‘Dexter: New Blood’ Recap: Episode 3 “Smoke Signals”

Julia
10 Min Read
Seacia Pavao/SHOWTIME

This week on Dexter: New Blood, the search for Matt continues. Now, there’s a break in the case, and we’re a little nervous. Meanwhile, viewers meet Molly, and Harrison starts school. Read on to find out what happens in “Smoke Signals.”

Warning: Not even smoke can mask these spoilers. Proceed with caution.

Fast Times at Iron Lake High

It’s time for Harrison to start school! He and Jim meet with Principal Strode. She’s concerned about Harrison’s inconsistent grades, clearly judging Jim for not being a present father. Deb pops in to drive that point home. In any case, Harrison is mostly ready to start classes. But first, he needs to take a placement test. A bit later, he does. And our boy passes with flying colors. Principal Strode, however, thinks Harrison cheated. So, she brings Jim back, who doesn’t do a great job at defending his son’s honor. Harrison agrees to retake the test with a proctor. And he ends up getting a higher score the second time.

The next day, Harrison learns that Zach and co. are catfishing a kid named Ethan. During lunch, Harrison tells Ethan and helps him plan his payback. (Don’t worry, it’s not that bad … ) When their plan works, Zach moves to attack Ethan. But Harrison stops him, grabbing Zach by the throat, threatening to keep doing it if he doesn’t leave Ethan alone.

That night, Ethan FaceTimes Harrison to thank him for earlier. Ethan shows Harrison some drawings he did of Zach et al. And … they’re disturbing, to say the least. Most of them showcase those who bullied him in the midst of gruesome deaths, all by Ethan’s hand. If this bothers Harrison, he doesn’t say so. In fact, he appears to be more intrigued than anything. Uh oh.

Don’t Go Breaking My Case

dexter new blood episode 3
Seacia Pavao/SHOWTIME

ILPD continues their search for Matt. As Jim and Harrison get ready to leave for the high school, Angela reveals they have a break in the case. It turns out ILPD has surveillance cameras set up in the woods. Luckily for Jim, the cameras only capture heat signatures. Kurt is livid, and Angela tries to calm him down. They plan to talk to everyone who was in contact with Matt, including Jim. Meanwhile, Jim offers to pull hunting licenses to get a lead on who the mystery heat signature is. But he’s not worried (yet) because he knows he’s not on the list.

When they get back to the cabin, CSI arrives. A man, Damien, is there to assess the scene; he’s their blood guy. Jim, Kurt, Angela, and Teddy head over with Damien. They watch on as Damien recreates what happened, and even Jim can’t deny this guy is good. Damien takes a blood sample from the scene, then a swab from Kurt. He’s going to run a familial DNA test to confirm the blood belongs to Matt.

Later, the results come in. Angela breaks the news to Kurt that it’s a match. With this new info, ILPD is going to bring in search dogs the next day. Deb is NOT pleased. Again, she berates Dexter. She pulls a gun (yes, a GUN!) on him, intent on making sure he remembers who (and what) he really is. (Looks like someone’s feeling the pressure.)

The Coverup Part 2

dexter new blood episode 3
Seacia Pavao/SHOWTIME

Jim finds himself once again needing to cover his trail. While Harrison’s asleep, Jim digs up Matt and removes his vest. Jim runs around the grounds, spreading the scent to follow the trail he managed to concoct in the previous episode. The next day, the search dogs arrive—Jim’s clear for now. In the meantime, Logan wants to interview him.

First, Jim needs to drop Harrison off at school. Deb appears, reminding Dexter the false trail won’t last forever. She offers suggestions on what to do with Matt’s body, including (in a truly wild moment) a woodchipper. Dexter tells her it needs to be a long-term solution. You know, so Matt’s body isn’t discovered. But Deb isn’t convinced he’s not planning to kill again. (And neither are we.) He doesn’t have time to worry about that now, though. It’s time for his interview with Logan. Jim cooperates, but it’s clear he’s getting nervous (same).

Free from potential self-incrimination, Jim goes to work. He examines a map and finds a potential dump spot for Matt’s body: the iron mine. When he hikes up to the mine, it really does seem perfect. Until a bear shows up. Guess it’s time for a plan C.

Up in Smoke

dexter new blood episode 3
Seacia Pavao/SHOWTIME

After school and Harrison’s whole “I’m gonna choke this kid” incident, Audrey gives Harrison a ride. They stop by Gig’s shop first to pick up stuff for dinner. Gig mentions the white buck still in the back, which upsets Audrey. They go look at it, and Harrison suggests they do something before sanitation does. On their way home, Audrey’s car breaks down. Audrey assesses the damage, and Harrison goes to call for help. And who should show up but Edward Olsen. He offers help that Audrey refuses, reminding him she knows who he is. He’s annoyingly understanding, throwing in a bit of guilt trip before leaving.

Later, Harrison and Jim join Audrey and Angela for dinner. Audrey tells them about Molly, but Angela switches topics. She mentions that she got a call from someone on the reservation, Abraham. Audrey explains the buck deserves better. So, she, Harrison, and Abraham made a plan. Soon, they all go to the reservation, where they honor the buck with a bonfire. As they watch, we hear Dexter’s narration and find that he still yearns for closeness with others, especially Harrison. As he and Harrison get ready to leave, Jim apologizes for not defending Harrison. He promises that now he’s on Harrison’s side. Harrison appreciates that, saying, “Thanks, Dad.” (Who has the tissues?)

Tender moments aside, the bonfire smoke gives Jim an idea for Matt. He brings the body to the town’s incinerator stack and burns it. Ash spews everywhere (ew), falling like snow. When Jim drives back through town, he spots a very drunk (and … happy?) Kurt. Jim talks with him and learns that Kurt FaceTimed with Matt (HUH??). Of course, Matt is very dead, his ashes literally falling around them. So, what’s Kurt’s game here?

Along Came Molly

dexter new blood episode 3
Seacia Pavao/SHOWTIME

This week, we finally meet Molly! She initially arrives when the search dogs do. Molly introduces herself to Angela first, eager to help with the search. At this point, though, Angela doesn’t know Molly is a true-crime podcaster. Despite her real motives, it’s apparent Molly genuinely does want to help, even if that also means her podcast happens to draw in listeners. For now, it seems as though she’s only there for Matt’s case. But what else does she know? Will she ever connect Jim Lindsay, beloved Iron Lake citizen, to Matt’s disappearance? Whatever happens with Molly, we’re excited to see more of her.

Other Noteworthy Moments

  • Logan mentions wrestling to Harrison, who says he’ll consider it. The following day, Harrison makes the team! Zach and co. better watch their backs …
  • When Angela goes to question someone on the reservation, Iris comes up again. This time, we get a slightly clearer idea of what happened with her. She seems to be a girl who went missing, with Iron Lake PD doing nothing to help. We still don’t know exactly who she was to Angela.
  • Lily and Mr. Creeper Man are back. This time, he lets Lily leave … only to shoot her dead (a shot Jim hears) before she barely gets away from the house. (All while keeping his face almost entirely hidden.) He later embalms her. Who is this person, and is he responsible for the missing girls Angela’s been searching for? How long until Jim sniffs him out and goes full-blown Dexter again?
  • In the same scene, showrunner Clyde Phillips’ books (yep, he’s an author, too!) can be seen in a stack on mystery creep’s desk.

Dexter: New Blood airs Sundays at 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CT on Showtime. Keep up with our weekly recaps here and our other ongoing coverage here.

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By Julia
Julia is a writer/editor/content assistant for Nerds who joined the team in 2019.
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