Dexter: New Blood Review: Smoke Signals (Season 1 Episode 3)

(Warning: This review contains spoilers!)

Living in a small town after all this time is suddenly a detriment to Dexter Morgan.

On Dexter: New Blood Season 1 Episode 3, “Smoke Signals,” the search for Matt Caldwell continues, and Dexter’s home remains at the center. What no one else knows is that Matt Caldwell is literally right beneath their feet as they stay warm by Dexter, ahem, Jim’s fire. 

Dexter was so close to getting away with it, but now that the search has gotten more focus, he has to find a new place to hide that body — and being in such a small town makes that even more difficult.

There aren’t a lot of places to hide a body, and on top of that, everyone knows “Jim.” It turns out there are cameras everywhere too. The ice adds another layer of difficulty. 

Dexter admits to himself that he’s become rusty and more careless than he once was. Now, he’s paying for that. He stays out all night in order to throw the police dogs off Matt’s scent, and then he has to focus on being a dad on top of his other responsibilities.

His exhaustion makes him that much more sympathetic, and he truly does seem regretful over this particular kill.

Deb’s presence remains unsettling, too, which reveals a lot about Dexter’s internal struggles here. At some points, she is flat-out terrifying. 

By the end of the episode, Dexter does find the perfect way to dispose of the body, thanks in part to that beautiful white buck. Dexter burns it, and Matt’s ashes spread across the town — that’s either poetic or deeply horrifying. 

While Dexter is focused on getting rid of Matt’s body and ridding himself of any suspicion, he’s also learning how to be a father again. This time, to a teenager.

It’s this conflict that makes Dexter: New Blood interesting and substantial. Dexter desperately wants to reconnect with Harrison now that he’s in his life, and there’s even this moment where he and Harrison are having dinner with Angela and Audrey that he feels like he’s part of a real family.

His narration is somber. He says this is the thing he’s really always wanted. But will his mistake ruin it all? 

And on top of that concern, simply being a father to a teenager is brand new territory for him — especially a teenager who’s been through what Harrison has. 

Still, he wants to stick around. He wants his dad to care for him, and he’s not opposed to immediately starting a new school.

I don’t know if some of these circumstances don’t seem a bit far-fetched, and that includes the stories Harrison and Dexter are telling everyone who asks. But the dynamic creates the type of character growth that makes this story worth watching, so at least for now, I’m going with it.

Dexter’s demeanor has changed a bit since we saw him in the original series, and that’s revealed most when he’s around Harrison. He’s a little more unsure of himself and a little more vulnerable. 

Apparently, Harrison is brilliant on top of being fiercely independent and tough. He does so well on his placement exam that he’s accused of cheating. Of course, further causing a rift, Dexter also asks Harrison if he cheated.

The fact is, Dexter is going to be a bit suspicious of anything like this because deep down, he’s wondering what kind of person his son has become — all because of who he is. But it’s the wrong parenting move at that moment, and Harrison lets him know it.

Harrison is also establishing himself at school, and it’s clear there’s going to be some important focus on him separate from his relationship with Dexter. He’s tough and smart, and when he finds out that the guys he’s been hanging around so far have been torturing a kid named Ethan, including catfishing him, Harrison steps in. 

He befriends and defends Ethan, stopping one of the guys by grabbing him by the throat. It tells us two things: first, that Harrison has had to learn to defend himself like this before, and two, that yes, there is indeed some darkness in Harrison. But he’s using that darkness, at least in this instance, for good.

I think we can be a bit worried about Ethan’s drawings, though. 

We also need to be worried about a certain mysterious serial killer, who will most likely cause Dexter to kill again before this season ends. 

The killer’s face remains hidden because he covers up with a ski mask, and that does suggest that perhaps it’s someone we’ve already met this season. So start making your guesses.

I could do without watching him hunt a literal human girl again. That scene is going to haunt me, as is what follows with the young girl’s blood. 

Other thoughts:

• Of course a true-crime podcaster is going to show up. I love this detail, and it’s fun to think about the fact that such a thing couldn’t have happened in the original series.
• There’s more explanation about Iris on this episode, and I’m curious to learn that backstory.
• Logan certainly does seem like he’s just a little bit suspicious of Dexter, doesn’t he?

What did you think of this episode of Dexter: New Blood? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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Dexter: New Blood streams Sundays and airs at 9/8c on Showtime.

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