Meeting the Family

Dexter 5.09 Review - 'Teenage Wasteland'

Guest Starring:
Rick Peters as Elliott
Tasia Sherel as Francis
Christina Robinson as Astor Bennett
Tabitha Morella as Olivia
Daniel Travis as Barry
with
Peter Weller as Stan Liddy
with
Jonny Lee Miller as Jordan Chase
and
Julia Stiles as Lumen Pierce

This week's episode of Dexter was quite an interesting episode, managing to combine elements of both the main narrative (ie/ Dexter and Lumen's developments), while at the same time briefly reintroducing a character from earlier on in the season and tying up all the loose ends associated with that character. That's right ladies and gents - Astor returned to Miami!

But more on that in a moment.

All in all, this week's episode managed to strike a balance between main character progression and secondary character developments. Unfortunately, all the other story arcs associated with the season (ie/LaGuerta and Batista's storyline/Quinn and Liddy's plot developments), were given a back seat during this episode, but to be honest, i really didn't mind. Sure, i would have loved to have seen more of Liddy (especially after scaring that kid in the photo store), but Batista and LaGuerta's storylines honestly don't intrigue me much anymore. I much rather them apart and dealing with their own individual story arcs or helping out on cases.

Dexter's developments during this episode were quite well-paced and managed to keep the suspense flowing rather well. From his initial and brief subplot with Jordan Chase during the episode, Dexter ended up walking away with a sample of blood from a vial Jordan kept in his locker. Unfortunately, Jordan notices his locker ajar and discovers that Dexter has stolen some of the blood. Looks like he knows what you're upto Dexy-boy.

Dexter and Jordan working out as part of Dexter's 'healing process'.
Image copyright of Showtime.

Additionally, Dexter's developments with Astor were suspensful and enjoyable to watch. At first, i was worried it would develop into a rehash of 5.2, but instead of leaving in anger, Astor returns to Orlando with her friend on good terms with Dexter. If there was ever going to be a time to end the kids' storylines, this would be it - an almost perfect ending and peace between Dexter and the Bennett kids. I will miss them.

Debra's storyline really piqued up this episode as well, as she dealt with the aftermath of her suspension. Having been reassigned to the file room, Debra ends up discovering new evidence related to the Barrel Girls case - namely that upto five men were involved in the rape, torture and murder of the women. After a standoff between Debra and LaGuerta, LaGuerta finally gives in and reopens the case, but not before hinting to Debra about Quinn's suspension earlier on in the season. After confronting Quinn about it, Debra promptly storms off, leaving Quinn alone and possibly ending their relationship. Will they kiss and make up? We will have to wait and see.

Overall, here are my final marks for the episode:

• Potency of the season's theme(s) identified in the episode:  *********

• Editing & Scenes of Relevance:  ********

• Main character's connection with audience/actors effectiveness in role:  *********

• Secondary character's connection with audience/actors effectiveness in role:  ********

• Music & Visual Effects:  *********

• Originality and effectiveness of the episode's narrative:  *********

• Integration and effectivenss of multiple story arcs and character relationships:  ********

Overall Marks: 60 / 70

Grade Percentage: 86%

With only three episodes to go, this season is shaping up to be one of the most intense and suspensful seasons thus far. Now that Jordan Chase knows that Dexter and Lumen are after him, they really will have their hands full trying to take down this uber-popular celebrity. Will Dexter be forced to reveal himself in order to take down Jordan? We will have to wait until next week's episode to find out!

Roadtrip To Maine

The Sopranos 1.05 Review - 'College'

Guest Starring:

Paul Schulze as Father Phil Intintola

Oksana Lada as Irina Peltsin

Tony Ray Rossi as Fred Peters

[Reviewer's Notes: This episode originally aired on February 7th 1999].


Episode 1.05 of The Sopranos took an unusual turn from the previous four episodes, as a majority of the episode was spent on the road as Tony took his daughter Meadow to several universities near Maine to learn some more about each university and to get a feel for the university life. However, the episode involved so much more than just the road trip - Tony himself had a rather difficult challenge to face - in the form of Fred Peters, an alias for a former made man of the New Jersey mob who became a rat to avoid going to jail. Not only did Tony have to protect his daughter from the armed man, but he also had to take him out without letting Meadow know that they were in danger.

Admittedly, Tony was the one who instigated a majority of the events in the episode, as he was the one who scoped out the Peters house and alerted Fred's attention. But the constant power shift between the two men was very interesting to see, as we diverted from Tony's investigations into Fred's own investigation of Tony Soprano, culminating in a near assassination in a hotel parking lot.

One of the most interesting events in the episode was when Tony finally got the upper hand on Fred and started strangling him with the wire. Fred told Tony that he had been in the parking lot and was about to shoot Tony dead but he stopped because his daughter was there, and he believed that it was only a coincidence. Unfortunately for Fred, Tony didn't relent and he met his grisly demise. But it was interesting to see that even Tony himself was willing to kill people, even though he was a capo and could have sent his lieutenants to do it. Fred's death was a revenge kill for all of Tony's friends who ended up in jail and the viewer sees another side of Tony that we haven't seen so explicitly thus far - a vicious, ruthless and bloodthirsty side as opposed to his usual strict but fair side.

Of course, the episode wasn't entirely about Tony and Meadow - Carmela's subplot was greatly expanded upon as well. After staying home because of the flu, Carmela's close friend, Father Phil, decides to pay her a visit and see how she is going. What follows is a gradual progression of Carmela attempting to garner the attention of the priest in more ways than one. I really liked Carmela's storyline this episode, as we see her desire for Father Phil held back by a conflicting love for her husband. Of course, Father Phil does get quite drunk from all the wine he and Carmela have, but before he has a chance to kiss her, he runs to the toilet and vomits. Looks like Carmela missed out this time. But as for how long she will stay with Tony? I don't know. I suppose that will be addressed further on down the track.

I should also mention that when Tony and Meadow got back, Carmela did confront Tony about his lie in reference to his therapist (he had originally told her Dr. Melfi was a man). I have a feeling this will be addressed next episode.

