Dexter: Resurrection ending explained: Who dies as net closes in on the serial killer?

But things got to a rough start, with Dexter in a bad way. After Angel Batista (David Zayas) died at the hands of Leon Prater (Peter Dinklage), Dexter found himself locked in the billionaire’s twisted basement, alongside Prater's collection of true crime trophies.

With Harrison in danger, the New York Ripper case still stumping the detectives, and suspicions growing around Dexter himself, there was a lot to wrap up as the show sped towards its ending.

With season 2 already confirmed, here’s how things played out, and sets the stage for what's to come

Dexter: Resurrection ending explained – do Dexter and Harrison survive?

Short answer: Of course they do! But it’s not for a lack of trying.

After shooting Angel, Prater is ecstatic, but henchman Charley (Uma Thurman) warns that he’s treading a dangerous path. Deciding to keep Dexter locked in the vault, they conclude it will take him up to three days to die there if they left him.

As Dexter covers Angel in a sheet, he hallucinates a visit from his dead brother, Brian Moser – aka the Ice Truck Killer from back in season 1 of the original series. Brian goads him for Angel’s death, telling him it’s what happens when you pretend to be someone you’re not.

But Prater’s not as organised as he thinks, and Dexter gets a lifeline when Angel’s phone rings. While he doesn’t answer the phone to old pal Quinn, he is able to access the phone and calls Harrison for help.

Calling in an offer from a friend, Harrison takes a catering job at the gala that evening.

As he waits, Dexter finds a file cabinet filled with folders of serial killers in hopes it could hold the key to the door code. He discovers today is the same date Cooper Morris, another serial killer, murdered Prater’s parents.

Harrison video calls Dexter, who guides him through the house to a service staircase, but is caught by Charley picking a lock on route to get to his dad. Charley holds Harrison at gunpoint, but Dexter tells her over the phone that Prater has been keeping a file on her – tracking all the dirty work he has made her do so he can control her forever.

Threatening to AirDrop photos to the police upstairs, Dexter tells her he’ll destroy the evidence on her in exchange for letting Harrison go and opening the vault. Instead, she lets Harrison go, but tells Dexter he has to die – and if he dares release the evidence, she’ll track Harrison down and kill him.

With the phone’s battery dying, Dexter tells Harrison what he thinks the code is, warning him an alarm will go off if it’s wrong. Spotting a box of letters from an inmate, he correctly guesses that’s the real code he needs, and Dexter and Harrison are reunited.

However, they quickly split again to get out undetected, with Harrison returning to the gala.

What happens at the gala?

The gala, despite what’s going on inside the house, largely passes without incident.

Charley tells Prater she quits, and that she’ll disappear and won’t tell a soul about what he’s been up to, but he has to keep up her mother’s medical care. If he doesn’t, she’ll go “scorched earth”.

Putting on a front, Prater makes a speech at his gala, but then tells his security to cut all the cameras, and takes one of their guns. He then spots Harrison trying to get out, and forces him back to his wine room to call Dexter.

By the end of the night, the gala raised $11.4million – which with Prater’s match vow, comes to $22.8million. But Prater’s nowhere to be seen.

Detective Wallace wants to leave, but just as she’s about to walk out the door, she’s convinced to stay by hearing her favourite song, Stayin’ Alive by the Bee Gees, and hits the dance floor instead.

What happens to Leon Prater?

Calling Dexter on Harrison’s phone, Prater lures him back to the house, intent on killing Harrison in front of him. Finally a killer himself, he is enthralled with the feeling, higher than the years of just admiring serial killers from afar.

So Dexter offers him the chance to kill him instead – making him the ‘Apex Predator’ who took out the Bay Harbour Butcher. He entices him with the idea of leaving Harrison to deal with the consequences of a murdered family, just like he and Prater have lived with all these years.

While distracted, Harrison uses a sedative syringe he had been given by Dexter on Prater, and while he shoots to the ceiling, passes out.

When he awakens, he is strapped to Brian Moser’s rack in his vault, wrapped in cellophane. Knowing he’s about to become Dexter’s next victim, he pleads for his life, offering any amount of money Dexter wants.

But it falls on deaf ears, and Dexter thrillingly kills him – but doesn't take a trophy, noting Prater’s not someone he wants to remember.

Dexter chops up Prater’s body, then cleans and replaces all of Prater’s memorabilia, and leaves with Prater in body bags, using the dead man’s thumb to get past the fingerprint locks.

Who is the New York Ripper?

Before leaving the mansion, Dexter sets off Prater’s alarm, and just as he predicted, dozens of police officers at the gala rush up to the penthouse to investigate – led by Wallace and Oliva.

They find Angel’s body, a gun with Prater’s fingerprints all over it, and his fully-stocked murder vault.

As the team bag and tag everything, Wallace and Oliva identify Angel, and spot a framed, bloodied sewer grate hook on the wall – labelled as belonging to the New York Ripper.

Looking through a litter of Prater’s files on the floor, one finally identifies the New York Ripper as a Mr Don Framt – someone we’ve not knowingly met yet.

With the case officially back on, it’s more than likely this is who they’ll be investigating going into the second season.

What lies ahead of Dexter Resurrection season 2?

Successfully covering his tracks once again, the police are working under the assumption Angel discovered Prater’s vault, and Prater killed him before fleeing the city.

Instead he is now at the bottom of the Hudson river, with Dexter commandeering his yacht to dispose of the body.

Charley takes her mother out of her nursing home, and they set off for a new life together.

As Dexter reflects on what he’s learned, he realises he needs people in his life – like his new friend, Blessing, and Harrison – and somewhere to belong. But he also needs to accept who he is.

Opening a bag, it’s revealed Dexter stole a number of folders, including that of ‘Rapunzel’ killer Al (Eric Stonestreet), and they look set to be next on his list of twisted justice.

Dexter: Resurrection is available to stream on Paramount Plus.

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