Spoiler Alert: Dexter S06E01

Everything seems pretty status quo for Dexter so far this season. While critics are saying that if the show wants to stay on the air it needs to breathe some new life into its stories, I can't help but wonder if the show is strong enough to simply keep going at the same pace as it has been. It's Dexter, after all. Who is going to stop watching Dexter? I was pretty entertained by this new episode, except for glazing over the whole Angel and his sister having an abusive father thing. ("I should beat you for that." "Exactly like pop." Hahaha. End scene.)

1. Evolution?

The theme of this episode was Dexter's exclamation, "We're all moving forward." It seems like Dexter has been evolving when it comes to how he kills his victims. In the beginning, we see Dexter kill two victims with a defibrillator rather than a knife. At the end, Dexter hits his victim with a hammer before stabbing him. And throughout the episode Dexter's subconscious (his father) tells him things we wouldn't expect, like that he should fly a little bit higher than above the radar.

Of course, some things stay the same. Dexter continues to take blood samples and hide them in his air conditioning unit.

It's gotten to the point where I don't know which is more likely to get him in trouble. When Dexter flies by the seat of his pants, killing in different ways, hiding less and acting more, it would seem like he is more likely to leave clues behind. On the other hand, by using his old methods he is leaving tons of clues behind, easy to find clues. Oh, Dexter...

2. A Little Too Close...

When I say that things are getting a little too close, I'm not referring to the weird familiar sexuality between Angel and his sister. I am referring to the fact that with Angel's sister babysitting Dexter's son Harrison and Angel getting closer to his sister because he has nobody else after his divorce, there is more of a chance for Detective Angel Batista (future Lieutenant Angel Batista?) to have insight regarding Dexter's deadly habits.

Here's an example of danger. When Angel and his sister are out having a classy dinner, Angel's sister lets it spill that Dexter disappears in the middle of the night in order to go out on his boat. This is clearly a reference to the fact that Dexter is killing people and disposing of their bodies. Maybe it's nothing, but when two other detectives begin discussing how the body of their most recent victim was tossed into the water a quarter mile off of shore it's hard not to start wondering if Dexter is about to be under investigation once again.

3. Like a Prayer

Remember how Star Trek: Deep Space Nine was the Star Trek that devoted itself most thoroughly to religion? Well, I think that Dexter's sixth season will be remembered similarly as the Dexter season that devoted itself most thoroughly to religion.

Dexter's main personal plot seems to surround getting Harrison into a Catholic school called Our Lady of the Gulf. When interviewed, Dexter admits that he doesn't believe in anything. He admits this to a nun, and the nun can decide whether or not Harrison gets into the school. After this interview, Deb instructs Dexter that he is going to have to put aside his own beliefs (or lack thereof) and start thinking about what he wants Harrison to believe. In an attempt to do so, Dexter gets a religion lesson from Batista, only to find himself more confused than before. Finally, he honestly appeals to the nun for Harrison's sake and explains to her that while he is spiritually ignorant he doesn't want Harrison to be put in the same situation. And I think the nun buys it.

Almost as a foil, an older man (played by Edward James Olmos) instructs a younger man (Colin Hanks) in carrying out a ritualistic killing that involves catching a pregnant water snake, extracting seven baby water snakes, killing and disemboweling a fruit vendor, sewing the snakes inside and embroidering an alpha and omega on his abdomen, and displaying this victim for the world to see. All the while the two are citing verses that they have memorizing, ending with the phrase, "It begins."

My guess is that these two individuals believe that they are being instructed by God in order to carry out these killings. They will likely quote partially from the book of Revelation and partially from a more personal revelation. And what they have begun is likely a kind of apocalypse in which the sinners of the world will be destroyed and God's glory will be revealed. While Dexter seeks out all of those things about religion that lead to good - a moral compass, faith, compassion, etc. - it appears that these two will likely provide a reductio ad absurdum argument pointing out all the evils of religion - misunderstanding, death, alienation, madness, etc.

Spoiler Alert: Dexter Season Six

Contrary to True Blood and Fringe, very little carries over from season to season on Dexter. It's more like comedies like The Office and Community in that little bits like character development will continue from previous seasons, but each season has a particular overarching drama that is contained within one season. As such, our setup post will not be as in-depth as the weekly posts are, but we can still spend a little time getting to know where our main character Dexter is.

By the way, there will be a lot of spoilers in this post. It is assumed that you're completely up to date on Dexter.

