There has to be something wrong with writing about serial killers the day after Christmas.
But Dexter, however dark and morbid it can be, gave us a great gift for the holidays by giving us an awesome season 7 run.
A little over a week ago, Dexter wrapped its penultimate season (at least, they claim that the next will be the last) with an episode that was chock full of twists, murders and dramatic content. Dexter returned to fine form at the beginning of the season, determined to erase the memory of season 6 (good, but only remained on the brink of being great) from the TV series's detractors with the image of Deb walking in on her brother Dexter as he performs a ritual kill on last season's villain Travis Marshall (Colin Hanks).
Dexter's seventh season features a whole gamut of overlapping story lines, with each one compelling in its own right. Dexter deals with Deb knowing about his secret life as a serial killer. He finds himself the target of the Koshka Brotherhood member Isaak Sirko, who is out to avenge the death of Dexter's victim Viktor Baskov. Dexter also meets Hannah McKay, a woman who shares a past with a man known for enacting a three state killing spree and is under suspicion for causing the death of several people. Intern and software developer Louis Greene causes Dexter some inconveniences. And Maria LaGuerta begins her own investigation after finding a blood slide with Travis Marshall's blood at a crime scene, which makes her question if James Doakes was framed as the Bay Harbor Butcher.
Before it began its latest season run during the fall TV season, I found myself excited to watch Dexter for different reasons.
First, one of the major guest stars of the season is Ray Stevenson, who plays Ukrainian mobster Isaak Sirko. I've been a fan since his role as Titus Pullo in Rome and as Frank Castle in (say what you will, I enjoyed it) Punisher: War Zone. And I'm a sucker for men with distinctive, well-enunciated speaking voices, with Ray Stevenson ranking high on the list (though he is behind chef Marco Pierre White and Liam Neeson).
Second, another guest star of note is Yvonne Strahovski, who plays florist Hannah McKay. If you're also a fan of Chuck, then this particular casting should be exciting to you, as well. Especially since it means that Yvonne Strahovski gets to play a completely different and darker character than the beloved (and kick-ass) Sarah Walker.
Third, Deb's discovery about Dexter's true identity as a serial killer is one of the, if not THE, most important development in the history of the series. Deb is the one person that Dexter cares about since the beginning of the series, so the ramifications of that discovery is something to look forward to, even if I'm half afraid that it'll be a train wreck of emotions for both Deb and Dexter. Add the fact that Deb is in love with her adoptive brother into the mix, and you have a complicated (major understatement) relationship that would make a shrink's head explode.
I'm not sure if it's setting an end date in sight or if it's the disgruntled fans who found the previous season to be less than spectacular, but the seventh season of Dexter proved to more than just a return to its old form. The various challenges that Dexter finds himself contending with are all great stories to tell and are a great source of suspenseful viewing for the audience. Dexter isn't really new to juggling various challenges at the same time, having his secret discovered by others, or risking his freedom or even his life, but this year's potential losses are on a personal level, as Dexter realizes that he has more and more people to think about whenever considering the consequences of his actions. At the beginning of the series, Dexter always talked about creating a fake "human" life, but found himself in season 7 realizing that his fake life has become real and that it's not something he could easily, nor want, to leave behind. It was a growth that I expected, but nevertheless welcomed when it finally arrived.
Dexter's line of work (the serial killer kind) usually leads to meeting different types of people. While most end up on his table, wrapped in plastic and dealt a deathly blow with one type of weaponry or another, this season featured potential targets that were more than just fodders for him to perform his ritual kill on. Isaac Sirko, for example, is more than just a ruthless killer who is out to avenge the murder of his comrade at arms in the Koshka Brotherhood. His ability to be calm in the face of potential death or various threats to his life belied an underlying sense of loss. As fun as it was to watch him kill three men from a rival drug cartel all by his lonesome, it wasn't until a certain bar scene and a certain revelatory conversation with Dexter that I realized that, for the first time, I wished Dexter didn't have to kill someone who poses a threat to his life. Ray Stevenson tempered his steely performance of Isaac Sirkov with a sense of barely held back grief. This is easily one of my favorite performances by Ray Stevenson.
And then, there's the girl. Over the course of seven seasons, Dexter established relationships, although there's always a catch. Rita (seasons 1 to 4), originally used by Dexter to appear normal, was blind to his real nature. Lila (season 2) was bat-shit crazy and an arsonist, to boot. Lumen (season 5) understood Dexter, but was gone the moment her own Dark Passenger disappeared after she got her revenge. I knew that Hannah McKay was different, and not just because I'm a fan of Yvonne Strahovski nor because of how the producers decided to bathe her in angelic light every time she's in her greenhouse. I don't think I've ever seen Dexter establish such a palpable chemistry with anyone, even after finding himself suspicious of her past and her apparent affinity for poisonous plants. For the first time, Dexter contends with the word "love" and the sense of helplessness at the idea of losing that love. While Dexter's sense of loss at the end of season 4 after finding Rita dead in the bathtub is still his most tragic moment for me, I felt a certain sense of fear at the idea of Dexter losing Hannah. I wondered how Yvonne Strahovski would fare considering the material that she's given, but she portrayed a wonderfully layered character who is at parts cold-hearted, heartbroken by a weighted past and loving to a fault.
But the weight of the season falls squarely on the shoulders of Dexter and Deb.
Deb's loyalty, as well as her romantic feelings, towards Dexter is put to the test when she realizes that she didn't know everything about him after all. Deb's initial reaction to the knowledge, her conflict on whether to arrest her brother or let him go on his merry serial killing way, and her innate nature to protect him gave Jennifer Carpenter some of her best moments in the show, which I didn't think was possible after her great performance that's largely considered one of the few bright moments of season six. And if you think that her work was cut out for her in season 7, everything Deb had to experience paled in comparison to her ultimate decision at the end of it. Seriously, somebody give the girl an award.
Michael C. Hall has never given a less than stellar performance in the series, even when he had cancer, but season 7 proved to be a showcase for him, with Dexter seesawing between acting out on his killer instincts and struggling with very human emotions. Aside from trying to win in a murderous race with Isaak Sirko and realizing that he can potentially find love in Hannah McKay, Dexter also finds himself faced with the opportunity to close the circle on the incident that changed his life forever. With the news that Hector Estrada, the man who killed his mother and left siblings Dexter and Rudy in a pool of blood, was to be released on parole, Dexter immediately starts planning his ritual kill, unknowing that he risked giving Maria Laguerta that proof that she needed to identify him as the real Bay Harbor Butcher.
It was exhausting to watch season 7 of Dexter, but in a good way. It was able to pack all twelve episodes of the season with all the good elements that we love about the series, while throwing in new challenges for our favorite serial killer.
Season 7 was also triumphant in another regard. I found that this is the first season that I didn't compare to the stellar fourth season and its focus on the Trinity Killer. And that's saying a lot.
With the end of season 7 leaving both Dexter and the audiences wondering about the consequences of his and Debra's actions, I look forward to what would be an epic series finale next year.
Happy viewing!! Labels: Dexter, Drama, Must-Watch, Showtime, TV, TV Series
