Dexter - Season 7 (with Spoilers)

[ALF]

Did anyone have any idea this was coming back on last night? I had no idea but between Hell on Wheels and Boardwalk Empire there it was... the season premiere of Dexter and one I'd certainly been curious to see how it would play out.

I'm not sure how many more of these seasons are on the drawing board but last night's ep was a solid game changer (at last!)

Spoiler: Season 7 premiere

Dexter spends the episode trying to convince Deb that he "snapped" just this one time to kill Tom Hanks Jr. but in the end, Deb searches Dex's apartment and finds the kill tools, the blood slides, etc. Now Deb knows Dex is a serial killer.... plus he actually does confess it to her. At long last.

I was really worried that it all might have been an epic cop out (no pun intended), but I loved the ending. It was a considerably satisfying premiere for at least a sense of the trajectory the season is on... quite frankly waiting 6 years on it could have made the original characters a little stale. But I'll be watching this season for sure. Others may argue that this moment could have been explored years ago. I'd enjoyed them all, except that Jimmy Smitts one (S3?)

I have a feeling it won't take long for Deb to be full-on sympathetic. Once she is either told or discovers that he only kills other serial killers, she may find a hero in this brother of hers that circumvents the slow and often incompetent arm of the law... not that the cops are incompetent but that the legal hang ups often let the evil characters go free (for Dex to finish them off).

 

[Starbreaker]

Yeah, I knew it was coming back. The episode was fantastic. Things are finally going to have to come to a head with LaGuerta. Killing her would probably be too formulaic, but something major is going to happen.

Just the preview for the upcoming episodes makes me think this is going to be Season 4 quality Dexter.

 

[ALF]

^^ Was that the one with Lithgow?? Man, that was good. Such a creepy villain!
It almost feel like a relief even to us, the audience, that Dex is outed to Deb now. I missed the preview... can't wait to see S07E02 of course!

 

[LitmusDragon]

That was an outstanding episode. I liked the flash-forward misdirection at the beginning (reminded me of something Breaking Bad would do) and the last few minutes made me forget how ridiculous it was that Dexter killed someone at an airport. In all seriousness though his kills have been verging on implausibility for a while now so this was not a new thing.

 

[Temis the Vorta]

I'll wait to see S7 on Netflix, but all I have to say right now is, if the "solution" to allowing Deb to find out, and yet not immediately shoot or arrest Dexter, was to make her fall in love with him, I'd have rather she just shot the guy, show over, game over, take your ball and go home.

Because that is hands down, the WORST plot twist I have seen on TV to date, and yes, that does include Heroes and the end of Lost. I have no idea how they are going to redeem themselves for that bullshit, not unless they declare the whole idiotic season to be a bad dream that Deb had after too much pepperoni pizza.

 

[Enterprise is Great]

Did anyone have any idea this was coming back on last night? I had no idea but between Hell on Wheels and Boardwalk Empire there it was... the season premiere of Dexter and one I'd certainly been curious to see how it would play out.

I'm not sure how many more of these seasons are on the drawing board but last night's ep was a solid game changer (at last!)

The eighth season is supposed to be the last.

 

[Starbreaker]

I have no idea how they are going to redeem themselves for that bullshit, not unless they declare the whole idiotic season to be a bad dream that Deb had after too much pepperoni pizza.

There wasn't a mention of it in the first episode. I think she was just having a lapse of judgement

 

[ALF]

I have no idea how they are going to redeem themselves for that bullshit, not unless they declare the whole idiotic season to be a bad dream that Deb had after too much pepperoni pizza.

There wasn't a mention of it in the first episode. I think she was just having a lapse of judgement

Sadly though, the [Deb in love with Dex, secretly] plot thread was referenced in the intro summary. It sure is a stomach squirmer of plot idea... not sure where the writers are headed with this one.

The eighth season is supposed to be the last.

So a season's worth of Deb knowing, maybe some others on the team know... then on the lam for season 8?
I wonder how it will unfold. I'm also thinking although Deb might initially freak "the fuck out," once she and other law enforcement characters start to realize what Dex is up to (he only kills other killers) they just might find some grounds to justify what he does... and even help him. I'm just trying to imagine where the writers may take us... and show us something we truly haven't seen before.

If Dex goes down his list of vicious gang members, violent sociopaths and scumbags that he's killed... wouldn't he be a hero in many peoples eyes? If they don't spend the entire season dragging that out it might be interesting.

