The title of next week's show gives us a hint that Lumen (Julia Stiles) will again be a source of chaos in Dexter's World--one in which order and precision are usually of the highest paramount. As we observed in Dexter episode 5x05, life with Lumen combined with the aftershocks of wife Rita's murder has thrown Dexter way off his game. Again, the voice of Harry became a shout when Dexter, in his race to kill one of Lumen's thought-to-be rapists/torturers before she tried to, almost killed the wrong guy. Dexter only "heard" Harry shouting at him to "Think!" as he was about to plunge his blade into the drugged man's chest. The guy on Dex's table was despicable enough to be killed but as a serial rapist he did not meet Harry's code and had proof on his ankle that he couldn't have hurt Lumen.
The side-story with Debra and the hunt for the Santa Muerte killers is most appealing for the screen time Debra (Jennifer Carpenter) and her R-rated quips are getting. Deb and Dex are both quite damaged in their own ways. Deb gets flack for her "potty mouth" but it provides a coating of armor rather than leaving her fully exposed, as it puts enough people off so that they keep their interactions with her to a minimum or stop trying to interact with her altogether.
Due to her eff-buddy and partner in crime-solving, Det. Quinn's going against Laguerta's order to stop trying to tie Dexter to Trinity and /or Rita's murder, Debra is currently working with a rookie cop on the Santa Muerte case and the rookie is getting an earful of Debra's general demeanor--all business--no bullshit, puppy dogs or rainbows.
The Laguerta-Batista union appears evermore fragile. If you recall their reason for marrying, it was to avoid the unpleasant potential consequences of a police department romance, not because they were a "perfect fit" or the love of one another's life and so the marriage could have gone either way. As is becoming more and more clear, this marriage is going straight down the shitter. How ill-fitting the Laguerta-Batista marriage is was illustrated with this week's push me-pull you cluster**** ending up being mortifyingly embarrassing for Laguerta and resulting in yet another black mark in Batista's IAB book of bad deeds.
Finally, Masuka(!) assisted Debra in deciphering a "tattoo" that the surviving neck-slashing victim had recalled seeing on the Santa Muerte killer's hand. A trip to Michael Angelo's tattoo business, where it turns out Masuka is a regular customer (who knew?--but is anyone surprised?) of female proprietor Michael, didn't seem to help much until a sharp-eyed catch Debra made later after the encounter. Comic relief abounded in an interaction Deb had with "Michael" which double-underscored Debra's sexual-partner preferences.
I'm loving Julia Stiles as Lumen. I think it has been established very quickly that she has both a will of steel yet as a recent kidnap/rape/ torture victim is psychically as fragile as porcelain doll. I'm excited to see how this will play out as Season 5 progresses. Just look to the airport pat-down screening scene in episode 5 as Lumen was "raped" again both by the screener and by every single man that passed by during the interaction. There was a palpable feeling of claustrophobia and a need to flee. Until it was over, no one (including Lumen) knew if she'd make it through the entire process. Well played, Ms.Stiles.
A Vast, Empty Space Dexter and Debra finish packing up the house.
Dexter Season 5, Episode 6
"Everything Is Illumenated"
Trying to get his life back on track, Dexter hunts a new target, but is distracted and drawn into a precarious situation while helping his troubled acquaintance. Batista discovers an interesting lead in the Santa Muerte murder cases. Quinn learns some new information about Dexter from a questionable source.
"I would have expected more from you, Morgan."
The Taxpayer's Dime
Debra plans a stakeout based on a lead in the Santa Muerte case.
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