‘Dexter: New Blood’ S1, Ep. 3 “Smoke Signals” TV Recap & Review

Watching the new pressures and issues for Dexter (Michael C. Hall) in a small town he thought was the perfect place to disappear is ironic. Being a small town, everyone knows everyone, and gossip is a second language, so Dexter’s issues arising from his Dark Passenger to his first kill in ten years should not come as a surprise. In episode 3 of Dexter: New Blood, “Smoke Signals,“ the hunt continues for Matt Caldwell (Steve M. Robertson).

Police are still using a base camp on Dexter’s property, virtually right over the top of where Dexter buried the body. The pressure begins to mount when we find random cameras in the forest (handy). A CSI investigator confirms that the blood at the scene was Matt’s, so now they bring in the dogs as well. Dexter does what Dexter has always done: find temporary solutions to an ever-growing problem. However, it is like trying to plug holes in a leaky dam as the leaks keep increasing.

While Dexter, the killer, tries to wrestle with all the different angles and scenarios thrown his way, he also has to try to be a dad, which is not easy under the best circumstances. Jack Alcott (Harrison Morgan) continues to impress as his son Harrison is emotionally cut off but capable of much more. Whether or not that particular pendulum will swing in favor of good or bad remains to be seen as we witness both parts in “Smoke Signals.” On a side note, maybe we should be more concerned with Harrison’s new friend, Ethan (Christian Dell’Edera), and his drawings).

There is also the other killer on the loose, who we learn some disturbing details about in terms of what he is doing with the girls he imprisons. We still don’t know who it is; it is only that he will surely cause Dexter some grief this season, one way or another. There are obvious candidates, such as Edward Olsen (Fredric Lehne) and Kurt Caldwell (Clancy Brown), but they seem too obvious to these eyes. I’m sure something else is happening here that has not yet been revealed.

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Deb (Jennifer Carpenter) continues to be a great addition to the role of Dexter’s conscience. She is downright frightening at times but very effective in her screen time. Her scene with Dexter as he tries to figure out what to do with the body is ‘bloody’ hilarious. Dexter comes up with a great idea of what to do with the body, and it’s one of those moments where you have just to shake your head, suspend your disbelief, and move on. The end of the episode gave us a bizarre revelation from a drunken Kurt (Clancy Brown chewing up the scene), so it should be intriguing to hear more about it next week.

“Smoke Signals” was solid, fast-paced, and littered with more wry observations by the always dependable Hall. Many plot points were thrown out there, with just enough time to make most of them relevant. (More info came out on Iris, but not much.) It remains to be seen if the show can successfully juggle everything going on and if Dexter can do the same without becoming too far-fetched to believe.