TV Recap & Review: ‘Dexter: New Blood’ S1, Ep. 9 “The Family Business”

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Showtime

With the title “The Family Business, it doesn’t take much to figure out what episode 9 of Dexter: New Blood is about. There are some twists and turns, plus remarkable performances by Michael C. Hall and Jack Alcott. With the help of Clancy Brown and Jennifer Carpenter, this is an emotionally charged and fulfilling episode.

This week is all about Dexter (Hall) and Harrison (Alcott). We pick things up in Dexter’s cabin, where he slowly begins to explain his world of The Dark Passenger and how he has dealt with it over the years. The decision to use an old case of his, Wiggles the Clown, is smart, putting a face on the evil that Dexter hunts. But with Deb’s (Carpenter) urging, he doesn’t explain the last step, that being the killing. Instead, he tells Harrison that he scares the criminals straight and they don’t commit another crime after that. As Harrison is completely overwhelmed at this point, it’s probably a good idea, but it only seems to be delaying the inevitable.

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Meanwhile, Angela (Julia Jones) is digging deeper into things that just don’t make sense, a path that continuously points to Dexter. As a cop, circumstantial evidence is not enough and she knows it, but she also has a gut feeling something isn’t right here. With Dexter already lying to her about his past and Harrison, her interest deepens. There is a great scene at Angela’s house where Dexter and Harrison have come Christmas morning when Kurt (Brown) shows up. He and Dexter exchange those all-too-knowing glances.

Father and son begin to bond as Dexter teaches Harrison how to track and observe. In this case, looking for Kurt’s secret stash of trophies from his kills. Harrison shares more truths with Dexter, about his urge to hurt and kill at an early age, something Dexter knows all too well. He talks about the code, how and when to use it, and the twisted bond between them deepens.

Check out all Dexter: New Blood recaps here!

While Kurt is trying to one-up Dexter and Harrison by setting fire to their home, waiting patiently with his rifle to gun them down, his would-be victims are not home. They are, instead, investigating what turns out to be Kurt’s secret hiding spot they spotted using Harrison’s drone. Here, they find all the evidence they need, the bodies of all the women Kurt has killed, including his newest addition, Molly Park (Jamie Chung). Harrison wants him dead and it is here that the truth finally comes out about Dexter killing those he hunts. It is a powerful moment, handled very well, with both actors selling the emotions.

Kurt is captured and Dexter puts him on his table, explaining to Harrison about the process along the way — family business, indeed. Harrison stays to watch Dexter kill Kurt but it’s the blood that bothers him, due to his mother’s death. He excuses himself while Dexter finishes cutting up the body. They dispose of it together, burning it where Dexter put Kurt’s son, and the two have another bonding moment. However, beyond burning down their house, Kurt leaves a parting gift for Angela, which only heightens her suspicions.

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Enough cannot be said about the performances of Hall and Alcott. There are so many emotions flying around, so many scenarios to decipher and understand, yet both deal with it as well as they can, considering who they are. Or, perhaps for Harrison, what he is on the verge of becoming.

While “The Family Business” tackled this father/son and Dark Passenger storyline well, we are left with Angela possibly finding out the truth about Dexter. It will be hard to top this episode, but I look forward to seeing how they wrap things up. And honestly, it couldn’t be worse than the original series finale, right? Right?


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