A Beating Heart...

"A Beating Heart..."
Dexter: Resurrection episode
Episode no.	Episode 1
Directed by	Marcos Siega
Written by	Clyde Phillips Scott Reynolds
Cinematography by	Joe Collins
Editing by	Perri Frank
Original air date	July 11, 2025 (2025-07-11)
Running time	51 minutes
Guest appearances
John Lithgow as Arthur Mitchell (special guest star) Erik King as James Doakes (special guest star) Jimmy Smits as Miguel Prado (special guest star) David Magidoff as Teddy Reed Marc Menchaca as Red Bryan Lillis as Ryan Foster Isabella Star LaBlanc Jason Alan Carvell as Stefan Pike McKaley Miller as Shauna Dallas Goldtooth Darius Jordan Lee as Lance Thomas Eli Sherman as Young Dexter

"A Beating Heart..." is the series premiere of the American crime drama mystery television series Dexter: Resurrection, sequel to Dexter and Dexter: New Blood. The episode was written by series creator Clyde Phillips and executive producer Scott Reynolds, and directed by executive producer Marcos Siega. It was released on Paramount+ with Showtime on July 11, 2025, and aired on Showtime two days later.

The series is set following the events of Dexter: New Blood, and it follows Dexter Morgan, who has miraculously recovered from his near-fatal gunshot wound. After realizing that his son Harrison is now working as a hotel bellhop in New York City, he sets out to find him. During this, his old friend Angel Batista returns to talk with Dexter over unfinished business.

The series premiere received mostly positive reviews from critics, who praised the performances, tone and intrigue, with many deeming it as a promising debut for the series.

Plot

After being shot by his son Harrison, Dexter Morgan is taken to a hospital in the Seneca Nation of New York, where the doctors are able to revive him but he falls in a coma. In his coma, Dexter imagines a conversation with Arthur Mitchell, who mocks his life and how he thought he could have a happy family alongside his Dark Passenger. He is also visited by Miguel Prado, who notes that despite Dexter's code, innocent people close to him die.

In New York City, Harrison is revealed to be working as a bellhop at the Hotel Empire. Despite earning trust from his colleagues, Harrison still feels haunted by the memories of shooting his own father. Dexter imagines a conversation with Harry, who claims Harrison needs him, despite Dexter believing he is better off without him. He also imagines talking with James Doakes, who admits that despite his actions, he still sees a "kernel of good" in him and urges him to reunite with his son. Ten weeks into his coma, Dexter finally awakens. The doctor explains that Iron Lake's cold winter temperatures slowed down his bleeding and he also tells Dexter that Harrison has not been seen in weeks.

Harrison notices a guest, Ryan Foster, leaving with a drunk woman named Shauna whom he claims is his wife. This makes Harrison suspicious as Ryan had previously revealed that he's not married and Shauna had told him earlier that she was staying at the hotel to attend a medical conference. Harrison reluctantly helps them get to Ryan's room and begins walking away but, after hearing Shauna scream, breaks into the room, just as Ryan prepares to rape Shauna. Harrison and Ryan engage in a brutal fight which ends with Harrison beating Ryan to a bloody pulp. After Ryan tells Harrison that he plans to rape more women, Harrison furiously beats him to death with a toilet tank lid. After taking Shauna to her room, he returns to Ryan's room to clean up the scene and retrieve the body. He takes it to the kitchen, where he dismembers it, cutting the body into nine pieces, and puts in trash bags using the lessons taught to him by his father. He leaves them outside the hotel, where a garbage truck takes them away. However, the following morning, while dumping the bags, the workers find pieces of Ryan's dismembered body and call authorities.

While recovering in physical therapy, Dexter is visited by Teddy Reed (David Magidoff), believing he is about to be arrested. However, Teddy instead delivers him an envelope, explaining that Angela and Audrey left Iron Lake after the shooting and he is now the acting Sheriff. The envelope contains a photo of Angela and her old friend Iris, telling Dexter "we're even" for helping solve Iris' murder. Angela had covered for Dexter with authorities, blaming Kurt Caldwell for his son's death and explaining that Logan's death was an act of self-defense, supported by the bullet hole in Dexter's cell. After another session of therapy, Dexter is visited by Angel Batista. When Angel asks Dexter why he faked his death, Dexter explains that losing Rita and Debra prompted him to take Debra's body with him on his boat and drive it into Hurricane Laura. He then started a new life under an alias in order to start fresh. Angel reveals that Angela contacted him and claimed that Dexter was the Bay Harbor Butcher, but when he arrived after she shot him, she backtracked everything. When Angel brings up María LaGuerta's belief that Dexter was the Butcher, they both agree there is nothing to it. Before Angel leaves, he tells Dexter that he rescinded his death certificate and he is now legally alive once more. This makes Dexter suspicious, as he thinks that Angel suspects him of being the Bay Harbor Butcher and people who have been declared dead cannot be prosecuted.

