Dexter Review: “First Blood”

Alright, so I’m officially in “is Dexter losing steam?” mode after a relatively strong start to the season. I’ve gotten this way twice before, once midway through season three, before Dexter started co-op killing with Jimmy Smits, and also through almost all of season four, as I hated Trinity and his lame “cycle,” but was so satisfied with the way the season ended (Rita’s death), I wrote it off as a win.

Now, I’m not sure what to think of this season. I thought there might be more to Julia Stiles’ Lumin character than met the eye, but I don’t think so now. I had a “oh duh” moment when the mystery of the “other guys” who had done this to her was solved. She just meant that there were other people abducting and raping besides Boyd inside that house, and I’m really not sure how I took that any other way now.

So what to do? She’s cleaned up, but psychologically fragile, and meets Dexter for lunch dates so they can talk about how psychologically fragile she is. Now, I have no experience with rape or rape victims, but is it usual for a woman who has been tortured and gang raped to immediately turn around and start an actual physical manhunt by herself for those responsible? I think there would be at least a little recovery time needed, but Lumin dives right in, tears spilling and hands shaking while clasping a gun.

“Ughhh you’ve got to be kidding me.”

But as it turns out, the first guy she hunts down using the patented “hang shit on a wall” method of sleuthing perfected in various TV shows over the years, is actually not one of the scumbags who abducted her. This is something Dexter discovers while trying to kill him first, and realizing he has an ankle monitor. It’s supposed to be a big deal that Dexter almost killed someone outside of the code on bad intel, but he’s done that a few times before, and I don’t think the audience really cares at this point if he kills a rapist or a murderer. What about that guy at the gas station a few episodes ago? He was just an asshole!

Meanwhile, in sub-character land, Deb and Latina cop are still chasing down the big bad voodoo machete brothers, and believe they’ve found their first victims, a couple hacked to death, mummified and crawling with maggots. I don’t really see the point of this subplot, as it’s the first time a seemingly major plot line really hasn’t intersected with Dexter at all. As I said before, is he really just going to swoop in and murder them once they’re actually caught? Though I suppose he has bigger fish to fry at the moment.

Besides Lumin, Dexter’s other problem is trying to figure out if his baby is going to be a serial killer too, and he takes every little act of aggression by him (scratching another kid) as a sign that’s the case. But as it stands, many babies are just being babies and do things like that and then grow out of it, and this really can’t be a subplot unless we end up flash forwarding like ten years later at some point in the series, which I hope to god never happens.

Surely, the face of a killer.

Dexter finds out that Deb and Quinn are doing the nasty, and he still hates Quinn because, err why again? Does he know he’s kind of onto him or what? I don’t remember. In any case, he doesn’t seem actively concerned about it. Quinn does nothing this episode but wear a towel and recruit a recently busted cop to start tracking Dexter. Yeah, because if ex-CIA spook Doakes couldn’t outsmart him, this wash-up can. Really the only thing that Quinn has going for him is that Dexter doesn’t see him as a serious threat, which down the line, he very well could be.

Lastly, we have the usual Batista LaGuerta bullshit, where the show does everything possible to make it look like she’s blowing the IA guy to get Batista off (no pun intended), but surprise, she’s not, and she’s taking her shirt off to put a wire on, naturally, so she can bust the aforementioned cop Quinn ends up hiring.

Don’t worry, loser McNoName is on the case!

At the end of the episode when Dexter finally sends Lumin packing, she decides against going after getting molested at the airport by security, and decides she’s going to stay and keep hunting. Where this is heading appears to be Dexter taking her under his wing, and showing her the correct way to stalk prey, but I hope it’s something less expected than that. When I first saw the map with all the rape-themed news clippings on it, I thought for a brief glorious second, she was secretly the female version of Dexter, hunting down rapists across the country. But alas, it was only a fleeting moment until I realized this was just her wacky investigation into her own situation. .

So yeah, nothing terribly significant happened this week, which is unusual for Dexter and not the best sign if you ask me, but I’ll stayed tuned and have faith.

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13 Comments

  1. Once again, Doakes was CIA…BUT Doakes is also a hot head and made it perfectly clear he was onto Dexter. Doakes could’ve got Dexter a lot sooner had he not been so obvious about following him ect. Quinn on the other hand is actually going about this the smartly and outsourcing the job to someone Dexter doesn’t recognize who could probably be more efficient in fishing answers than Quinn himself would be.

