TV Review: Dexter 7.2, "Sunshine and Frosty Swirl"
The utter shock and revulsion Carpenter displayed at the beginning of the episode was palpable and I loved how sheepishly and morbidly curious she became when she made her and Dex some spaghetti marinara and asked, “How does it feel, this need to kill?”
rating: 4
Hannah used to think I was somethin special. Now she sees me as just a killer. Yknow what? Shes not wrong. Now theres just one more person I need to kill. The most important aspect of this episode wasnt Debs reaction to the realization that her brother is indeed a very accomplished mass murderer, it wasnt LaGuerta slowly catching up, it wasnt even Dex getting close to Louis and vice versa, it wasnt Angel and Quinn hangin out at the Fox Hole, and it wasnt the more proper introduction than last week of the seasons Big Bad, Ukrainian crime syndicate boss, Isaak Sirko. The collection of scenes most pertinent to Dexter was the one comprised of those between Dex and convict Wayne Randall. The convict who duped the police into letting him hang out in the sun and enjoy some ice cream cones while they looked for dead bodies the man supposedly knew about from his past may have hit a little too on-the-nose for my tastes, but it shows the writers are serious about suggesting how Dexter might end up at the end of the series. Lots of previous ground thats already been tread on the show was touched on in Sunshine, but ultimately I didnt really mind because it was done so mostly with awareness which, coupled with the excellent previous episode, makes me hopeful that this season wont spend too much time spinning its wheels in these familiar narrative territories. As Dexter himself pointed out, hes already attempted and failed in rehabilitating himself with the help of others. It started with Lila in season two and was briefly attempted again with Brother Sam in season six. Dexters gradual cultivation of a family that could potentially replace his Dark Passenger was arguably killed with Rita and played out in seasons three, four, and five. Indeed the futility of Dexter changing his ways has been a central theme of the series for almost its entire run. However, as long as this doesnt come to define too much of the seventh season (Im hoping no more than another two or three episodes, if that), Debs attempt at being Dexters clinic wont bother me too much. Dont get me wrong, I hate to see a series as exciting as this one repeat itself, but short of either arresting Dexter herself or maybe giving him a head start before initiating a new investigation and subsequent manhunt (season eight, anyone?), what else can Debra be expected to do other than attempt to change her brother? It sucks for the audience because we know better, but it makes sense (at the moment anyway) for the character. Debs method of rehabilitation, however, is absolutely short-sighted. The whole 24-hour surveillance bit is not only so impractical as to be virtually impossible, but even if she were to accomplish it the circumstances would surely and quickly make Dex pop like a black blood filled balloon. It doesnt address his underlying issues; its more of a conditional approach to simply correcting behavior. Hopefully Dex pops soon and Deb makes with the, Okay, killing bad guys is all right by me, fella, (I dont know why Deb turned into Dirty Harry there, Clint Eastwood, not Deb and Dexs questionable father). Despite audibly groaning upon Debs suggestion of doing everything together from now on (which does harken back to that point in season six everyone wishes they could forget when Deb became convinced she was in love with her brother), Jennifer Carpenter has delivered again in her performance, especially during the opening scenes in which Deb and Dexter have The Talk. Deb hasnt always been my favorite character, but Carpenter consistently does an impressive job with her. The utter shock and revulsion Carpenter displayed at the beginning of the episode was palpable and I loved how sheepishly and morbidly curious she became when she made her and Dex some spaghetti marinara and asked, How does it feel, this need to kill? Scenes like these are what Ive been waiting for; scenes where we could spend some quality time with who and what Dexter is on the inside. Though they were handled fairly well in Sunshine, adequately reintroducing the protagonist and his situation, even throwing a little humor and light-hearted criticism around (how meta), they didnt offer anything new or revelatory. Michael C. Halls blood analogy monologue teetered the line for me between redundantly hokey and genuinely disturbing. Hopefully future episodes will further explore the dark caverns of Dexters psyche without