'Dexter' - 'Teenage Wasteland': Father figure
Astor returns for an uneven but not uninteresting episode
Michael C. Hall and Jonny Lee Miller on "Dexter."
A quick review of last night's "Dexter" coming up just as soon as I tell you where your kidney is...
"Teenage Wasteland" felt very typical of season five as a whole: weird and kind of all over the place, but with enough redeeming features that I was mostly able to shrug off the parts that didn't work.
Specifically, while I wax and wane on the actress who plays Astor, I've always found the Dexter/Astor relationship to be one of the show's more complicated, interesting ones. Our man is never more out of his comfort zone than when he has to deal with her messy adolescent emotions, and I liked seeing him have to deal with her in the middle of this ongoing fustercluck with Lumen and Jordan Chase.
On the other hand, Harry's comment about being surprised to see Dexter putting himself out there and trying to protect someone else was odd, as there was a story in season two or three where Dexter took care of the guy taking creepy photos of Astor. And that was a much darker, more morally-nebulous story, where Dexter beating up an abusive stepdad is more along the lines of Dexter Morgan: World's Cuddliest Serial Killer.
Still, I loved the scene of Dexter and Astor in the car at the end, with Dexter surprised by Astor's question about whether Lumen makes him feel better about Rita and responding with a spontaneous, genuine-sounding declaration of love. Very good stuff from Michael C. Hall there.
And ditto Jennifer Carpenter in the scenes where Deb confronts LaGuerta in her office, and then Quinn in the interrogation room. The non-Dexter stories on the show are always going to be vastly less interesting than the ones about him, but Carpenter almost made me care about the office politics stuff, and of course the Quinn confrontation was about Deb being protective of her brother.
(
But also on the other hand, it's the umpteenth case of Deb realizing her boyfriend is a scumbag, and also of Deb edging close to the truth about Dexter without ever really getting there. The writers really need to get to that already or stop teasing it.)
Also on the plus side: Peter Weller is having the time of his life as Liddy, who's like this evil genie Quinn can't get back in the bottle, and the final phone call between Jordan and Lumen was suitably creepy. And also on the negative side: the use of the horrid tinkly Please Laugh Now, This Is A Light Moment in a Drama music (common to so many current dramas, especially the ones on ABC) in the scene where Deb meets Lumen. "Dexter" has never been the most subtle show, but once upon a time it trusted the audience to transition from the dark scenes to the funnier stuff without having to hold anyone's hand about it.
What did everybody else think?
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November 22, 2010 at 10:38AM EST Reply to CommentDidn't love it, but I also didn't hate it. Astor was clearly used as a plot device to get Lumen and Deb in the same room together (which brings more heat onto Dex and Luman with the Jordan Chase situation)--but I have to admit, I too enjoyed that car conversation between the two at the end.
This season has really flown by. I can't believe there's only three episodes left. At least things should really start to pickup now that Jordan is on the defensive and has a target. So for that, I guess this episode was a success.
Mitch
November 22, 2010 at 10:41AM EST Reply to CommentSeason 5 of Dexter has the SAME plot as Tom Clancy's "Without Remorse."
Jeff W Only in the sense of 'revenge,' and I think that story goes back a lot further. Even 'revenge for a kidnapped and abused woman' goes back pretty far.
November 23, 2010 at 10:59PM ESTchristy
November 22, 2010 at 11:09AM EST Reply to CommentI'm glad you posted about this episode, because I'm having a lot of the same feelings about Dexter. Overall I'm really enjoying this season. Surprisingly so, actually. But you're right that they are repeating themselves in a forgetful way.
The "Dexter! You finally did something just for someone else!" thing is a common one, along with the obvious "Has Dexter finally found someone he can trust with his secret?" and "Bad guy finds out too much--but is he bad enough to murder under Harry's Code?"
