"A Beating Heart..." is the series premiere of the American crime drama mystery television series Dexter: Resurrection, sequel to Dexter and Dexter: New Blood. The episode was written by series creator Clyde Phillips and executive producer Scott Reynolds, and directed by executive producer Marcos Siega. It was released on Paramount+ with Showtime on July 11, 2025, and aired on Showtime two days later.

The series is set following the events of Dexter: New Blood, and it follows Dexter Morgan, who has recovered from his near-fatal gunshot wound. After realizing that his son Harrison is now working as a hotel bellhop in New York City, he sets out to find him. During this, his old friend Angel Batista returns to talk with Dexter over unfinished business.

The series premiere received mostly positive reviews from critics, who praised the performances, tone and intrigue, with many deeming it as a promising debut for the series.

After being shot by his son Harrison, Dexter Morgan is taken to the Seneca Nation in Iron Lake, where his life is saved but he falls into a coma. Dexter imagines conversations with Arthur Mitchell, Miguel Prado, Harry Morgan, and James Doakes. When he awakens after ten weeks, he is told that he survived due to the cold temperature slowing his bleeding and that Harrison has not been seen in weeks.

Harrison is in New York City working as a bellhop at The Empire Hotel. He's made friends with his colleagues, and apparently lives at the hotel, staying nights in various rooms. He sees two guests together, Shauna and Ryan Foster, who he knows did not arrive together. She is without her faculties, and he is referring to her as his wife. Noticing her seemingly about to faint, Harrison questions him, but helps bring Shauna to Ryan's room. Hearing her say "no" through the door, Harrison enters and, in a struggle, murders Ryan Foster.

After taking the still unaware Shauna to her room, Harrison thoroughly cleans the crime scene and takes Ryan's body to the kitchen, where he cuts it into nine pieces, placing the severed body parts into trash bags, as Dexter taught him, although missing some blood spatter on the ceiling. The bags containing the remains get loaded into a garbage truck. The next morning, one of the bags breaks, revealing a piece of the dismembered corpse. Detectives Melvin Oliva and Claudette Wallace arrive at the dump and locate the rest of the body, identifying both the hotel and the room. At the hotel, they take notice of Harrison nervously lurking nearby.

At the clinic, Dexter is visited by Teddy Reed and believes he is about to be arrested. However, Teddy reveals that he is now the acting Sheriff, Angela and Audrey left Iron Lake, and Dexter has been cleared of any crimes. Teddy asks Dexter if he would like to press charges against Angela, but he refuses. An envelope from her tells Dexter that "[they]'re even".

Dexter is visited by Angel Batista, who has legally 'resurrected' Dexter Morgan, supposedly to be able to prosecute him. He questions him about faking his death, remaining hidden, Angela's accusation that he is the Bay Harbor Butcher, her subsequent recanting of the accusation, and María LaGuerta's confidence in the same. A suspicious Dexter subtly denies any accusations.