Dexter Season 5
Year: 2010
Grade: B+
Country: USA
Director: Lewis
Reviewafter losing rita because of inaction at the end of season four, i sorta figured dexter would turn for the worse. i also figured he wouldn’t find anyone who could fill the emptiness left by her absence. i was wrong on both accounts and this leads to a possibly even more depressing finale than last season.
the main plotline here is the bonnie and clyde setup with dexter and lumen (julia stiles) hunting down men involved in the rape of stiles and 12 other women. in lumen, dexter finally finds someone who he can open up to, who is like him, and who isn’t completely nutty. there’s a caveat, though, which is that lumen is only like dexter so long as she is hunting the men who raped her. so, by season’s end, after the task is complete, lumen realizes that her need to avenge is gone; her “dark passenger” has left her, as dexter puts it. it’s sad, but inevitable and this inevitability is what keeps it less tragic than rita’s murder, for me anyway.
deb continues to be a strong character. she’s the rock and moral compass of the show in many ways. sure she loses it from time to time and she has a way of getting involved with people she shouldn’t, but she’s also a strong character with character. everyone else seems to have their issues – angel is blinded by lust, maria is power hungry, dexter is a murderer…deb, though, seems to always have the best intentions even though it may not always work out for her.
these last two seasons have been the best so far. i only wish they could increase interest in the first half of the season. it seems like a back loaded show in that all the drama comes late.