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Dexter S7E04: "Run"

I've spent most of my reviews of Dexter this season talking about the much-improved writing and plotting, but after watching tonight's episode, I realized that I've been missing out on praising another cog in the show's machine: the performances. More specifically, Jennifer Carpenter has been tremendous through these four episodes. Like, Emmy-level tremendous.

Interestingly, when I told a bunch of my friends they should check back in with the show this season, so many of them noted that they didn't want to not because of the horrid writing or lack of overall progression, but because they couldn't deal with Carpenter's Deb anymore. While I think Carpenter's performance ebbed and flowed in the early seasons, much of that had to do with the writing of the character. And no matter the reason for past weaknesses, Carpenter and Deb have been the best part of the show for the last few years. Michael C. Hall is always great, but when Dexter entered something of a holding pattern, Carpenter picked up a lot of slack.

The show is working so well this season because the writers have finally realized that this is just as much Deb's story as it is Dexter's. That balance has improved the core of the show and given Carpenter quality material to match her ever-improving performance.

In some ways, Dexter has found its rhythm in the same way that Carpenter has. After years of over-the-top stories and Deb irrationally screaming and yelling about everything, Season 7 has been much calmer (well, in the main story; let's just not think about Speltzer and his bull horns)... as has Deb. She's upset, confused, and probably a little terrified, but those emotions have manifested in measured and probing questions—not a string of F-bombs. That interpretation of the character fits Carpenter, who does fine work with her face and eyes and has learned to embody Deb's years of trauma in a more internal way.

"Run" focused a little more on Dexter's side of the Morgan siblings' ideological debate and handcuffed Carpenter with a silly dream sequence involving a bathtub full of blood and more controversial feelings, but she still made everything work well enough.

This episode progressed the tension between Deb and Dex in a smart, logical way (I feel like I've used those words to describe this show more often in four episodes this season than I ever did in the previous 72). Though she's fed up with the rehab plan, Deb has begun pondering questions about Dexter that are completely valid, like whether his relationship with Rita was real, how Rita died, and what it means for Dexter to be a father. So she's gone from worrying about how Dexter can fix himself to recognizing that if he doesn't, that probably means (and previously meant) bad things for those close to him. It sort of staggering how much sense that line of thinking makes.

And because the show has decided to explore this tension in such a calm but confrontational way, Deb and Dex's conversations—particularly those in that narrow alley; the show has done a great job on the blocking of those scenes—have yet to feel repetitive. Deb is raising questions that need to be answered and to his credit, Dexter has been very willing to answer them while holding his ground. Carpenter and Hall both portray their characters' frustrations with each another without going too far into histrionics.

Moreover, I quite liked how "Run" showed us the toll these issues are taking on both of them. While she has been overly patient with Dexter, Deb's frustrations erupted with Speltzer, first during his interrogation and then out in the field when he was released because of shoddy police work and started following her. There is a sense that she is hot over the Speltzer case for two reasons: First because the monster dodged a murder charge because the uniforms failed to get an acknowledgement of his Miranda rights, and second because she knows that none of this would have been a problem had she just let Dexter take Speltzer out before. Deep down, she knows that Dexter's way has value, especially when the police fail. And although I think Carpenter does better work when playing Deb at a lower emotional register, the more explosive reactions to Speltzer provided a nice contrast.

For Dexter, this episode was all about doubling down on proving himself right without necessarily ignoring Deb's concerns. With Speltzer out on the street, Dexter again took it upon himself to put an end to the monster's life. But at the same time, he also recognized that it might be time to send Harrison to Orlando (even for just a bit—but we know it'll be longer, right?) and get rid of the blood slides. So he wants to keep killing, but he's starting to grow more self-aware about what that killing means. Maybe Deb's prodding is taking hold after all?

But by the end of the episode, Deb had finally come around to Dexter's perspective. I loved that he actually brought her to the kill location and I adored the sense of wonder and weird satisfaction on Deb's face throughout that final scene in the car. When she asked if Dexter did it for her, Carpenter's little smile was probably the single greatest piece of acting she's done on the show.

I don't know where the rest of the season is heading but after four episodes, it's clear that Dexter has a great grasp on this story. The writing is sharp and the performances are even better. Deb's knowledge isn't just a plot contrivance that keeps Dexter from doing his typical stuff. It is a purposeful agent that's had real consequences and impact on both the show and its title character. To this point, Dexter has explored the ideological differences between Dexter and Deb without picking a side. But I'm curious to see whether Deb's realization at the end of "Run" means another big shift is coming. And whatever that shift might be, for the first time in forever, I'm actually confident that Dexter can pull it off.

