Dexter: Resurrection’s episode 9 features a dramatic showdown between Dexter Morgan and his former friend/turned nemesis Angel Batista.
The emotional impact of that moment is likely a key reason why the episode, titled “Touched By An Ángel,” is now the highest-ranked in franchise history on IMDb. Be forewarned that there will be spoilers for episode 9 in this article. The episode has a 9.9 user rating on IMDb.
For multiple episodes, Dexter: Resurrection has been setting up the final showdown between Morgan and his once-Miami Metro co-worker Batista, a retired police captain who is so certain that Dexter is the Bay Harbor Butcher that he travels to New York to relentlessly pursue the theory.
Dexter resurrection continues to be the best show on tv right now, and episode 9 sent it to the top of my list this year without a doubt. I am heartbroken, in shock, and itching for that finale next week. I really didn’t think it would go like this. Wow is all I have to say. pic.twitter.com/lGCXcaboNQ
— Alex ⚡ (@SwagTurkey02) August 29, 2025
“All I can say right now for episode 9 of Dexter: Resurrection is wow. I’m speechless,” wrote one fan on X.
“Dexter resurrection continues to be the best show on TV right now, and episode 9 sent it to the top of my list this year without a doubt,” another fan wrote. “I am heartbroken, in shock, and itching for that finale next week. I really didn’t think it would go like this. Wow is all I have to say.”
Angel Batista Encounters Dexter Morgan at Leon Prater’s Penthouse
Batista encounters a team of skeptical New York police officers, who are far from convinced about his serial killer obsession. He plants a tracker in Dexter’s car, which, although eventually discovered, helps him monitor Dexter’s whereabouts. This leads to Batista spotting Dexter meeting with billionaire Leon Prater (Peter Dinklage).
Batista meets his fate when he goes to warn Prater that he is in danger, unaware that Prater is a collector of serial killers’ trophies. Batista ends up on a kill table in Prater’s vault, with Prater hoping to voyeuristically watch Dexter conduct a kill.
‘Touched by an Ángel’ has become the highest-rated episode in the Dexter franchise. 💥
Dexter: Resurrection Episode 9 Hits Near-Perfect 9.9/10 on IMDb with 19,000+ Ratings https://t.co/wqU4CIBFHn#DexterResurrection #Dexter pic.twitter.com/3Nc0ToLCm6
— Dexter Daily (@DexterDaily) August 30, 2025
Instead, Dexter can’t bring himself to kill Batista, but Prater then shoots Batista and locks a dying Batista together with Dexter in the vault.
As Batista bleeds to death, he does not let Dexter off the hook in his final words, accusing him of being responsible for the deaths of Batista’s ex-wife, Maria LaGuerta, and police co-worker James Doakes.
Even though Dexter didn’t murder those people directly, Batista holds him responsible. That’s when the scene ends with a defiant “f*** you” from Bautista, as he dies.
Dexter Morgan has convinced himself that he’s lived his life by a code, murdering only other killers, but the emotional impact of episode 9 is that it strips away this artifice from Dexter’s conscience, forcing him to come face-to-face with the evil space he actually occupies. Maybe he didn’t kill LaGuerta and Doakes with his own hand, but he played a dangerous game.
Not everyone loved the episode, though. Screenrant declared that Batista’s ending happened at too “rapid” a pace to be satisfying. Batista learned that Morgan was the Bay Harbor Butcher, but their conversation after that point was short, robbing fans of a lengthier catharsis and confrontation.
The episode also fleshes out Dexter’s relationship with his son Harrison, with whom he increasingly confides and is determined to protect. And it highlights a chilling encounter between Dexter and Prater’s security chief Charley (Uma Thurman) in a car.
Related: ‘Dexter: Resurrection’ Season 2 May Happen, But ‘Original Sin’ Was Canceled
