Crime
Dexter: Resurrection
Violence and explicit images remain at the forefront of Dexter: Resurrection, which continues the murderous protagonist’s story.
“Meanwhile, back at the ranch …”
The cliché seems to come from old silent movies. Moviegoers at the time weren’t used to the whole whiplash scene changes that we are today. So to transition from one plot point to another, directors often made use of “screen titles” to indicate that, “Hey, we’re shifting time or moving locations now, so don’t freak.” And at first, the phrase probably referred to, y’know, an actual ranch.
But those screen titles were expensive to put together, and budget-minded directors sometimes used slides from earlier movies: “A year passed” was a favorite recycled slide, for instance. Or “wedding bells,” because almost all silent movies always had some sort of nuptials. And even though not all silent movies had a ranch, somehow that slide, “Meanwhile, back at the ranch …” got used again and again anyway.
See? Now you can impress your friends with a new little nugget of old information. I wanted to make sure that you reading this review was not a complete waste of time. Because, frankly, the show we’re reviewing here might be.
Colt Bennett was a high school football hero back in the day. A talented quarterback, he wowed the small town of Garrison, Colo., with his athletic acumen and then rode off the family ranch with nary a look back—the possibility of superstardom within his grasp. But while Colt could throw a football with the best of ’em, he also excelled at getting thrown out of every organization that gave him a chance. He drank too much, slept around a lot and had a habit of punching team mascots in the face. At age 34, it seems unlikely that the Patriots’ll be giving him a call anytime soon.
But when he returns to the ranch, things aren’t much better. See him on the street, and you’d think Colt was living the dream—albeit a different one than he had before. He’s finally settled on the ranch, married to the girl of his dreams (Abby) and together they have a newborn daughter.
But Colt and Abby can’t help but wonder if marriage isn’t for them as they struggle to keep their love afloat in Season 7.
Colt’s pops, Beau, is still slaving away at the ranch day and night but now has his new bride, Joanne, to hopefully make him a bit happier. And as for Colt’s older brother Rooster, well, Rooster is presumed dead after his motorcycle is found at the bottom of a cliff. Colt and Beau aren’t buying it. In fact, they think that Rooster was murdered, and they’re still trying to unravel the mystery. (In reality, Danny Masterson, who plays Rooster, was kicked off of the show after sexual assault allegations surfaced).
And now that Rooster is gone, former soldier and goofball Luke (played by Dax Shepherd) is the new hand at the ranch. And with Luke’s arrival and Rooster’s departure, The Ranch has gone from pure comedy to drama-filled soap.
Even if it has gotten a little soapy, The Ranch still feels very much like a standard Chuck Lorre comedy (think The Big Bang Theory, Mike & Molly and star Ashton Kutcher’s old show, Two and a Half Men) but without all those broadcast restrictions that Lorre felt were so irksome. Sure, Kutcher’s Two and a Half Men character Walden Schmidt may have talked about sex all the time on CBS. Netflix might show him having it. And those “clever” made-up phrases for various private body parts or sex acts that successfully dodged the censors in Men? No need for that obfuscation, either. If Beau’s ranch was showered with as much rain as it is profanity, well, the place would be a fish farm instead of a dust bowl.
In the first episode, Colt confronts his pops with the man’s tendency to drive people away. Colt left. Beau’s wife, Maggie, left. If the gate’s left unlatched even the cows will leave.
Sounds like a hint that maybe we should leave, too.
(Editor’s Note: Plugged In is rarely able to watch every episode of a given series for review. As such, there’s always a chance that you might see a problem that we didn’t. If you notice content that you feel should be included in our review, send us an email at letters@pluggedin.com, or contact us via Facebook or Instagram, and be sure to let us know the episode number, title and season so that we can check it out.)
Colt and Abby discuss who will have their infant daughter, Peyton, over Thanksgiving as they plan to divorce. Beau, Colt and friend Luke attempt to take a road trip to New Mexico. Maggie, Beau’s ex-wife, tries to buy drugs and escape an abusive boyfriend.
A woman refers to Thanksgiving as “Turkey Holocaust Day.” Colt makes a sex joke. A man talks about his time in prison.
There are multiple references to consuming beer and hard liquor, as well as being inebriated. A group of men drink beer and plan to visit a casino. Colt chews tobacco. Beau decides to smoke a cigarette. A woman addicted to Xanax frantically asks others to help her obtain more when she’s denied a prescription.
Jesus’ name is abused twice. The f-word is heard nearly 25 times and the s-word, nine times. Other words like “b–tard,” “h—” and “a–holes” are each used once or twice.
Colt returns home so he can try out for another semipro team. He makes it, but when he learns that the family ranch is in trouble, he lies and says he didn’t—freeing him up to help his dad run the place.
Colt makes out with a 22-year-old beauty who’s enamored with his fading athletic star. (They’re down to their underwear and in a sexual position before Beau walks in on them.) We hear how Colt exposed himself to Shania Twain as he was urinating on an ice sculpture. Raunchy sex talk includes references to sexual positions, urination, bestiality and whipped cream. There are multiple crude or obscene references made to the male and female anatomy.
Most everyone is always drinking beer or whiskey. Rooster suggests that Colt may be an alcoholic. Beau tells Colt that he has “smoked, drank or screwed” away every opportunity he’s had. Characters say the f-word and s-word three times each. We also hear “h—,” “p—,” “a–,” “b–ch” and “b–tard.” God’s name is misused, twice with “d–n,” and Jesus’ name is abused once. Beau blames God for the drought.
Paul Asay has been part of the Plugged In staff since 2007, watching and reviewing roughly 15 quintillion movies and television shows. He’s written for a number of other publications, too, including Time, The Washington Post and Christianity Today. The author of several books, Paul loves to find spirituality in unexpected places, including popular entertainment, and he loves all things superhero. His vices include James Bond films, Mountain Dew and terrible B-grade movies. He’s married, has two children and a neurotic dog, runs marathons on occasion and hopes to someday own his own tuxedo. Feel free to follow him on Twitter @AsayPaul.
Kristin Smith joined the Plugged In team in 2017. Formerly a Spanish and English teacher, Kristin loves reading literature and eating authentic Mexican tacos. She and her husband, Eddy, love raising their children Judah and Selah. Kristin also has a deep affection for coffee, music, her dog (Cali) and cat (Aslan).
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