And so it begins, the final season of Dexter. I won’t bore
you with a season-by-season recap leading us up to this point (there is a nifty "previously on..." anyway), but what I will
say is this – our beloved blood-analyst-come-serial-killer has been an absolute
joy to watch. Over the past seven seasons we have witnessed Dexter and his dark
passenger overcome countless obstacles, the most recent of which was Maria
LaGuerta. A woman who came very close to revealing Dexter's true ways, before being ceremoniously shot at the end of season seven by Deborah,
Dexter’s sister. Six months on from the shooting and this is where season eight
chimes in, with a decent first episode entitled A Beautiful Day.
So how is Dexter coping after the death of LaGuerta? Well,
it appears he is doing fantastic. The episode opens with a slow motion montage, oozing exuberance, whilst he gallantly flies a kite with his son, Harrison, and details the recent success of his personal life, in the all too familiar monologue style. His son's soccer team won the school championship, the bowling team are back together, he's even engaging in casual relationships. Life would appear pretty sweet for our titular protagonist, however quite the opposite could be said for his sister, Deborah.
Completely contrasting the character we have all come to
know and love, Deborah left the force following the death of LaGuerta and now 'works' as a private detective. By work, however, I mean use drugs and alcohol to excess whilst engaging in an affair with Andrew Briggs, a bail-skipping jewel thief who resides in a motel and partakes in dodgy dealings. She is undeniably on a path of self destruction following her decision to shoot LaGuerta, a path which she blames on Dexter - the two of whom, we learn, have not spoken since the shooting incident.
Dexter, after his usual investigative tricks, manages to
track Deborah down in a supermarket. Both then converse in a rather strong
sequence, which details the complete and utter breakdown of their once
all-too-tight familial dynamic. She accuses him of making her compromise
everything she valued about herself and for that, she hates him. In a startling
revelation, Deborah exclaims to Dexter, “I shot the wrong person in that
trailer”. It’s a statement with a little too much sting for Dexter’s liking,
and it is testament to the acting of both Michael C. Hall and Jennifer Carpenter,
that we too also feel it. The collapse of their brother-sister bond causes Dexter to
experience a sense of volatile unease and instigates the first narrative trope of
season eight – the mission to repair and regenerate their relationship. This may prove rather
difficult however, as he does ultimately end up killing Briggs this week in
addition to hearing another startling truth from Deborah – she doesn't need him anymore, perhaps he is the one that needs her.
The second narrative trope introduced this week is the character of Dr. Evelyn Vogel. Brought in to the police department after
a particularly bizarre murder (in which part of the victims brain was removed),
she is without a doubt the next obstacle from which Dexter may have to overcome.
Vogel is a neuro-psychiatrist, a profiler of serial killers and yet to be
determined friend or foe. Whilst conversing with Dexter in several sequences,
her professional musings are spot on to his characteristics, creating a sense of discomfort, heightened through the effective use of close ups. For me,
the novelty of this dynamic soon wears off however, so it is a well received
moment toward the end of the episode when she exclaims to Dexter, “You can’t
kill me... ‘cause I don’t fit Harry’s code”. It's an effective and enigmatic twist, as already, their relationship is far more layered than anticipated. Her
role in Dexter’s life in future episodes will prove to be a very interesting
one indeed.
Elsewhere in Miami, the same old cast return. Batista is
still coming to terms with the death of LaGuerta, Masuka continues to wear his
colourful shirts, whilst Quinn and Jamie are forming a romantic relationship
with one another... well trying to anyway. Each of these sub-plots felt
a little vacuous, forced and not particularly engaging, however I approach that
statement with a sense of trepidation; after all, it is only the first episode.
Furthermore, they are essentially fillers for what will hopefully be the true captivating stuff of this series – the Dexter-Deborah and Dexter-Vogel
relationships.
The episode ends on a far bleaker note in comparison to its
beginning. Before the cliff hanger of Vogel’s revelation, Dexter sit’s on
LaGuerta’s memorial bench, kite run aground and stunned in a sense of
existentialism. Quite a fitting image really, and one that I feel may
thematically encapsulate what the rest of this series will be about –
questioning the choices in life, Harry’s code and where to go from here. A
beautiful day indeed...
Overall a good return for Dexter this week. Stylistically
speaking the show remains very much the same and it is a joy to have it back on
our screens. Despite the un-engaging sub-plots from Batista et al., Hall and
Carpenter are as wonderful together as always, showcasing their strongest
performances yet and setting up what will be a particularly vociferous repairing
of familial bridges. This episode alone also posits Vogel as a brilliant new
threat-come-companion for Dexter. She will undoubtedly become a catalyst through which he
will inevitably question himself and his actions, thus providing a nice juicy
bit of character development and comprising what will hopefully be an intense, emotional
and lengthy farewell this series.
What were your thoughts on the first episode of season eight? Post a comment!
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