Director: Steve Shill
Season 3 already seems crowded with plot-strands, so the arrival of another had me worried the writers were trying to distract us from the existing weak subplots, or had realized there's not much zest this year and are scrambling to rectify. Fortunately, the new subplot -- a murder committed by Albert Chung, a man with a criminal past -- was only used to highlight Miguel's (Jimmy Smits) hatred of defense attorney Ellen Wolf (Anne Ramsay), who had defended Chung and facilitated his release to kill again…With Dexter (Michael C. Hall) now becoming accustomed to Miguel's friendship and solidarity (he's even dreaming of Miguel as the approving father he never had), it's time to shake things up a little. Here, Miguel puts Ellen in his sights, and tries to prove to Dex that killing her would be for the greater good. For Dex, killing Ellen would be a serious breach of his principles, as she doesn't have blood on her hands. She may be a root cause of judicial problems, but she's ultimately just doing her job.
The Dex/Miguel story is as rewarding as usual, with Dex realizing Miguel has a broadminded lust for vigilantism that's at odds with his cold, emotionless, logical methods. It's been a pleasure to see Dex wrestle with Miguel's more extrovert personality, and this episode contains the first signs that Miguel's friendship is perhaps a slow, corrosive poison. Or does Miguel merely lack the patience, efficiency and clarity a lifetime of such work has given Dex? Incidentally, it's a shame season 3 has ignored season 2's coda that Dex would be moving beyond his father's code, isn't it? There was a lot of potential in that idea, but the writers obviously thought his bedrock of morals shouldn't be dismantled.
Again, the subplots are either boring (Laguerta growing close to Ellen, as her own "best friend"; the flipside of the Miguel/Dex alliance), or surplus entertainment (Angel's attempts to woo vice cop Gianna.) Thankfully, Debra (Jennifer Carpenter) gets some good moments to balance things out -- as her detective work throwing up a fresh lead on the Skinner (cleverly deduced), we see her guilt when she's faced with dead Wendell's grieving mother, and she doubts Quinn's (Desmond Harrington) excuse for why Internal Affairs are pursuing him, when IA's Yuki (Liza Lapira) rubbishes claims she's targeted him for personal reasons. Even her affection for Anton (David Ramsey) worked better, as they finally kissed -- although that development is about four episodes overdue.
However, the best subplot involved evidence storage clerk Camilla (Margo Martindale), who is dying of lung cancer in hospital and facing an agonizing, slow death. As she's a family friend of the Morgan's, Dex finds himself by her bedside regularly, witnessing death in a more natural, hopeless, tragic way than usual. Camilla's throaty pleading for key lime pie got a bit irritating, but the shift into euthanasia was a welcome dilemma for Dex, a revelation referencing the Ice Truck Killer was fun for fans, and the tender farewell scene was performed brilliantly by Hall and Martindale.
Again, it's little wonder that the Camilla story worked so well (even if her character's sudden significance felt a bit forced), as storylines are immediately improved ten-fold by the mere presence of Michael C. Hall. The show is called Dexter, so whenever we're with Dexter it's serving its purpose. It's not CSI: Miami, so the procedural elements of the show regularly fail to interest me, unless the story is directly attached to Dexter (a la season 1 and 2.) That's something the writers need to consider next year -- because, as commendable as it is to see all the supporting cast have something to do, most of the plots feel like annoying distractions.
And I'm disappointed by how limp the Skinner's investigation has been written -- in stark contrast to the threat exuded by the Ice Truck Killer throughout season 1. I'm intrigued to see if the Skinner is someone we know, but that's about it. The killer's presence in Miami just isn't being felt -- are the citizens now inured to serial-killers?
Overall, factoring in the deepening of the Dex/Miguel friendship, some insight into Ellen Wolf's character, and the immersive Camilla subplot, "Easy As Pie" was good but unremarkable. I'm hoping the last five episodes will deliver a surge of revelations, twists and shocks, as the previous seasons have all had genuinely exhilarating final acts. The Miguel/Dex wrap-up should be impossible to spoil, but hopefully the Skinner's identity and Quinn's murky history will justify the slow build-up those plots have had.
9 November 2008
Showtime, 9/8c
Cast: Michael C. Hall (Dexter), Julie Benz (Rita), Jennifer Carpenter (Debra), Jimmy Smits (Miguel), Lauren Velez (Laguerta), David Zayas (Angel), C.S Lee (Masuka), Desmond Harrington (Quinn), Jason Manuel Olazabal (Ramon Prado), Kristin Dattilo (Gianna), Yuki (Liza Lapira), David Ramsey (Anton), Camilla (Margo Martindale) & Ellen Wolf (Anne Ramsay)
