Dexter: New Blood Review: Storm of F*ck (Season 1 Episode 2)

(Warning: This review contains spoilers!)

Harrison Morgan’s arrival really couldn’t have come at a worse time for Dexter.

On Dexter: New Blood Season 1 Episode 2, “Storm of Fuck,” Harrison demands answers from Dexter and reveals how he found him in Iron Lake.

It’s heartbreaking to learn that Hannah died of cancer, leaving Harrison to be bounced around in the foster care system before going looking for his father. As it turns out, Harrison found a letter from Dexter to Hannah after she passed away. That letter revealed that Dexter faked his death.

Thanks to that piece of information and the power of social media, and without much to lose, Harrison is able to locate his father in Iron Lake. It feels a bit too easy, especially with the final clue being an Instagram post. I don’t know how much I believe Dexter would be that careless.

Maybe it’s because so many years passed, but it feels like a lapse of judgment he wouldn’t allow unless maybe he had changed his appearance. Which, for the record, is also a bit too careless for someone so meticulous. 

Still, it’s a good enough explanation to tie the pieces together and get Harrison to his dad.

It’s a punch to the gut when Dexter learns what his son had gone through, and that he’d wound up in the foster care system. He was so sure that leaving Harrison with Hannah was the right choice, and now to learn the cost of that is devastating news. 

Harrison’s contempt for this father along with the pain of being left by him is difficult to watch, and Jack Alcott plays the character perfectly. He is tough and snarky, but there’s that sadness in his eyes. It certainly makes me wonder what Dexter has worried about him all along.

The heart-to-heart these two have near the end is powerful stuff, too. Thanks to a little coaching from his girlfriend, Angela, Dexter convinces Harrison to stay — to let him be there for him now, even after all these years. 

The most powerful moment comes when Harrison reveals that part of the letter asked Hannah to reach out if he exhibited any “dark tendencies.” He feels rejected by his father and terrified to consider what such a line might actually mean. 

Dexter doesn’t give it away fully just yet, but I have a feeling he may down the line. For now, he leans on the fact that he was in a “dark place” after the deaths of Rita and Deb, and that he thought his son would be better off without him.

It’s vague enough to settle it for now, and there’s such raw emotion between Harrison and Dexter during this conversation. 

There are so many interesting possibilities here, and it once again proves why a revival/sequel series makes sense. For example, Harrison is quick to lie for Dexter and keep his secret identity intact. He also handles himself well among everyone in Iron Lake, some details revealing how smart and meticulous he is himself. 

Of course, Deb is in Dexter’s ear, berating him for wanting to keep Harrison around, certain that Dexter will manage to screw him up.

Her presence is a bit like something out of a horror movie on this episode, with her maniacal laughing and tapping of bullets on glass. It’s downright disturbing at times, and if we’re talking about performances, it’s a heck of a performance by Jennifer Carpenter to embody the role of Deb in this new way. 

She screams in Dexter’s face about Harrison and cackles when Dexter returns to the scene of his own crime, desperate to cover his tracks for murdering Matt Caldwell.

While an advantage of dating the chief of police may have been to help keep himself in check before, it’s a detriment to him now. Angela is way too close for comfort, and naturally, wants to set up camp at Dexter’s cabin well they begin the search for Caldwell.

Dexter is so good at keeping a straight face, just as he used to be. He’s handing out burgers and being fully open on his property, all while it turns out that Caldwell’s body is buried just under the firepit that the police gather around. 

The same type of comedy comes through in these types of moments, too. Dramatic irony is key on Dexter, and his comments about “having a thing for blood” and the like make the series that much more enjoyable. Although, this new iteration does feel much darker in tone, partly because of the coloring and the setting itself. 

That beautiful white deer from the first up winds up being at the center of the story when it comes to Caldwell. Dexter leads everyone to believe that Caldwell must have fled after killing the deer on Seneca land, a major crime. 

That additional detail adds an extra layer of complexity, which seems like it may only get more complicated. Angela is told she will eventually have to “choose a side” when it comes to respecting the reservation, and that suggests a much deeper history. We also get some hints about a daughter, Iris, and learn that Audrey is adopted. 

Dexter almost gets away with it. This is a small police force, and from everyone knows of Matt Caldwell, the story Dexter has led everyone to makes perfect sense. But Matt’s father isn’t convinced.

You can’t blame the man for wanting the search to be continued for his son, and in that regard, we feel for him. But because we’re also already on Dexter’s side about this, it paints him as the antagonist. And his entitlement only adds fuel to that fire. He believes he’s owed something more here, and his tactics work effortlessly.

Meanwhile, there’s a very real villain nearby. So far, we’re only privy to snippets of girls being watched in a room, and we see just a bit of the man’s eyes who’s behind it. That’s only going to wind up making it more difficult for Dexter to avoid killing again, I assume. 

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

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