It hit me last night that Dexter is kind of like a procedural, but on a season-to-season basis rather than episode-to-episode. Like how a traditional procedural can still be enjoyable even though it's mostly just taking bits of previous episodes, mixing them up and rearranging them a little, all the while using the same basic structure...so Dexter does with its whole seasons. And no one ever says "hey, remember when something like this happened before?" It can still be a lot of fun to watch.
But still, this season is just starting to get me back on an old complaint: that the show's writers and characters have totally forgotten all about the Bay Harbor Butcher. There have been several times since Doakes's death that the MANY professional detectives on the show should have suspected that maybe Doakes was the wrong guy, or at least been reminded that he existed. Now that Deb, Batista, LaGuerta, and Masuka ALL believe that there were several killers or the barrel girls, will they start to figure out that they're getting killed? And if so, will they again conveniently forget that killers were getting killed before?
As for Deb discovering Dexter's secret, I wondered if this series of events is subtle enough that they might actually be headed in that direction finally. Probably wishful thinking, but it's a bit different from her usual barreling toward the edge of the truth then abruptly stopping--it's more of an inching this time. They actually have an opportunity here for her to find out that Dexter kills without jumping into the WHOLE history of it, which might destroy her. She could merely find out that Dexter's been helping Lumen, think it's a result of the trauma of Rita's murder, and leave the rest of it for later.
madaboutmen Lumen will be killed by Jordan Chase, there's no other way for this to go and still have Dexter be the person he is. Each person who learns Dexter's secret ends up dead, usually Dex himself. This time someone else will have to do it. And don't forget the Trinity Killer is still not caught.
November 22, 2010 at 12:54PM ESTDezbot Yeah, it would be kind of hard to catch Trinity now....
November 22, 2010 at 3:31PM ESTjlrepka No, Lumen will be killed by Liddy, giving Dexter a reason to kill Liddy, and thus increasing Quinn's suspicions about Dexter.
November 22, 2010 at 9:35PM ESTFred Liddy is a scumbag, but a scumbag looking to turn a profit. There's nothing for him to gain by killing Lumen. If anything, the reverse is more likely: Liddy captures Dexter, and Lumen kills Liddy to free him...
November 25, 2010 at 8:54PM ESTAndrew
November 22, 2010 at 12:52PM EST Reply to CommentI like where this season is headed. I also am enjoying the season as a whole. It has transitioned nicely after a major change in the cast with Rita's murder.
The only thing I would argue that I didn't like with this season is that they took too long with the Jordan Chase plot. Its finally starting to heat up in the 9th episode, and it by far has been the best plot-turn of the season.
The other problem with this show is how they tease for upcoming episodes. It always seems that something big will FINALLY happen and it gets me so pumped for the next episode but it always turns out to be hugely minor and barely even mentioned. I understand that this is the point of the teasers, but you see enough of them end up this way and you begin to learn that nothing truly every mind-shattering will happen within the show, ever. This significantly hurts the intrigue.
Fred Define "mind-shattering". I thought the end of season 4 came about as close as one can expect. If you're hoping to see Dexter caught, dream on. (Did you also expect the castaways to find a way off Gilligan's Island?)
November 25, 2010 at 8:57PM ESTP1Steven
November 22, 2010 at 12:58PM EST Reply to CommentI enjoyed seeing Dexter kick some major ass. You can truely see how emotional he can be. Im just bothered by the way Deb walks in a MANLY fasion. Im guessin Quinn deals with Robocop.
Mary I love the way she walks. Few straight girls would be so bold.
November 22, 2010 at 1:12PM ESTchristy I so agree, Mary. I LOVE Deb's manly walk.
November 22, 2010 at 2:07PM ESTKansasDan I have been waiting for Dexter's fighting prowess to be explored since we saw him take on Doakes in Season one, which was too quickly interrupted IMO. Last night showed a little of his knowledge of anatomy, and ways to inflict pain, but I am still hoping for a good fight scene. After all, didn't Doakes' digging into Dexter's past show some martial arts training? A good Bourne style fight scene would kick serious @ss.
