Dexter Review – Sunshine and Frosty Swirl (Season 7, Episode 2)

Anyone who’s watched Dexter up until this point knew that was inevitable. There’s no happy ending for Dexter Morgan, not on this series. Every positive he gets in his life, whether it be a brother (Brian) or friend (Miguel) who can relate to him or, now, a sister who represents his only real loving bond, is promptly undone.

There’s a reason there exist no programs for giving up serial killing, Deb, and it’s because it doesn’t happen. Liken it to an addiction all you want. This is one addiction there’s no coming back from. Dexter, his whole life, has had to feign being human, so you’re not going to suddenly instill him with a sense of humanity and make him one for real.

Deb’s efforts may be well-intentioned, but they’re also misguided. I think even she knows this, that she’s merely prolonging what is, as I already said, inevitable. She doesn’t want to lose her brother and, if she had had her way, her lover, nor does she want to admit the man she thought she knew (and loved) was a lie. That would be too much, too quick.

So, instead, she works out this agreement with him, saying he won’t be able to do anything (save showering, I guess) without her by his side. But she can’t honestly believe this will be enough to stop that Dark Passenger of his from continuing to come out of the shadows.

Despite being a detective, Dexter succeeded in keeping her, and everyone else, ignorant of his secret impulses her entire life. Aware of his activities or not, that ability of his to keep you in the dark is not suddenly going to be held completely in check. It didn’t even take one episode in order for him to get away to (try to) do his dirty work. She can try and convince herself that him not doing it, and calling her like she’d asked him to do in such a situation, is a positive sign, but I see it differently.

It went to show she can’t stop him from doing what has been ingrained in him since he was 20. All she can do is hope he stops himself, and that’s certainly not something she can rely on. He may’ve done it this time, but what’s to say next time it won’t turn out differently? As I mentioned earlier, Dexter tells her he’d tried and failed to do just this once already, so another relapse is clearly not out of the realm of possibility.

That makes this whole storyline involving her refusing to accept that somewhat frustrating. Everyone knows how it’ll end. We’ve seen it happen seemingly countless times throughout the series, making this particular territory extremely well trod upon and making me wish they’d gone the same route with their relationship as the books. For those who haven’t read them, I’ll avoid spoiling it. Suffice it to say, though, that her discovery happens much sooner and she takes it in a manner quite different from what we see here.

Am I being too harsh, though? Does Dexter really have a shot at doing away with his Dark Passenger? Were it not for recalling the people behind the show saying they knew how his story was going to end come next season and that it wasn’t going to be pretty, I might entertain that possibility a little more. But, as is, I just don’t see it as being in the cards.

Bits and Bobs:

• Glad to hear the writers address the inexplicable nature of it taking Deb this long to find out, though in roundabout fashion by having her comment on her failing as a detective.
• Masuka’s thoughts were likely clouded by guilt to a certain degree, but one would still think he’d wonder why Dexter was looking in evidence at the stuff from the Bay Harbor Butcher case and why now, of all times. A simple “how did you find out?” would have been welcomed.
• Speaking of Masuka, I’m even happier to see him returning to his usual self with lines like “I was ready to blow you” and “it’s like dating a born-again Christian.” Still could’ve done with more from him, but beggars can’t be choosers, or so the cliche goes.
• Anyone else think Michael C. Hall looks especially ginger this season? In seasons past, his hair looked dark enough in shade for it to slip my mind that he’s actually a ginger.
• Seriously, what is Louis up to? It has to be more than him getting back at Dexter for trashing his game, as he tells him when confronted. But what? Hopefully the show starts giving us some solid leads on what this is all about.