“Brother Sam wasn’t who I thought he was, but you… this I know all too well. Always the same ending. Because monsters don’t get to live happily ever after.” – Dexter
Despite taking on a life of its own outside the realm of novels that spawned its existence, Dexter hasn’t strayed far from what makes the books so easily consumable. The newest season sees the show veering back towards the novels, introducing a religious cult that commits ritualistic murders under the pretense of it being the end of days – the Omega, as indicated by the symbolic carvings found on their victims. So far, there are only two members of the cult that we know of: Edward James Olmos guest stars as the guiding hand behind the murders, and Colin Hanks as his eager disciple. It may well be that these two aren’t part of a cult at all, and are just a diabolical duo of sociopaths. Be that as it may, it is their spiritual drive that weighs heaviest on the plotline.
It appears as though Cody and Astor have finally been phased out of Dexter’s life – and the show, for that matter – freeing up the single father to settle into his new responsibilities and his old routines. Finally exploring the theme on a larger scale, Dexter is beginning to confront his own beliefs – or lack thereof – first for the sake of raising baby Harrison properly, and then again when he meets a seemingly repentant ex-con who has taken up the devout mantle of Christianity.
Brother Sam (guest star Mos Def) owns an auto-body shop where he employs other former criminals who claim to have mended their ways just like their “good shepherd.” Not believing his cover story, Dex sets out on one of his reconnaissance missions in order know for certain that his newest target is still killing people. When Dex gets caught lurking outside of the repair shop, he comes to discover that he may have been wrong about the religious man and steps up to scare off a mini street gang threatening the preacher’s life. Sam and Dexter may not have been cut from the same ideological cloth, but I believe that there is more than just a superficial relationship developing between the two. Dexter can tell that Sam is some sort of monster – but so is Dexter. Who’s to say that Brother Sam isn’t just Dexter with a divine calling?
After taking down a gunman in a restaurant, Deb has been offered the open position of Lieutenant; having been promoted to Captain, LaGuerta all but promised the job to Angel, only to have the decision go overhead. Batista seems to be alright with the decision for now – he gives Deb his blessing when she breaks the news, and he did say last week that he’d rather be on the streets. As if she doesn’t have enough on her plate already, Quinn asks Deb to marry him, putting her in another awkward position. She doesn’t want the dynamic between them to change, but Quinn wants to get more serious. So when Deb turns him down and he kicks her out of his apartment, Quinn switches lanes and shifts focus to the other Morgan. It’s only a matter of time until he starts Doakes-ing him again.
Barring the potential introduction of the metaphysical element of the “dark passenger” entity, this season carries with it the opportunity to return to the world envisioned by Jeff Lindsay. With Deb in charge of the Miami Homicide Division, and Dex responsible for a division of Miami’s homicides, I can only hope that this season finally ends with Deb’s discovery of Dexter’s dark secret, setting the way for more intriguing side-stories than Quinn being obsessive and the tension between LaGuerta and Batista.
Some stats and info about Dexter, “Once Upon A Time…”
TV SHOW – Dexter
SEASON/EPISODE – Season 6 Episode 2
AIRED ON – September 26th, 2010
NETWORK/STREAMING SERVICE – Showtime
GENRE – Drama, Crime Dramas, Office Culture, Thrillers
CREATED BY – James Manos, Jr.
CAST – Michael C. Hall, Jennifer Carpenter, David Zayas, James Remar, C.S. Lee, Luna Lauren Velez, Desmond Harrington, Julie Benz
This review originally appeared on TV Geek Army.