Following on from last week, 'New Blood' is offering a lot of the same.
More top-notch filmmaking, aesthetic shots that track through the snow-ridden landscape, inventive sequences during Dexter's hallucinations etc. However, this is where we see the plot beginning to shape up. Every season requires a few episodes like this before it can possibly build up to any sort of climax, and the second episode is a great place to begin this journey.
Again, we are treated to a lot of the elements from the original show, more Dexter trickery and deception, more quick-wit and humorous dialogue etc. The only criticism I have, bar the lack of anything extraordinary happening, is that I'm slightly tired of the overused trope of the "traumatised individual" being haunted by someone they lost. It makes sense in the world of the show and, to its credit, is shot wonderfully with sequences that are more creative than times when it has been done previously, however I think there are better ways to externalise Dexter's demons or his fears and anxieties.
I believe most viewers will have a reasonable bearing of where this season is going (I'm sensing certain similarities to a previous season of the show) however I'm certain I'll be very pleasantly surprised by the twists and turns we have come to expect from Dexter. And even if my own theories are true, it's fun to be back on the journey with our Dark Passenger. There's certainly a lot here to be desired by viewers who may never have seen the show before, however part of its appeal lies in how wonderful it is to see Dexter on our screens again. Looking forward to how the rest will unfold after a slow yet very promising episode.
