Dexter: New Blood Episode 4, H is For Hero, begins with Dexter receiving word that Iron Lake High School is on lockdown. He comes to find Harrison injured, having allegedly been stabbed by Ethan, a student who had planned to stage a school shooting. Dexter notices several inconsistencies in Harrison's story and quickly discovers that he is lying.
Dexter: New Blood Episode 4 Recap: Is it Harrison’s Turn?
H is for Hero raises the question of whether Harrison inherited his father's infamous Dark Passenger or murderous impulses. By the conclusion of the hour, it appears like the answer is a clear yes.
After backing Ethan in standing up to his school bullies, Harrison unwittingly empowered Ethan to do something extreme. Ethan showed a series of increasingly grim and violent drawings of people like Scott and Zack being killed. He even compiled a long list of pupils he planned to kill, including Audrey.
Harrison gets stabbed in the abdomen after a dispute with Ethan, and Ethan is taken to the hospital. We don't see the conflict, which seems unusual until you realize Dexter: New Blood is going in a different direction.
Ethan confronted Harrison to persuade Harrison to join him in his deadly rampage. Harrison says Angela, his father, and the other cops. When Harrison refused, he claimed Ethan had wounded him, and the two wrestled for the knife before Harrison reclaimed it and sliced Ethan in the leg.
Dexter discovers a straight razor concealed in his flashlight, the identical blade used by The Trinity Killer to murder Harrison's mother Rita, confirming his suspicions that Harrison has a Dark Passenger. Before the fourth episode of New Blood cuts to black, Dexter places the blade to his lip and smiles.
Why the Heck did Dexter Smile?
Dexter actually smiles when he realizes he has a Dark Passenger, despite spending the majority of the first season and the first few episodes of Dexter: New Blood hoping Harrison would be "normal" and not turn out like him. Dexter feels he can't be a father to Harrison until he's like him, as Deb's Dark Passenger manifestation in New Blood Episode 4 demonstrated. Dexter believes that the only way he can connect with Harrison is if he is as dark and twisted as he badly wants to be someone Harrison can look up to.
Dexter is relieved that Harrison, who inherited his "sick" Dark Passenger, is equally as murderous. As Screen Rant points out, Dexter is no longer alone in the world, and he can finally have a meaningful relationship with his son, no matter how twisted that bond may become.
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