Can the police prove Don Framt is the Ripper? The Dexter: Resurrection Season 2 premiere, “Risky Business”, makes the answer to the first half of that question clear early on, then spends the hour showing how little anyone can do about it.
SPOILER WARNING!!!
Detectives Claudette Wallace and Melvin Oliva have hunted the New York Ripper for 23 years, and this episode marks their ninth failed interrogation of Don Framt, played by Brian Cox. His lawyer dismantles their circumstantial case for a recent murder, and Framt, now in a wheelchair, gleefully taunts them on his way out.
Dexter has his own stake, opening the episode with a dream in which he and Angel Batista strap the Ripper to a table, only for the victim to become Batista.
Why Do the Police Think Framt Is the Ripper?
The case starts with a file from Leon Prater’s vault, found directly beneath the weapon the Ripper used on his victims. The episode points out that the vault holds over 100 confirmed pieces of serial killer history, so the Framt file would have to be the single wrong entry in the room. That argument is the detectives’ strongest card, and the show gives viewers little reason to doubt it.
However, the weakness is legal. A vault file does not hold up in court, and Captain Mixon supports bringing Framt to justice while telling his detectives they need more than circumstantial evidence. Until they find it, Framt can sit at home laughing at his own public taunts.
I think the show has already settled who Framt is, which makes the suspense about how he falls. My prediction is that Wallace gets her proof from Framt himself, since he cannot resist taunting the people chasing him, and each ninth, tenth or eleventh interrogation gives him another chance to slip.
The bigger and immediate threat to Framt is Dexter, who holds the same file and has the Code on his side. The wrinkle is Joey Quinn, who arrives at the precinct asking about Batista. Kadia Saraf told Collider that whether Quinn will “open that Pandora’s box” gets answered later in the season, and I expect his questions to cost Dexter the time he doesn’t have.
What Happens Now That Dexter Left Al’s Body Behind?
Dexter’s trip to Pennsylvania did not go to plan. Al, the Rapunzel Killer played by Eric Stonestreet, noticed his stolen ponytail trophies were missing, overpowered Dexter, and nearly suffocated him through the kill room’s plastic wrap. Dexter finally choked him with a chain, but too bruised to put the body on the table, he left it behind.
By morning he is microwaving a frozen burrito and obsessively googling whether anyone has found Al. Harry lectures him about his ego, and showrunner Clyde Phillips has explained where that comes from, telling Entertainment Weekly:
“One of the things that Dexter has always wanted is recognition,” he said.
That craving makes a sloppy kill dangerous. The evidence problem now runs both ways, with Framt free because the police lack proof and Dexter exposed because he may have handed them some.
However, I think the bigger threat is digital. Dexter agreed to share live locations with Harrison, who watched his dad drive out of the city the night he skipped graduation, and Oliva has already pitched Harrison for Wallace’s team. Our prediction is that Pennsylvania police find Al within a few episodes, and the question becomes whether Harrison connects the dots before Quinn does.
Framt is still free, Dexter has lost a step, and both clocks are running. Dexter: Resurrection Season 2 Episode 2 arrives Friday, November 6, on Paramount+.
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