– Yvonne Strahovski's Hannah made a quick appearance, just long enough to flirt with Dexter and look amazing in a dress. It's still unclear why that story matters, but she and Hall have great chemistry.

– Isaak's "Revenge for Viktor" Tour took an interesting turn this week, as it seems the former's feelings for the latter were a bit more passionate than we first thought. We pretty much already know how this story will end, but that's a nice little shading to the character. Ray Stevenson has been good as well.

– Quinn defending the stripper as a "dancer" was my cue to not give a damn about that story ever again.

– Jamie might just spend a few days in Orlando, guys. She apparently has nothing else to do.

– The Speltzer case allowed the show to indulge its creepier, more bombastic side, which is fine. The elaborate maze/trap things were fun enough.

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Dexter S7E03: "Buck the System"

Well, we knew that couldn't last.

Deb's plan to save Dexter through intense observation and half-cocked detoxing came from a place of love and hope, but there was no way that he was ever going to help make that work—because he doesn't really want to change. Dexter has spent too much time embracing his Dark Passenger, and he's certainly worked very hard to convince himself that the code is good enough to keep him from being a full-blown monster. So, despite Deb's best hopes, her plan is all but busted.

However, that's actually okay. Another week, another episode of Dexter that subverts my expectations in a good way. Instead of harping on Deb suffocating Dexter and him trying to sneak away from her every 10 minutes, "Buck the System" moved into another realm of their new relationship: Dexter telling her the truth.

When he recognized that she wasn't going to stop badgering him about his whereabouts, Dexter turned the tables on Deb and laid everything out on the table. He further explained the code, why he does what he does and more importantly, why he does what he does. And for good measure, he brought Deb along while he was casing a probable killer in hopes of convincing her of the value of his work. That conversation in the bar, with Dexter opening up and promising that he wouldn't kill unless he knew for sure he was doing what "must" be done and Deb wholeheartedly disagreeing with him, is now my favorite scene of the season so far.

The show is (somewhat surprisingly) examining Dexter and Deb's relationship with a great deal of subtlety, particularly with regard to their ideological differences. They care for—but can never really understand—one another. But although Dexter has always been super afraid of Deb finding out his secret for this very reason, the show is working hard to at least give Dexter a chance of convincing her that while his way might be horrible and unorthodox, it's not THE WORST.

"Buck the System" took the smart approach to making that happen by allowing Deb into Dexter's process, creating workplace tension about warrants and procedure that was low-key but still purposeful. Plus, I love that Dexter admitted to Deb that she's already been in on his process forever since she's followed so many of his fake hunches. By the end of the episode, Dexter was proven right—because he almost always is—but still, Deb questioned what this means for their relationship both at work and outside it. Maybe they can't have the same relationship they had before. For the third episode of the season, that's a damn great conclusion.

Some might say that the show should have allowed Deb to freak out about Dexter's identity more, or maybe the writers should have slow-played some of the tension between them in these early episodes, but it's worked really well for me. The show is nicely and logically moving through beats of this story without falling into melodramatic drivel, which was really my big fear coming into the season. The fact that there hasn't been a scene with Deb pointing a gun at Dexter and suggesting that she needs to turn him in is really promising. Their relationship is deep enough—and screwed up enough—that it's believable to me that Deb would try to fix Dexter and that she would ultimately see his side of the argument, only to recognize that his side of the argument isn't good enough. Frankly, that's an adult and complex conclusion for a show that tends to skew toward the silly and stupid side of things.

The other big news (which, based on the comments, I know you folks want to talk about): Chuck's Yvonne Strahovski made her anticipated debut in this episode as Hannah McKay, the former accomplice of a deranged killer Miami PD needs information from now that the long-closed case is opened. Dexter, for whatever reason (well, she's pretty, I get that), dropped the Q-tip when trying to perform a DNA swab, which is basically this show's version of a meet-cute.

There was certainly a spark between Dexter and Hannah, who refused to give much of anything to Batista, information-wise, because she was giving googly eyes to Dex, but it's still unclear how she will play into the season as things progress. The show always has more cases going then it seems, so I'm guessing she'll have to come in for questioning or something silly like that. But nevertheless, it's always great to have Yvonne around. She and Michael C. Hall worked well together in just a short scene.