For some time, Dexter has been seeking to confide in someone regarding the fact that he is kind of a psycho killer the way he was able to confide in his father. In season three, he was able to spill his guts to Miguel Prado (Jimmy Smits) and in the previous season he was able to connect in a way that he couldn't have imagined with Lumen Ann Pierce, but neither of those people are around anymore. Also, there have been more than one occasion where the idea of coming out to his sister Deb has poked its head up. The classic, "Should Batman reveal his secret identity to such and such?" story is central to Dexter's character, and I think we'll probably have an interesting development this season. Why this season? Because I want it now, and because it has been building for some time and seems ready to come to a head.

Also, you may remember that Rita died in season four, leaving Dexter with three kids, Rita's children Astrid and Cody, and Rita's child with Dexter, Harrison. During the events of season five, however, Dexter loses the children to their grandparents. Now, Dexter has the children back, and we're going to see some heavy parenting. But when a serial killer is required to be a parent 24/7, when will he find the time to dish out his "justice" upon the murderers of Miami? Furthermore, I would imagine that this would be a good time to start teasing the nature vs. nurture issue. Since two of the children are not blood-related to Dexter and one of them is, the show can now deal with the question of whether serial killing is passed on by nature, nurture, or not at all. At the very least, we can see Dexter's fears (and hopes) that one of the children might become like him.

There are some other things going on, like the love lives and professional careers of many of the main characters, but I think these are the two deepest strains and the two that will be the most important during this upcoming season. We'll find out for sure when Dexter's sixth season premieres this Sunday, October 2, 2011.

Spoiler Alert: Spoiler Alert

I'm starting a new blog column called Spoiler Alert. Basically, I used to watch the television program LOST religiously and meticulously, and I would challenge myself to seek out details and put them together. LOST finished its six year run last year and I really didn't have this kind of an output anymore. In a similar position, my buddy Josh devoted himself to writing on Dr. Who, so I thought I'd diversify a bit too. That's where the idea for Spoiler Alert came from.

Spoiler Alert is a column devoted to keeping up with a couple of the more interesting mystery television programs that are on right now, namely True Blood, Dexter, and Fringe. Since both True Blood and Dexter are loosely based on a series of books, I find it important to disclaim that these posts will assume that those book series are an alternate canon and have nothing to do with the television canon unless the television program actually incorporates direct references to the books. I will not be reading the books. Neither will I be reading articles about the shows or special previews and teasers. The discussion will be based only on canonical data from these television programs.

True Blood starts up again on June 26, and I couldn't be more excited. Prior to the beginning of a new season, I plan on writing a post that sums up where we left all of our characters. Following that, I will write a post immediately after each episode in order to point out important details and discuss plot points. Fringe is likely to start back up in September and then Dexter in October (if everything goes like last year). I encourage you to join me in discussing issues regarding these shows and potentially others as I get caught up with them. But remember: this column is titled "Spoiler Alert," which means that if you aren't up to date you ought not to read these posts because they will certainly spoil the episode.

The next post, titled "Spoiler Alert: Catching up with True Blood" will be popping up within the next week or two, so keep your eyes peeled.

Jimmy Smits

Actor Jimmy Smits. Back in the '90s everyone was in love with Smits because of his work on NYPD Blue. I never really had any desire to watch that show. What really got me hooked on Jimmy Smits is his performance on the third season of Dexter. Whereas almost everyone I knew was obsessed with Dexter by the first or second season, it was during Smits's third season that I really go into the program. And it was largely because of the acting of Jimmy Smits. I know I'm going to watch out for Jimmy Smits more in the future, and if you're not already Streets Ahead of me, you should too.

Dexter

What can I say about Dexter that doesn't spoil the show for others?

It will catch you.

Most people I know were caught by the first season. It was late in the second season when I became intrigued, and I fell in love with the character study in season three (not to mention Jimmy Smits).

The fourth season is generally considered the best, the most surprising at the very least. The fifth season is another good character study. It really pushes Dexter to his limits.

Dexter will catch you. It's just a matter of when.

Dexter

Erik King

Actor Erik King. You may recognize him as Sergeant James Doakes from the hit television show Dexter. Everyone I know who watches Dexter is in love with Michael C. Hall. I never really had that feeling. My love went out first to Dexter's father Harry Morgan (played by James Remar) and then to Sergeant Doakes (Erik King). Whereas other actors took most of the first season to get comfortable in their roles, Remar and King hit the ground running, and I really appreciate them for it.

James Remar

Actor James Remar. Giving you a proper sense of Remar's resume in the film and television industry would take more time and space than any of our attention spans would allow. If he looks or sounds familiar, it's probably because he plays Dexter's father Harry Morgan on the television program Dexter. James Remar is probably one of the most tragically under-appreciated actors in all of Hollywood. He's a brilliant character actor who pops up on every other television show you've ever watched. (I most recently saw him as Meier in two episodes of Battlestar Galactica.) He's also a voice actor involved in superhero cartoons, and you know how much I value that!