Overall, my marks for the episode:

• Potency of the season's theme(s) identified in the episode:  ********

• Editing & Scenes of Relevance:  *********

• Main characters connection with audience/actors effectiveness in role:  *********

• Secondary characters connection with audience/actors effectiveness in role:  ********

• Music & Visual Effects:  *********

• Originality and effectivenss of the episode's narrative:  *********

• Integration and effectiveness of multiple story arcs and character relationships:  *******

Overall Marks: 59 / 70

Grade Percentage: 84%

This episode of The Sopranos was absolutely brilliant and i enjoyed it very much. Of course, the episodes so far have all recieved fairly good marks, but this episode has taken the base story and expanded it much further, resulting in a multitude of interesting scenarios that would not have been expected so early for a show like this.

Primal Instinct

Dexter 5.08 Review - 'Take It!'

Guest Starring:

Chris Vance as Cole Harmon
David Paetku as Owen

April Lee Hernandez as Officer Cira Manzon

with

Peter Weller as Stan Liddy

with

Jonny Lee Miller as Jordan Chase

and

Julia Stiles as Lumen Pierce

This week's episode of Dexter certainly raised the bar for the season, as we were treated to a lovely opening montage of black and white animals in nature. Dexter and Lumen's quest for revenge took a major step forward this episode, as they planned for Cole Harmon (aka 'Suit Guy')'s kidnapping and execution, but with a twist - they had to do it at the hotel where Cole was staying.

But i'll get back to that in a moment.

Quinn at home in his apartment.
Image copyright of Spoiler TV and Showtime.

Aside from Dexter and Lumen's major developments, other characters' storylines were expanded upon as well - albeit not as intensely as last week. But, to the writer's credit, they had a lot of ground to cover on the Cole Harmon situation, and they did so brilliantly, mixing in some subplot from other characters for good measure.

Debra's storyline mainly revolved around the aftermath of the Club Mayan incident, namely with Debra coming to the defence of Officer Cira, who LaGuerta wanted to pin the disasterous sting on. Instead, Debra insisted that she be blamed for what happened as she was in charge of the team that alerted the Fuentes brothers to the undercover sting that resulted in civilian deaths. Of course, Debra didn't really want to be blamed for everything that happened, especially since LaGuerta had ordered Cira to approach the Fuentes brothers, and things between Debra and LaGuerta came to a head when LaGuerta announced on television that Debra would be suspended with pay, effectively destroying Debra's police career.

Of course, Quinn was there to support her, as was Batista surprisingly, who decided to tell the truth over supporting his wife. Will this result in Batista and LaGuerta splitting up? I certainly hope so. No offence to Lauren Valez but i just don't find her character appealing any more. She needs to get her own individual storyline back (like in Seasons 1, 2 and 3).

Quinn's storyline didn't really go anywhere this episode - instead the story focused more on Quinn's P.I. buddy Stan Liddy who made some exceptional progess in his investigation this episode. Not only did he acquire all of Lumen's details (by staging a car accident), he also took pics of Dexter and Lumen dumping Cole's body into the ocean using a gigantic lens to capture the incident. With Stan making incredible progress, it is only a matter of time until Dexter and Lumen get caught out - that is unless Dexter stops him.

Dexter waits for Cole Harmon to wake up.
Image copyright of Spoiler TV and Showtime.

Finally, getting back to the main story at hand. Dexter initially stalks out Jordan Chase's seminar in Miami planning for a way in which to grab Cole undetected and kill him once and for all. However, nothing really goes to plan as a series of complications take place that force Lumen to spend the night with Dexter in his hotel room, instead of escaping out at night.

Fortunately, Dexter does manage to finally subdue Cole (after he spots Lumen in the foyer and chases after her) and incapacitates him before Cole has a chance to choke Lumen to death.  Then, with Lumen looking on, Dexter kills Cole, and in the process, silences the third rapist. I really liked the scene between Dexter and Lumen here as she stares on in amazement as Dexter kills Cole, and then gives her the blood slide containing Cole's blood. It was a touching moment (in an ironically creepy way) that further cements the bond between Dexter and Lumen. Now all we need is for a sex scene between the two of them and life will be perfect.

Overall, here are my marks for the episode:

• Potency of the season's theme(s) identified in the episode:  *********

• Editing & Scenes of Relevance:  ********

• Main characters connection with audience/actors effectiveness in role:  **********

• Secondary characters connection with audience/actors effectiveness in role:  ********

• Music & Visual Effects:  *********

• Originality and effectiveness of the episode's narrative:  ********

• Integration and effectiveness of multiple story arcs and character relationships:  *******

Overall Marks: 59 / 70

Grade Percentage: 84%

All in all, this week's episode of Dexter was highly entertaining and it appears that the season is charging full steam ahead. With four episodes to go, and with such a dramatic change in the previous few episodes, who knows what lies ahead?

The Don's Funeral

The Sopranos 1.04 Review - 'Meadowlands'

Guest Starring:

George Loros as Raymond Curto

Joe Badalucco as Jimmy Altieri

Michael Rispoli as Jackie Aprile
Sharon Angela as Rosalie Aprile

Michele de Cesare as Hunter Scangarelo

Tony Darrow as Larry Boy Barese

Drea de Matteo as Adriana La Cerva

Anthony DeSando as Brendan Filone

Jerry Adler as Hesh Rabkin

Al Sapienza as Mikey Palmice

Oksana Lada as Irina Peltsin

and

John Heard as Vin Makazian

[Reviewer's Notes: This episode originally aired on January 31st 1999.]


This week's episode of The Sopranos saw some significant plot developments take place. All in all, three major story arcs were focused on during the episode - the first revolving around Tony's relationship with his Uncle Junior and the death of the New Jersey mafia don, Jackie Aprile; the second surrounding Christopher and the aftermath of his mock execution; and lastly, the brief subplot surrounding Carmela's fight with Tony and A.J.'s schoolyard fight.


Tony's plot developments this week were quite intriguing to watch, as we see him involved in a number of varying scenarios, ranging from his discussions with Dr. Melfi, through to his fight with Carmela. What i liked in particular about this episode was A.J.'s sudden prominence as an integral character of the show - after three episodes of seeing him in the background, it was interesting to see him have his own little subplot. Tony's major plot development for the week, however, belongs to the death of his good friend and New Jersey don, Jackie Aprile. The scene with all the capos (excluding Junior) sitting together and toasting Jackie was quite touching, as was the burial scene where A.J. continues to speculate whether his father is involved in the mafia.


