He’s calm, he’s sure, he’s almost… happy? But the beginning of the end certainly doesn’t stay as serene as the opening scene for our anti-hero Dexter Morgan. The premiere episode of season eight catches us up with the crew of Miami Metro six months after Maria LaGuerta’s death.
Embarking on this episode, my thoughts strayed to my normal Sunday night stomping grounds on Madison Avenue and I missed my SC&P crew. In addition, I was nervous we’d be set up on a nice solid killing table only to be stabbed with a filler episode. By the end, I forgot all about Don Draper’s petty identity problems and immediately settled in for a re-watch of this pivotal episode that was stuffed with action and haunted with flashbacks and foreshadowing. In a nutshell, this episode delivered. So let’s break it down.
Dexter
Flanked by blue skies, smiling children, bowling, and women, Dexter initially appears to have order restored and the past firmly behind him. His statement, “A better person would feel bad about LaGuerta’s death. But the truth is, it solved all my problems,” was both very telling and also a lie. Our favorite serial killer maintains his unremorseful outlook when a contender threatened to reveal him, even though the victim doesn’t fit Harry’s Code. At the same time, this statement is false because it carries with it the biggest consequence of LaGuerta’s death and his primary internal conflict: his broken relationship with Deb, Dexter’s one true constant.
The introduction of a new serial killer, whom I’ve dubbed the Melon Ball killer, brings with it Dexter’s external conflict for the season, neuropsychiatrist Evelyn Vogel. Conveniently, her expertise in the neurological and psychiatric features of serial killers is bringing her on a case against a killer who is scooping out the part of the brain related to empathy — or lack thereof. Dexter has overcome physical prowess, deranged and perverse minds, aggressive investigations from law bound co-workers and even his own like-minded brother, but Vogel may be Dexter’s biggest threat yet. She already knows what makes him tick, and she hits him where it hurts by serving him with his own deranged childhood drawings, revealing that she knows his secret and, worse yet, knows of Daddy’s little code. Gasp!
A far cry from the beginning scene, we see Dex begin to unravel under the loss of his most stable relationship. We hear “angry Dexter voice” directed at non-victims four times: at the expense of an aggressive driver, Harrison’s innocence, Angel’s gentle prodding to forgive LaGuerta, and finally, Deb’s thieving boyfriend. Cool, calm, donut delivering, “I’m just the blood guy” Dexter is feeling the pressure and it shows.
Deb
I’m going to repeat what every reviewer/recapper has been screaming since Sunday: Give Jennifer Carpenter that Emmy! I was cringing when she spit those hateful words at Dexter. Michael C. Hall reacted perfectly, like a bad puppy who just went poo on the carpet.
It’s pretty obvious that Deb peaced out of Miami Metro to hunt down low lives because she’s in a self-induced hell. Her guilt is overwhelming and in her mind, she is undeserving of being around her peers whom she betrayed when she chose her brother over their leader and friend. Like any good self-loathing female, she is placing herself in the most dangerous of situations, AKA “thrill seeking.”
But being in hell doesn’t mean she wants company. She unwaveringly tells Dexter to hit the bricks. “I shot the wrong person in that trailer.” Ouch.
Her most telling statement came after Dexter stabbed her target/lover: “I felt ok with him!” she cried while crumbling to the ground. Ironically, Deb feels safer with the dangerous druggy thief, while Dexter is fruitlessly trying to protect her from him. You see the hate and fight that filled Debra in the scenes prior slip during those moments as she breaks down and cries. Even more telling, Debra renews her own moral code by calling the murder into the police instead of doing a Bay Harbor Butcher cover up that has (not) worked so well in the past. As she is released from the crime scene after light questioning from the police, we see a mob hitman lurking. We will no doubt see him and his mobster pals again in a future episode as they try to recover their stolen jewels but, like, who cares? They will probably end up as fish food, because, well, Dexter.
