One of the problems I had regarding the Barrel Girls investigation was that after learning of Jordan Chase’s (Jonny Lee Miller) real name, they didn’t investigate it. Eugene Greer proved to be a valuable thing to look up. Dexter Morgan had no problem digging it up through the country records department. Why didn’t Debra (Jennifer Carpenter) or Quinn (Desmond Harrington) think of it? I think it was just a convenient way to let Dexter do the legwork.

Like everyone else, I was riveted when Debra came down the stairs to find the two vigilantes in the basement with Jordan Chase’s body. I was almost certain Debra was going to learn the truth about her brother. I was almost disappointed when she turned around and walked out, letting them off the hook.

In that moment, she seemed to have transformed into her father, Harry (James Remar), to some extent. While Debra would never murder someone, deep down insider her, she was kind of okay with someone taking out evil rapists and murderers. For that reason, I think Debra will be accepting of Dexter when the inevitable revelation is made. I know it will be a shock to her, but in the end, I feel she’ll be okay with it.

As for the Quinn story, I was taken by surprise by how much attention the setup of the story got, only for the end to be pretty much dismissed. I would have liked to have gotten more of Dexter’s thoughts on not fingering Quinn for Liddy’s (Peter Weller) murder.

Like Dexter, I don’t care for Quinn one bit, but as long as he makes Debra happy, I’m okay with him still being around. That doesn’t mean he won’t keep coming after Dexter, however. Dexter may have saved Quinn’s ass this season, but I suspect he’ll continue to look into Dexter’s activities. Being Debra’s boyfriend will give him more access to Dexter and perhaps his residence.

The other big part to this episode was Lumen’s departure. I never expected her to stay. Sorry, but I kept looking for ways for Dexter to actually kill her and dispose of her body. I know it sounds ridiculous, but she’s still a liability to him. She didn’t use gloves when she killed Jordan Chase and there’s a good chance her prints are on something in that old basement.

I liked the Lumen character, but it wasn’t one I felt a strong connection to. She always seemed like a disposable character and I’m glad she’s gone.

Of course with Lumen gone, Dexter is back on the market and I can’t imagine Dexter hooking up with another victim next year. I don’t think any intelligent viewer will be accepting of it. For that reason, I think Dexter should remain single for season six. I would rather see Dexter’s dark passenger business take place away from the family and pertain more to his job. He’s allowed it to get awfully personal in the last few years, to the point of it getting his wife killed.

I wouldn’t mind seeing some semblance of a normal home life next year with Astor (Christina Robinson) and Cody (Preston Bailey) coming back home. The kids don’t need to live in Orlando with their grandparents. The kids need to live in Miami with their father.

I can’t say season five really got me over the loss of Rita (Julie Benz). If anything, it just got me to think of something else and that isn’t really the same thing. Killing Rita was only necessary because the writers frankly couldn’t come up with a good story for her anymore.

Rating: 8.2

Before his meeting up with Debra Morgan (Jennifer Carpenter), Dexter Morgan (Michael C. Hall) didn’t seem to look at his relationship with Lumen Pierce (Julia Stiles) very deeply. At times, Dexter’s voiceovers would bring it up, but it was really his talk with his sister that he realized he and Lumen had something unique going. It takes love in order to kill someone together… and a little bit of crazy too, I’m sure.

Showtime’s teaser about this episode included a line about Quinn (Desmond Harrington) having more to do with a murder than he would have liked was misleading. Quinn had no idea his old friend was being killed in that van so I can’t saw Showtime’s teaser was entirely honest.

That being said, the surprise came when Jordan Chase (Jonny Lee Miller) used Emily (Angela Bettis) again to get Lumen to come over to her house. It was clearly a trap, one Lumen fell for without hesitating. It’s clear she isn’t the brains of the operation. I can’t imagine Dexter would have fallen for that. I believe he would have had a plan of some sort going into that situation.

I was pleasantly surprised by the writers’ decision to try to patch up the relationship between Maria LaGuerta (Lauren Vélez) and Debra Morgan. While their differences were in fact important, they do need to find a way to work with one another and there’s no way Debra will advance if she can’t trust her boss with obtaining a warrant.

“Hop a Freighter” was a pretty straight forward episode. Being a set-up episode, it had the usual limited twists to the story, but it was still compelling, as all of Dexter’s episodes are. I would have liked to have seen a little more drama early on in the episode. The second half was clearly the stronger half.

Rating: 7.9

I suspected it to be unlikely for Emily to be the first victim and I’m glad I was on the right track. Still, I couldn’t quite piece together her story. The relationship she has with Jordan Chase (Jonny Lee Miller) is a very interesting one, one I hope gets laid out in full this coming weekend.

I’m surprised Liddy (Peter Weller) has been able to learn as much as he has so quickly. He’s not just getting pieces of the puzzle anymore. Instead, he’s now got audio and video of Dexter Morgan (Michael C. Hall) and Lumen Pierce (Julia Stiles) rehearsing the kill in Dexter’s second floor apartment.