The scene also where Tony makes a truce with Uncle Junior, and informs him that he wants Junior to be the new don is also quite touching - although Tony has ulterior motives to the decision, it was nice to see the two of them hugging and embracing each other happily. How long will this temporary peace last? No idea.


Oh, and before i forget, i should also mention the brief subplot surrounding Tony's hired cop, Vin. Played by John Heard, Vin's developments focused solely on the viewer getting a deeper look into Jennifer Melfi's character, specifically into her private life. Vin's character is quite interesting, and i look forward to seeing where his storyline goes.


Christopher's storyline this week focused primarily on the brutal aftermath of the previous episode, in which he was mock executed by some of Uncle Junior's men. Initially, Christopher believes that Meadow told on him to Tony and he stays away from the Soprano capo for a majority of the episode, until he discovers that Junior whacked Brendan and warned Christopher as revenge for dishonouring him and stealing his trucks. It was interesting to see the dynamic between Christopher and his girlfriend, Adriana, as she discovered Brendan's corpse in the bathtub and i look forward to seeing where Christopher's story will lead.


Lastly, we come to Carmela's fight with Tony. To be honest, it was a brief and vicious argument that ended way too quickly for my taste. Tony merely suggests quitting therapy before Carmela explodes with anger, accusing him of giving up. That was basically the summary of it. I hope next week's episode expands more on this subplot, as i felt it was not properly addressed in this episode.


Before i forget, i should also briefly mention A.J.'s subplot. In a nutshell, A.J. and a friend of his get into two fights at school - the first resulting in A.J.'s shirt getting ripped and Carmela telling him to get his friend to pay for a new shirt, and the second fight resulting in a truce between the two boys (it is strongly implied that Tony had something to do this - my theory is because of the scene where Tony sees the boy's dad at the shop and has an axe in his hand).


Overall, my marks for the episode are:

• Potency of the season's theme(s) identified in the episode:  ********

• Editing & Scenes of Relevance:  ********

• Main characters connection with audience/actors effectiveness in role:  ********

• Secondary characters connection with audience/actors effectiveness in role:  *******

• Music & Visual Effects:  ********

• Originality and effectiveness of the episode's narrative:  ********

• Integration and effectiveness of multiple story arcs and character relationships:  *******

Overall Marks:  54 / 70

Grade Percentage: 77% 

All in all, this week's episode of The Sopranos was very good, and closed its doors on a major subplot of the season - with Jackie Aprile dead, the new don of the New Jersey mafia was decided. How long will Junior be the don for? Only time will tell.

We're In The Motel Business

The Sopranos 1.03 Review - 'Denial, Anger, Acceptance'

Guest Starring:

John Ventimiglia as Arty Bucco

Katherine Narducci as Charmaine Bucco

Al Sapienza as Mikey Palmice

Anthony DeSando as Brendan Filone

Drea de Matteo as Adriana La Cerva
Michael Rispoli as Jackie Aprile

Sharon Angela as Rosalie Aprile

Michele de Cesare as Hunter Scangarelo

Jerry Adler as Hesh Rabkin

Oksana Lada as Irina Peltsin

[Reviewer's Notes: This episode originally aired on January 24th 1999].

This week's episode of The Sopranos started off on a high - namely with Christopher and Brendan returning the truck they had stolen in the previous episode and delivering it to Uncle Junior's clothing store.

But i'll get back to their story arc in just a moment.

This week, three significant story arcs were expanded on.

The first one i would like to address is Tony's major plot development this episode, involving a Jewish run hotel business. After being introduced to the hotel owner, Tony dispatches some of his men to capture the owner's son in law and attempt to 'convince' him to give up on his goal of obtaining 50% of the hotel. However, the men are surprised when the Jewish son in law turns out to be much more resiliant then they first realised. After calling Tony to come down, they finally manage to do the job after threatening to cut the man's genitals off. However, the Jewish owner attempts to refuse to give Tony his 25% and as a result, Tony beats the man around a little until he gives in.

Tony then visits his old friend, and Mafia Don, Jackie Aprile, to report the news, but he discovers that Jackie no longer cares about the mafia work - instead he seems to care about nothing at all, due to his cancer making him depressed. Tony brings his friend's depression up with his therapist and she tells him to try and overcome his own feelings of depression and sadness, which causes Tony to get angry and storm off. However, i think he'll be back.

The second important story arc for the episode involves Christopher and Tony's daughter, Meadow. After Meadow initially asks Christopher for some meth to study for her S.A.T.'s, Christopher finally gives in to Meadow's demands after fearing she would visit the rough neighbourhoods looking to score some. Focusing more on Christopher's storyline, we also see that Uncle Junior has had enough of Christopher and Brendan's messing around and dispatches some of his men to take them out. After Christopher gets taken, he is taken to the docks where he believes that Tony sent his men to kill him for giving Meadow meth, but he discovers that Junior had sent the men to warn him that if he tried anything again he would get killed. Brendan, on the other hand, wasn't as lucky. After visiting Brendan's house, Junior sends his man in and kills Brendan in the bathtub.

Lastly, the brief plot developments in Carmela's life. Aside from Carmela organising a dinner party fundraiser, not much else took place in her story line, apart from a brief revelation from Arty Bucco's wife who revealed that she and Tony had slept together once before they were married. This evidently angers Carmela who seems to be fuming at Tony as the episode closes. Will this lead to a more complicated and expanded subplot in the next episode? Only time will tell.

Overall, here are my marks for the episode:

• Potency of the season's theme(s) identified in the episode:  *******

• Editing & Scenes of Relevance:  *******

• Main characters connection with audience/actors effectiveness in role:  ********

• Secondary characters connection with audience/actors effectiveness in role:  ********

• Music & Visual Effects:  *********

• Originality and effectiveness of the episode's narrative:  *******

• Integration and effectiveness of multiple story arcs and character relationships:  *******

Overall Marks: 53 / 70

Grade Percentage: 76%

All in all, this week's episode was very entertaining and i look forward to next week's developments.

