Dexter: Resurrection on Paramount+ in July 2025 has got fans all hot and bothered for the original serial killer, Dexter Morgan, played by Michael C. Hall. After the messy ending of Dexter: New Blood, the new series picks up with Dexter having survived a gunshot wound and we’re off and running. But one choice has got fans and critics talking: why did Angela Bishop, the tough-as-nails Chief of Police from New Blood, let Dexter go? This is addressed in the first episode and it’s a big plot hole that undermines Angela’s character and the emotional stakes of the previous series.
Angela’s Role in New Blood: A Cop Committed to Justice
In Dexter: New Blood, Angela Bishop (Julia Jones) was the first Native American and female Chief of Police in Iron Lake, a character who was sharp as a tack and unwavering in her pursuit of justice. Her investigation into Dexter, living as Jim Lindsay, uncovered his true identity as the Bay Harbor Butcher and it ended in a showdown. Angela’s pursuit was personal; she was searching for her best friend Iris and she found out Dexter was a serial killer responsible for many deaths, including her colleague Sergeant Logan. By the finale, she had contacted Miami Metro’s Angel Batista and had set the stage for Dexter’s arrest, but then Harrison, Dexter’s son, shot him and it seemed like his story was over.
Angela’s decision to let Harrison go after the shooting was believable given her emotional connection to him and her shock at what was happening. But New Blood ended with the implication that Dexter’s crimes would be looked int,o especially with Batista on his way to Iron Lake. Fans expected Resurrection to address that, but the show’s handling of Angela’s character has left many wondering what’s going on.
The Plot Hole: Angela’s Abrupt Reversal
In the premiere of Dexter: Resurrection, we find out through Acting Sheriff Teddy Reed that Angela has taken her daughter Audrey and left Iron Lake and dropped the investigation into Dexter. A note left for Dexter in an envelope with a picture of Angela and Iris says, “We’re even. Now get the hell out of Iron Lake”. The show explains that Angela recanted her accusations that Dexter was the Bay Harbor Butcher, pinned Matt’s murder on Kurt and framed Logan’s death as self-defence after finding a bullet in Dexter’s cell. But this feels like a narrative trick that goes against Angela’s character and what we saw in New Blood.
Angela’s decision to let Dexter go is because of her gratitude for him exposing Kurt as Iris’s killer. That’s some emotional motivation, I guess. But it’s a pretty weak excuse for letting a serial killer who murdered her colleague and friend, Logan in cold blood off the hook. Angela’s established character as a cop who risked her career to uncover Dexter’s crimes makes her sudden willingness to cover for him jarring. Fans on Reddit are calling this “egregiously out of character,” saying that Angela would not let Logan’s murder or Dexter’s overall criminal history slide.
And how Angela handled the cover-up raises questions. New Blood showed black SUVs, probably fed cars, driving to Iron Lake. So they are looking into Dexter’s situation deeper. Resurrection says Angela shut down all investigations on her own, but doesn’t explain how she got other agencies to follow her lead. It’s too convenient that there are no cameras or forensic evidence to contradict her story about Logan’s death at a police station. That’s just too big of a case to ignore.
Attempts to Justify the Plot Hole
The show gives some context for Angela’s decision, but her emotional connection to Dexter and gratitude for him solving Iris’s murder have softened her stance. And finding Kurt’s underground bunker with all his victims might have shifted her focus and made Dexter’s vigilante justice seem less bad by comparison. Some fans on Reddit have speculated that Angela’s cover-up is part of a bigger plan with Batista to trap Dexter later, but there’s no evidence in the first 4 episodes to support that.
Another defense is that Angela’s actions are part of Dexter’s “plot armor,” where convenient twists allow him to get away with things. As one Reddit user put it, “Dexter has always been super lucky and gotten away with shit he shouldn’t have”. But this feels especially egregious given New Blood’s emphasis on Angela’s detective work and moral conviction. The show doesn’t even address Logan’s murder with any weight despite it being Dexter’s first innocent kill in the series. That makes the explanation even weaker.
The Broader Implications for Resurrection
The plot hole with Angela’s decision is going to hurt the credibility of Dexter: Resurrection, especially since it’s trying to redeem the franchise after two terrible finales. By not having Angela around, the show is missing an opportunity to explore the fallout of Dexter being exposed, something fans have been waiting for since New Blood’s cliffhanger. Critics are saying that her absence “disrupts narrative cohesion” and “compromises the emotional impact” of the previous series.
There’s still hope that future episodes or seasons might address these inconsistencies. Batista’s continued suspicion of Dexter as the Bay Harbor Butcher, hinted at in the premiere, means the investigation might not be over yet. Some fans are speculating that Angela might return in a later season and reveal her cover-up was a strategic move. But for now, her absence and the weak reason for letting Dexter go are a big misstep in an otherwise good revival.