    I agree with you on the flash-forward/ Harrison Has The Dark Passenger too bit…that whole subplot just feels like Patronization to the fans that Dexter breeds Serial Killers…which is the dumbest crock of shite I’ve ever heard.

    The Santa Muerte People FEELS like they should be the MAIN plot thread. If I were writing this Season I would’ve had The Santa Muerte People catch Dexter in the act and start worshiping Dexter as Saint Death. Essentially putting Dexter in a position where his brand of justice is not only acceptable but praise-worthy and he becomes a Folk Hero. But that’s just me.
    I’m holding on to this Season BUT my fears are somewhat getting confirmed thanks to the many guest stars we’re gonna have this Season:
    Shawn Hatsoy
    Julia Stiles
    Peter Weller
    April Lee Hernandez
    Chris Vance
    Johnny Lee Miller
    Maria Doyle Kennedy
    5 of which have appeared in episodes, 2 of which are about to make their debut…it’s obvious this season could become subplot heavy…and it’s looking that way now I’m afraid to say. There’s a little too much going on for my taste and not enough Dexter being Dexter.

  2. “As I hated Trinity” That is the first time I have ever heard that stance uttered. Wow.

    Lithgow’s acting was so much better then others that have been on this show it isn’t even funny. The man was Harry and the Henderson’s to me. After seeing him on Dexter he scares the bajebus outta me.

  3. Paul you didn’t know That was Robocop takin’ on Dexter ? Geez buddy you might need a refresher course in Face Recognition. Did you used to review “24” ? Because he took on Jack Bauer as well…granted that was the 5th Season and the show was starting to suck by then…but still o.o

  4. yeah, this season is kind of like one of the books (can’t remember if it was the 2nd or 3rd)…. i hope it doesn’t go where the book went.

    anyway, julia stiles is horrible to look at and she can’t act. they need to stick with the previous excellent casting skills (lithgow, smitts, etc.)

  5. You don’t remember why Dexter doesn’t like Quinn? It’s because he knows Quinn’s a dirty cop. Remember, he saw Quinn pocketing some cash at a crime scene? Then Quinn wouldn’t accept that Dex really didn’t give a shit one way or the other … he kept trying to get Dex to approve or disapprove of his actions.
    This may be one of the reasons Quinn’s going after him … not that Quinn’s a wonderful cop or anything, hell, I bet he’d probably be OK with Dex murdering scum. But Dex has something on him, even if he has no inclination to use it, so Quinn’s gotta have something on Dexter to keep a “detante” going.

  6. Exactly my point of why Quinn is better suited to handle Dexter than Doakes was. Quin probably wouldn’t give a rat-ass about Dexter takin’ out scum. Exactly my reasoning. I think Dexter might end up saving Quinn’s life somewhere in this season actually…then again…who knows…

  7. I’m over the whole the-detective-is-suspicious-of-Dexter thing. It was done to perfection and ended up in a glorious fireball that can’t be topped.

    The only way this season can redeem itself it for Dexter to end up duking it out with a then self-realized serial killer-killer Lumin. Or, maybe Lumin becomes the padwan and takes the fight to a new city? IDK, I’m not worthy to write a Dexter season.

    What’s true it, the writers haven’t failed us so far. The twists have always been awesome. The results have always been satisfying (DIE Rita! DIIEEEE!) So, until the fat lady sings, I’m withholding judgement.

  8. I am convinced that Erik King must have been an asshole to work with because they played the Doakes card WAAAAAAAAAAAAY too early in the series and now basically have recast the role over with Quinn, even the Deb relationship which was teased with Doakes. The only difference being that Quinn is indeed a dirty cop and most likely has other skeletons in his closet. The sad thing is that King/Hall had amazing chemistry on screen and they fucked up by getting rid of the character too early.

  9. I think I’m done reading your T.V. reviews, Paul. Not that I necessarily disagree with your opinions; it’s just that your reasoning for disliking something seems lazy. “Oh I don’t understand this character’s motivation, I don’t remember and I don’t like it.” If you’re going to review a television series you can at least remember things that you watch. It seems like in every T.V. review you write you state you can’t remember something from a past season or episode. It’s like you don’t care enough to pay attention to the series as a whole. It’s nothing personal, it’s just kind of annoying I guess.

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