Dexter- Are You...?

Keith McDuffee [CC-BY-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

What happened:  Dexter momentarily convinces Deb that he snapped and killed Travis in a weird way due to trauma from Rita's death and the need for self-defense. Deb helps Dexter make the death look like a suicide, but LaGuerta finds the blood slide Dexter accidentally left behind. Officer Anderson and a stripper are murdered by a foreigner, and Dexter tracks the murderer down and kills him. Unfortunately for Miami, the foreigner has a boss who is still alive. Meanwhile, Deb figures out that Dexter is lying, breaks into his apartment, and finds all his serial killer paraphernalia. She asks him, "Are you a serial killer?" He says, "Yes."

What we thought: After a sucky last season, we are hesitant about this one, but it's good to see our favorite serial killer back, especially now that Deb FINALLY knows his secret. Can this quench the ill-advised love fest? Have the writers heard feedback from fans almost universally screaming, "NO NO NOOOO"? There's no sign of Deb's attraction so far, but it could crop up again.

The episode should have opened with the aftermath of the church sighting. A fakeout flashforward is hardly ever a strong decision. Everyone was waiting for Deb's reaction. Even though it wasn't a long wait, it made us feel like the show was toying with us and about to have another time-wasting season.

Deb's too smart to buy your story, Dexter. It was a little boring watching her solve the mystery for most of the episode, but we're glad she didn't believe it was a one-time thing. It's good for the show to have her know her brother is a sociopath and killer. The show has dragged that out long enough.

Another piece of good news is the presence of Ray Stevenson as the Big Bad. We liked him in Rome and think he's an exceptional actor who doesn't get as much work because he isn't hot. But we are loving the grey hair on him. It's taking him up a few notches on the hotness scale. If his part is written competently, he should be able to pull off whatever they give to him.

We also liked seeing Viktor from Joss Whedon's Dollhouse as the murderer of the week, if only briefly. We thought he was cute in Dollhouse. Not so much here, but it's nice to see him working. Overall, this episode set up some good things, especially with Deb's new pickle. We're pretty sure the season is going to ruin it though.

Episode grade: B+