November 22, 2010 at 2:18PM ESTJ
November 22, 2010 at 1:49PM EST Reply to CommentProbably the episode I enjoyed the most this season, and I'm looking forward to how the Jordan Chase plot unfolds.
I'm also happy to see Deb in the file room, hopefully it leads to her learning about Dexter and her father's past. I've always hoped this show would finish its run with Deb being confronted with what Dexter truly is and how that would play out between the two of them. So hopefully they take these next few episodes to set that up for next season
Mulderism
November 22, 2010 at 2:55PM EST Reply to CommentI missed the beginning of the episode because for some reason Movie Central started it early. So I was a little confused about what happened in the beginning. Seemed like a good episode though.
One thing that bothered me is Harry's comments to Dexter about him being proud of him. Is Harry really a ghost that is giving Dexter advice or is it just a manifestation of Dexter's conscience?
I think that Harry is really overused in the show. I enjoyed seeing him in flashbacks in the first few seasons but they really overuse this plot device nowadays.
Dezbot Manifestation of Dexter's conscience (such as it is).
November 22, 2010 at 3:33PM ESTkelly I agree, I think this device was effective for the first couple of seasons, but it has become old since then.
November 22, 2010 at 3:53PM ESTDezbot
November 22, 2010 at 3:37PM EST Reply to CommentI like the twist this season has taken with Jordan Chase, who Dexter seems to have underestimated (as he did with Trinity). I also like the character of Lumen (dumb name and all). I hope Chase doesn't get to her, but I can see how that would happen. It's definitely one way to get Dexter back on track with the Code since he won't ever allow any distractions if he fails to protect Lumen from her tormentors. OTOH, if she becomes the kind of killer who violates the Code, Dexter will have to take her out (which again gets him back on track).
Also, Deb *has* to figure out what Dexter is. They've dragged that out too long.
I am loving the evil glee Buckaroo Banzai is bringing to the show. But who will take him out? And how?
Fred The problem with Lumen getting killed is this: After the shock ending of Season 4, can they really end the very next season with the death of another woman in Dexter's life?
November 25, 2010 at 9:06PM ESTIt would be stretching things...
Right now, I think the odds favor her just disappearing into the sunset, perhaps returning home to marry Owen. Perhaps setting off on her own, playing Dexter-games in some other city besides Miami.
Gajic
November 22, 2010 at 4:10PM EST Reply to CommentThis is based on nothing but speculation, but I'm convinced Deb will find out about Dexter this season. They need a big reveal/plot swing to end the season off, and they are hinting at it more than they ever have before. The conversation last week where Deb told Quinn she felt nothing when she killed at the night club was a big hint and I hope not a red herring.
I enjoyecd this episode a lot and I feel like the show is finally hitting its stride. I'm glad that LaGuerta/Batista romcom stuff has finally been pushed in the background. Also, I may be the only one, but I think the actress who plays Astor does a very good job. She's supposed to be an emotionally distant pre-teen girl. It's exactly how she comes off. Whether that's lack of acting or very good acting, I still tihnk its wholly appropriate to her character.
Jesse Phillis Totally agree! I would so love to see how deb reacts if she does find out. The next episode hasnt even come out yet and I already can't wait for the season finale.
November 27, 2010 at 6:16AM ESTOpie
November 22, 2010 at 5:12PM EST Reply to CommentNot as good as last weeks, but definitely one of the better episodes this season.
First time ever that I enjoyed Astor's presence on this show. Her question to Dex was great, you really got the sense that for the first time in a while he was also stopping and asking where this (relationship with Lumin) is going and what the point of him helping Lumin is.
Really enjoyed him beating up that guy, especially because most of his kills aren't particularly aggressive.
Agree with many others, Deb needs to find out this season. Or die. Or both.
maryploppins
November 22, 2010 at 5:54PM EST Reply to CommentAlan said: "But also on the other hand, it's the umpteenth case of Deb realizing her boyfriend is a scumbag ..."
