I swear to god, TV could not have gotten started back up soon enough. If it wasn't for the fact that while this site was down I actually had a real grown-ups job, I think I would have tinted my TV screen pink with the brains I splattered across it. Anyway, last season of Dexter was as good as Season 2, which is the undisputed best season of the show. If you do dispute this assessment, you are wrong, a jackass, and were probably never loved as a child. Anyway, the whole convoluted point I'm trying to make here is that there are probably only 2 shows where my expectations have been as high for a premiere as they were for the premiere of Dexter's 5th season. Everything about this show bleeds genius, and just when you think they are out of ideas they make the dad from 3rd Rock from the Sun the stuff of your nightmares.
The true face of terror
And I am happy to report that even in the case of my often unrealistic expectations, I could scarcely have asked for a better premiere. The show plops us right back down into the end of season 4 (if you haven't finished season 4, stop reading for about 13 hours, watch it, then continue. Spoilers lie ahead, you've been warned) in the immediate wake of Rita's death at the hands of the trinity killer. When the responding police officers ask Dexter what happened, he tells them his wife is dead and that "[he] did it". This statement opens up a whole can of shit for the still in shock Dexter, and he soon attracts the suspicions of the FBI and Quinn. Yes, the episode runs for about 5 minutes before you are worked up into a visceral rage over Quinn's actions. The show really reeled from the loss of Doakes in season 2, and I think that it's because it benefited from having a constant source of suspicion and scrutiny for Dexter. So on the one hand, it's good that they seem to be acknowledging this fact, but on the other hand, it seems very sudden for Quinn to go from simply disliking Dexter to assuming that he is capable of murder. He just lacks the intensity of James "I'm Watchin' You Mothafucka" Doakes, so I don't know how well he'll fare. Still, Quinn is a pretty fun guy to hate, so hopefully they'll be able to deliver some interesting conflict in episodes to come.
Though we will always know in our hearts that James Doakes
will be watching ALL those mothafuckas from heaven.
Of course, it wouldn't be a post for the good ol' WF by yours truly if I didn't find SOMEthing to complain about, so here it goes: I thought that the free-from-fault and godlike season 2 already tackled the issue of Dexter not being able to get the whole grieving process (in the aftermath of Paul's death), and that he came away being able to utilize his newfound skillzzz in Season 3 when covering his ass on the accidental murder of Miguel's brother. Yes, I realize that we are supposed to see his inability to grieve as a reflection of how much Rita meant to him, but all I could think while it was going on was that they had done this exact line of thought for Dexter from start to finish in Season 2, only better. This is a cubic micron of a drop in a bucket the size of Lake Michigan, however, as watching Dexter pummel a man through a wall before bludgeoning him to death with a grappling hook is something that can be described in modest terms as "the manliest fucking thing you will ever see ever."
The gallows humor and rich character development prevalent throughout the series have not lightened up either. I couldn't decide whether to cry or to laugh until my spleen exploded when Dexter delivered the news of Rita's death to Cody and Aster while wearing Mickey Mouse ears and concluded with saying "I'm sorry for your loss". Watching Deb's breakdowns continues to be a source of fascination, as each one has unique subtleties that keep them feeling fresh in the details (though it does often boil down to "spin the wheel of questionable people Deb will fuck"). Dexter's eulogy to Rita even makes you forget that you hated her for 90% of the time she was around. It was really refreshing and heartwarming to get a glimpse into Dexter and Rita's early days, and I wonder if this is something on which they will expound more. All in all, I'm interested to see how Dexter begins to get his house in order in the wake of his wife's death, how Quinn will fare as an adversary, and whether or not Jennifer Carpenter will respond to those messages I sent her asking her to come out to Eugene and marry me. Seriously, Ms. Carpenter, I may not be Michael C. Hall, but I AM Michael A. Butler. I'm sure you've heard the talk that broke grad students are nigh unto godly in the sack and I would be delighted to prove those rumors more than true.
I can't promise we'll live in the luxury to which you are
accustomed, but Ms. Carpenter, I will treat you right,
if you catch my drift.
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