According to executive producer Sara Colleton, season eight will mark the end of Dexter (read more here). If this is the first time you’re hearing this, I apologize for being the bearer of bad news. What this information signifies is that the producers have a definite end in mind when they wrap up next year. Essentially, the series is created with the final season stretching over 24 episodes.
This week of Dexter opened with Debra fleeing Dex’s apartment in a panic. The first stop is a curb where she collapses to vomit. Her loving brother offers a hand but she wants no part of that. Deb can hold her own hair back, thank you very much. A noticeable difference with this episode is that when Deb questions Dexter, she’s actually getting the truth. He started killing at a young age (20), and their father (Harry Morgan) implemented the “code” that he follows. Harry Morgan knew Dexter had been exposed to the murder of his mother, and because of this, he believed the darkness had consumed him in an irreversible way. What we can take from Dexter’s full disclosure to Deb is that he’s not in handcuffs—at least not yet.
Debra has her own perspective of Dexter—however naive it may seem to us. She believes that their father was wrong about Dexter and that his urges can be stopped. She treats her brother like a man with a drug addiction. Is it possible for her to see any value in what Dexter does? It may be a stretch given how loyal she is to the legal system. Let’s take a look at some of the other characters in the show.
Perhaps the only interesting aspect of the Ukraine mob story is the mob boss. His piercing blues eyes and large stature inject fear into each character that he comes in contact with. Ever see a screwdriver penetrate an eye socket? After the scene with Tony in his garage, we certainly have.
Louis Greene appears to be a threat, but is he a legitimate one? It seems like he’s just a man with a grudge about a video game. He continues to interfere with Dexter’s life, but it seems more of a test on his limits rather than posing any real danger.
What I thought was the most interesting aspect of the “Sunshine and Frosty Swirl” was the serial killer Wayne Randall. Did you notice the importance of his character? He had provided Dexter with a mirror of what his life would become if Debra had turned him in. Even prison couldn’t change Randall’s Dark Passenger. Behind bars, he planned the next kill—his own. Will this life lesson prove to be a valuable one for Dexter? Time will tell.
Ice cream anyone?
Things to keep an eye on:
-Additional details on the childhood of Debra and Dexter. Perhaps there’s more to understand with how polar opposite these two siblings have become.
-LaGuerta’s intent with the Bay Harbor Butcher connection.
-Joey Quinn’s relationship with the stripper.