Is it, though? Obviously her bf in S1 was beyond scumbag haha, but I don't think she has dated a scumbag in any other seasons. In S2 she was with Lundy who was a good guy, and in S3 she was with that musician dude, I forget his name but he was a good boyfriend, and in S4 she didn't date anyone after Lundy was killed. And now in S5 we have Quinn, but is he really a SCUMBAG? I feel like I'm the only one who doesn't totally hate him or look at him as being a terrible person. He had suspicions of Dexter long before he started dating Deb. And maybe he felt like his uncovering of Dexter's illegal activities would help to protect Deb in the end anyway, depending on what the illegal activities were. And ever since he came to his senses and realized that it was more trouble than it was worth, he has attempted to stop Liddy's investigation even though it's extremely clear now that Dexter IS engaged in something very illegal. And also if you look back at S4, he was a good partner to Deb, and quite helpful/supportive if I recall.
So I have never felt like it was correct to label Quinn as a total scumbag or terrible person. DOUCHEbag with a case of the Jersey Shore supertan to the point of being orange? Sure. Slightly shady past with the stealing of money from the crime scene (I forget the details on that but I think that's what it was), yes. But I don't think we've ever seen evidence of him being a complete scumbag or a terrible person.
Rest of Alan's statement from above: "... and also of Deb edging close to the truth about Dexter without ever really getting there. The writers really need to get to that already or stop teasing it."
TOTALLY agree with this one. This has been driving me insane since last season. If these storylines and hints never turn into anything for seasons and seasons then the audience will just look at them as being completely pointless.
November 22, 2010 at 8:15PM ESTFred > He had suspicions of Dexter long before he started dating Deb.
November 25, 2010 at 9:12PM ESTNot really. His problem with Dexter was that Dexter caught him stealing money from a dead man. Since he's a scumbag, he assumed Dexter was too and would eventually use the info against him. So he started looking for dirt on Dexter, to even things out.
maryploppins Yeah I'm sure the the fact that Dex had caught Quinn stealing the money was a motive in Quinn's always looking for dirt on Dexter. Though that doesn't change the validity of my statement that he has had suspicions that Dexter was up to something strange since last season (way before he and Deb got together).
November 26, 2010 at 10:07PM ESTAnywho to me, stealing money is bad and shady for sure, but it's not enough evidence for me to say that he's an all around evil person. Someone who steals at some point in their life can later on realize the error of their ways and become a better person. It's not the same thing as murder or something that extreme, at least not in my book. And I would NEVER say that someone guilty of stealing money deserves to DIE (i.e. be killed by Dexter). That would be pretty absurd.
It's also not enough evidence for me to think that he's dating Deb ONLY to get to Dexter. I don't see evidence of that at all in the way he is behaving. Maybe I'm too forgiving or too easy on him, but I just don't see that. We'll see what happens though.
velocityknown
November 22, 2010 at 8:58PM EST Reply to CommentI think these last 3 episodes are REALLY going to take off, much in the way last season did:
1) Homicide discovers that there were more killers than Boyd and discover they've gone missing, think about vigilante on the loose, and then maybe we revisit the Bay Harbor Butcher
2) Deb sees Lumen on the videos of the not so Fab Four and pursues her connection
3) Jordan Chase somehow puts Homicide on Dexter and Lumen's trail
4) Liddy finds out about Dexter, tells Quinn, puts Quinn and Liddy back on Dexter. Either that or Liddy is accidentally killed in some kind of tussle between he and Quinn, he and Lumen, etc.
Lot's of stuff that could happen, looking forward to the final three.
