At the end of last season, Deb finally admitted to her therapist that she had feelings for Dexter. Since she's his sister this would be a little risque except they're not related people. The intense online debate of whether or not it was appropriate for her to fall in love with her foster brother shocked me. Because, come on, shouldn't we be dealing with the larger issue that she's unknowingly fallen in love with a serial killer?
I understand some of the concern that adoptive parents felt: they raise their children as siblings regardless of bloodlines, and they want their children to continue to be only siblings. And for the most part I'm sure that's what happens. After all, if you grow up with someone having childhood squabbles and watching them vomit all over the place it's kind of hard to develop a sexual attraction--regardless of whether you're related. But if you are not related there is nothing biologically wrong with having a sexual attraction. The lack of sexual attraction to our blood siblings comes because genetically it is dangerous for use to mate with them not just because they're our siblings. That's why we all (one hopes) have that engrained ew-factor. And why Deb doesn't have that ew-factor with Dexter. Whew. Now that I've got that off my chest, let's move on to why this is important.
It's important because we needed to see how strong Deb's feelings are for Dexter to understand her motivation during this coming season. Not only does her love for him lead her to discover his secret, but it also causes her to agree to help him hide it. During the finale of Season Six Debra walked into a room right as Dexter was killing another serial killer. At the very beginning of S7Ep1 we see Deb go against everything she believes in as she destroys evidence of her brother's crime scene and lies to the rest of her precinct. The decisions that she makes, which are necessary to propel the story forward, would be far less plausible if he was only her brother. But we know he's way more than that: he's also arguably the only man she has ever been in love with.
The season premiere is aided by the incredible chemistry that Jennifer Carpenter (Deb) and Michael C. Hall (Dexter) share. The actors, who were married in real life for two years before an amicable divorce, are easily able to exude enough chemistry to make Deb's reaction plausible.
This particular season premiere would be especially confusing to newcomers to the show. Not only does it pick up right after last season left off, with Deb watching her brother stab a man to death, but it also references past seasons. The ice truck killings, which happened all the way back in the show's first season, are referenced repeatedly. Deb recognizes that the way that killer set-up his crime scene is identical to how Dexter has set-up his. We know that this is because the killer, Brian, was mocking Dexter--but Deb doesn't know that. All she knows is that Brian turned out to be Dexter's biological brother, and that Brian almost killed her.
When Deb realizes the connection she immediately goes to the precinct to pull the files. As Deb is poring over the files related to the Ice Truck Killer, she begins to experience traumatic flashbacks. She remembers the way she almost died by Brian's hand.
At a particuarly crucial moment later in the episode, as Deb is preparing to confront Dexter about his connections with the Ice Truck killings, she remembers him standing over her body. And she remembers him telling Brian that he can't kill her. And she remembers Dexter turning on his biological brother and stabbing him instead of her.
While an understanding of how this brief flashback relates to the issue at hand would be almost impossible for new viewers to understand, it does help clarify things for longtime viewers. It makes sense that if Deb remembers Dexter saving her she will have yet another reason to not immediately turn against him. It also clarifies why she is devastated instead of fearful when she uncovers his secret.
It remains to be seen how long Deb will be willing to cover up Dexter's secret.
What did you think of the start of Season 7 of 'Dexter'? Do you think it will be stronger than last season?
WATCH THE SEASON 7 PREMIERE OF 'DEXTER' HERE!
Dexter airs Sundays at 9/8C on Showtime
