

Michael C. Hall says the Gen X midlife crisis his titular serial killer goes through in "Dexter: Resurrection" S2 puts him at a risk of discovery.

Michael C. Hall's "Dexter: Resurrection" Season 2 premieres on Friday. File Photo by Derek French/UPI UPI Uma Thurman speaks at the Forbes 30/50 5-Year Anniversary Summit at the The Mandarin Oriental on October 16 in New York City. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI UPI Brian Cox attends an unveiling ceremony honoring Alan Cumming with the 2,832nd star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Los Angeles on January 8. File Photo by Greg Grudt/UPI UPI
NEW YORK, Oct. 29 (UPI) -- Michael C. Hall says the Gen X midlife crisis his titular vigilante serial killer goes through in Dexter: Resurrection Season 2 puts him at a tremendous risk of discovery.
"He's not buying a fancy car and I think he's forsaken the idea that he has any business having a girlfriend," Hall, 55, told UPI at a recent round-table interview with reporters at New York Comic Con.
"But he is experiencing a desire to be acknowledged, to be recognized, to be appreciated," the actor explained.
"He's arguably the most prolific of his kind and, also, has targeted a unique kind of victim and, as far as the world knows, he's just another ride-share driver living in a basement apartment," he added. "He's reckoning with that, managing that, and is susceptible to that appetite. ... I don't envy him his midlife crisis. We all come to that point, but for a character like him, it's a pretty dicey proposition."
Hall said it has been fascinating to explore how Dexter has evolved since the original show premiered 20 years ago.
...
"When we would leave the show for a long time and come back, I imagine, Dexter's just living in a dungeon apartment and he's wallpapered his walls with news clippings about himself," the actor said.
"I've always thought that there must be some desire to be known that's at odds with a desire not to be caught. So, it's been nice to finally tell a story over the course of the season, where that appetite is bubbling up, getting him in trouble."
Dexter is also dealing with a lot of normal issues people in their 50s face.
"He's so remarkably capable, implausibly capable in certain ways, but he's also just so completely remedial and clueless in other ways and it's fun to see him up against situations where he's trying to just find out the basics," Hall said.
"I found it completely plausible that he would try to find a podcast [that might help]," he added, noting Dexter has to look for general answers because anything specific typed into a search engine might flag him to authorities.
"All those things go such a long way to humanizing him. Dexter is sort of completely unique as a character and an idea, but somehow manages to be totally relatable and I think he's most relatable in his cluelessness."
Premiering Friday on Paramount+, Season 2 features a two-year time jump in which Dexter "befriends" the New York Ripper (Brian Cox) while his son Harrison (Jack Alcott) is chasing the Five Borough Killer (Dan Stevens) and dating Fiona (Nona Parker Johnson), the cop daughter of his police captain boss.
...
Although most people who find out Dexter is really the Bay Harbor Butcher end up dead themselves, one person who has survived this revelation is Charley (Uma Thuman), a shadowy security expert who wants to help Dexter find and eliminate other serial killers.
"A simulated relationship with this nasty character, Don Framt, is a chance for him to connect with someone who's like him, at least to some degree," Hall said.
"The same thing is happening with Charley. It's a reason why he wants to maintain a relationship with his son, the only person who actually knows who he is, as much as Harrison's capable of knowing that. I don't even know what Dexter is. He's a mystery to me."
Hall said that unlike another serial killer on the show, who uses his public image as a doting dad to cover up his crimes, Dexter loves Harrison more than any other person in his life, but he doesn't know how that compares to how others experience this emotion or if what he has to offer is enough to sustain a healthy relationship with his son.
"He cares for Harrison in a way that he doesn't care for other people and inasmuch as loving someone is willing, they're good. I think he loves his son. I think he wants what's best for him and he wants his own path," he added. "Dexter lies a lot, but I don't think he's living a lie."