coming off like the diary of a ninth grade goth chick. However, his rebuttal to Deb that those hes killed were the real victims was classic and I loved how he had to suppress how worked up he got reminiscing about three of the best kills of the series, all from season one. Speaking of Dexters internal monologue, the one thing about the show I cant really take any longer is Dexters completely unnecessary voiceovers. His line where he asks himself, Does Louis know what I am? didnt intensify the drama or offer any new information; it only served to frustrate me because anyone whos been paying attention has already been asking that for at least half a season. Theyve been building Louis up for so long he must know what Dexter is. Though it hasnt been made explicitly or implicitly clear either way. We got a little closer to finding out though when Dexter actually confronted Louis in his apartment in what mightve been the most awesome scene of the episode for me as seeing Dex lift Louis off the ground was quite badass. During that exchange it appears Louis isnt a psychotic mastermind like weve all hoped, but a pathetic loser with anger issues. I refuse to believe this though. With so much that can be done with this character I reject the implication that Louis wants to ruin Dexters life solely due to Dexters dismissal of his video game. Its just too lame. But Im afraid that might be all Louis amounts to temptation for Dexter to break his promise to Debra to no longer give in to his Dark Passenger. If thats the case Ill be profoundly disappointed but nonetheless, no one touches Harrison against Dexters wishes and lives to tell the tale so at least Louis destruction is only a matter of time. Hopefully Dex doesnt wait too long like he did with Miguel Prado, Arthur Mitchell, and Travis Marshall will he never learn? The third and final character so far this season to be inching ever closer to the truth about Dexters extracurriculars is LaGuerta. She doesnt know Dexter is a serial killer, but she knows Doakes probably wasnt the Bay Harbor Butcher and that the true culprit is still on the loose. Although LaGuertas always been more of a conniving politician than an actual detective, Im thinking that once she does put all the pieces together shell force Debs hand one way or the other in terms of her decision on what to do with Dexter. Quinn and Angel (whom I almost want to refer to here as Q&A, which incidentally will be the title of their spin-off buddy cop series on CBS) are making some headway in the murder of Detective Mike Anderson at the strip club the killers criminal fraternity owns. Essentially this just serves to bring the seasons Big Bad, the Ukrainian mafia boss, Isaak, into the picture which he is now as hes traveled to Florida to personally investigate the disappearance of Viktor, the killer of Kaja the stripper and a victim of Dexter. I like this Isaak Sirko character mostly due to the performance of Ray Stevenson and the fact that the man knows his way around a screwdriver. When I first heard of this character and his role I thought it would be too conventional or too similar to the Big Bad of season five, Jordan Chase. Though I think Isaaks distinctive enough from Chase, well see if we get a truly fascinating crime boss a la Al Swearengen (yeah, right!) or an extremely watered down Tony Soprano. Either way, it looks like Isaak is being gradually introduced and the way things are connected among him, the Metro police, and Dexter feels much more natural and realistic than in seasons three or six. So two episodes in and the seventh season is still looking very formidable, but really its too early to tell one way or the other. Again, though Im sick of the Dexter voiceover and ghost Harry (we get it guys, show and dont tell, okay?), and the antics of Q&A, LaGuerta, Louis, and the requisite Big Bad are pretty by-the-book at this point, theyre all kept at a minimum in favor of the more interesting angle of Debs moving forward without arresting Dexter. Plus, as I began to approach at the top of the review, in spite of Debs optimism it looks as though promises that Dexter wont have a happy ending and that its not far off werent just talk. Most fans and critics agree that theres only a couple ways the series could end and theyre all pretty bleak. Essentially it comes down to imprisonment which is lame and never really the end, death either by suicide or by his sisters hands, or successfully running away and starting over. Randalls suspiciously well-timed date with that Mack truck suggests Dexters stellar career of killing may have to end in suicide. Considering everything Dexter has survived I really dislike this idea, but I suppose only time will tell.