‘Dexter: New Blood’ Fans Notice Something Sinister in Episode 4 ‘H Is for Hero’
Dexter Morgan (Michael C. Hall) reconnects with his son, Harrison (Jack Alcott) in Dexter: New Blood. Since the day he was born, Dexter has questioned whether or not Harrison is like him — does he harbor a “dark passenger” like his serial killer father? There’s a moment from “H is for Hero” that fans can’t stop analyzing, and it has everything to do with Harrison’s need to kill.
[SPOILER ALERT: Spoilers ahead for Dexter: New Blood Episode 4, “H is for Hero.”]
Dexter realizes Harrison is embracing his ‘dark passenger’
Harrison Morgan gets involved in what almost becomes a school shooting in “H is for Hero.” After befriending his bullied classmate, Ethan (Christian Dell’Edera), Harrison claims Ethan tried to get him to help with a mass murder at school. To protect his classmates, Harrison rejects Ethan’s offer.
According to Harrison, Ethan didn’t take too kindly to his rejection, so he attacked him. In an act of self defense, Harrison sliced Ethan’s leg at the artery and escaped with a minor stab wound to the stomach.
Later, Dexter pieces together Harrison’s story, but his forensic brain finds holes in it. Realizing his son’s wound was self-inflicted, Dexter returns to the crime scene to confirm his suspicions.
Dexter finds Harrison Morgan’s straight razor in ‘H is for Hero’ and smiles
The final scene in “H is for Hero” has many Dexter: New Blood fans talking. “Anyone else see this as Dexter smiling in the final moments of the newest episode?” one fan writes on Reddit. Their post contains a still of Dexter holding Harrison’s straight razor to his mouth with a smile on his face.
“This is why MCH is a world-class actor,” comments a fan in the thread. “He’s upset at this revelation, but he’s also happy because he can relate to his son finally. It’s both. Great acting.”
Many Dexter fans agree that Dexter is experiencing a range of emotions in this scene. “He’s clearly got conflicted emotions of both that are difficult to reconcile but doesn’t mean they aren’t there,” reads another Reddit comment.
“Specifically, it’s like he’s reacting to Deb saying, ‘He was born in blood just like you,'” says another Reddit user. “Then when he adds: ‘He has my dark passenger…’ He goes through a few emotions, but the final frame is a smile. I’m certain.”
Even Alcott feels some type of way about the final moments in “H is for Hero.” As he revealed to The Hollywood Reporter: “It’s what he’s been scared of this whole time. Watching [Dexter] unfold the knife and then saying it, and then that little smile. I don’t know how many times I’ve watched the episode, but every time the smile gets me. I get the shivers.”
Harrison’s straight razor mimics the Trinity Killer
After piecing together how Harrison’s attack played out, Dexter considers Harrison’s weapon of choice. Based on the blood spatter patterns and the photos of Ethan’s wounds, Dexter knows Harrison didn’t use the hunting knife he claimed Ethan dropped.
At the end of the episode, Dexter is turning Harrison’s room upside down in search of the weapon. The scene cuts from Dexter’s hunt to Harrison’s speech about heroism and bullying — an artful choice by Dexter showrunner Clyde Phillips, no doubt.
Eventually, Dexter finds Harrison’s weapon hidden in a flashlight. It’s a straight razor — one very similar to the murder weapon the Trinity Killer (John Lithgow) uses to kill the young women victims who become part of his ritual.
See how Harrison’s dark passenger continues to evolve. New episodes of Dexter: New Blood air Sunday nights at 9 PM ET on Showtime.