Dexter and Deb
The conversations between the two siblings are harder to watch than the normal blood spilling we’ve come to expect on this show. Primarily spoken by Deb, the string of conversations in the supermarket and the Pink Motel demonstrate how far this relationship has fallen since the LaGuerta trailer. Not only does Deb regret her decision to spare Dexter and kill her mentor, but she also doesn’t need Dexter in her life. Dexter, on the other hand, exerts a great deal of energy, vulnerability, and even exposes his son to danger while tracking Deb down to save her from her jewel-thief boyfriend and the hitman assigned to take him out. Deb, disguised as Harry’s code, has always been the motivating factor behind Dexter staying just shy of a murderous psychopath slaying innocent victims for sport. It’s revealed what has been obvious to us, dear viewer, for some time: Dexter needs Deb far more than the other way around. I can’t help but go back to the first episode when we hear Dexter’s voiceover: “She’s the only person in the world who loves me. I think that’s nice. I don’t have feeling about anything, but if I could have feelings at all, I’d have them for Deb.”
Lieutenant Batista
Seriously, did this guy go to detective school? Detective-turned restaurateur-turned-Lieutenant, Batista doesn’t have a paranoid bone in his body. Sweaty sister? The result of hard core cardio, obv. Deb mysteriously MIA? I’ll take her job, but let’s set up some chat time the next time she is in the neighborhood. LaGuerta’s old phone taps of Deb and Dex? Rip ‘em up, thrown ’em away! The only thing Batista correctly questioned this whole episode was why psychopath whisperer is creeping on his turf. Here’s to job security, Angel!
Quinn
I can never decide whether I love or hate this guy. He brings comic relief to the murdering mess, but I also feel like I need to take a shower after he is on screen. From his involvement in this episode, we’ll definitely see the Quinn/Jamie B story line of pissing Batista off. Plus perhaps he will become instrumental in helping Deb hunt down her targets, and eventually serve as a lifeline between her downward spiral and the life she used to know. For some reason, Deb must trust or rely on him enough to stay in contact, so I will be interested to see if that goes anywhere.
Evelyn Vogel
As if the nickname ‘the psychopath whisperer’ didn’t tip us off, we loyal viewers, already know that anyone who says “Dexter Morrrgann” in that menacing tone is going to be a challenge. The primary questions: Threat or ally? Serial killer or serial killer hunter? Theorists are already speculating that Vogel = Melon Ball killer, but I’m not completely convinced yet. The bottom line is she is not afraid of Dexter, nor does it appear that she has any intention of revealing his Dark Passenger.
Random Thoughts:
- There is a wistful scene that glances at the last petal falling from Hanna McCay’s gift plant, a reminder that not there are still unresolved feelings that may/will add complication this season.
- Voicemail? Really? Dexter is smarter than the whole Miami Metro crew put together, but not being able to leave his sis a voicemail gets him flustered? Besides, leaving someone a voicemail these days is the equivalent of stabbing them in the eye. Just don’t do it.
- “It’s funny how something so simple as you walking in the door at the exact right moment can suddenly change everything.” Thanks for the flashback, thieving boyfriend.
- I thought I had bad taste in men, but Jamie Batista takes the cake.
- “She said, ‘Insert himself’.” Classic Masuka.
- The Ft. Lauderdale police like to investigate about as much as the Miami Metro crew, meaning if it looks dangerous, let’s not pry too much because we might find out what actually happened.
- The Melon Ball killer is too preachy for me. Removing the one part of the brain related to empathy seems extremely obvious. It’s like an artist running around yelling, “I like to paint.” Perhaps the psychopath whisperer really did fall off the deep end and is dissecting the brains around her, in which case: Is the murder victim from this episode a serial killer? If so, is Dexter in danger?
What were your thoughts on the beginning of the end? Did you catch any foreshadowing that could assist us in predicting Dexter’s fate? Do you hear wedding bells for Jamie B and Quinn? Will Angel start asking questions that are actually relevant? Most importantly, who is Vogel and what does she want?