Respect Your Mother

The Sopranos 1.02 Review - '46 Long'

Guest Starring:

Frank Santorelli as Georgie

Al Sapienza as Mikey Palmice

Anthony DeSando as Brendan Filone

Drea de Matteo as Adriana La Cerva

[Reviewer's Notes: This episode of The Sopranos originally aired on January 17th 1999.]


Following on from the premiere episode, '46 Long' continues to explore the life of Tony Soprano, his family and his mafia. Of particular mention this week is four central story arcs that took place.

First off the bat was Tony's situation with his nephew Christopher and his drugie friend Brendan who had hijacked a truck carrying DVD players that was being protected by Uncle Junior. After a heated sitdown with Junior, Tony demanded that Christopher and Brendan return the truck and pay a 15k tribute to Uncle Junior in order to apologise. However Brendan, in a drug induced state, hit another truck of Uncle Junior's, this time carrying expensive Italian suits and accidentally kill the driver. After getting yelled at by Tony, Christopher and Brendan skulk away and are forced to return the truck with all the merchandise to Uncle Junior. I have a feeling they will be severly punished in the next episode.

The next subplot involved Carmela and her strained relationship with her daughter Meadow. After catching Meadow sneaking out, Carmela grounds her and tells her she can't go on a trip to Aspen with her friend. The majority of their scenes together involved some interesting conversations and focused on Meadow's desire to do what she wants, combined with Carmela's dislike of Meadow's friend and trying to protect her daughter.
Although unoriginal, this subplot does indicate that not all things are rosy at home, and i look forward to seeing where the writers take this story arc.

Next on the list - Livia's story arc. After her frypan catches on fire, Livia is repeatedly told by both Tony and Carmela that she should move into a 'retirement community' so she can enjoy life without others having to worry about her. She initially refuses, but after accidentally running over her friend, she finally decides to move in to the retirement village, albeit grudgingly. It was quite humourous watching Livia repeatedly refuse to move out of her home and her constant referral to Tony's father as a saint - Tony seems to have a huge respect for his mother, and is torn between doing something that's right for her, at the cost of ignoring her wishes and respecting her wishes, at the cost of worrying about her. She is an interesting character and i'm interested to see what her future story arcs may involve.

Lastly, we come to my favourite story arc of the week - Tony's mission to find Anthony Jr.'s Science teachers car. Dispatching Paulie and Big Pussy to find it, the duo spend most of the episode hitting up coffee shops demanding to locate an employee who they suspect of stealing it. After locating the men involved, they manage to return the car to the parking lot, where the teacher is overjoyed at finding his car back. My favourite scenes of the episode revolved around this plot, such as Tony's comment to his son Anthony Jr.:

"What grades are you getting in Science?" 

"D+" 

"Ok, i'll see what i can do."

Anywho, these are my final marks for the second episode:

• Potency of the season's theme(s) identified in the episode:  ********

• Editing & Scenes of Relevance:  ********

• Main characters connection with audience/actors effectiveness in role:  ********

• Secondary characters connection with audience/actors effectiveness in role:  *******

• Music & Visual Effects:  *******

• Originality and effectiveness of the episode's narrative:  *******

• Integration and effectiveness of multiple story arcs and character relationships:  ******

Overall Marks: 51 / 70

Grade Percentage: 73%

All in all, this week's episode of The Sopranos was interesting, informative and expanded well on many of the character's story arcs and personalities. I look forward to seeing next week's episode. 

Meet Tony Soprano

The Sopranos 1.01 Review - 'The Sopranos'

Guest Starring:

John Ventimiglia as Artie Bucco

Jerry Adler as Hesh Rabkin

Michele de Cesare as Hunter Scangarelo

Drea de Matteo as Adriana La Cerva

Katherine Narducci as Charmaine Bucco

Anthony DeSando as Brendan Filone

It's been over eleven years since The Sopranos first premiered on HBO, but today was the first day that i've ever managed to watch an episode. So, in tribute to this fascinating series, i will be doing a review of each and every episode from all six seasons.

First off the bat - the premiere episode.

When we first see Tony Soprano, he seems like a pretty conflicted character - he is currently in an office with a shrink talking about his life. Then, as the episode goes on, we see parts of his life as he explains them to us - life with his family, life at his job and with the mafia, and his strange obsession with a small family of ducks living in his pool.

However, as we gain a deeper look into his life, we see that things are far from perfect, and that each portion of his life in particular contributed towards his string of panic attacks. His strained relationship with his wife and kids, his stressful job as being a capo of the New Jersey mafia, and his annoyance at the lack of respect and dignity present these days all contribute towards his cause for therapy as an outlet to explain his problems without telling anyone.

To be honest, not much occured this episode but, due to it being the premiere episode, the writers had a lot of ground to cover and spent the episode introducing all the various and interesting characters that make up the New Jersey mafia. From Tony, through to his wife Carmela, and kids, Meadow and Anthony Jr., his uncle Junior (who seems intent on whacking Little Pussy in Tony's friends restaurant), his mother Livia, and his mob family - there were many, many characters to introduce in the brief time frame of fifty minutes. Thankfully, the writers managed to do a good job here, combining flashback events with character introductions and some brutal violence and nudity mixed in for good measure.

Overall, here are my marks for the first episode:

• Potency of the season's theme(s) identified in the episode:  **********

• Editing & Scenes of Relevance:  *********

• Main characters connection with audience/actors effectiveness in role:  *********

• Secondary characters connection with audience/actors effectiveness in role:  ********

• Music & Visual Effects:  *******

• Originality and effectiveness of the episode's narrative:  *********

• Integration and effectiveness of multiple story arcs and character relationships:  ******

Overall Marks:  58 / 70 

Grade Percentage: 83% 

All in all, the first episode of The Sopranos did a fantastic job of setting up the premise of the show and i liked the almost immediate tension between Tony and his Uncle Junior, who seems intent on whacking Little Pussy. Tony manages to avoid this taking place by blowing up his friend's restaurant but the dynamic between the two was very interesting and will likely be a recurring subplot for the season. I look forward to watching the remaining twelve episodes of Season 1.  

