Dexter's sixth season started earlier this year and I must confess I was more than eagerly awaiting it after the 5th season ended promising so much more!
And for those who are yet to watch the sixth, deliver - it does. The storyline in the sixth season is broadly the same - darkly dreaming Dexter faces a choice between what is morally correct and what his dark passenger wants him to do. This time around, there are several pieces of the jigsaw that were interwoven to give a sense of dynamism to the entire set of 12 episodes.
Besides the central plot, which I'll come to in a while, the season revolved around several sub plots in order to build the characters in the series for the next season. Why I talk of the next season right now, I shall explain.
There were three new central characters this season. Jamie - Batista's sister who helps Dexter look after Harrison, Louis - Masuka's intern whose character didn't develop as much, and Mike - Debra's replacement Detective as she gets promoted to Lieutenant following La Guerta's promotion to Captain.
Among the several subplots, Debra's feelings for Dexter takes formidable shape as she starts seeing a psychologist over the duration of the season. Dexter sees a familiar face in the shape of Brian Moser - the Ice Truck Killer in one of the episodes. Dexter successfully fends off the urge to kill that Brian's image had tried to install in him and keeps faith in Harry's code. Louis is an interesting character who, on one hand, absolutely admires Dexter's near-perfect work and on the other hand, buys the Ice Truck Killer's evidence (the iconicprosthetic hand with 5 differently colored nails) and mails it to Dexter's apartment. His character, as I had mentioned earlier, is left under-developed. It seems, most likely, to have been deliberate to keep the theme open for the next season. Dexter also meets and kills his childhood hero - Tooth Fairy, a serial killer who would kill middle aged women and take their teeth as his prized possession.
The plot is centrally themed around the idea of faith. Dexter comes across Brother Sam, a convict turned believer in the life and works of Jesus and runs a garage where he employs men like him who had the courage to come out of the depths of darkness to choose a life of clean and unadulterated faith. His words and ideas change the way Dexter reflected on life. He started believing. But it was before long that Brother Sam gets shot by one of his employees, and Dexter takes revenge by killing the man who did this - after he finds out he had no remorse for his actions.
In the meantime, the city of Miami is plagued by what the Miami Metro Homicide now considers as the "Doomsday Killer". Travis Marshall and Professor Gellar (the department identify the perpetrators as the season develops) stage seven scenes from the Book of Revelation one after the other and each killing being more heinous and gruesome than the one before. Each of their killings were marked with an Alpha and Omega as cryptographic tableau leading on to Apocalypse,or the end of the world.
Dexter grabs hold of Travis and after Travis convinces Dexter of his innocence and Gellar's predominant role in all the killings, Dexter takes a leaf out of Brother Sam's book and decides to forgive Travis. But this, turns out to be Dexter's worst mistake when he later realizes Travis had been acting alone and Professor Gellar had been dead - killed by Travis all along. It turns out, Travis is schizophrenic and Gellar lives only in his mind. Travis manages to trap Dexter and prepare for the next tableau but Dexter escapes.
Travis decides to stage the second last tableau in the Miami Metro Homicide department's office. He sends a woman with poison gas in her bag for the gas to be released inside the department. But Dexter steps in time and pushes the woman in the interrogation room just about in time to ensure no one died. Travis paints Dexter as "The beast" and tries to kill him in his final tableau - The Lake of Fire. Yet, somehow, Dexter manages to escape and chase Travis. Travis, on the other hand, kidnaps Harrison and prepares to offer him as sacrifice at the time of the Solar eclipse but Dexter manages to chase him down and save his son and take Travis captive.
The plot twists and turns throughout the season and the final episode ends with a dramatic scene. Planning on ending it all from where it began, Dexter takes Travis (held captive) to the church where Travis used to operate from. Setting his table and giving Travis his reason for killing him. Precisely at this moment, Debra enters the Church to find Dexter stab Travis. Dexter looks up at Debra and the frame freezes.
The end sequence, among many other things, keeps the plot for the next season both open and exciting. Debra had always fallen for men who turned out to be serial killers or were killed by them. How will she react now that she knows the only man she trusted all along also turned out to be a serial killer! Louis' identity is still misleading and will it be him, who turns out to be Dexter's nemesis in the next season?
