JuicyTalk
WARNING! This article contains SPOILERS for Dexter: Resurrection season 1, episode 3!While skepticism was high after New Blood’s divisive outing, Dexter: Resurrection more than justifies itself through original character returns, a dark new story, and necessary changes regarding Dexter Morgan’s identity. The cast of Dexter: Resurrection is far more expansive than New Blood’s ensemble, with a much healthier dose of returning original figures to make it feel even closer to the 2006 series’ heyday.
The premiere of Dexter: Resurrection brought back several original characters for dream sequences and reunions with the titular killer. Appearing for the first time since the original series were Erik King’s James Doakes, James Remar’s Harry Morgan, and Jimmy Smits’ Miguel Prado, with Arthur Mitchell and Angel Batista also in that lineup. As a fantastic surprise, Resurrection episode 3 keeps the momentum going with two more beloved Miami Metro characters’ returns.
Joey Quinn & Vince Masuka Finally Return In Dexter: Resurrection Episode 3
Miami Metro’s Original Team Is Back
With anticipation and hopes for their returns having built up since Dexter: Resurrection was initially announced, those wishes have finally come true as Desmond Harrington’s Joey Quinn and C.S. Lee’s Vince Masuka appear for the first time since Dexter’s original series finale. Briefly taking the sequel back to Miami, Quinn and Masuka cameo in Dexter: Resurrection season 1, episode 3 when Batista announces his retirement.
While Quinn’s return was already confirmed by Dexter: Resurrection’s latest teaser trailer for upcoming episodes, Masuka’s appearance is a welcome surprise. Quinn hasn’t been seen in the franchise since the original series’ 2013 finale, though a younger version of Masuka (played by Alex Shimizu) appeared in the cast of Dexter: Original Sin earlier this year.
Previous new Dexter TV shows since New Blood in 2021 have introduced large ensemble casts of newcomers, with the returns of beloved original characters played by their original actors being far and few in between. While Dexter, Deb, and Batista came back under their original actors, the closest we got to Masuka and Quinn returning in New Blood was an Easter egg reference.
Dexter: Resurrection feels like a more direct successor to the 2006 series than New Blood did.
As such, this is the first time we’ve truly seen the Miami Metro team from the original series finale back together again. With Dexter, Harry, Masuka, Quinn, Brian, Miguel, Doakes, and Trinity’s original actors all reprising their roles, Dexter: Resurrection feels like a more direct successor to the 2006 series than New Blood did.
Dexter: Resurrection Is Making Up For New Blood’s Missed Opportunities With Original Characters
Dexter & Batista Didn’t Even Meet Again In New Blood
New Blood was the first official return to the TV franchise since Dexter season 8’s infamously divisive ending, and with that initial return came a large learning curve. Overall, New Blood was still a fantastic TV outing, and often felt reminiscent of the peak seasons of Dexter’s original show.
Still, with a massively divisive ending, lack of familiar faces, and some difficult-to-ignore retcons, there was plenty of room for improvement if Michael C. Hall was to reprise his role again. Thankfully, Dexter: Resurrection retconned New Blood’s ending to reveal that Dexter Morgan survived his gunshot wound, allowing the franchise to address some previous missed opportunities and shortcomings.
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Dexter: Resurrection Reveals Its Replacement For Missing New Blood Character
Dexter: Resurrection establishes a clear replacement for a missing character that notably did not return after the events of New Blood’s finale.
Unlike New Blood, Dexter: Resurrection made sure not to pass up the opportunity of bringing back other beloved Miami Metro staples. One of the biggest disappointments in New Blood was that Batista and Dexter never properly reunited, which Resurrection almost instantly corrected. With Quinn and Masuka also included, Resurrection isn’t leaving loose ends connected to Miami Metro like its predecessor.
Dexter: Resurrection Needed To Happen To Reclaim Dexter Morgan’s Name & Reunite Him With Miami Metro
Dexter Morgan’s Story Couldn’t End With Him Living Under An Alias
Dexter: Resurrection has already been completely worth it due to the inclusion of Miami Metro icons missing from New Blood. But, Michael C. Hall’s return quickly goes the next step to prove why Showtime’s newest sequel series needed to happen.
In Resurrection season 1, episode 2, Dexter Morgan officially reclaims his identity, proving to the world that he’s still alive despite leading his loved ones to believe he died in the season 8 finale. After Dexter season 8, he spent a decade living under different aliases, never being able to fully return to being Dexter Morgan before being shot by Harrison.
As such, it felt wrong for Dexter’s story to end in New Blood without the character actively living as Dexter Morgan. Jim Lindsay is officially gone in Dexter: Resurrection, with Dexter Morgan finally returning to his true identity. If Dexter is arrested, exposed as a killer, or even killed (again) in Resurrection, at least it’ll be as himself.
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Dexter: Resurrection’s new series is missing a major franchise staple character for the very first time, and that absence creates noticeable changes.
Not only did it feel wrong for Dexter to die under the name Jim Lindsay, never having the story of faking his death be known, and keeping the full truth of his Bay Harbor Butcher history hidden, but the fact that he had never reunited with his old Miami Metro colleagues left his story feeling unfinished.
As reiterated throughout the timeline of Dexter: Original Sin, Miami Metro and the people he worked with, became family with, and lied to for decades are a core part of Dexter Morgan’s story. The only person he reunited with in New Blood was Harrison, and his feelings about being betrayed by Dexter were completely different from those who spent every day with him for over two decades.
Dexter: Resurrection‘s teaser trailer reveals another return to Miami in future episodes.
Bringing a proper end to Dexter Morgan’s story – or, in Dexter: Resurrection’s case, giving it new life – wouldn’t be complete without including Miami Metro more prominently. With Batista, Masuka, and Quinn back, it finally feels like a true return to form for the franchise’s sequels as Dexter Morgan is forced to confront all aspects of his past.
