Dexter – Season 2, Episode 8 – “Morning Comes”

Ahhhh!!!!  Doakes!  Lila!  Ubaldo Jimenez!  Holy crap, what an episode!  I can’t handle this show– I sit with my stomach in knots for 50 minutes, my eyes glued to the screen, though I almost want to force them away, lest they be forced to witness the downfall of my favorite serial killer at the hands of a crazy British chick, a ex special-ops agent with a grudge the size of Miami, or his own sister!  Good lord this show is good.  Let’s see what made this particular episode so frickin amazing:Where do I even begin?  This episode was so chock full of suspense and tension, there wasn’t a moment’s respite.  So many different characters butting heads, interacting– when you have such 3-D, believable, motivated characters, as everyone on this show is, all you have to do is stick them in a room together and their own inner demons are bound to create compelling plot on their own.   Let’s start by talking about the different pairings from last night’s episode:

1. Lila vs. Deb — Terrific hatred between these two.  Just as Doakes can smell Dexter’s creepiness the minute they meet, Deb knows Lila is bad news.  Plus, Deb wins Best Put-Down of the Year by calling Lila a “gross English tittie vampire.”  Priceless.  I’d love to see these two throw down– little sister come to Dexter’s aid against this manipulative crazy chick?  Makes sense to me.

2. Doakes vs. Dexter — Doakes blows off his job interview to go spelunking in Dexter’s apartment…and he finds the blood slides!  The slides!  Did you see Those Scenes?  How the hell is Dexter going to get out this?!  Damn you, Doakes, damn you!  Is that evidence going to be admissible?  Is Doakes going to get back on the force?  So many questions, and 4 whole episodes left to answer them!

3. Deb + Lundy/ Lundy v. Dexter — Did we really need a make-out scene for The Ice Princess and Old Man River?  I’m guessing Lundy dies before the season ends; I can’t see him sticking around past this year.   Or they could take the easy way out and have him move away from Miami on FBI business.  I love the way this program screws with the morality of the viewer.  Lundy is a good, honest cop trying to catch a killer.  But his manipulative handling of Dexter’s interview, his somehow-too-slick demeanor, his no frills approach– he feels a lot like Dexter to me, only I like Dexter and I don’t like Lundy.  Everything that makes Dexter a good serial killer makes Lundy a good serial killer hunter.  I think these two have a lot in common, and I must again tip my hat to these brilliant writers for imbuing this show with yet another subtle character parallel.  They don’t bang the idea over your head like most shows.  Instead, they simply introduce the characters organically and let them speak for themselves.  Brilliant.

4. Dexter vs. Ubaldo Jimenez — Yes, I know Ubaldo Jimenez is a rookie pitcher for the Colorado Rockies, but I forget the dude’s name on Dexter, so let’s call him Ubaldo.  Anyways, the tittie vampire calls Ubaldo to come kill Dexter (holy hell, she’s crazy) so that he’ll be driven into her arms once more, which he is.  Then, Dex responds by ending a weeks-long period of “recovery” and going all Leatherface on Ubaldo in his shady ass cabin.  Key plot element alert: Dex left Ubaldo in pieces in his little plastic prison.  Will he forget about this?  Will he get arrested before he can get it cleaned up?  Will it come back to bite him in the ass?

5. Deb + Angel –  These two work together to find proof that the Bay Harbor Butcher is without a doubt a member of the Miami Metro Police Department.  Can you imagine what the must feel like?  Imagine you’re Angel Batista, about a nice and as hardworking a cop as they come.  And then you find out that one of your fellow police officers, men you respect and trust like brothers, is a serial killer?!  I’d need that bottle of scotch too, Angel.  I’d need that bottle of scotch too.

6. Dexter vs. Lila — The key battle of this episode.  First, Dexter official recognizes that Lila burned down her own place.  Then, Lila gets way too clingy and tries to spend every single second with Dexter (shows up at bowling, gets pissy when he leaves to work, brings him dinner at the office).  And then, Lila crosses the line by sneaking into Rita’s place to see if Dexter might be there.  I’ve officially fallen out of love with Lila.  When you sneak into a chick’s house to spy on her and her two kids, you’re officially a psycho stalker bitch.  Last week, I didn’t know if Dexter would have cause to go all Dark Defender on her, but after this week’s ominous warning about “the monster” Lila might meet if she doesn’t leave Dex and Rita alone, I’m not so sure.  We all know that Dexter has no qualms about eliminating people who threaten his secrecy and safety– if Lila doesn’t keep her beautiful mouth shut, she’s going to get herself chopped into pieces and put in a garbage bag.

The buzz word for this week’s episode is tension.  There was so much dramatic tension, I think I held my breath for an hour.  And lucky for us, it looks likes this flawless series is only going to pick up steam in the final four episodes and pile up the suspense.  Will Rita and Dex reunite?  Will Deb and Lundy become a thing?  Will Dex kill Lila?  Will Dex’s dark secret come to light?  I’m guessing Dex is going to get away with this all somehow, as Dexter is already a go for Season Three, but with a show as brilliant as this, you can never count out any possibility.  And in truth, I don’t care what happens.  I trust this show 100%.  Dexter, I’ll go wherever you want to take me; I’m just thankful for the ride.

Grade: A