TV Review: Dexter 3.1 – Our Father

Posted by Neil Miller (neil@filmschoolrejects.com) on September 28, 2008

Dexter, Showtime, Airs Sundays at 9 PM ET/PT

Episode: “Our Father” (Season 3, Episode 1)

Synopsis: For Dexter (Michael C. Hall), life seems to be going well. His relationship with Rita (Julie Benz) and her kids is back on track. He’s no longer under scrutiny at his day job as a blood spatter analyst for Miami Metro Homicide. And his night job as a serial killer is operating on all cylinders. So when he sets his sights on Freebo, a dope dealer and killer, it looks to be just another night of Dexter’s dark justice. But things don’t go as planned and Dexter must find a way to extract himself from a pair of problems that he created, both in his home and night life. Dexter also finds himself inexorably drawn to Miguel Prado (Jimmy Smits), an Assistant District Attorney, who has a very personal reason to bring Freebo to justice. Meanwhile, Debra (Jennifer Carpenter) is put in a difficult situation when someone from Internal Affairs wants her to inform on her new partner, Quinn (Desmond Harrington).

Review: In our Fall TV Preview, I had very little opportunity to use my editorial control to influence the way our staff wrote about the shows of this season. But when choosing the Ten Must-Watch Shows of the Fall, I made absolutely certain that Dexter, the show I believe to be the single best scripted hour on television, was at the top of the list. Sometimes it’s good to be the guy in charge.

The reason Dexter has gotten to me, and many others, is the escalating unpredictability of the first two seasons — you just never know where Dexter’s twisted hobby will take him, or which of those close to him it will affect the most. At the end of the season 2, Dexter narrowly escaped being discovered as the real Bay Harbor Butcher, thanks to his crazy Brit-babe stalker and the nosy nature of the late Sgt. Doakes. And now, at the beginning of season 3, Dexter can relax a bit, knowing that his sister Deb as well as his newfound love Rita won’t be finding out about his dark side anytime soon. That is, until something unexpected happens.

And with that jolt, an unplanned kill that brings Dexter dangerously close to the new Assistant District Attorney, season 3 appears to be off and running. It was hard to predict where the writers would find a device to create the tension to which fans have become accustomed. Sure, we know that Dexter is still fighting off the memory of Harry and trying to deal with his own rising level of humanity, but the entrance of Jimmy Smits as Miguel Prado should give Dexter a worthy adversary throughout at least the first part of the season. And just like last year, both Dexter and his budding Detective sister appear to be on track to be dangerously close this adversary.

If there is one theme that comes out of the first episode, it is the rising unpredictability of Dexter’s world. It appears that not even Dexter is prepared for how he, and the world around him, will evolve in season 3. This is a theme that has stuck with the series throughout — that both Dexter the monster and Dexter the human being are eventually going to have to deal with each other. As well, the season premiere also turned up the sexual heat a little bit — and you don’t need me to tell you that Julie Benz in any state of undress is a good thing. All in all, “Our Father” may start off seeming like a safe play for the Dexter writers, but it quickly explodes with intrigue, reminding us why this is television’s best show.

Oh — and I almost forgot — there is a huge twist at the end of this episode, one that I feel is absolutely perfect for the way Dexter’s future is going to be — complicated.

Up Next Week: Miami cops are tasked with finding the alleged killer of the Assistant D.A.’s younger brother; Dexter and Rita move closer to making a decision about their family.

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Did you catch the season premiere of Dexter? If so, please feel free to discuss is below.

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