Dexter: Resistance Is Futile

 "Nice, my subconscious isn't even bothering with symbolism..."

Wow. This is a truly impressive piece of television, a real masterclass of tension. The net seems to be closing in on Dexter, his downfall seemingly inevitable. And then... we have the perfectly earned yet surprising twist. And another shocking twist at the end.  

Lila is out of Dexter's life, or so he thinks- although, of course, without a "sponsor", he's back to his "addiction". Or, at least, to the extent he can do so, what with all this FBI surveillance. Yet she's volatile, dangerous, and the games she plays here- hanging out with Dexter's colleagues and flirting with Angel- seem to be a harbinger of something bigger. She's going to do something big, dramatic and awful, I know. And she sees right through him, in everything except the huge elephant in the room.

Oh, and that call between Dexter and Rita, as they make baby steps towards getting back together and plan to meet the following night? I'm full of foreboding. So much can happen before then. 

More than anything, though, this is all about Dexter's near-certainty that his comeuppance is at hand. The direction, the acting, the mood of paranoia, that flashback to his youth, it's all building up to the moment where he's taken to Lundy... 

And then the bombshell: Doakes is the suspect, not Dexter. And it makes perfect sense. The FBI found the slides in Doakes' car, his recent behaviour has indeed been odd... the last few episodes have been so masterfully building up to this. And, irony of ironies, Dexter has been put in charge of examining the slides. And yet... the code of Harry. Don't harm the innocent. But don't get caught.

Others, of course, have their own agendas. Maria LaGuerta remains loyal to Doakes, and we know the lengths she'll go to. But, in urging Deb to urge her influence, she unwittingly causes Deb to let slip her rather icky secret.

But then, the end, the altercation with Doakes, the dilemma, three episodes to go, which I'm sure will be high drama...

Wow. Just wow. This is masterful telly.