Dexter 6.03
Train journeys: always helpful for getting one's reviews written. So, here's what I thought about the latest from Miami.
First a general lament, caused by a minor element in the episode. Time was that we had three very different and interesting female regulars, Deb, Maria and Rita, and also the occasional intriguing female guest star, like the cop who killed her family. As of right now, the only woman still being served well by the show is Deb. And whereas in former times, yes, Matsuka's leering was played mostly as comic relief, I never had the impression the camera was leering with him. This season I definitely have that impression. Female guest stars are characters like Trisha who only seemed to exist so Dexter can have sex during his high school reunion, and now Matsuka's student who reassures him and the viewer she doesn't mind being oggled at after the camera amply did just that. Even Angel's sister is put on display both by camera and dialogue, and none of them gives the impression of the writers having put any thought into their personalities beyond "must have nice t&a".
Damm it, show, you used to be so much better than this.
On to more enjoyable things. Religion seems to be the red thread this season, along with fathers and sons. As I suspected, the Edward Olmos character serves as Dark Harry, while his young follower Travis is getting paralleled with Dexter via having a beloved sister, who even resembles Deb a little and Lisa Kimmel from Six Feet Under even more, who knows nothing about her brother's nightly activities. Meanwhile, Brother Sam the reformed killer is, barring future revelations, a first on the show: a genuine case of repentance via good works and helping other people WITHOUT still continuing to kill, as Dexter does. As opposed to the Olmos character who uses religion and charisma to organize murder, Sam uses it to help other former and/or potential criminals. He's far from the first case of Dexter drawing the wrong conclusions, though Dexter and the show stopped angsting about his increasing sloppiness ages ago. Sam, of course, is another exception in that he survives.
As I suspected, Angel's promotion wasn't to be, though Deb making Lieutenant thanks to her recent heroics and Matthews wishing to spite LaGuerta was a better twist to what I feared. His reaction - congratulating Deb while the camera closes in to his sadness when she can't see it - was excellent though I wish he and the show hadn't seen it fit to take this out on Maria, whose fault this was not. Show, in s1 and s2 we saw Maria being a good cop, not just a political one, so all the jibes irk me.
I liked that Deb despite her shock and sympathy for Angel wanted and took the job. No coyness on the part of the script there about ambition being of the evil. The scenes between her and Dexter were fabulous and encouraged my hope that she will find out this season and I'm not watching in vain. Of course, disliking Quinn as I do I was relieved she turned him down and he reacted like a spoiled child. Alas I fear they will make up again before the season is over, but for now, I welcome the break up.
Dexter deciding that he now has to take care to only be the mask for Harrison: in every season it got hammered down that Dexter's social self is in fact a real part, whether or not he admits it, but it was still a bitter sweet moment.
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