Nightclub Shootout

Dexter 5.07 Review - 'Circle Us'

Guest Starring:

Joseph Julian Soria as Carlos Fuentes

Chris Vance as Cole Harmon

Maria Doyle Kennedy as Sonya

Geoffrey Pierson as Captain Matthews

April Lee Hernandez as Officer Cira Manzon
with
Peter Weller as Stan Liddy

with 

Jonny Lee Miller as Jordan Chase

and

Julia Stiles as Lumen Pierce

After witnessing the death of Lumen's second rapist in 5.6, this week's episode of Dexter eased up on the major story arc of the season, and instead focused on tidying up all the subplots within the season - namely involving the dramatic conclusion of the Santa Muerte case. Of course, there were also some brief developments for other secondary characters as well, like Sonya's Saint Bridgitte statue (implying she is trying to raise Harrison to be a sort of Christian, much to Dexter's chagrin), and Quinn's awkward relationship with Stan Liddy, the man looking into Dexter.

However, the main focus of this review is on the two major plot points of the episode - Dexter and Lumen's researching into the rest of the men who raped Lumen, along with the epic Santa Muerte conclusion. This week, we were treated with an interesting change in the narrative, as we saw one of Lumen's rapists head to Boyd's swamp and place the barrels containing the dead girls into the back of his ute. From there, we discovered that the man in question was involved in a car accident, and the five barrels fell from the back of the ute and opened in the middle of a main road.

Dexter and Masuka working on the 'Barrel Girl' case.
Image copyright of Showtime.

Now, with Miami Metro on the case of the 'Barrel Girls', it seems that Dexter and Lumen's job will be that much harder, and the rapists in question are attempting to stay one step ahead of the investigation. Lumen, however, was able to identify her third rapist as Jordan Chase's head of security, a man by the name of Cole. After investigating Cole's home, and barely escaping with his life, Dexter and Lumen manage to steal a photograph of the five men who raped her and uncovered the connection between all the men - they were all buddies from high school. Now that Dexter and Lumen know who the rapists are, all they need now is to silence each one before Miami Metro discover the link and before the rapists in question find Lumen.

Captain Matthews warning LaGuerta and Batista not to screw up the sting at Club Mayan.
Image copyright of Showtime.

The second major plot point of the episode involved the dramatic climax of the Santa Muerte case. After setting up a stakeout/sting, LaGuerta, Batista, Quinn, Cira, Debra and their informant all prepared to apprehend the Fuentes brothers. After Cira is discovered wearing a wire, Carlos accidentally shoots the informant dead, and proceeds to run for his life out of the club, shooting anyone in his way. Debra comes busting in and confronts the killer, in an eerily similar situation like in 5.4, with Carlos holding a woman hostage. However, this time, Debra has learned her lesson, and takes the shot, shooting Carlos straight in the head and killing him. Of course, now Debra and the rest of the Miami Homicide department are in a precarious situation, as Marco Fuentes is still on the loose, and several innocents have been severely injured.

Will LaGuerta lose her job for making a crucial mistake in the sting? Guess we will have to wait until next episode to find out.

Of course, i should also mention that Quinn was informed by Stan of some developments in Dexter's life, namely that Dexter has taken off the for sale sign at his house and that Dexter has a woman living in the house. Quinn witnesses Dexter talking to Lumen while at a crime scene, but hasn't had a chance to confront Dexter about it yet.

Will he reveal his investigation to Dexter or Debra? Only time will tell.

Anywho, these are my final marks for the episode:

• Potency of the season's theme(s) identified in the episode:  *********

• Editing & Scenes of Relevance:  ********

• Main characters connection with audience/actors effectiveness in role:  ********

• Secondary characters connection with audience/actors effectiveness in role:  ********

• Music & Visual Effects:  *********

• Originality and appeal of the episode's narrative:  *********

• Integration and effectiveness of multiple story arcs and character relationships:  ********

Overall Marks:  59 / 70

Grade Percentage: 84% 

This week's episode of Dexter has finally started to merge all the story arcs together, and tidied up some loose ends. With all the suspense and activity going on, i certainly look forward to the final few weeks of Dexter and cannot wait to see what the writers have in store for us. 

Warehouse 12 Blues

Dexter 5.06 Review - 'Everything Is Illumenated'

Guest Starring:

Sean O'Bryan as Dan Mondale

Chad Allen as Lance Robinson

Maria Doyle Kennedy as Sonya

Geoffrey Pierson as Captain Matthews

April Lee Hernandez as Officer Cira Manzon

with
Peter Weller as Stan Liddy
and

Julia Stiles as Lumen Pierce

Dexter fans, prepare for the official start of a new partnership! This week's episode saw Dexter and Lumen break new ground in their slightly awkward relationship, as we learn of the repercussions of Lumen's decision to stay in Miami.

But i'll get back to that in a moment.

Dexter and Debra packing away some more items from the house where Rita was murdered.
Image copyright of Showtime.

This week's episode of Dexter, while full of suspense and twists, unfortunately once again gave the subplots a back seat this week. Fortunately, it was necessary for the show to progress forward in Dexter and Lumen's story arc, and boy, did they deliver.

Under the impression that Lumen had left Miami for good, Dexter returns to his normal life - packing up boxes of clothes and toys from the house he's selling, working on cases at work and, most importantly, back on the prowl for new targets to kill. This week, Dexter already had his prey lined up - a murderer by the name of Lance Robinson.

Sonya and Harrison saying goodbye to Dexter as he heads of to work.
Image copyright of Showtime.

After setting up a meeting with Lance (by soliciting him on the internet, the same way Lance did to each of his victims), Dexter drugged him, dumped him in the car and took him off to the kill room. Fairly routine, fairly ordinary. After that, Dexter wrapped up his victim in the plastic wrap, and was  about to do the deed when.... he recieves a phone call from Lumen. Deciding now isn't the best time, he ignores it, only to be called again a few seconds later. Again, he ignores it. Then, he recieves a picture message from Lumen - of a dead body.

