Dexter (Season 5)

I liked Season 5 of Dexter. Though that the common consensus seems to be that Dexter stops being good after Season 4, I was surprised to find that this was an immensely enjoyable season. Not one of the series' best, but another solid Dexter season that doesn't feel like it's skipped a beat.

The main plot of Season 5 is kicked-off when Dexter is caught during a kill by a girl named Lumen, who was raped and tortured by the gang that guy Dexter killed was a part of. After grappling over what to do for a second, Dexter decides to help Lumen kill all of the members of the gang. I actually really like this storyline. Dexter being discovered by someone is a great way to up the stakes, the main antagonist being a group of people is a unique change, and most importantly of all, I really like Dexter and Lumen's chemistry a lot. They play off each other really well, especially in the second half of the season, and given what happened with Miguel, I really liked seeing Dexter is a more mutually respectful and supportive partnership. With Dexter dealing with his wife's death and Lumen having just escaped her abusers, it was surprisingly heartwarming to see them work through their issues together. And the "Barrel Girl Gang" the two face off against are fittingly detestable antagonists. Unfortunately, the finale sent Lumen off and generally felt like a bit of a reset button, which was a bit of a disappointment. Still, the main storyline of Season 5 was very fun and engaging throughout even with a weaker ending.

However, just like Season 4, the subplots this time around are a bit of a mixed bag. Obviously with Rita's death, the show has to deal with the fallout of those events. While this leads to a very emotional and compelling first two episodes, the show eventually shifts gears to focus on that main Lumen storyline, which I found to be a bit of a shame. Miami Metro has their own case that they try to solve for most of the season, not unlike Season 3, but the Santa Muerte Killer doesn't quite have the same mystery as some of the show's prior serial killers. Quinn has a subplot where he starts suspecting Dexter killed his wife, and while it mostly starts with him being Doakes 2, the subplot kicks in when he hires a slimy cop named Liddy to investigate. I love Liddy, he's a very charming minor antagonist played by Peter Weller, who always manages to kill it in his guest star roles. Finally, there's the continuing drama between Maria and Batista, and it still sucks. It's too convoluted and melodramatic, and they just don't have the chemistry that would make their storylines work better. Still, there were some subplots I enjoyed, like Debra getting suspended, Dexter looking for a nanny, and the stuff involving Astor.

There were plenty of highlights this season, such as:

My Bad: While I wish more of this season focused a bit more on the fallout of Rita's death, maybe have Dexter getting to take a darker turn out of grief, My Bad was still a fantastic and messy premiere. Dexter spends the whole episode struggling to express his grief, and it culminates in some of Michael C Hall's best acting at the end of the episode. The fallout of Rita's death is as messy as I had hoped it would've been, and all of the loose ends left in Season 4 are resolved very well.

Take It!: There was something very complete about this episode, focusing almost entirely on Dexter and Lumen trying to kill Cole, one of the members of the Barrel Girl Gang. This was the episode that really sold me on Dexter and Lumen's partnership, they work really well together! In addition, there's a nice cliffhanger with Liddy recording Dexter disposing the bodies, and a solid subplot about Debra getting suspended.

In The Beginning: Easily my favorite episode in the season, In The Beginning really kicks the final act of Season 5 into high gear. Miami Metro uncovering the CDs changes everything, from getting them more involved in the Barrel Girls case, to Lumen watching a video of what happened to her, to Debra realizing that "Victim 13" might be killed everyone in the gang. Not to mention Lumen killing off the second-to-last member of the gang, Dexter and Lumen sleeping together, Liddy getting even more footage of Dexter, and Jordan showing up at the police station. This episode was just packed with fantastic moments.

Hop A Freighter: This was a pretty great penultimate episode that resolves the Liddy subplot in spectacular fashion. It's always fun when Dexter is in danger of being found out, and his final confrontation with Liddy was unironically more intense and exciting that the one with Chase in the next episode. The cliffhanger where Lumen gets kidnapped was also a terrifying and tense note to end on going into the final episode.

Overall, Season 5 was a pretty good season of Dexter. It definitely has its issues like some weak subplots and a disappointing ending, the main storyline is so engaging and the central relationship so great that I'd still call this season a success.

4/5 Stars