In New York, Detectives Melvin Oliva and Claudette Wallace are called to the scene, with Claudette managing to find the remaining pieces of Ryan's body to identify him. They visit his hotel room, marking it as a crime scene, which they notice disturbs Harrison. During another physical therapy session, Dexter is told about Ryan's murder, in which the body disposal was done in a similar manner he taught Harrison. The motive also seems familiar, as investigating Ryan's background, he finds he was previously acquitted of sexual assault. Worrying that Harrison will become a suspect in the murder, Dexter escapes from his room, stealing the car of a recenly deceased patient. As Dexter stops to buy clothing, Angel discovers that Dexter is missing from the hospital.

A woman, Charley, stalks a man to his house. When the man leaves, she uses equipment to inspect his room, eventually discovering IDs of multiple people and cash. She leaves after rearranging everything, calling someone to say "invitation delivered." Dexter arrives in New York City, and sees Harrison at the entrance of the Hotel Empire.

Production

Development

The episode was written by series creator Clyde Phillips and executive producer Scott Reynolds, and directed by executive producer Marcos Siega.

Writing

Phillips was interested in exploring Harrison's personality after the events of New Blood, "This was his way of dealing with something that's wrong and dangerous. He knows one of the rules is that you kill in order to help other people. Maybe this was an overreaction on his part, maybe it was the right thing to do. The audience can determine that, and Harrison and Dexter will determine that. But it raises a question: Is this in his DNA?" Jack Alcott added, "I think that that is a real gift that Harrison gets from Dexter. Being a really impulsive, reactive person can lead itself to all sorts of nasty situations and it is the discipline and the meticulousness that he received from his father that really gets him out of that situation in the hotel."

Michael C. Hall said that the conversation between Dexter and Angel was one of his favorite scenes to film, explaining "It was just so rich and complicated. There is so much water under the bridge, and this cat-and-mouse dynamics. But it was also just so bittersweet, these guys who used to have this simple connection, everything’s just fraught with complication and suspicion now." David Zayas also offered another perspective, "This is a different Angel, with all the information he has now, particularly Dexter just being alive. It's a new case he has to deal with outside of his environment, in a new place, in New York, where he has no authority as a police officer. He's having to deal with the cold coming from Miami. There's so many little issues for him to navigate, while he's trying to get some justice for all of what he's missed over those many years."

Casting

In March 2025, John Lithgow and Jimmy Smits were confirmed to return as guest stars. In June 2025, Erik King confirmed he would also return.

Phillips explained the decision, "It is really Dexter's subconscious saying, “I've got to get back to my son.” This is America's favorite serial killer show, but it's also a father-and-son show. And it's Dexter's mission to get back and try to undo the trauma of having Harrison, his own son, shoot him. Dexter wants to save that relationship." Hall was excited in getting them back for guest spots, "It was awesome. It was such a perfect way to re-engage with the mythology of the character. For me as an actor, for the character, for the audience, to grow out of that soil was the best way to start."

Reception

"A Beating Heart..." received mostly positive reviews from critics. Louis Peitzman of Vulture gave the episode a 4 star rating out of 5 and wrote, "If it helps ease your confusion, consider that Resurrection is essentially a rebranded tenth season of the original show. While technically a new series, it starts with a “previously on” that sums up the entirety of New Blood, and the first episode is loaded with references to Dexter proper, including several familiar faces. With OG showrunner Clyde Phillips back in the driver's seat, we're in safe hands."

Shawn Van Horn of Collider wrote, "The episode ends with a mysterious woman breaking into an apartment. [...] Dexter is resurrected, but it looks like his life, along with others, is about to take an interesting new direction." Matthew Wilkinson of Game Rant wrote, "it all still feels familiar in a positive way, and Dexter: Resurrection has started well, with the serial killer world making an emphatic return." Mads Misasi of Telltale TV wrote, "While Dexter: Resurrection Season 1 Episode 1, “A Beating Heart...” focuses mostly on Dexter's coma dreams, there is some depth added with the Harrison bits."

Greg MacArthur of Screen Rant wrote, "The first two episodes of Dexter: Resurrection show incredible promise for the Dexter sequel series, blending the show's vintage nostalgia with fresh new faces and storylines. While the location switch to New York City may have initially seemed risky, watching Dexter operate in the Big Apple is just as great as Miami – and far better than frigid Iron Lake." Carissa Pavlica of TV Fanatic gave the episode a 3.75 star rating out of 5 and wrote, "It's messy, psychological, and leans heavily into its legacy. But for a series that’s literally bringing its protagonist back from the dead, Dexter: Resurrection hits the ground running with just the right mix of nostalgia, narrative propulsion, and an infuriating knack for letting its antihero live to kill another day."

External links

• "A Beating Heart..." at IMDb