Dexter and Lumen attempting to find the trail of Lumen's victim.
Image copyright of Showtime.

Calling her, Dexter realises his worst fears - Lumen is still in Miami and she has murdered a man. After locating the warehouse where she is, Dexter meets up with Lumen and together they both attempt to find the man who isn't dead at all, just severly injured. Along with some humourous banter between the two, they ultimately end up finding the man, and Dexter is faced with a difficult choice - kill the man or let him go. After searching the guy's wallet, he discovers that the man is in fact a dentist, with his own family. Dexter knows that he can't kill an innocent, so he attempts to treat the man at the scene, much to Lumen's chagrin.

After a brief distraction in which Dexter hears Harrison say his first words, Dexter tries to calm Lumen down but is cut short as he overhears the dentist talking to someone else on Lumen's phone. Realising that the man is in fact, one of the men who raped Lumen, Dexter promptly kills him and gets Lumen to wash the blood down the drain while he moves the car.

After moving the car to the back (and managing to avoid the police at the scene), Dexter tells Lumen to take a cab to his house and hide there until he comes and gets her. However, things soon go from bad to worse, as Lance escapes from the back of Dexter's car and makes a run for it. What follows is one of the most intense scenes of the season, as Dexter is running as fast as he can, trying to catch Lance before he turns the corner and runs into the Debra and Masuka, who are searching around the back of the warehouse to find the supposed homicide.

Dexter recaptures Lance Robinson after he flees at Warehouse 12.
Image copyright of Showtime.

By some miracle, Dexter manages to catch Lance just before turning the corner, and pulls his victim into the warehouse just as Deb and Masuka round the corner. Finding Dexter's car, Deb and Masuka approach the warehouse, only to see Dexter walk out telling them he found the crime scene. Entering inside, Dexter had positioned the bodies in order to make it look like some sort of sexual fetish crime scene, which Masuka eloquently calls - autoerotic mummification.

After meeting up with Lumen at home, they have an interesting discussion about their lives, before the episode concludes. Seems like Dexter and Lumen's interesting partnership is about to take on a whole new level.

Aside from Dexter and Lumen's story arc, not much else occured in the episode. Granted, Debra met Quinn's contact, Stan Liddy, the man who is investigating Dexter, but she is unaware that they are talking about business instead of just socialising. Debra and Batista do a stakeout of Club Mayan, the supposed nightclub hangout of the Santa Muerte killers, but nothing of interest takes place on this front, save for Batista meeting a woman, and convincing her to become an informant and get the Fuentes brothers to come to the club the following night. In exchange, her drug charges would be dropped.

That was pretty much the entirety of the episode.

My marks for the episode are:

• Potency of the theme(s) identified in the episode:  ********

• Editing & Scenes of Relevance:  ********

• Main characters connection with audience/actors effectiveness in role:  ********

• Secondary characters connection with audience/actors effectiveness in role:  *******

• Music & Visual Effects:  ********

• Originality and appeal of the episode's narrative:  ********

• Integration and effectiveness of multiple story arcs and character relationships:  *******

Overall Marks:  54 / 70

Grade Percentage: 77%

All in all, Dexter is really starting to come together now as a season, and it will be interesting to see where each character's story arcs will go, and how they will integrate together before season's end. 

Guns & Rainbows

Dexter 5.05 Review - 'First Blood'

Guest Starring:

Tasia Sherel as Francis

Maria Doyle Kennedy as Sonya

April Lee Hernandez as Officer Cira Manzon
with 
Peter Weller as Stan Liddy

and

Julia Stiles as Lumen Pierce

After four relatively slow weeks, the newest episode of Dexter took the action and suspense up a notch this week. After gaining Lumen's trust in 5.4, Dexter spent a majority of this episode attempting to convince Lumen to do what he couldn't - move on. But will she be able to just leave Miami after all the terrible things that happened to her?

I'll get back to that in just a moment.

Dexter attempting to convince Lumen to go home.
Image copyright of Showtime.

Looking at the episode as a whole, four significant plot points were developed over the fifty minute run. First off the bat, i'd like to address Debra and Cira's story arc. The two of them made a grisly discovery during the episode when they went to visit the home of two suspected Santa Muerte victims, after visiting the injured man from the previous episode. Instead of being greeted by an elderly couple, they were instead greeted with two grotesquely deceased corpses, filled with maggots. Unfortunately, aside from forensics looking at the bodies and investigating the house for clues (which also cued Dexter's return to work), not much else took place in this particular story arc, save for Debra discovering that the suspected Santa Muerte tattoo was in fact a nightclub stamp for a local club in the neighbourhood. Hopefully next week's episode will elaborate more on the cult killer storyline, as it was just starting to get interesting.

Secondly, Batista and LaGuerta's storyline improved slightly from the last few weeks, namely with Batista's subtle investigation into LaGuerta's 'activities' with Internal Affairs. After finding out about LaGuerta and the IA agent's meeting place, Batista promptly busts up the party by bursting through the door, ready to punch out the IA agent, before LaGuerta promptly stops him. Turns out, that LaGuerta had been assisting the IA agent in an undercover sting - a sting which ended up costing a narcotics officer his job.  Unfortunately, that was the brunt of the story arc for them - a decent, but still unimpressive storyline for the characters.

Speaking of brief storylines, Quinn's was even more brief - the only significant scene Quinn was in was when he was having drinks with the same narcotics officer who had been fired in the undercover sting earlier. Quinn asked the man if he was interested in making some money in exchange for investigating a certain individual - Dexter Morgan. The officer promptly agreed and that was that. Seems like Dexter better watch his back.

Now, onto the main story arc of the episode.

Lumen disguises herself as she prepares to shoot one of the men who raped her.
Image copyright of Showtime.

After Lumen promptly storms off, Dexter decides to head back to work and helping Miami Metro with the latest Santa Muerte crime scene. However, before long, he decides to check up on Lumen, and promptly breaks into her apartment to see whether she had left. Unfortunately for him, not only had she not left, but she had been doing her own form of independant research - on a formerly convicted rapist living under a bridge. After doing his own research on the individual, Dexter decides to beat Lumen to the punch, and kidnaps the rapist before she has a chance to kill him. However, before he has a chance to kill the rapist, Harry intervenes, warning him that he knows nothing about this man, aside from the fact that he might have possibly been one of the men who raped Lumen. After cutting the unconscious man loose, Dexter discovers the truth - he was wearing an ankle bracelet all along, which meant that he wasn't one of the men who had raped her.

