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. 

Dexter: Let's Give the Boy a Hand

 "People think it's fun to pretend you're a monster. Me, I spend my life pretending that I'm not."

Again, the flashbacks to Dexter's childhood, with Harry teaching him how to pretend and wear a mask so he looks normal, is contrasted with the scenes in the present, where masks abound, and not only because it's Halloween.

Hence Dexter solves a problem for Rita with a highly annoying neighbour, after which she, er, gets down on her knees to express her gratitude, shall we say- a big step for her, and showing how safe she feels with him. He wears his mask well, and is even good with the kids. And this is the result. Yet, although at first he seems to be trying to go through the motions... is he realising, to his surprise, that he's enjoying it?

Doakes, meanwhile, is in danger after last episode's hi-jinks, ending up kidnapped, roughed up... and rescued. He was bait all along. A mask he doesn't even realise he's wearing. 

And yet not everyone is wearing a mask. The killer thinks he sees Dexter for who he is, leaving freshly amputated bits of poor Tucci for Dexter to find. It's a game, and feels almost like a particularly twisted episode of Sherlock.

And this is awkward for LaGuerta, who has just been on the telly fingering Tucci as the killer. She's lucky to get away with it as far as Tucci's grateful mother is concerned, especially as Tucci is finally rescued with no thanks to her... although Deb, in claiming the credit allowed her by her brother, is wearing a metaphorical mask of sorts.

But the real climax sees the killer misjudge Dexter. The trap is supposed to lure Dexter in to kill Tucci... and he doesn't, because he's internalised the code of Harry. Dexter may be a monster, but he and the killer are not the same. Harry taught him not only to wear masks... but fundamentally changed who he was. Still a monster, but one with principles.

A fascinating, and deliciously structured, bit of telly. 

Dexter: Dexter

 "See you at the next bloodbath?"

You never know what you're going to get withy a pilot for a new series (yes, Dexter is the new Sunday night blog post for now), but I was bloody impressed with this. Bloody excellent direction, intriguing concept, plot and characters, nice use of the setting (Miami), and superb central performance from Michael C. Scott as the eponymous serial killer... with praise also due to the extraordinary Julie Benz as Rita, the damaged, sexually abused girlfriend to whom the asexual Dexter is the perfect boyfriend.

And Dexter himself is nuanced and fascinating. Neurodiverse, personality disorder, I'm not qualified to say, and TV drama often tends to conflate such things.. but he's a strange one, entirely capable of surface charm; highly organised; and utterly incapable of real feelings, even towards his sister and his girlfriend. It's fascinating seeing his friendly relationship with his unsuspecting cop friends (except Doakes, who knows he's a wrong 'un). especially Lt LaGuerta, who may look down on his sister Deb but clearly fancies the pants off Dexter.

And the flashbacks... his backstory is fascinating. Some childhood trauma leading to adoption, starting by killing animals, but his energies redirected by a loving cop stepdad into serial killing only those who "deserve" it. Wow. And in this episode we see our first two of what I suspect will be many murders. Dexter is, of course, no hero: vigilantism is never justice. There must always be due process. Much as I'm enjoying this series, I'll never forget that.

But this episode does a bloody good job. It introduces the characters and premise, and already we have a threat: a rival serial killer, whose methods Dexter admires, and a shot across the bows...