Warning! This article contains SPOILERS for Dexter: Resurrection season 1, episode 5.Harrison Morgan (Jack Alcott) is going through a transformation inDexter: Resurrection, and the sequel show is walking back one of his biggest stories fromDexter: New Blood. Harrison was a fairly divisive part ofNew Blood. Many viewers thought he was flatly written and had a problem with how much grief he gave his father. Luckily,Resurrectionhas already done a lot to make him better, and it’s not done yet.
While theending ofNew Bloodthat saw Harrison shoot his father, Dexter (Michael C. Hall), gets most of the attention, he had a different storyline brewing for most of the show. InNew Blood, Harrison got a chance to confront Dexter after he abandoned him, he started a romance with Audrey, and he learned more about his past.Resurrection, however, is undoing Harrison’s biggest story.
New Blood Was Setting Harrison Up To Be A Serial Killer, But Resurrection Has Given Him Remorse
A huge part ofDexter: New Bloodwas Dexter’s belief that Harrison also had a dark passenger like him. Dexter thought that since Harrison was in the room when Rita was murdered, he would grow up to be a serial killer.New Bloodplayed into that, as well: Harrison attacked Ethan and nearly killed him, and he jumped at the chance to join Dexter in killing Kurt Caldwell.
New Bloodmade it seem like Harrison really did have his own dark passenger, and that he just wanted to surpress it more than Dexter did.Resurrectionepisode 5, however, just disproved that entirely.Harrison doesn’t have a deep desire to kill people that he’s trying to contain: he’s incredibly guilty about both killing Ryan Murphy and shooting Dexter.
Harrison outright tells Dexter inResurrectionepisode 5that he didn’t get a “release” from killing Ryan. For Dexter andResurrection’s new serial killers, murdering someone satisfies their urges and allows them to go on living a normal life. That’s simply not the case for Harrison.That means Harrison - at most - has anger issues and a hero complex, not the homicidal tendenciesNew Bloodsuggested he had.
Resurrection Is Turning Harrison More Into Another Harry Than Another Dexter
Harrison Looks Primed To Be A Good Influence On Dexter & A Voice Of Reason Like Harry Was
Dexter: New Bloodwas seemingly trying to turn Harrison into a younger version of Dexter, butResurrectionhas a different idea entirely.Instead of becoming a younger version of Dexter, Harrison is poised to become a new version of Harry Morgan (James Remar), Dexter’s father. Harry has always been the personification of Dexter’s conscience and his morality, and Harrison may take over that role.
During their conversation at the end ofResurrectionepisode 5, Dexter outright told Harrison that he was the best influence on his life, and that he didn’t want to turn him into a serial killer. It’s pretty clear that Harrison has a more ingrained sense of right and wrong than Dexter does.He may end up providing Dexter with the guidance and reason to do the right thing that Harry has always offered.
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If Harrison does become the “new” Harry inResurrection, it would also play perfectly off his namesake. Harrison was named after his grandfather, Harry, and now he’s filling the role that Harry has played in Dexter’s life for decades. It would be perfectly poetic, and a great way to keep Harrison around for future seasons ofDexter: Resurrection.
Dexter: Resurrection
Cast
Dexter: Resurrection follows Dexter Morgan as he awakens from a coma to discover his son, Harrison, missing. His search leads him to New York City, where he confronts his past and the challenges posed by Miami Metro’s Angel Batista, as father and son face their shared darkness.
Dexter: New Blood
Set a decade after his disappearance, Dexter: New Blood follows Dexter Morgan living under a new identity in Iron Lake, New York. Despite his attempts to embrace a peaceful life, unforeseen events in the tight-knit community reignite his Dark Passenger, challenging his efforts to leave his past behind.
