This week’s episode of Dexter sees the man himself make an
important stride in The Brain Surgeon case and in his personal life. Yet
unfolding circumstances allude to a less-than-happy ending. What’s even sadder
however, is how little I care.
So what’s the hold up? How come they remain in Miami? and why is Hannah hiding out at Deborah’s house? I know what you’re about to say, but
fear not - they’re friends now, and apparently their hatred for one another has
disappeared faster than the show’s quality. She's hiding there to avoid being caught, whilst Dexter avenges the death of his beloved pupil Zach
Hamilton (in addition to the other innocent lives lost) by killing
the true Brain Surgeon - whose identity is finally revealed to
be... Oliver Saxon. You know, Cassie’s over-keen boyfriend that appeared in two whole episodes for a combined time of about two minutes. Thankfully
the link is not as tenuous as it may first seem, because after some hefty DNA
investigation, Dexter discovers that Oliver is in fact Dr. Evelyn Vogel’s long
lost psychopathic son. A family member she failed to mention up until now, as
she believed him to be dead following a devastating fire in his psychiatric
ward he was housed in as a child. Oh, perhaps it is a little tenuous
after all...
Of course, Dexter’s instinct is to kill Oliver, although
Vogel’s familial links make her rather disapproving of this notion - she would
much rather treat him. With that, Dexter
poisons Vogel and heads to a diner where Oliver sits drinking coffee,
listening to Mama Cass. Oliver will be Dexter’s next victim, whether Vogel
disapproves or not. So, does he sit in his car, adopting his atypical stealth-stalking abilities that we have become accustomed to over the past
seven seasons? No, he stands at the window of the diner in BROAD DAYLIGHT,
staring at Oliver for what feels like half a day. No surprise then, that he
escapes and Dexter returns to a rather miffed Vogel. She puts her foot down
once more, demanding that Oliver stay alive but Dexter disagrees, exclaiming that Oliver's death will be the last thing he does before fleeing to Argentina. He leaves and hey presto, the
Brain Surgeon himself emerges from another room; mother and son are finally
re-united. Queue non-diegetic violin shriek undoubtedly intended for revelatory
impact, but ultimately lost on a disenchanted spectator.
Elsewhere Deb butts heads with Elway over returning to Miami Metro, Quinn still blatantly loves her, Jamie is still moaning and Vince’s
daughter kept her top on. All extraneous plot devices, in a pretty vacuous plot in general. Nevertheless, there we have it, the final showdown is in full swing - will Dexter, Hannah
and Harrison get a chance to start over in Argentina? Or will the intent to
kill The Brain Surgeon throw a spanner in the works with devastating
consequences? Regardless, the lack of an empathy-inducing center elicits a sense of carelessness. Hark back to previous seasons where Dexter suffered terrible turmoil in killing
his own brother or experienced the gut-wrenching moment of discovering his wife, Rita, brutally murdered. Although, the
threat of Dexter’s family is still up for grabs and by the looks of things,
that is a direction the show will take, the emotional link previously attached
to Dexter’s antagonists is just not there. So, why does Dexter even remain in
Miami? To avenge the death of Zach...a boy he tried to kill twice himself? And
what was the significance of Yates and The Brain Surgeon’s killing spree, a
method to get his mum’s attention?
These may well be some well thought-out enigmatic plot
devices to get us all excited for the series finale but, and maybe it’s just me
so feel free to disagree, I do not care anymore. Rather than excitement, poor
narrativisation, episodic execution and characterisation instead induces an overwhelming sense of boredom and
disinterest.
Am I being too harsh? How do you feel about this season of Dexter at the moment? Post a comment!
Next time...
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