Contributor: Gregg Wright
Written by Manny Coto and Karen Campbell
Directed by Holly Dale
It may be that this season has finally started to develop a clear sense of where it’s heading, and where it’s been heading all along. It’s still possible that a happy ending awaits Dexter, but the writers certainly seem to be playing on our expectations of a much grimmer fate for the eponymous serial killer. I don’t think Dexter has ever had this many threats coming from so many directions, and this time, any one of them could mean his end.
First, there’s the most obvious threat‒Isaak Sirko‒who seems to get more interesting with every episode. Newly released from prison, thanks to the blackmailing of Quinn, Isaak decides to pay Dexter a visit. Miami Metro is pretty unhappy about Isaak being released, so they’re watching him like a hawk, making it impossible for Isaak to just outright murder Dexter. So he decides to have another one of his little chats with Dexter.
As usual, Isaak surprises with his intelligence. Having had some time in the cooler to think, Isaak has figured out that Dexter didn’t kill Victor out of revenge for Mike’s murder. He suspects that Dexter is… something else. Dexter shoots back with details about his murder of Victor. He succeeds in getting under Isaak’s skin, but is Dexter just getting overconfident about his ability to defeat Isaak? It’s hard to understand how making Isaak more enraged can help things, unless Dexter is hoping it will cause Isaak to become reckless himself and slip up.
Somehow, I doubt that Dexter is thinking that clearly lately. Dexter has made plenty of mistakes before, but he seems more prone to mistakes than ever before. Gone is the calculating, cautious Dexter of earlier seasons. Fans have noticed this, but most simply chalked it up to lazier writing. That may well have been the right explanation, but it seems like the writers are cleverly capitalizing on this and finally forcing Dexter to actually deal the consequences of Dexter’s inability to remain impersonal.
There was a time, as many viewers may remember, that Dexter wasn’t even sure if he was capable of having real feelings for another person. Dexter resembled a true psychopath. But a more human side of Dexter has since emerged, through his relationships with Rita, Harrison, Deb, and others. And this emotional side makes Dexter more vulnerable than ever. He’s let Hannah live, and she has become yet another person who’s been let in on Dexter’s secret.
And now Dexter may be forced to choose between Debra and Hannah. Dexter has finally succeeded in convincing Deb of the necessity of his actions, but at the worst possible moment. Hannah’s murder of Sal Price makes this an exceedingly personal situation for Deb. If Dexter refuses to follow through on his code, then he risks destroying all the progress he’s made with Deb, potentially setting her up as an enemy.
Despite having a number of interesting elements, this season still seems a bit lacking in genuine suspense. The sense of urgency and momentum isn’t really there to the degree that it should be. Maybe it’s just that the show is becoming so long in the tooth, and I find myself comparing to the much fresher and much more gripping “Homeland” on the same network. “Dexter” has been around so long, it has more of an uphill battle to fight, and this season is still feeling a bit too slow and familiar.
Score: 7/10