Dexter takes Lumen to the airport and tells her to try and move on.
Image copyright of Showtime.

After dumping him back under the bridge, Dexter leaves and returns later the same day in order to stop Lumen from killing an innocent man. Thankfully, he manages to stop her just in time, but it was definitely a close call. Finally, he manages to convince Lumen to leave, and drops her off at the airport. However, unbeknownst to Dexter, she doesn't end up leaving Miami - instead she decides that in order for her to move on, she needs to eliminate the men who ruined her life.

Looks like Lumen is here to stay .... for now.

Overall, my marks for the episode are:

• Potency of the theme(s) identified in the episode:  *******

• Editing & Scenes of Relevance:  *********

• Main characters connection with audience/actors effectiveness in role:  *******

• Secondary characters connection with audience/actors effectiveness in role:  ******

• Music & Visual Effects:  *********

• Originality and appeal of the episode's narrative:  *******

• Integration and effectiveness of multiple story arcs and character relationships:  ******

Overall marks: 51 / 70

Grade Percentage: 73%

All in all, this week's episode of Dexter was good. However, due to the major focus on Dexter and Lumen's relationship and respective storylines, the secondary character's unfortunately suffered due to lack of screen time/poorly developed story arcs. This is particularly true for both Quinn and Batista/LaGuerta's storylines, and even with the Santa Muerte case to a certain extent. Hopefully next week's episode will provide some more focus on secondary storylines as well as the main storyline.

A Leap of Faith

Dexter 5.04 Review - 'Beauty and the Beast'

Guest Starring:

Joseph Julian Soria as Carlos Fuentes

Brando Eaton as Jonah Mitchell

Maria Doyle Kennedy as Sonya 

April Lee Hernandez as Officer Cira Manzon 

and

Julia Stiles as Lumen Pierce

This week's episode of Dexter started right where the previous one left off - Dexter standing in Boyd Fowler's basement, with a badly injured, scared and innocent woman. What was he going to do with her? He couldn't just let her go - after all, she had witnessed him kill Boyd. But on the flipside, he couldn't kill her either - he had no idea who this woman was. So, what does he do? He cleans her wounds and slowly begins to nurse her back to health, much to Harry's chagrin. Then, after she passes out from exhaustion, Dexter takes her to the abandoned tourist shack, and locks her up tight. What will he do with her? Well first things first. It's time for some traditional Dexter-esque research.

But i'll get back to that in a moment.

Dexter about to reveal the contents of Boyd's barrel to Lumen.
Image copyright of Showtime.

This week's episode of Dexter managed to focus pretty evenly on several major plot points. Aside from Dexter's mysterious captive, he also had to assist Miami Metro with their latest homicide (the decapitated man from 5.3), and lead them onto the trail of the cult killers. Additionally, he also had to make amends with Sonya, who resigned from her job after Dexter failed to come home the previous night. However, after being partially honest with Sonya about where he had been the previous night (using the crime scene as his excuse), she forgave him and agreed to come back to work.

Meanwhile, Debra and the Homicide department focused all their efforts into discovering the identity of the Santa Muerte cult killers. After Dexter pointed them onto the right track by explaining the killers most likely fled out the back, they discover some cigarette butts outside, with the DNA leading them to two possible suspects - the Fuentes brothers. Travelling to their home, Debra and co. infiltrate the house, and Debra is confronted with a crisis situation when one of the brothers holds a machete to an innocent man's throat. After hesitating, the Fuentes brother slits the man's throat and escapes out the window. Unfortunately, not much else occured on this front, but the progress made in the case was quite fast-paced and interesting. I can't wait to see what happens in this story arc next week.

Next on the agenda, Mr. Joseph Quinn. After a lack in storyline for him last week, his story arc took a dramatic turn this week, as he spent a majority of the episode stalking Jonah Mitchell, Trinity's son. Jonah and the rest of the Mitchell family are in hiding and are being looked after by the FBI, who are looking to enter them into the witness protection program. Near the end of the episode, when the FBI stop over at a conveinence store, Quinn takes the opportunity to confront Jonah and ask him whether the picture he had in his hand (of Dexter) was Kyle Butler. Unfortunately for Quinn, Jonah didn't get a chance to reply, as the FBI arrested him on the spot.

After LaGuerta discovers what Quinn has done, she suspends him for several days without pay, and tells him to go home and leave Dexter alone. Of course, he doesn't go home empty-handed, as Deb has the urge to get her freak on. It seems that Quinn will inevitably be forced to make a choice - will he pursue a relationship with Debra, or will he focus his energies on investigating Dexter? I suppose we will just have to wait and see.

Next up, my least favourite story arc of the lot - the cheesy LaGuerta/Batista storyline. Not much occured at all during this episode, aside from the Internal Affairs agent suggesting to LaGuerta that she can help get Batista off the hook in exchange for doing him a favour. What that favour is? No one knows for certain. But, the way he implied it, it sounded quite sexual. Will LaGuerta sleep with the agent to let Batista off the hook? To be honest, i wouldn't put it past her, given her previous examples (like Esme Pascal's boyfriend in S2). But, at the same time, i hope she doesn't. Batista is a good man and deserves better. We will have to wait and see what happens.

Lumen standing in Boyd's swamp.
Image copyright of Showtime.

Last, but not least, we finally come to the main storyline of the episode - Dexter's research into his mysterious captive. After managing to find out her name, he spends most of the episode attempting to gain her trust. Unfortunately, he does not seem to get anywhere at first but, after taking a so called 'leap of faith' with her, (which he does despite the fact that she runs away at one point and almost manages to escape), she finally starts to trust in him, once he reveals and shows what Boyd was going to do to her. However, it seems that Dexter's troubles have only just begun. After he tells her to go home, she says that she can't, because it's not over yet. Turns out that there was more than one person involved in her capture and torture.

