Episode Title: “Every Silver Lining…”
Writer: Manny Coto
Director: Michael C. Hall
Previously on “Dexter”:
Episode 8.01 “A Beautiful Day”
Last fall on “The Walking Dead,” Nick Gomez had a very brief stint as a prisoner before his brutal death in the second episode of the season. “Every Silver Lining…” keeps that tradition alive by executing Gomez’s new character, Javier Guzman.
Guzman was obviously going to die all along. The surprising part was that Dexter Morgan (Michael C. Hall) didn’t kill him. In fact, I think that Dexter has only killed one person in the first two episodes back. Clearly, he’s going soft!
There are full spoilers ahead for “Every Silver Lining…,” so if you’re not up to date with the latest episode of “Dexter” then you should probably skip this review or else Masuka is going to come in for a long and awkward hug.
I loved the reveal that Debra killed Guzman after he had beaten the crap out of her in the storage unit. And the reversal of Dexter covering up Debra’s murder was delicious. This is a turn that’s been coming for a long time. Way back in season five, Debra felt empathy towards the killers targeting Jordan Price and his murdering rapist friends. She even let the killers go without realizing that they were Dexter and Lumen. Last season, Debra took it a step further when she shot and killed LaGuerta instead of her brother.
Now Debra has reached the point where killing someone doesn’t bother her that much. She’s not about to go out and stalk criminals while living by Harry’s Code, but it’s doubtful that Guzman will be the last person that Debra kills this season. In a great moment near the end of the episode, Dexter realizes that the Debra that he thought he knew is basically gone. And the person that she has become completely unnerves him. Worse, the new Debra has no love for her brother or any desire to be near him.
The only person who wants Dexter in her life now is Dr. Evelyn Vogel (Charlotte Rampling). Vogel’s introduction is still a huge retcon for this series as this episode fully lays out the part she played in creating the Code of Harry that Dexter lives by. I’m not completely sold that this angle is a good idea, but James Remar turned in some strong scenes as a younger Harry Morgan who went to Vogel for help dealing with Dexter when he was ten. Something about the way Remar’s voice swells up with emotion is very compelling and it went a long way towards proving Vogel’s connection to Dexter.
Whether Vogel should be taken at her word is another matter entirely. Vogel admits that the new serial killer, The Brain Surgeon is probably one of her former patients whom she may have driven even more insane through her unorthodox treatments. But because the episode goes out of its way to keep The Brain Surgeon off-camera, it’s not inconceivable that Vogel could be the killer herself. At the very least, The Brain Surgeon will probably be someone that’s already been introduced on this series, or someone who will be introduced very soon.
Despite what little we know about Vogel, it’s clear that she’s an expert at manipulating emotions. Dexter’s suspicions of Vogel are melted away by the tapes of his father’s sessions with her and by Vogel’s claims that the Brain Surgeon is targeting her. By the end of the episode, Vogel even becomes a surrogate mother figure for Dexter when he despairs about what he’s done to Debra. And rather than push Vogel away, Dexter desperately holds her close because he has no one else in his life who can help him deal with this.
Vogel’s perspective of Dexter’s murderous ways suggests that she may be a bit of a psychopath herself. She tells Dexter that he’s perfect and that he’s doing the world a great service by killing dangerous criminals. It may be what Dexter needs to hear, but very few sane people would make the same argument.
The Dexter and Debra storylines were both very strong in this episode. But “Every Silver Lining…” falters with the storylines of the supporting characters. The romance between Jamie Batista (Aimee Garcia) and Joey Quinn (Desmond Harrington) is still the creepiest thing in a while. And the entire subplot of Angel Batista (David Zayas) pushing Quinn to take the sergeant’s exam to be a better romantic partner for Jamie was laughable. Quinn isn’t suited for either the job or Jamie.
At least Angel was smart enough to figure out their relationship. But Angel’s non-reaction completely undersold what should have been a big moment between himself and Quinn. As for Quinn, he actually played a prominent role in Debra’s storyline this week. I don’t know why “Dexter” normally has a problem with this. Supporting characters are meant to support the main characters, not suck up valuable screentime with crappy side stories… and yes, I’m looking at you, “True Blood!”
Instead of just being a sleazy dude, Joey demonstrates that he still cares for Debra when he goes to Dexter with his concerns. Inadvertently, Quinn almost gets Debra to break about her role in Guzman’s murder when he questions her about it. But Quinn completely misinterprets Debra’s emotional reaction before Dexter breaks it up. That’s why Quinn should never be sergeant… he’s a terrible detective! And he’s way too morally compromised.
Thus far, the overall storyline is still at the slow burn stage. But because this is the final season of “Dexter,” there’s a certain freedom in not having to reconcile Dexter and Debra. I don’t fully trust that the Vogel and Brain Surgeon plotlines will be free of some of the more ridiculous creative choices from the previous seasons of this show. For now, I’m willing to give “Dexter” the benefit of the doubt.
