Dexter: New Blood Review: Runaway (Season 1 Episode 5)

Well, this has certainly taken a fast turn.

Dexter: New Blood Season 1 Episode 5, “Runaway,” picks up the pace a bit, despite the continued sort of sleepy tone that sets it apart from the original series. It’s a highly engaging hour that, well, had me gasping more than once. (Spoilers ahead!)

Dexter confronts Harrison about the incident with Ethan that took place on Dexter: New Blood Season 1 Episode 4, and that goes about as badly as could be expected. It’s almost awkward as Dexter just about insists that he knows what Harrison is going through.

He comes across as a bit desperate — this is a connection with his son that he’s never been able to have with anyone else. He shares that when he speaks to Deb, bemoaning how lonely his existence is as he fakes his way through life. 

This is why we always liked Dexter to begin with. Serial killer tendencies aside, he’s a character we have to feel sympathy for. 

So to see him failing at connecting with his son is even more tragic. Dexter wants to be a good father, and he’s torn over what he wants his own son to be.

But there’s such a disconnect. Dexter missed out on seeing his son grow up, and now suddenly being a father figure — it’s a bit too rushed. It’s a shame we don’t get to see more conversations, more uneventful moments in between all of the problems that keep coming up. 

It’s been one thing after another with Harrison, too. Accused of cheating, the knife incident, and now, overdosing at a party. 

If Harrison is, ultimately, just like his father, then we’re seeing the other way something like this could turn out. He is brash and careless, and I find it surprising that he’d take drugs at that party in the first place — no matter how angry he is with Dexter at that moment. 

Harrison’s trip is beautifully cinematic and deeply unsettling, the way the camera focuses in on him while everything else spins about. And his willingness to carve his initial into a girl’s skin reveals more of Harrison’s true nature on top of it. 

Just before he ODs, he tells Audrey a little too much about his dad, revealing that his name isn’t actually Jim Lindsay. 

Again, this is all a bit fast. Harrison showed up angry, but it’s almost too easy that he’d let that information slip the way he does. 

Thankfully, Harrison recovers from the incident pretty quickly, but papa bear is out for blood now.

Deb notes this is different for Dexter — this time, it’s not about the Code.

It’s about vengeance. Dexter knows this full well, and he doesn’t care.

We haven’t gotten to see Dexter getting up to his old ways as much as I would have hoped so far on Dexter: New Blood, so it’s exciting to see it here. He’s meticulous as always, but still rusty. And neither of his attempts turn out the way he wants. 

For the drug dealer, his plan B involves wailing on the guy, which seems justified considering the circumstances. He’s just an angry father who wants to protect his son, after all.

The second attempt goes a different way. Dexter’s kill is interrupted by Logan, who always seems to have perfect timing. Once again, Dexter goes to a very smart plan B. 

But the way things don’t work out for him is significant. Iron Lake isn’t the right place for him if he’s going to be killing again, clearly. It’s too hard for him to remain anonymous. 

Those attempts also mirror what’s happening with Kurt Caldwell, who is up to his own despicable plans. 

That Caldwell is the serial killer isn’t exactly surprising. The way he kills is a psychological nightmare — locking girls up, then he lets them escape in order to use them as target practice. 

Chloe, however, doesn’t do things the “right” way and throws off Kurt’s usual routine. He doesn’t get to kill her the way he wants, and I assume the part that comes after the kill is thrown off by this as well. 

That’s the same for Dexter, and their reactions are pretty similar too. 

Of course, Caldwell is up to even more. He’s going to extremes to make it appear as though his son is still alive. There could be many reasons for this, especially knowing what we know about him now.

It could be about protecting himself, or it could be about going after Dexter. He is making it a point to befriend Harrison, and that can only turn out badly. 

Angela and Molly are the ones who discover that Kurt is lying after they go to the hotel where Matt is supposedly staying. But that’s not Matt Caldwell they see on the security footage. 

The best part of this is seeing Angela in action, plus the friendship that’s developing between her and Molly Park. They’re great to watch together, and putting a law enforcement officer and a true-crime podcaster together is about as modern as it gets. 

The Matt Caldwell reveal isn’t the most interesting, though. Not by a long shot.

Is it a bit too convenient that there’s a conference happening at the same hotel that could also be helpful to Angela’s case? Yes. Is it too convenient that Angel Batista is there, speaking at that conference, about the Bay Harbor Butcher himself? Definitely.

But it does work logically. Plus, it feels like a gift to see Angel Batista again, and for him to be the one to offer that first clue about Dexter is the perfect storm.

Batista even seems a little more jaded, especially in the way he speaks of Debra and Dexter. Those losses would have affected him in a major way. And whether or not we see more of him, it certainly rounds out the story to have that moment to consider how both of those deaths would have affected the other characters from the original series. 

Now, as much as I keep saying things are going a little too fast or shaking out a little too easily, the quickness with which Angela puts the pieces together on Dexter feels just right.

From the get-go, Angela has been presented as extremely intelligent and highly skilled at investigative work. A quick search of Debra Morgan would be enough to find that obituary, but she had a few other clues as well. 

It’s engaging storytelling, that’s for sure. It’s a visceral feeling to see that obituary come out of her printer, imagining everything that’s probably about to follow.

Other thoughts:

• Here’s a fun detail: the song that plays at the end of the episode is called “Ketamine” by Princess Goes to the Butterfly Museum. That’s Michael C. Hall’s band, and the song title sure is fitting for the episode.
• I’m not sure I can get over Harrison dumping that perfectly good plate of food in the dumpster.
• Jennifer Carpenter’s performance for this entire revival has been award-worthy. She’s one of the best things about it. 

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

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