And! The Ukrainian mob story took a nice turn as well. After Dexter sent the hand back into the office and the weird video diary to Jamie, Louis lost both his job and his girlfriend. So, in hopes of getting some quick (read: lame) payback, Louis went to the marina to sink Dex's boat. The problem with that? Issak and George happened to be there at the same time, looking for the owner of said boat because it was the last place that a GPS tracked Viktor to. Louis gave up Dexter as the owner of the boat and got himself a bullet in the head for his troubles.

What a weird story. For a handful of episodes, it seemed like Louis was going to be a major threat to Dexter for a reason we were not privy to. Then, it was revealed that he was just a pipsqueak, but there was still something there. Turns out, nope, just a dweeb with a weird temperament. That's an odd conclusion to what was a pretty odd story. Nevertheless, it's nice to see that the baddies already know about Dexter. Usually, it takes eight episodes to get to that point.

But this season, Dexter isn't doing things in the usual fashion—and is much better for it.

– I quite enjoyed Dexter's frustrated dream sequences in the first part of the episode. Michael C. Hall nails the unsettling satisfaction that takes hold of Dexter during certain kills. The glee is terrifying but awesome.

– Quinn falling in love with a stripper who outwardly tells him that she's been ordered to manipulate him is both the funniest and saddest thing to happen this season. Can't someone just put that guy out his misery? For all of us?

– That killer's bull costume and Saw-inspired murder den were sufficiently creepy, right? I feel like the show has done so many things like that over the years that new attempts to shock fall on deaf ears.

Dexter "Buck the System" Photos

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Dexter S7E02: "Sunshine and Frosty Swirl"

Last week's Season 7 premiere of Dexter reinstated a great deal of my confidence in the show, but not to the point that I was totally comfortable with things going into tonight's second episode. In the back of my mind, I couldn't help but think that the show might try some kind of B.S. swerve or dream sequence chicanery that would side-step the big revelations of "Are You…?". While I wish that weren't the case, years of evidence told me to stay on my toes with how far the show was willing to let Dexter and Deb discuss the secrets between them.

Thankfully, the show suppressed my reservations and ultimately proved me wrong. "Sunshine and Frosty Swirl" dug into Deb's newfound knowledge in a somewhat un-Dexter-like fashion. Instead of giving us lots of yelling, screaming, and needle injections to the neck, Deb and Dexter spent much of the episode calmly discussing his problems and how she can solve them, and placing the blame so easily on the man who wasn't there (well, you know, for real) to defend himself: Harry. The results were much more muted and perhaps glossed over the real gravity of the situation, but in the end they sketched out how Dexter can last for another 22 episodes without too much of a strain on its credibility.

The show could have easily used Deb's discovery of Dexter's deep secrets as a way to create a sense of overblown, hyperbolic drama, with her threatening to turn him in and him trying stupid things to get out of it. However, one thing that the show rarely gets credit for is its ability to dial everything back after major but horrible moments. I'm seemingly one of the few people who enjoyed Season 5 (despite its litany of substantial problems) and the reason I did was that I appreciated how, for the most part, the show didn't turn Dex into an even bigger maniac, instead forcing him to more quietly explore how he was going to live in the world without Rita. Although the killing certainly serves as an outlet—and catalyst—for most of his problems, Dexter regularly lets its title character turn inward to deal with his problems. The voiceover gets monotonous, but it can be used effectively in situations where Dexter really needs to be self-reflexive (and just not annoyingly sarcastic about whatever situation he's in).

That kind of low-key approach to the aftermath of a major conflict was on display in tonight's episode better than it has ever been. The opening minutes were powered by the more expected and conventional blow-up: shouting, accusations, name-calling, cursing, and threatening, all from Deb. But instead of flying off the handle, Deb actually let Dexter convince her to come back inside to discuss his Dark Passenger (seriously, that never stops being funny) and how he and Harry crafted the whole "killing people who deserve it" code.

