Before I kick things off with a
brief recap of last weeks episode of Dexter,
I’m going to use this time to tell anyone who hasn’t watched this weeks
episode, or previous episodes, of Dexter
and plans to in the near or distant future, to back away from this review now
because there will be spoilers. I repeat, there WILL BE SPOILERS!
Now that that mostly run-on
sentence is out of the way, I’ll jump right into a quick recap of last weeks
episode. So Vogel wanted Dexter to back off hunting her son, under the guise of
the name Saxon, because she foolishly believed she could help him and that he
was earnest to change. Harrison ignored Hannah’s pleas to stop playing with
Deb’s treadmill, and ended up needing to be brought to the hospital for
stitches, where Hannah was recognized. The nurse phones in the Marshall, who’s
already caught on that Hannah is still in Miami because he overheard Batista
looking for a replacement blood spatter analyst in Dexter’s stead, and he comes
in to check things out. Deb and Quinn, who’d broken up with Batista’s sister
because he wasn’t all there in the relationship, share a moment that ends in a
kiss that’s almost too good to true. And then we come around full circle back
to Dexter, who shows Vogel that Saxon can never change, and so she chooses to
help Dex, moronically invites her son over for one final visit and lies
atrociously to him, and Dexter ends up catching up with them where Saxon kills
his mother in front of Dex’s eyes. I think that’s about as brief as I can get,
now onto the meatier portion of the night.
Starting things off, the episode
began very beautifully. The image of the blood being washed down the drain
before jumping into the typical Dexter voiceover was the perfect way to begin
the penultimate episode to this series. Blood is something both the character
and the show were born out of, and it’s a mirror of how this serial killer
bathed in his mother’s blood as a tot, and now washes clean the blood of his
Code mother’s near the close of the series.
I have to say I enjoy the
cinematography in this series much more when it’s not a camera attached to the
actor or actress, and it’s not all in their faces. Neither of those appeal to
me, and they tend to feel like sloppy work, so I enjoyed this episode for not
having any of that that I noticed, and for the easy flow.
For the side characters, I’ll
begin with Batista. While I do have to say I don’t very much like him when he’s
at the forefront of the series, he is a spectacular minor character. He’s a
great friend for Dexter, and has become wonderful in his position as
lieutenant. He isn’t always the most realistically played character, but I’ve
always had a soft spot for him. Except when he was with LaGuerta.
Then there’s Masuka, I used to
always enjoy him. He was quick with the funny, and his jokes were always so
childish, but they made him him. Now that they’ve brought this daughter
character in for him, he hasn’t really been all that great, or even as funny.
They have terrible chemistry as family, even given the fact they’ve just
recently come into each others’ lives, and the daughter is not all that great
of an actress. The line, “Really? Are you gonna go there?” had just terrible
execution, so I really don’t understand why they felt the need to bring her in
this season.
Those are the only ones I really
have any notes on, so I’ll get down to Deb as a character. I am so beyond glad
they seemingly decided to dump the whole ‘in love with her brother’ storyline
at this point, because it was just terrible. A person can be close, and damagingly
so, to their brother, without being in love with them. It doesn’t matter that
they’re not related by blood, they were raised together. So I’m definitely glad
that’s done with. But again with that point, it just goes to show how many
storylines go forgotten, or ignored, by the showrunner and writers of the
series. Half the time they’re just terribly written out. I do like how Deb and
Quinn’s relationship has come back around, because they fit so well together.
And that whole scene with the ring still being in his drawer at work was just
cute. I’m really hoping she survives for them to be together. Her progression
in this series has definitely developed well, especially just in this season
alone. I have to give mad props to the actress for working so well in this role
and just enveloping it with all of her being. Especially after her split from
Michael C. Hall. Specifically in this episode, where she showed how well her
lying has gotten in the scene with the Marshall, Jennifer Carpenter proved to
the world just how amazing Deb is. From this one episode, she may well be added
to my favourite heroines list. That’s singing praise.
And then we get around to Dexter.
