Summary : Missing Lumen, awkward restart, naughty Masuka, pivotal Deb arc, under exploited fairytale, some questionable acting, promising sister and Brother Sam
Score : 6/10
This episode had a similar impact on me than Remains to be Seen, season 4 episode 2. An impression of déjà vu and the relative lack of desire to watch the upcoming episode. However despite its flaws it wasn't so bad and even convinced me to give "Smokey and the Bandit" a chance, next week's installment. The problem is that thanks to Lumen (Julia Stiles) season 5 felt so incredibly refreshing, heartbreaking, intelligent and inspiring that I can't believe Dex hasn't mentioned her. One year later and he has already moved on apparently. Come on writers you should know better ! It's like if they were desperately trying to reinvent the wheel when I'm convinced a better approach would be to interconnect the seasons to make the character development stronger, more authentic and empathic. Take Deb and Quinn for instance. Why should we care about these two love birds ? Things are different with Batista because his relationship with LaGuerta provoked collateral damages. Moreover there's something friendly about him so I really cared for him this episode.
It leads us to Masuka because as usual our favorite funny monk was back with his barrel of kinky monkeys. The butt dance sequence was hilarious and beside the annoying LaGuerta I don't understand the comments or reviews critizing the show's secondary characters. Still individually they have potential and all performers do a good job but I think it's their connections that can be weak. As for Deb in the premiere I missed her Shakespearean verbiage but this time I couldn't help giggling everytime she swore or that Jennifer Carpenter's gummy face did a cute grimace. Moreover the opportunity she ceased could dramatically affect her relationships with most characters, Dex included. It reminded me of how closed she was to catch him and Lumen in the finale ! Let's hope season 6 will exploit this element again because their scene couldn't have been edgier. Maybe it's time to whip the whole writing department !
But to go back to the impression of déjà vu I mentioned earlier I won't say the show is jumping the shark but at some rare times it nearly feels like it. The soapy conflicts, the recurrent jokes, Dex's rehashed lines and thoughts… It's specially the last that I worry about because season 5's spirit was reminiscent of season 1. Once an episode was over I spent a whole week thinking and dreaming about it. Thanks to Lumen our favorite serial killer became a monster with a heart and this propelled the show in a new direction. It's not that religion is dated or less interesting but for the moment I don't see how such a conventional topic, that has already been covered by many other productions, will allow this season to top the previous ones. With such a title, Once Upon a Time, I was expecting a heavy fairytale-driven story but the theme was under exploited and most scenes featuring the baby boy didn't work. The running gag fell flat compared to season 5's "Die! Die!".
As for casting Colin Hanks as Travis Marshall I question it because his acting wasn't convincing enough. I mean wasn't there a better young match for Edward James Olmos ? We also have to consider that he'll probably face Michael C. Hall in a few weeks ! The anecdotic way their arc is covered also doesn't help for the moment but things should improve once they're really part of the story. Moreover Travis relationship with his sister has potential because I couldn't help imagining all the possible outcomes. Will she become this season Christine Hill (Courtney Ford) ? Last but not least Brother Sam was probably this episode moment of grace. His arc was reminiscent of Lumen's introduction because it took a while to determine if she could be saved or was definitely broken. As an atheist it's harder to relate to him and comprehend all the religious substance in general but at least the writers proved their point by dedicating a whole episode to a new character. They were serious about it and it showed from beginning to end despite the flaws I pointed out. Therefore his profile, so different than an Arthur Mitchell or Jordan Chase, could contribute to make this season a success. I'm still skeptical about it but we have to consider that season 5 really took off with its fourth installment, Beauty and the Beast, so we'll see if patience is really a virtue because on Dexter a split second of inattention can quickly turn into a deadly vicious mistake !
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