Dexter: Resurrection's David Zayas Says Latest Shocker Was The 'Right Way To Tell The Story'
The following contains major spoilers for Friday's episode of Dexter: Resurrection.
Dexter warned Angel Batista that his Resurrection couldn't possibly end well for the former Miami Metro PD captain. Just two episodes later, the moment many fans were dreading finally came to fruition: Batista was killed after getting caught in the middle of some major Dexter and Leon Prater drama. But for what it's worth, he wasn't killed by Dexter's hand.
In the season's penultimate episode, Batista was trying to get to the bottom of Dexter's connection to billionaire Prater. But after Wallace had a damning conversation with Quinn (and accused Batista of impersonating an officer), she and Oliva ordered Batista to turn in his badge and gun, and leave the city immediately.
But once again, Batista just couldn't quit. His last bold choice: Showing up on Prater's doorstep and revealing that "Red" was actually Dexter Morgan, a former employee of Miami Metro homicide. When Dex later showed up to confront Prater, Batista was tied to a table with his mouth taped closed. Prater offered to be the Bay Harbor Butcher's benefactor, but the price of admission? Killing Batista. Dexter pulled a fast one and instead of stabbing Batista through the heart, he slashed his old colleague's restraints. Batista wasn't grateful to be freed; rather, he promptly attacked Dexter, seeking the justice and revenge he so desperately craved. But as Batista began to choke Dexter out, Prater shot Angel in the back with five bullets. As Batista bled out, Dexter promised him that he didn't kill Maria or Doakes. All Batista could mutter before dying was: "Dexter Morgan... f–k you."
David Zayas was aware of Batista's unfortunate fate from the very beginning of Resurrection's production. "I think that with the circumstances these great writers wrote for Dexter: Resurrection, with the momentum of where Batista [was] going — to try and get justice from Dexter — I think it's the right way to tell the story," the actor tells TVLine.
Although he admits his last day on set was "emotional" and "tough," Zayas remains positive about saying goodbye to the character he played for nearly two decades.
"How often does an actor get an opportunity to take a character from 20 years ago, and take the arc from A all the way to Z in Dexter: Resurrection?" he asks rhetorically. "Not many have that opportunity, so I feel lucky that I was able to do that for this character. What a great story. What a great character they wrote that could go from there to here with everything in between, and make that character wholehearted, with different layers and different opportunities to actually find out the nuances of his personality. I feel very lucky to be a part of this."
If and when Dexter: Resurrection writers reunite to begin mapping out a Season 2 (which may be sooner than you think), it'll be the first Dexter iteration without the franchise staple that is Angel Batista, a fact that's far from lost on Zayas.
"This is the best job I've ever had as an actor," he says. "As you do these shows, you become close with the crew. You become close with the camera guys, with the producers, the writers, the directors. It becomes like a family. So knowing that this might be it, it was sad, yet it was very exciting to be able to put a button on the story of this character."
Were you surprised to see Angel Batista killed off? Let us know all your Episode 9 thoughts in the comments.