Ladies and gents, prepare for the start of an epic adventure!

Overall, here are my marks for the fourth episode of the season:

• Potency of the season's theme(s) identified in the episode:  ********

• Editing & Scenes of Relevance:  *********

• Lead characters connection with audience/actors effectiveness in role:  ********

• Secondary characters connection with audience/actors effectiveness in role:  *******

• Music & Visual Effects:  ********

• Originality and appeal of the narrative:  ********

• Integration and effectiveness of multiple story arcs and character relationships:  *******

Overall Marks:  55 / 70

Grade Percentage: 79%

All in all, this week's episode of Dexter was a pleasure to watch, and i look forward to seeing where Showtime take this season, and in turn, the next episode. Anything is possible!

Irish Nanny For Hire

Dexter 5.03 Review - 'Practically Perfect'

Guest Starring:

Maria Doyle Kennedy as Sonya 

April Lee Hernandez as Officer Cira Manzon

with 

Shawn Hatosy as Boyd Fowler

and 

Julia Stiles as Lumen Pierce

This week's episode of Dexter took a very interesting and unusual turn for viewers of the Showtime original series. Immediately after the opening credits, we are thrown into what appears to be a police interrogation led by Debra against a rather innocent young woman. However, all is not as it appears as, moments later, the camera pans out and we see that it is actually is....a job interview being conducted by Debra. An interview for what you ask? Why, to babysit and look after little Harrison of course.

But i'll get back to that shortly.

Debra interviewing possible candidates for the nanny position.
Image copyright of Showtime.

After watching this week's episode of Dexter, it's safe to say that a number of significant events occured within the fictional Miami universe. After a slow start to the season (with Rita's funeral in 5.1, and the kids' departure in 5.2), things have finally started to pick up, albeit at a slow but steady pace.

First off the bat, Harrison's nanny. After interviewing many prospective individuals, Dexter finally decided on his ideal nanny - the beautiful Sonya, a lovely lady from Ireland. Although not much really occured on this particular story arc (aside from the initial hiring and a brief moment of suspected kidnapping half way through the episode), it's a sure bet that the writers have something in mind involving Sonya and Harrison before the season's end. What will it be? A possible kidnapping? Only time will tell.

Nanny Sonya looking after baby Harrison.
Image copyright of Showtime.

[Reviewers' Notes: For the record, i really enjoyed the Sonya character this episode. She has this strange calming presence while she is with Harrison, similar in the way that Rita did back in S4. Plus, with such an interesting and fresh character, there are so many different possibilties and sceanrios the writers can integrate into her character. I really do hope that Showtime's producers keep her around, at least until the end of the season.]

Next on the agenda - Dexter's continued hunt for Boyd Fowler. After researching the mysterious Boyd Fowler in the previous episode, Dexter's hunt finally reached its climax today - albeit not as smoothly as he had planned. After Boyd recognises Dexter at a cafe, the two of them organise to meet up the following morning in order to teach 'Darrell' the basics of being a roadkill cleaner. After setting up his kill room, Dexter goes to meet Boyd and together the two of them head over to a couple of roadkill spots and do their work. However, a short time later, after Dexter makes a call about a dead alligator on the side of the ride, he and Boyd end up in a quiet area where Dexter takes the liberty of knocking out Boyd with his M99 tranquilizer. However Boyd, in a surprise reflex, whisks around and fires his tranq gun into Dexter's stomach before passing out. Dexter too, collapses, and before they know it, the two of them are in an ambulance being whisked to the hospital.

What follows is a slightly humourous scene where Boyd and Dexter cover for each other, while they both know they're out to kill the other. Eventually, after Boyd escapes from the hospital, he returns home only to fall prey to Dexter once again - this time without a surprise reflex. After the ususal back and forth monologue between Dexter and his victims, he stabs Boyd in the chest with his knife, but instead of killing him in the abandoned tourist shack, Dexter ends Boyd in Boyd's own basement, using newspapers as a substitute for plastic wrap.

Then....something unexpected happens. Dexter sees someone staring at him from behind a door. Preparing to strike, Dexter makes his way over to the door, rips it open and sees.... a woman covered in filth and raggedy clothes. She attempts to flee, Dexter restrains her and then.....end of episode.

What will Dexter do with his new unwelcome guest? No idea. Guess we'll have to wait and see.

Dexter sharpening his blade in preparation of killing Boyd Fowler.
Image copyright of Showtime.

Moving on from Dexter's story arcs, the episode also focused on several other story arcs as well. Although nothing significant took place with Quinn's researching into Kyle Butler, Debra's newest case, the Santa Muerte murders, gained some momentum as she and her new partner, Cira, interviewed a local man who claimed to know all the people in the area, and who could possibly assist Miami Metro with their investiagtion. Unfortunately for the poor man, he turned up dead at the very end of the episode, effectively bringing Miami Metro's case to an abrupt halt. Of course, i don't think it's over yet, but as for how long this story arc will play out? Only the writers and producers know that for certain.

Finally, we come to Batista and LaGuerta's brief storyline for the episode. In a nutshell, the only relevant things that took place was Batista admitting that he had beaten up Sgt. Lopez, and that Sgt. Lopez had passed out while on duty due to his injuries, bringing Internal Affairs into the storyline, and into LaGuerta's life.

Sadly, that was pretty much the summary of the entire Batista/LaGuerta arc for the episode. Hopefully, next week's episode will provide some more depth into this particular storyline.

Overall, my final marks for the episode:

• Potency of the season's theme(s) identified in the episode:  *******

• Editing/Scenes of Relevance:  ********

• Lead characters connection with audience/actors effectiveness in role:  *******

• Secondary characters connection with audience/actors effectiveness in role:  ******

• Music & Visual Effects:  *********

• Originality and appeal of the narrative:  *********

• Integration and effectiveness of multiple story arcs and character relationships:  ******

Overall Mark:  52 / 70

Grade Percentage: 74%

All in all, this week's episode of Dexter was quite good and has done well in setting the stage for the following episode, and in turn, for the rest of the season. What i look forward to the most next week is seeing what Dexter will do with his unwelcome guest. Will he let her go? Will he kill her? Stay tuned to find out!