Dexter: What’s Eating Dexter Morgan?, Review
Dexter and a Gilbert Grape reference? Or is it a hidden Hannibal reference (aka Dexter eating someone)?
Sometimes on Dexter the motivations of our protagonist can be puzzling. For a self-stated psychopath, Dexter tends to have such a strong sense of duty protecting right from wrong, but with this moral code how can he justify his own actions? I think part of the problem for many people who don’t watch this show is that they cannot see themselves empathizing with a serial killer, no matter how bad his victims may be, and those people may have a point. However, for me, I tend to have a harder time empathizing with Dexter because of his other victims, the people in his life that trust him, the people that he constantly puts into danger. It’s hard to feel bad for Dexter being shunned by the person he supposedly cares about the most because it’s his own fault that that person is in the state that she’s in.This season, with the introduction of Evelyn Vogel, Dexter has a soundboard to express his inner feelings and conflicts with, someone who isn’t just a projection of his imagination. Vogel listens to Dexter’s woes with curious intent, always interested when he expresses deep feelings for other people like his sister. Though she may be accepting of Dexter’s lifestyle, even she believes that Dexter’s true motivations for wanting to help Deb are selfish. She breaks down the siblings relationship by telling Dexter that he only cares for Deb because he cares about the things that she does for him. Dexter cares more about having someone he can relax with who cares and looks up to him than about truly loving Deb is a selfless way. If he actually loved Debra selflessly, he wouldn’t have gotten her mixed up in this mess. If he truly loved anyone selflessly, he wouldn’t get mixed up with anyone.Besides finally hinting at that maybe Dexter isn’t the hero the audience thinks he is, the new episode does a couple other things right. Finally we get to see Dexter stalk and kill someone. It feels like such a long time since Dexter has gotten to flex his homicidal muscles, but tonight he got to take out cannibalistic fitness expert Ray Galuzzo. It’s only fitting that a cannibal helped Dexter see how truly cannibalistic he can be on those in his life.The Deb storyline also seems to be moving along instead of standing firmly in mopey territory. Deb actually even confesses her crimes, but only to dimwitted Quinn. Of all the people to confide in, the writers chose to have Deb turn to the series’ most boring, frustrating character. I wish they’d have Deb confide more in Elway, because the two truly have great chemistry and provide some fun, lighthearted scenes. It’ll also be fun to watch Deb and Vogel interact, though I am suspicious of Vogel’s motives. She seems annoyed by the way that Dexter is easily distracted by his sister instead of focusing on her problems. I’m even more worried that she show could be heading in the season six direction of having Vogel actually be the killer that she’s having Dexter look for. Let’s hope they don’t try and throw any lame “twists” like that on us. This is the last season, I don’t want to be able to see the ending from a mile away.
Den Of Geek Score: 3.5 out of 5 Stars
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Nick Harley is an entertainment journalist and alumnus of Ohio University's E.W. Scripps School of Journalism. Nick also works as a Senior Content Specialist for the…