Paul Levinson's Infinite Regress

reviewing 3 Body Problem; Bosch; Citadel; Criminal Minds; Dark Matter; Fauda; For All Mankind; Foundation; Hijack; House of the Dragon; Luther; Outer Range; Outlander; Presumed Innocent; Reacher; Severance; Silo; Slow Horses; Star Trek: Strange New Worlds; Surface; The: Ark, Diplomat, Last of Us, Lazarus Project, Orville, Way Home; True Detective; You +books, films, music, podcasts, politics

George Santayana had irrational faith in reason - I have irrational faith in TV.

Sunday, November 11, 2012

Dexter 7.7: Shakespearean Serial Killer Story

Dexter's enemies are getting more dangerous in Dexter 7.7. Isaac is out of prison, admiring Dexter, but ever more determined to kill him. LaGuerta is beginning to get closer to Dexter as the Bay Harbor Butcher. And Hannah-

But she's not Dexter's enemy, she's his lover. The episode begins with her having a knife to Dexter's neck, but that's just prelude to another round of loving. Last week, Dexter could have killed her but made love to her instead. This week, Hannah turns the tables.

Dexter, ever perceptive about his own condition, is now more aware of how right Hannah is for him. Better than Lila, who had a pathological thirst for his murderous ways. Better than Rita, who turned a blind eye towards those ways. And better than Lumen, who needed Dexter to come to terms with the violence that had been done to her.

Hannah, in contrast, could be just old-fashioned love. Except, not old-fashioned, nothing is old-fashioned in Dexter. This is a love between two killers, each beyond the pale in their own ways, brought together by a natural, even beautiful erotic and deeper attraction. What could get in the way of this?

Deb. She likes Price. And she knows that Hannah killed him - before Dexter could act in a less violent way to get Price out of the way. But Hannah has done such a good job of dispatching Price that there's no way Deb and the police can bring her to justice. I'm glad of that, because I like Hannah and Dexter - they're a great couple.

But Deb, who has figured out that Dex at some point wanted to get Hannah on "his table," but has no idea he got her in bed instead, finally calls upon Dexter to "make it right, do what you do". So the guardian of Dexter's humanity, the devoted sister who made an heroic attempt earlier this season to "cure" Dexter, the sister who also began to understand the merit of what Dexter does - is now so furious at the brilliant serial killer Hannah that she's calling upon her serial killer brother to do his thing.

This story is the best in all the years of Dexter - a Shakespearean serial killer story.

See also Dexter Season 7.1-3: Sneak Preview Review ... Dexter 7.4: The Lesson in Speltzer's Smoke ... Dexter 7.5: Terminator Isaac ... Dexter 7.6: "Breaking and Entering"