This show really trickles out and takes it's time... I was initially pissed as the episode started, cheering on Dexter to finally out himself to Deb.

 

[Garak]

That ending was better than the cliffhanger at the end of season 6.

If I'm not mistaken I saw the hand that the creepy intern sent to Dexter on the table in front of Deb. I have no recollection whatsoever of Dexter ever receiving that package, did I miss an episode or something?

The airport scenario was downright awful but I still really enjoyed the episode.

 

[Harvey]

Dexter got the package (but didn't open it) at the end of last season, IIRC.

Speaking of last season (not to mention season five, and a lot of season three, and even some of the fourth season)...boy, was it abysmal. The A.V. Club really liked this episode, which gives me hope, but I'm not going to run out to see the episode.

 

[davejames]

Damn, that was good. I'm still nervous for the rest of the season, because there's still a LOT of time for the writers to drop the ball or go in some weird and stupid direction, but they at the very least got this episode right.

I loved that they actually had Debra asking all the right questions, and doggedly pursuing the truth until the end.

That final scene in his apartment was absolutely riveting.

 

[Evil Twin]

Just got done watching it. This one episode was better than all of season 6 combined. My faith in Dexter is restored.

 

[Snowlilly]

Just finished the episode tonight. Wow this season really looks very promising! My least favorite seasons were def the one with Jimmy Smitts and the girl (i think her names was Lumen). This season promises to be nice and dark, how Dexter should be!

 

[The Nth Doctor]

I loved this episode. At first, I was annoyed how Dexter was able to sidestep the issue by convincing Deb he simply lost it with Travis, but thankfully that didn't stick long. Deb might be naive and arrogant and brash at times, but she is smart and I'm glad the writers remembered that. I'm also happy to see Deb recall her capture at the end of season 1 because of the plastic wrap. She quickly pieced it together and now knows the truth. The whole truth. I can't wait to see where this takes us from here.

 

[TheSeeker]

Great episode. I can't wait to see how the rest of the season plays out. Will LaGuerta go the way of Doakes?

 

[LitmusDragon]

Great episode. I can't wait to see how the rest of the season plays out. Will LaGuerta go the way of Doakes?

Well, at least they wouldn't have to try to write for her anymore.

 

[Enterprise is Great]

At least they're giving her something to do other than being a total bitch/insufferable pain in the ass that she has been the past 2 seasons. She should've been killed off a couple of seasons back because she's been next to useless the past 2.

 

[Stone_Cold_Sisko]

Really good episode. I'll go so far as to say that it was better than virtually any episode in S5 or 6. It felt fresh, with a genuine 'WTF happens now' feeling to it. Felt like a S2 episode, where twists to the show felt like they could seriously effect Dexter's life (rather than the "running in place" feel of S3, 5-6).

I'm glad they didn't draw out Deb discovering the tools/blood slides. It made sense that as soon as she realized something was genuinely wrong long-term with Dex, she went straight for his apartment and did a real search. She's a veteran cop, it *should* be that easy for her if she's focused.

Frankly though it also showed that S6 was basically a waste. They should have just had Deb find out about him helping Lumen. Her sitting on his kill would have more credibility that way.

 

[3chordboy]

At least they're giving her something to do other than being a total bitch/insufferable pain in the ass that she has been the past 2 seasons. She should've been killed off a couple of seasons back because she's been next to useless the past 2.

in the books doesn't she get killed by Dexter in the very first book? i've got my fingers crossed the writers refer back to the source material for some ideas

 

[Locutus of Bored]

Great episode, ranking right up there with episodes from the better seasons.

I think Deb is going to be on the fence about turning in Dex for a while until a particularly brutal case comes up that Miami Metro can't close despite knowing who the killer is, and Deb, in a moment of weakness and desperation, turns to Dexter to resolve the situation his way. After that, she'll be hooked into being his keeper for the most of the rest of the season and possibly into the next.

I'm hoping Dexter's revelation is enough to put Deb off of her infatuation with him, but the fact that they included it in the "previously on..." recap makes me think it might be revisited. I hope not, since they've got a perfect excuse for her not to be attracted to him any more (which was gross enough to begin with).

Dexter's tracking and killing of Mike's mob enforcer murderer was given short shrift from the usual pattern of stalking, extensive prep, and Dex giving a speech to the killer, but I guess that's understandable given how jam packed this episode was. I just hope the sloppy fingerprint grab and airport killing don't become the norm for how they depict Dexter's kills this season with all the other stuff going on.