To summarize, this season had a little bit of drag (Dexter visiting Nebraska, unnecessary brawl-sequences between Quinn and Batista, etc) but maybe all that was to set the stage for a continuation up next. There were many biblical references and brutality throughout the season - but that had been Dexter's USP anyway.
It shall be a prolonged wait till October, 2012 when we can expect Season 7 to premier. Season 6 was worth the watch! Go grab your copies right away!
And for those who are yet to watch the sixth, deliver - it does. The storyline in the sixth season is broadly the same - darkly dreaming Dexter faces a choice between what is morally correct and what his dark passenger wants him to do. This time around, there are several pieces of the jigsaw that were interwoven to give a sense of dynamism to the entire set of 12 episodes.Besides the central plot, which I'll come to in a while, the season revolved around several sub plots in order to build the characters in the series for the next season. Why I talk of the next season right now, I shall explain.
There were three new central characters this season. Jamie - Batista's sister who helps Dexter look after Harrison, Louis - Masuka's intern whose character didn't develop as much, and Mike - Debra's replacement Detective as she gets promoted to Lieutenant following La Guerta's promotion to Captain.
Among the several subplots, Debra's feelings for Dexter takes formidable shape as she starts seeing a psychologist over the duration of the season. Dexter sees a familiar face in the shape of Brian Moser - the Ice Truck Killer in one of the episodes. Dexter successfully fends off the urge to kill that Brian's image had tried to install in him and keeps faith in Harry's code. Louis is an interesting character who, on one hand, absolutely admires Dexter's near-perfect work and on the other hand, buys the Ice Truck Killer's evidence (the iconicprosthetic hand with 5 differently colored nails) and mails it to Dexter's apartment. His character, as I had mentioned earlier, is left under-developed. It seems, most likely, to have been deliberate to keep the theme open for the next season. Dexter also meets and kills his childhood hero - Tooth Fairy, a serial killer who would kill middle aged women and take their teeth as his prized possession.
The plot is centrally themed around the idea of faith. Dexter comes across Brother Sam, a convict turned believer in the life and works of Jesus and runs a garage where he employs men like him who had the courage to come out of the depths of darkness to choose a life of clean and unadulterated faith. His words and ideas change the way Dexter reflected on life. He started believing. But it was before long that Brother Sam gets shot by one of his employees, and Dexter takes revenge by killing the man who did this - after he finds out he had no remorse for his actions.
In the meantime, the city of Miami is plagued by what the Miami Metro Homicide now considers as the "Doomsday Killer". Travis Marshall and Professor Gellar (the department identify the perpetrators as the season develops) stage seven scenes from the Book of Revelation one after the other and each killing being more heinous and gruesome than the one before. Each of their killings were marked with an Alpha and Omega as cryptographic tableau leading on to Apocalypse,or the end of the world.
 |
| Colin Hanks playing the role of Travis Marshall |
Travis decides to stage the second last tableau in the Miami Metro Homicide department's office. He sends a woman with poison gas in her bag for the gas to be released inside the department. But Dexter steps in time and pushes the woman in the interrogation room just about in time to ensure no one died. Travis paints Dexter as "The beast" and tries to kill him in his final tableau - The Lake of Fire. Yet, somehow, Dexter manages to escape and chase Travis. Travis, on the other hand, kidnaps Harrison and prepares to offer him as sacrifice at the time of the Solar eclipse but Dexter manages to chase him down and save his son and take Travis captive.
 |
| Mos Def as Brother Sam |
The plot twists and turns throughout the season and the final episode ends with a dramatic scene. Planning on ending it all from where it began, Dexter takes Travis (held captive) to the church where Travis used to operate from. Setting his table and giving Travis his reason for killing him. Precisely at this moment, Debra enters the Church to find Dexter stab Travis. Dexter looks up at Debra and the frame freezes.
 |
| Jennifer Carpenter as Debra |
To summarize, this season had a little bit of drag (Dexter visiting Nebraska, unnecessary brawl-sequences between Quinn and Batista, etc) but maybe all that was to set the stage for a continuation up next. There were many biblical references and brutality throughout the season - but that had been Dexter's USP anyway.
It shall be a prolonged wait till October, 2012 when we can expect Season 7 to premier. Season 6 was worth the watch! Go grab your copies right away!
thanks for the review.. knew this season would be great..
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