I said this last week, but I want to mention it again here because it seems even truer now: This is basically the best time for Deb to figure all this stuff out, and not just because we viewers are ready for her to do so. She's finally at a place in her life where she can emotionally handle a bomb of this size being dropped on her (well, at least as well as anyone could). Despite the greatly uneven nature of the last two seasons, both of them did fine work in forcing Deb to reevaluate her perceptions of both right and wrong (recall that she let Lumen and Dexter go at the end of Season 5 because she felt like Jordan Chase and his crew got what was coming to them), as well as her perceptions of Dexter (also recall that she unfortunately convinced herself that she LOVE loved him last season). She's no longer as naïve or guarded about certain things. Without those stories in those admittedly problematic seasons, I don't think these episodes and this story would have been as effective.

Most interestingly, Deb's first concrete solution to Dexter's problem was to paint him as an addict and suggest that she would be his personal rehab counselor and her apartment would be his clinic.* It wasn't the worst idea ever, even if it allowed the episode to quickly move away from the two of them having truly honest conversations and created circumstances in which Dexter just got to lie to and sneak around Deb.

* This was one of those times where the show wanted us to mostly forget that Dex has a baby. Harrison made an appearance tonight, but it seemed pretty easy for Dexter to just start sleeping at Deb's place, seemingly apropos of nothing. Jamie has to be raking it in as a babysitter and she also must think that Dexter and Deb's relationship is the weirdest thing ever—which it is.

Much like last week's episode, the structure of "Frosty Swirl" featured a lot of Deb interrupting the show's typical rhythms. She learned the truth, only for Dexter to keep trying to lie to her some more, which regularly finds a way to stop (sometimes accidentally). Whether it's intentional or not, I love how Deb has become this disruptive force, not only in the life of Dexter but in our perceptions of how the show works on a regular basis.

This was further underscored by the episode's conclusion. After discovering that Josh Cooke's Louis wasn't actually dangerous but just a petulant nerd mad about Dex crapping on his video game, Dexter thought he'd taken care of the situation with some hefty threats. Unfortunately, Louis refused to stop coming around, leaving Dex with only one choice—or so he thought. Mid-way through the usual murdering process, he actually broke down and called his "sponsor," Deb. He brought her to the location and (mostly) told her the truth. For the first time in a long time (and maybe ever), Dexter stopped a kill on his own.

I'm very curious to see how this story keeps progressing. As he told Deb in the episode, Dexter has tried to quit killing before and it's never worked. But when he was trying back then, he was still keeping secrets from people he actually cared about (Deb and Rita). And when other people knew the truth about him, they only brought the monster out more. Deb is, unsurprisingly, a different case. She both knows the truth and is important enough to Dexter that he's willing to at least try quitting again. That is a massive step. Of course, in some ways, it also suggests that Dexter feels something toward Deb that he hasn't with anyone else, which we already sort of knew, but with the knowledge of how SHE might feel in our minds, it's tough to see their relationship as progressing to an even more confusing and codependent space.

But really, it had to be this way didn't it? Dexter has always been a show about this demented family unit of Dexter, Deb and Harry. Dexter, for the entirety of the series, has aligned with Harry out of necessity, but perhaps going through this with Deb will make him realize that he has someone who is alive that can help him navigate his screwed-up life. I guess it's only fitting that after Harry sheltered Deb and crafted Dexter to be a killing machine, the kids should band together to make something more workable and less murderous.

The big question here, though, is whether or not the show would ever allow Dexter to quit being himself. Like I said, we've been down this road before and the show always pulls everything back to the status quo—seemingly so it can keep telling the same kinds of stories. But Dexter is a different kind of show now; one with an end in sight and less procedural necessity. Does Dexter giving up his killing ways make sense as a conclusion to an extended character arc? Maybe. I'm not sure yet. What do you think?

– The dead stripper storyline is progressing, but it's not entirely engaging yet. Quinn is SHOCKINGLY falling for a stripper who will likely try to get him killed, and Ray Stevenson's bossman Isaac is predictably vicious. This thread isn't bad at all, but it also mostly exists just so we can take a breath between the Deb-and-Dexter scenes.

– This episode laid the "Can Dexter change?" point on a little thick by having a random convict claim he was willing to help Miami P.D. find the bodies he'd buried only so he could wax poetically to Dex about never changing before killing himself. That was a little unnecessary, especially when we already had the voiceover throwing out things like, "WILL I EVER BE ABLE TO CHANGE?" We get it, Dexter. Don't treat us like idiots.

– Dexter asked Deb whether she had any A1 to distract her, but I'm wondering if he can even eat it, to say nothing of ketchup or other red substances, without "seeing red" as he discussed? Seems like tempting fate, no?

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