Season 6 of Dexter was rough, but it ended on a great cliffhanger as Debra learning her brother is a serial killer. Thankfully, Season 7 doesn't waste that potential, and is easily the best season of Dexter in a while.
Season 7 of Dexter has a bunch of plotlines, almost all of which are pretty great. Of course, the season starts with Debra learning Dexter is a serial killer and having to come to grips with it. It's honestly really stressful and tough to watch at times, partially because Deb doesn't take this discovery well at all and partially because Dexter now has someone watching everything he does. Watching Debra have to juggle with her love (not romantic anymore, thankfully) for her brother and the fact that he's a serial killer just makes for really great television. In addition, if Dexter wasn't pressured enough, Laguerta finds a blood slide and revives the BHB investigation. This is another fantastic storyline, and Laguerta is at her best here. While I there was a bit more of Dexter running around trying to halt the investigation, it adds a ticking time bomb element to the season and leads to a fantastic finale. Between these two storylines, Season 7 really felt like a final season of Dexter, which leaves me baffled as to why there's an eighth season. I'm left asking what I asked at the end of Season 2, how does the show top this?
In addition, this season features two other antagonists(?). First, there's Isaak Sirko, essentially a mob boss who wants Dexter dead for killing one of his top men. Sirko is easily one of the best Dexter villains, mostly because of Ray Stevenson's fantastic performance. His chemistry with Dexter is great, and he juggles affability and sheer menace perfectly. Second, there's Hannah McKay, a fellow murderer who Dexter starts to date despite being under investigation by Miami Metro. I think Hannah's alright, definitely not as great of a love interest as Rita or Lumen, but it's interesting to see Dexter date someone like him who isn't straight-up nutso like Lila was. However, this creates an issue where Season 7 feels a bit overstuffed with major storylines. On one hand, the sheer amount of fires Dexter has to put out does make this the most overwhelming and tense season since the second. However, it doesn't quite feel like all of the storylines get their due here, as Sirko dies three episodes from the finale and Laguerta doesn't get much screentime overall, and the middle section of the season ends up feeling really spread thin as a result.
As a result, Season 7's best episodes were mostly contained around the start and end of the season:
Are You...?: This was a stellar season premiere and a massive boost in quality coming off of Season 6. I love how it leads you to believe that Dexter may have been able to lead Debra away from figuring out he's a serial killer, only for that massive cliffhanger that blows the final scene of Season 6 completely out of the water. And even more, this premiere manages to do a great job at setting up the storylines involving Laguerta and Sirko.
Helter Skelter: While I do wish Sirko didn't die so early, this episode was a pretty fantastic sendoff. Sirko pretty much having a death grip on Dexter and everyone he cared about made for a very tense episode, but seeing the two ultimately make up ended up making Sirko's abrupt death feel oddly tragic. If things had turned out better, they really could have been friends.
Do You See What I See?: Dexter had a messed-up Thanksgiving episode, and this is its messed-up Christmas episode. It's filled with great set-up for the season finale, from Debra being poisoned, to Dexter getting Matthews to drop the BHB case, to the Estrada stuff, to Dexter deciding to incriminate Hannah. A lot happens in this one, and it's all great.
Surprise, Motherfucker: This is a fantastic season finale, and could've been a great ending for the series too. Laguerta finally taking action and trying to arrest Dexter made for a truly tense episode, especially as it built up to that climactic final confrontation in the container. And that's not to mention Hannah escaping prison, the flashbacks about Doakes, and Batista's retirement. The only thing I'm iffy about is Debra shooting Laguerta since there was the opportunity for the perfect ending if had she shot or arrested Dexter instead, but either way, it's still a shocking cliffhanger and a good way to set up Season 8.
Overall, Season 7 of Dexter is great, and a big improvement over the previous one. It's incredibly tense, with a fantastic antagonist, some great character work for Debra, and a strong subplot with Laguerta that builds towards a stellar finale. However, it does feel a bit overstuffed and the sheer finality of it all leaves me wondering what Season 8 could do to top it.
4/5 Stars
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