Let's be real for a second. When we talk about Good Burger, everyone immediately thinks of Ed. The orange soda, the "Welcome to Good Burger," the absolute chaotic energy of Kel Mitchell. But if you actually sit down and rewatch the 1997 classic—or the 2023 sequel—you realize that Dexter Reed is the actual glue holding the whole thing together.
Kenan Thompson’s Dexter isn't just a sidekick. He’s the guy who represents every teenager who ever messed up, every entrepreneur who flew too close to the sun, and every person who realized their "weird" friend was actually the most loyal person they knew.
Honestly, Dexter is the character we were all meant to be.
The Accident That Started It All
The whole premise of Dexter Reed’s journey starts with a classic, high-stakes mistake. He’s 15, he doesn’t have a license, he doesn't have insurance, and he crashes his mom's car into his teacher’s car (played by the legendary Sinbad).
That’s a nightmare.
Most kids would just hide. Dexter? He gets a job. Sure, he starts out trying to take the easy way out at Mondo Burger, but he ends up at the humble Good Burger. This is where the magic happens.
What’s interesting about Dexter is his initial selfishness. He sees Ed not as a friend, but as a "thing" to be exploited. He sees the "Ed’s Sauce" and thinks dollar signs. It’s a bit cynical, right? But it’s also very human. He’s in a hole, and he’s digging his way out using whatever tools he has.
Why the 2023 Return Changed Everything
When Good Burger 2 dropped on Paramount+ in late 2023, people were worried. Would it be a soulless cash grab? Surprisingly, the movie leaned hard into Dexter Reed’s failures.
In the sequel, Dexter isn't a successful mogul. He’s a failed entrepreneur. His latest invention—a fire-retardant spray—literally burns his house down in front of Mark Cuban. Talk about a bad day at the office.
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He’s forced to go back to the one place he thought he’d outgrown. We’ve all been there, haven't we? Returning to a hometown or an old job with your tail between your legs. Dexter’s arc in the sequel is about overcoming that ego. He’s still trying to "hustle" Ed early on, but the movie forces him to realize that Ed’s simple, honest life is actually more successful than his own complicated, failing one.
Dexter vs. The Corporate Machine
One of the most nuanced parts of Dexter’s character is his relationship with corporate greed. In both movies, he is the one tempted by the "Big Burger" corporations.
- In 1997: He almost leaves for Mondo Burger.
- In 2023: He gets tricked into signing a contract with MegaCorp (led by Katt Bozwell, Kurt's sister) that threatens to replace all the workers with robots.
Dexter is the bridge between the audience and Ed’s cartoonish world. He’s the one who has to make the moral choice. When he finally chooses Ed and the Good Burger crew over the money, it feels earned because we saw how badly he wanted that money.
The Kenan Thompson Factor
You can’t talk about Dexter Reed without talking about Kenan Thompson. This was one of the roles that proved he was a powerhouse before he became the longest-running cast member in Saturday Night Live history.
His comedic timing as Dexter is all about the "straight man" reaction. He reacts to Ed’s insanity with the perfect mix of exhaustion and genuine affection. In the sequel, Thompson plays a more weary, weathered version of Dexter. He’s older, he’s seen more, but that core chemistry with Kel Mitchell is still there. It’s a specific kind of "guy-next-door" charisma that makes you root for a character who is, quite frankly, often making terrible decisions.
What Most People Miss About the "Good Burger" Duo
People call them a "dumb and dumber" duo, but that’s wrong. Dexter isn’t dumb. He’s just short-sighted. He’s the "brains," but his brain is always 15 minutes ahead of his heart.
The growth of Dexter Reed is the growth of someone learning that people aren't assets. In the first film, he’s a kid paying off a debt. By the end of the second film, he’s a man who realizes that his "failed" inventions don't define him—his loyalty does.
Actionable Takeaways from Dexter’s Journey
If we’re looking for actual life lessons from a guy who once wore a giant strawberry costume, here they are:
- Read the fine print. Seriously. Dexter nearly lost the entire restaurant in the sequel because he didn't read the contract Cecil (Lil Rel Howery) gave him.
- Failure isn't final. Dexter burned his house down and still ended up making $10 million by the end of the second movie thanks to "permanent ice."
- Valuing the "Ed" in your life. We all have that one friend who is a little bit "out there." Dexter’s biggest mistake was ever thinking he was better than Ed just because he was more "professional."
Dexter Reed is the reminder that even if you’re the one who keeps messing up the car, the house, or the business deal, you can always find your way back to the home of the Good Burger.