Dexter is a show that has, like many others, gone downhill in its final seasons. It’s never really been able to top the Trinity season, and last year was a disaster. This season was a marked improvement upon that, but I still can’t say this show is what it once was. I’ve liked some of the storylines this season, but it has felt scattered.
There are a lot of threads in this season that have ended too quickly (Isaak) or been too uninteresting (Quinn). But Dexter has effectively drawn me in with two stories – Dexter and Deb’s relationship (and, through her role as an obstacle for them, Hannah) and LaGuerta’s pursuit of the real Bay Harbor Butcher. This episode gave us some major developments there, and I thought one was a hit and one was a miss.
The miss was the Deb, Dexter and Hannah storyline. Deb ended up in the hospital after a car wreck – and an overdose on anti-anxiety medication was the answer. An overdose that happened soon after a surprise visit from Hannah, looking to bury the hatchet since things were getting serious with her and Dexter. I think what would have made this story more compelling is if we weren’t sure that Hannah poisoned Deb. But since we knew that Hannah was aware that Deb was about to make a witness to another one of Hannah’s murders crack, it was all too obvious.
Dexter turned Hannah in, which I think to Hannah was worse than being murdered. It was a decent end to her story, but I wish there’d been more subtlety in the execution.
Now for the positive. I loved what they did with the LaGuerta storyline. The release from prison of one of Dexter’s mom’s murderers was a sting, a trap to see if Dexter would follow through. LaGuerta got so close, and I’m still on the edge of my seat. Estrada let it slip, though – he revealed that there’d been a push for his release from the captain of Miami Metro, and that gave Dexter enough time to get away. So LaGuerta knows for sure that Dexter is a serial killer, but she still needs to prove it. Can she do that before Dexter kills her?
I think Dexter needs to be caught. Honestly, Dexter killing LaGuerta would not be that interesting at this point. He has broken his code for less. I hope that the show does the right thing and delivers the more captivating outcome. Despite a flawed season, this storyline has been strong enough that I’m still excited for the finale.
What did you guys think?
