The TV show Dexter follows a Miami Metro splatter analyst (Michael C. Hall) who secretly murders serial killers “who slip through the cracks of the justice system.” He’s a father, brother and close confidante to his colleagues. The sixth season debuts on Sunday Oct. 2 and Digital Journal has taken a look at the first few episodes to offer a preview to fans.
Note: This review contains spoilers for Season Six and also previous seasons of Dexter
The sixth season opens with Dexter Morgan looking for a preschool for his son Harrison, and eventually settling on a Catholic private school. But he’s beset by conflicting emotions, having no spiritual background to draw from, and he begins some soul-searching on what religion means to him. As you can see from the trailer and promo ads, religious imagery plays a key role in season six.
But Dexter isn’t all daddy rainbows. His desire to kill killers remains at the core of the show, and in the first episode he attends a high school reunion intent on hunting down a jock who allegedly murdered his wife.
The real attention-grabber in the first few episodes, though, is the introduction of new villains. Edward James Olmos plays Professor Gellar and Colin Hanks is his protégé, Travis, and they both spin their Christian beliefs into a sordid series of gruesome crimes. It’s not fair to tell you exactly how they go about their devious business, but let’s just say it’s shockingly gory.
Dexter isn’t the only focus of the storyline. His sister Deb Morgan, a Miami PD detective, has to contend with several crises: her boyfriend, also a cop, wants to take their relationship to the next level; she’s being courted to take the lieutenant position; and her interactions with other officers becomes more tense by the minute. It seems Deb is becoming a central figure in this season, and it’ll be intriguing to follow how her conflicts coincide with Dexter’s turmoil.
We’re also introduced to a new character: rapper Mos Def (credited as Mos) plays Brother Sam, a criminal turned preacher who runs an auto-repair garage and enters Dexter’s life unexpectedly. He also brings some spirituality to Dexter, inviting him more than once to a church service. As of episode three, Dex has yet to take him up on the offer.
Strangely, the lab geek Vince Masuka gets more airtime due to his flirtations with a pretty blonde intern. She takes a creepy liking to past serial killer cases, including the Ice Truck Killer prominent in the first season. Masuka is blinded by his lust (or is it love?) and fails to see the intern’s more insidious plans.
The end of the third episode features some of the most disturbing scenes ever seen in the Dexter series. Trinity Killer has nothing on what the professor and Travis are planning for their murder spree. But how will Dexter react to this new case when he’s being inundated with fatherhood drama and spiritual self-doubt?
Tell us what you think of this season of Dexter and what you hope to see in upcoming episodes.
Season 6 of Dexter debuts on Showtime on Sunday Oct. 2, 9 p.m. ET
In Canada, Season 6 airs Sunday nights at 10 p.m. ET on The Movie Network
