"Camera Shy" is the second episode of the American crime drama mystery television series Dexter: Resurrection, sequel to Dexter and Dexter: New Blood. The episode was written by consulting producer Scott Buck, 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.[1]
| "Camera Shy" | |
|---|---|
| Dexter: Resurrection episode | |
| Episode no. | Episode 2 |
| Directed by | Marcos Siega |
| Written by | Scott Buck |
| Cinematography by | Joe Collins |
| Editing by | Katie Ennis |
| Original air date | July 11, 2025 |
| Running time | 47 minutes |
| Guest appearances | |
| |
The series is set following the events of Dexter: New Blood, and it follows Dexter Morgan, who has 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. In the episode, Dexter tries to get close to Harrison, while also investigating a serial killer who targets rideshare drivers.
The episode received mostly positive reviews from critics, who praised the performances and character development, although some were mixed over the episode's slow pacing.
Plot
editThis episode's plot summary may be too long or excessively detailed. (July 2025) |
A man boards a rideshare drive, where he starts a conversation with the driver, Stanley Touissant. The man is very intimidating, and speaks in a very dark tone, worrying Stanley. Stanley is then notified that the man is not his passenger, and the man garrotes him. He forces him to drive to a ___location, while taunting him over his family. The following morning, Stanley's car is found with his headless corpse inside.
Dexter sneaks through a backdoor in The Empire Hotel and investigates the room Ryan was murdered in. He is perplexed at how well Harrison cleaned the scene and notes the plastic curtain liner has been replaced, the original having been used to wrap Ryan's body. Claudette and Melvin enter the room and Dexter hides in the closet. Claudette correctly deduces that the curtain liner and the toilet tank lid were used in the murder and replaced. She then leaves to get a warrant to check all the other hotel rooms to confirm the theory. Deducing that Harrison used the hotel's kitchen to dismember the body, Dexter checks the scene after everyone leaves, and notices a drop of blood on the ceiling, which he proceeds to clean. After his truck is towed, Dexter is forced to call a rideshare driver. During the ride, the driver, Blessing Kamara, explains that a serial killer has been targeting rideshare drivers, and Dexter is shocked when he learns that the killer's nickname is "the Dark Passenger".
In Michigan, Charley stalks a serial killer, informing him that for violating the terms of an arrangement, her "boss" will stop dealing with him. When the man tries to negotiate, Charley kills him with one of his spiked baseball bats. Harrison begins to feel guilt over Ryan's murder, and he continues to be haunted by the memory of shooting Dexter. After briefly spotting Dexter (but believing it to be an hallucination), Harrison sells the truck that he gave him in an attempt to move on. Angel meets with Teddy to discuss Dexter's possible whereabouts, as well as learning a few of his activites in Iron Lake.
Hoping to find more about the Dark Passenger, Dexter accepts Blessing's invitation to a house party with his friends. There, he talks with a man who survived his encounter with the serial killer. The man tells Dexter that the killer bore a resemblance to Dexter himself. He shows Dexter dashcam footage of the encounter, but the killer, having been wearing a camera-shy hoodie, is unable to be identified. After Dexter reveals he is homeless, Blessing convinces him to move into a vacant basement apartment under his own. Dexter buys a new car and, in order to pursue the killer, acquires a job as a rideshare driver.
While studying the dashcam footage, Dexter sees that the killer had a backpack with the logo of Bridge Data Network, a cybersecurity company. Scrolling through the list of employees, he takes an interest in Ronald Schmidt, who has no online presence. He conducts a stakeout, where he finally identifies Ronald by taking a picture of him wearing his camera-shy hoodie. Just as Ronald prepares to board a rideshare drive, Dexter approaches and claims the ride is for him, prompting Ronald to leave on the subway. Dexter attempts to follow, but Ronald manages to evade him. Harry notes that Dexter prioritized the safety of Ronald's next victim rather than kill him, which is unusual for him.
Production
editDevelopment
editThe episode was written by consulting producer Scott Buck, and directed by executive producer Marcos Siega. This marked Buck's first writing credit, and Siega's second directing credit.[2]
Reception
edit"Camera Shy" received mostly positive reviews from critics. Louis Peitzman of Vulture gave the episode a 3 star rating out of 5 and wrote, "This may be sacrilege to those of you who prefer the binge model of television, but I'm always a little annoyed when shows premiere with more than one episode. First of all, it's a big ask and second of all, it often feels like a way to drag out the table setting. That's certainly the case with “Camera Shy,” which struck me as surprisingly slow after the propulsive premiere. Yes, it's too early in the Dexter: Resurrection season for any of the inevitable confrontations ahead, but if you keep showing tantalizing glimpses of Uma Thurman's serial-killer recruiter, Charley, I'm going to ask when we’re getting to the fireworks factory."[3]
Shawn Van Horn of Collider gave the episode a 7 out of 10 rating and wrote, "Harry tells Dexter that he put everything at risk to save someone rather than to kill someone. Wanting to know when that started, Dexter tells him now. Is he developing human feelings? Not enough, because a voiceover tells us that his kill table is ready."[4] Matthew Wilkinson of Game Rant wrote, "Given that the trailer gave away the idea of multiple serial killers, this was certainly an interesting moment that seems to give a wink at what's to come for Dexter: Resurrection, in what was another impressive episode of the show."[5] Mads Misasi of Telltale TV wrote, "All in all, these two episodes give us a very strong start to what will either be a strong, but risky shift in tone, or will fall apart the further we explore this new setting."[6]
Greg MacArthur of Screen Rant wrote, "Ultimately, the first two episodes of Dexter: Resurrection deliver exactly what the franchise needed and what fans have been dying to see. They exceed expectations and set up what is already feeling like one of the greatest Dexter seasons ever made."[7] Carissa Pavlica of TV Fanatic gave the episode a 4 star rating out of 5 and wrote, "Episode 2 offers more humor, more tension, and even more ridiculousness than the premiere. And I mean that as a compliment."[8]
References
edit- ^ Lammers, Tim (July 11, 2025). "'Dexter: Resurrection' Release Schedule: When Do New Episodes Come Out?". Forbes. Retrieved July 16, 2025.
- ^ "Dexter: New Blood – WGA Directory". Writers Guild of America West. Retrieved July 16, 2025.
- ^ Peitzman, Louis (July 11, 2025). "Dexter: Resurrection Recap: Copycat Killer". Vulture. Retrieved July 16, 2025.
- ^ Van Horn, Shawn (July 11, 2025). "'Dexter: Resurrection' Episode 2 Recap: A New Dark Passenger Arrives on the Scene and Harrison Follows in His Father's Bloody Footsteps". Collider. Retrieved July 16, 2025.
- ^ Wilkinson, Matthew (July 11, 2025). "Dexter: Resurrection Episode 2 'Camera Shy' Review". Game Rant. Retrieved July 16, 2025.
- ^ Misasi, Mads (July 11, 2025). "Dexter: Resurrection Season Premiere Review: The Dark Passenger Strikes". Telltale TV. Retrieved July 12, 2025.
- ^ MacArthur, Greg (July 11, 2025). "Dexter: Resurrection Episodes 1 & 2 Review: Dexter's Third Spinoff Series Is Off To A Fantastic & Brilliant Start". Screen Rant. Retrieved July 16, 2025.
- ^ Pavlica, Carissa (July 11, 2025). "Dexter: Resurrection Season 1 Episode 2 Review: Camera Shy". TV Fanatic. Retrieved July 16, 2025.
External links
edit- "Camera Shy" at IMDb