time might be part of why Dexter feels stuck. We're already dealing with Dexter's midlife crisis, and Harry seems convinced his son needs to do something about it.

Dexter isn't happy being told how to run his business and still believes Charley is dangerous. Harry reminds him she could have taken him out if that had been her intention, given her background in special operations, and that she's offering information, not control. Eventually Dexter begins to see the point. Maybe working with someone isn't such a bad idea after all.

Joey Quinn arrives in New York asking about the Bay Harbor Butcher

Before Dexter can settle on Charley's offer, Joey Quinn turns up, as teased at the end of episode 1. His reaction when Dexter opens the door shows how unexpected this reunion is: he exclaims that Dexter is alive and pulls him into a hug. It's good to see these two together again after everything that happened in Miami.

Quinn has left Miami Metro and now works as a private investigator, helping families of people killed by the serial killers connected to Prater's collection. He's also trying to find Prater, believing he's still in hiding, and intends to use whatever he can get from the billionaire to locate the remaining killers and bring some justice to their victims, including Angel Batista.

Quinn has been going through the files and evidence from Prater's collection, which included belongings tied to the Ice Truck Killer, Arthur Mitchell, Travis Marshall and the Bay Harbor Butcher. One detail caught his attention. Prater had a display bearing James Doakes's name, but nothing else associated with him: no badge, no knife, and, perhaps most importantly, none of the blood slides tied to the Bay Harbor Butcher. Quinn finds that strange, and I can understand why, considering how much attention Prater paid to collecting serial killer items. The absence of those trophies is worth noticing.

Dexter knows exactly why that could become a problem, and the look on his face says it all. He admits to himself that Quinn may not be the sharpest investigator, but he shouldn't underestimate him; they worked together for years, and Quinn knows how Dexter operates. Quinn offers to help Dexter whenever he needs anything and admits he misses Angel. Dexter offers his own help with the investigation, and Quinn happily accepts. That's what I call a double coincidence of wants. I can't help thinking this arrangement could get complicated. Their reunion may be welcome, but it gives Dexter another person whose questions he needs to watch.

Dexter meets the New York Ripper at a strip club

Dexter comes face to face with the man who has a reputation as the New York Ripper at a strip club, and he seems to be enjoying it. People recognize him and ask for pictures. He explains that police have no DNA evidence or witnesses connecting him to the murders, and seems pleased they've been unable to prosecute him. He even talks about receiving love letters from women who admire him. The attention seems to be doing wonders for his ego.

His behavior takes another turn when he pressures one of the female staff for a lap dance. The bouncer intervenes and he's escorted out. Dexter had promised Harrison he would leave the Ripper to the NYPD, but the police were still getting nowhere. As the man walks away, Dexter remarks that it might be his last dance. That promise is already harder to keep than he expected.

Dexter later tells Harrison he wants to take out the Ripper, since the NYPD has made little progress over the years. Harrison is uncomfortable and says Wallace is determined to solve the case and deserves the chance. Dexter asks when that's likely to happen, but Harrison insists it matters to him, and Dexter agrees to leave the man alone, at least for now. When Harrison suggests giving Charley's information to the police instead, Dexter dismisses it, joking they could sit on it for years. It looks like Dexter has already started making up his mind.

The townhouse trap and the Sleepy Eyed Stranger

Dexter and Charley put their arrangement together, with one condition: he does things his way. Her plan is to contact the two missing club members individually and invite them to a gathering, making them believe Prater wants to reunite with his old friends. Dexter will attend as Red Schmidt, the serial killer he previously impersonated to get into Prater's dinner. They even secure a townhouse with a soundproofed room. Charley is enjoying her former boss's money to the fullest.

Their first guest is Ray Ballard, the Sleepy Eyed Stranger. He enters people's homes while they sleep, moves their belongings and makes them feel they're losing their minds before killing them. That's a disturbing way to operate. I hope my eyes aren't deceiving me, but the scene where he was standing over someone who, from my memory, looked like Dexter left me with questions. Who is being hunted, the prey or the predator?

Charley has thought of almost everything, but Dexter notices one thing missing: a furnace. Considering he has struggled to find a convenient way to dispose of bodies in New York, I'd say he has good reason to be particular. He even gets a boat, though Harry isn't entirely convinced that's a practical decision rather than another part of his midlife crisis.

The Five Borough Killer targets Broadway

At headquarters, the NYPD faces criticism over its handling of the first attack. At a press briefing, Detective Oliva is asked why the department failed to warn the public when he had privately warned his own daughters to stay away from the baseball game. Wallace tries to calm New Yorkers, suggesting the killing could have been a one off, and uses statistics to show how unlikely it is for any individual to be the next victim.

The killer is listening and isn't impressed. He calls again, challenging the one off suggestion, and announces that someone will die on Broadway that evening. Captain Mixon orders officers into the theater district, with Harrison and Fiona among those evacuating the area.

Fallen: the ending explained

While police clear Broadway, Dexter and Charley have dinner. They agree that pretending to be a couple could be the perfect cover, and Dexter seems comfortable with it. When she asks what has changed about him, he says he's finally willing to do things differently and be more open to change. He reveals that only Harrison and Charley currently know his true identity.

Then a body drops from a rooftop onto the street, and there's the fall of the title. Dexter spots a figure on the roof and realizes the Five Borough Killer has struck again. He counts the bodies and lands on two, which by his own rules is still short of a serial killer. Dexter makes his intention clear: he's going to stop him before he gets to number three. With a new arrangement in place with Charley, another killer to track and Harrison now working alongside the NYPD, things could get even more complicated for Dexter.