Dexter – "Are You…?" Review/Recap [Spoilers]

Shannon O’Connor ’16 / Emertainment Monthly Editor-in-Chief

Dexter fans endured a torturous year after the colossal cliffhanger dropped at the end of the Showtime series’ sixth season. A question viewers mulled over for years was finally answered as Debra Morgan (Jennifer Carpenter) walked into the church at the exact moment her brother, Dexter (Michael C. Hall), plunged his knife into the heart of the “Doomsday Killer,” Travis (Colin Hanks).
The premiere episode of the drama’s seventh season picked up right where it left off with Debra seeing her brother’s true self for the first time. In the wake of being caught by none other than his beloved sister, the usually suave Dexter scrambles for an explanation. In a sadistic yet seductive manner, Dexter manages to hold Deb off from notifying the police and pleads his murderous act as an act of temporary insanity. Flabbergasted with the scene that has enfolded in front of her, Deb hesitantly accepts his plea and assists him in tampering with the crime scene to make it look like Travis set fire to the church before piercing his own heart with a sacrificial blade.
As both Deb and Dexter expect, the next day they are called to the scene of their own crime, which, thanks to their tampering, is being ruled a suicide. While examining the crime scene, Lt. Maria LaGuerta (Lauren Vélez) comes across a monumental piece of evidence… a blood slide. Flustered by his sister’s intrusion, Dexter’s methodical manner turns slightly sloppy as one slight movement of the table causes his trophy to fall into an area untouched by the flames. LaGuerta’s discovery will inevitably lead to the reopening of the “Bay Harbor Butcher” case that was closed in season two after Sgt. James Doakes’ (Erik King) was dubbed as the infamous killer.
While Debra grapples with her guilty conscience and disgust for what she witnessed her brother commit, Dexter has moved onto another target. Eager to move on and absolve his past failure, Dexter gets another kill, but loses the facade of a saint brother as he comes home to a rummaged house and a distraught sister. She has found all his secrets.
Providing both intense drama and unrelenting suspense the season seven premiere was excellent. Strong performances by both Hall and Carpenter set the pace for what looks like a psychological thriller of a season. With 12 more episodes to go, season seven is off to a strong start.