Contributor: Gregg Wright
Written by Manny Coto
Directed by Steve Shill
It’s funny to see a season premiere that ends with the type of moment that you’d typically see near the end of a season of “Dexter”. If that had been the case, and Deb’s discovery had occurred near the end of the season, then it probably would have coincided with the building momentum of a seasonal climax. Instead, the situation resolves itself fairly quickly, and something of a new status quo emerges. But there’s the distinct feeling that everything could still fall apart at any moment.
And meanwhile, storm clouds seem to be brewing in Dexter’s world from multiple directions. Dexter’s decision to let Louis live couldn’t possibly have come at a worse time. And his killing of Victor is sure to come back to haunt him. I was shocked by how quickly things escalated between Dexter and Louis, and I’m impressed that Louis still remains so mysterious. The growing threat from the season’s “Big Bad”, the Ukrainian Mob, isn’t quite as intriguing, but it may be one of the more powerful forces that Dexter has ever had to contend with.
It’s just amazing how much it adds to the show to know that seasons 7 and 8 will be its last. The knowledge that any building threat could play into Dexter’s ultimate fate adds a layer of suspense to virtually everything that’s happening. Everything could come together in one big, chaotic, final mess. Deb’s discovery would have already been an unusually bold and positive storytelling choice, but it’s all the more interesting when one considers the possibility that Deb could be the one who puts Dexter in the ground, or in a prison cell.
Then again, Deb may actually succeed in “fixing” Dexter and ridding him of his Dark Passenger for good. I’m suspecting a darker ending for the show, but Dexter has long wondered if real change was possible (only to continually revert back to believing that killing is simply an unavoidable part of who he is). Until now, Dexter has relied entirely on his hallucination of Harry Morgan to keep himself in check. Harry has been sufficient, but Deb could potentially take over that role.
Randall’s storyline, intended to highlight Dexter’s hopes and fears, is probably the weakest part of the episode. It isn’t without its strengths, of course. The twist at least succeeded in bringing home the severity of Dexter’s own situation. The connection to Dexter’s thematic journey is a bit too heavy-handed overall, but I appreciate the effort nonetheless. And successful or not, something like this was definitely needed at this stage of the journey. What would actually become of Dexter, were he forced to spend the rest of his life in prison?
There are a couple of other side stories that I haven’t mentioned yet, and they both do relate to the main plot, so they’re not quite as disposable as past ones have been. LaGuerta, in possession of Dexter’s blood slide from the Travis Marshall murder scene, is growing more and more suspicious that the Bay Harbor Butcher is still alive. And it’s fitting, because she never wanted to believe that Doakes was the killer. And Quinn is, predictably, getting involved with a stripper who works at the club that’s owned by the Brotherhood. Like that’s going to end well.
And my man Masuka continues to be awesome. I swear, the day they kill off Masuka is the day I stop watching this show. He better survive to the end. It’s kind of a bummer that his big story from the previous season was just a red herring and a way of introducing Louis as a potential threat to Dexter. Masuka deserves better. The smart thing to do would be to bring Brea Grant back on the show and reveal that Chambers is connected to Louis in some way; perhaps as part of the same Dexter-worshiping cult.
There’s still a lot that could go wrong in the final two seasons of “Dexter”, but so far, the writers and showrunner seem to be playing to the show’s strengths, and capitalizing on the sense of direction afforded by a concrete end date. I don’t think that the “Dexter” has ever had this much pre-planned storytelling before. For too long, it seemed like the writers were only thinking one season ahead, which robbed the show of much of its potential. But as for this final chapter of the “Dexter” saga, so far so good. Keep it up, and we might have a season or two to rival seasons 1 and 4.
Score: 8/10