Izam
November 22, 2010 at 11:24PM EST Reply to CommentI give it a B (for reference, last weeks episode was like an A++++). I was totally expecting a slower paced episode after last week's masterpiece. I didn't find it nearly as disappointing as you were, and the cliffhanger was pretty good.
midnight_oil
November 23, 2010 at 1:44AM EST Reply to CommentThis was the best episode this season, which REALLLY took forever to get to something interesting (can't believe there's only 3 episodes left). I thought the acting by Hall, Jordan Chase and especially Jennifer Carpenter was fantastic, and Astor and Lumen were at last bearable to watch.
Don't want to predict what happens to whom at the end of the season, as every cliffhanger reminds me of an end of a Shakespeare play with someone important dying, but I'm looking forward to it. The writing overall is still pretty sub-par this season, but at least it's starting to get somewhere.
Nat
November 23, 2010 at 4:01AM EST Reply to CommentAlthough i see your point about dexter using the same plot devices over and over again, i actually think the repetition serves a useful function of allowing you to really see how dexter's humanity develops and evolves over the course of the different seasons. They provide familiar reference points for the change.
When i first started watching this show it was more about the plots. But these last 2-3 seasons ive gotten much more interested in dexter's innerlife. When dex was able to say "i love you" to astor, that was such a powerful moment.
I see dexter continuing to become more and more human but at the same time it has come with all of these killings. How those two tensions eventually get resolved is the most interesting thing about the show. I think the repetitive plots actually allow this to come to the forefront.
Opie I vaguely remember Dexter once catching Quinn with a wad of cash at a crime scene. was that this season or last? until then, he was set up for everyone to think he was dirty (flashy watches etc) but never confirmed? Or did that cash incident get cleared up and I just forgot?
November 23, 2010 at 9:40AM ESTWadeR That was the start of last season. In I think the season opener, Dexter is all new-dad tired, and he forgets to bring the right file or something to a murder trial for a case that Quinn had worked on. So the case is dismissed and Quinn is pissed at Dex (although Dexter later kills the murder suspect). A couple of eps later (or the next one?) Dex sees Quinn steal some cash from that crime scene. Quinn then tries to suck up, but when Dexter won't have any of it, Quinn gets all super nosy and weird about Dexter.
November 23, 2010 at 11:55AM ESTThe cash thing just went away, although it's probably at the root of why Quinn is so weird about Dexter. Dexter couldn't give 2 craps about the money, for good or bad - just not an issue for Dex, and that bothered Quinn to the extent that he snooped and could tell Dexter was up to something.
WadeR
November 23, 2010 at 11:47AM EST Reply to CommentYou know I originally thought Peter Weller's character was a stupid idea for the show. But his weird creepy doggedness has won me over as of last week's episode plus this one.
I loved last week when Liddy dropped the coffee pot and smashed it, earning an F bomb from Quinn, Liddy snarks "You guys are even starting to sound alike" which is a hilarious side commentary on Deb's awesomely profane verbage.
And I also thought in this ep, the very subtle expression Weller makes when Quinn has him literally by the throat, was quite creepy and intense and funny.
I also like that because he is essentially totally unattached to Dexter, Liddy is actually onto him. And it's funny that there really seems to be no real reason to it aside from Liddy seemingly wanting to just mess with someone. I don't think Liddy even cares about getting paid. He's onto something, something that can get him right with the Dept., and he's running with it.
mcspinelli
November 23, 2010 at 2:09PM EST Reply to CommentWrite a comment...
Teklanika
November 23, 2010 at 2:54PM EST Reply to CommentThis hasn't been the best season of Dexter but the last 2 episodes have been much better and are starting to suck me into the story.
This ep was the best of the season IMO. Loved seeing Dexter handling the Astor storyline.
Carla
November 24, 2010 at 12:22AM EST Reply to CommentI didn't notice the music you reference, Alan, but I did notice that they used a Spanish version of "Mack the Knife" while Dexter was laying a beating on the abusive stepdad.
peggy
November 29, 2010 at 11:11PM EST Reply to CommentIs there going to be a NEXT SEASON FOR DEXTER? I HEARD this was the last season. Tell me it isn't so...