He’s definitely developed so much in this series. Although the reality of the
situation from where he began to where he is now, it’s unlikely that that could
have happened. But I give leeway to the writers, because I’m quite happy with
where he’s gotten. With someone, though, that’s gotten away with so many murders;
he’s not always the brightest. Sure, he remembers to clean Vogel’s apartment of
evidence of him, but the fact that he doesn’t trust Saxon to leave his loved
ones be, doesn’t make sense when he seems to trust people far too easily for
someone with such a heavy secret. And why wouldn’t he just automatically expect
to be followed? That would be something I’d constantly be paranoid about, and
I’m not a serial killer with such extremities to hide. And then he makes the
mistake of not making absolutely sure that Saxon is imprisoned, or taken by
more than just one cop, before taking off.
Some issues with the episode. Why
hadn’t the Marshall known who Saxon was before he stupidly let him go? Sure the
cop your following has likely been harbouring a fugitive – though we know she
has been – when you see someone locked up, would you just automatically release
them, when you have a gone to be able to protect them if need be? It’s just not
smart of him to properly evaluate the situation. Another thing, the abandoned
building that has been keyed for demolition, why hasn’t it been demolished yet?
Saxon’s has been using it for way too long, that there isn’t any reason the
city shouldn’t have imploded it by now. And my third issue with this episode,
wouldn’t Saxon, after turning himself in when he learned he was a suspect in
Cassie’s murder case, he have known they’d take a swab of his DNA, since he was
cooperating? In turn, wouldn’t he have known that would connect him to his
mother? Are all serial killers in this series flawed morons in some aspect of their
lives? Or do the showrunner and writers think the audience is dumb enough to
miss that? Also, why do some serial killers seem to always want to taunt the
police? Do they always have such high egos?
All in all, they are starting to
tie this series up nicely, although I don’t quite think the serial killer they
chose for the final season was really that up to par. Sure it ties into Dexter
by tying into Vogel, but being that we had no idea who she was before this
season, that’s easily just something thought up and written in with no actual
concrete ties in the previous seasons. I like that Sylvia was brought back in
as his realtor, rather than hastily introducing a new character in that role –
though I was under the impression he was going to sublet. But I’m surprised
Dexter bothered to keep in touch with her. Or that she wasn’t mentioned earlier
on in the series. I do think in Deb’s growth, that she has ultimately become
smarter than Dexter, at least in some aspects. Love, with Hannah and his son
Harrison, has made him both protective, and less intelligent. But maybe, that’s
just my opinion.
I have the sneaking suspicion that
Deb is going to die from her wound, although – and I’m no doctor – it didn’t
look all that bad. I sincerely hope that doesn’t happen, not just because I’m a
sucker for a happy ending, or at least some form of proper finality and hope to
a situation, but because I think it will completely undo all the progression
that Dexter has made in his life. He doesn’t feel the need to kill as strongly
as his need for love, and he’s finally gotten rid of the father character that
I so despise (though I did find it especially touching in the way they
basically said their goodbyes). It’s very important for me that characters
develop, realistically in the time and troubles they’ve gone through, and if
Deb dies, I feel like that’ll be out the window, and we’ll have the old Dex
back. That doesn’t make sense to me. Because let’s be honest, Hannah’s either
getting caught, or dying, I don’t see that happy ending for him, but I could be
wrong. So I just don’t know. I expect if Deb dies, Hannah gets caught, and
Dexter throws everything into getting Saxon, and possibly dies in the line of
fire. That or Dexter dies while Deb is in the hospital, and she gets the happy
ending with Quinn, and gains custody of Harrison.
One final note on the subject of
this episode before I give you my favourite line of the night and sign off; did
you catch that stare between Dexter and Saxon? Amazing!
Best line:
“I know that, fuckface,” – Debra Morgan, after Dexter tells
her they’ll see each other again. Though it could end up being ironic.
Tune in next Sunday for my review of the series finale, and
check back in tomorrow for my reviews of Bones,
Sleepy Hollow, and Under the Dome. Although, fair warning,
I may wait until Tuesday for one or two of those reviews. Lots to do, so little
time to sleep. These things definitely take a lot out of me.
No comments:
Post a Comment