As Dexter and Lumen continue to piece together the details of this old group of childhood friends, so are the police. Debra Morgan (Jennifer Carpenter) is absolutely kicking ass on the show. She seems like the department’s best investigator right now and Joey Quinn (Desmond Harrington) is following her lead everywhere they go.

When it looked like Quinn and Debra were about to walk in on Dexter and Lumen dealing with the fifth perp, I was excited to see what happened. It turned out to be a disappointment, of course. Afterwards, they were outside and noticed a small footprint and it was then that Debra figured out what was likely going on: victim number thirteen is exacting revenge on her rapists.

I really wished Deb had went next door, to the empty house and poked around a bit. Deciding to head back to the station was a little disappointing.

The romp in the sheets at the end with Dexter and Lumen was anything but surprising. While the scene was light on the passion, I felt satisfied simply because it was over and done with. It’s been hinted at for a while that Dexter found Lumen attractive. I’m just happy Dexter got it out of the way and we can focus on the eventual hunting down of Jordan. Still, that sex scene had me wondering something. Would you have sex with an attractive woman who was raped by men who had also raped at least a dozen other women? What are the odds Lumen hadn’t contracted some sort of STD from the slimeballs that raped her? Sorry, but I wouldn’t touch her.

“In The Beginning” was pretty light on action and suspense. I didn’t really feel nervous for Dexter like I usually do during this part of the season. The close calls usually make me tense. I think there’s just too much other stuff going on this year. I’m expecting the last two episodes of the season to be stellar. I suspect this was mostly a filler episode.

Rating: 8.3

For the majority of the episode, Jordan Chase was out of the spotlight. Instead, it was Astor (Christina Robinson) and her friend from Orlando. When I first saw the two, I was shocked by their physical appearance. Astor’s heavy makeup made her look a lot older. She was frankly hard to watch on screen because of the makeup. She looks completely different with all of that crap on her face and her hair done differently.

Thankfully, this now appears to just be a phase… one which I hope will be over the next time Astor is back on the show. The lack of Cody and Astor has been disappointing. I really liked seeing their adorable faces every now and then.

Christina Robinson as Astor

God bless the writers for setting the record straight between Maria LaGuerta (Lauren Vélez) and Debra Morgan (Jennifer Carpenter). I know it was tough for Maria to accept the fact that public safety must come before how she looks after having to reopen a previously closed murder case, but it was the right thing to do. It was also great timing for telling Debra all about Quinn (Desmond Harrington) and his “vacation time.”

I still dislike Quinn, but I’m hoping he ends up being the one who saves Dexter’s ass when Liddy (Peter Weller) tries to get enough evidence to have him arrested for murder. Maybe Quinn will continue to pursue his relationship with Debra and perhaps put an end to Liddy. Somehow I don’t feel Dexter or Lumen setting their sights on him. They both seem so preoccupied by Jordan Chase at the moment.

With Jordan aware of Dexter and Lumen (Julia Stiles), I’m very excited to see how the story plays out. The end of this week’s episode was amazing. Sure, we all know how that phone call between Jordan and Lumen was going to go down, but there’s just something about watching it that felt very satisfying and exciting. Jordan knows what’s going on. Now it’s only a matter of time before things get taken to the next step. Jordan seems like a very resourceful person so I’m sure we’re going to get a few fascinating surprises thrown in here. I just hope no one close to Dexter ends up dead. Another Rita-esque loss would be a tough one to accept.

Rating: 9.5

“Take It!” had a lot going on, as usual, and was full of surprises. When Dexter Morgan (Michael C. Hall) first talked about killing Cole (Chris Vance) in the hotel, I honestly doubted he could pull it off. There seemed to be very little time to plan and execute everything. However, entrusting Lumen (Julia Stiles) with the task of shopping for the supplies needed for the kill room turned out to be a little dangerous. It allowed for a run-in with Liddy (Peter Weller), Quinn’s (Desmond Harrington) PI friend.

Another piece of Lumen’s life puzzle became available this week when her ex-fiance made his presence known. Owen and Lumen were set to marry, but everything went to hell when she took off for Miami and he came looking to reunite. I never gave that reunion a chance, but I still appreciated learning more about Lumen. It’s got me wanting to know more about her family and just why she felt trapped there in her life.

Jennifer Carpenter as Debra Morgan

The fall-out from the botched Santa Muerte murder investigation was full of stress and excitement. One of the things I like so much about Debra (Jennifer Carpenter) is her frankness, even with her superiors. I know it wouldn’t be tolerated in most police departments, but Debra had every right to be pissed at the way Maria LaGuerta (Lauren Vélez) handled it.

That being said, I wasn’t surprised by it at all. Maria has proven in the past that she cares more about covering her own ass than the people in her department. It’s a frustrating quality in the character that has never made me a very big fan of hers. She’s too much like her boss, Captain Tom Matthews (Geoff Pierson).

The growing relationship between Dexter and Lumen is definitely an interesting thing to see. It’s probably what has me so interested this year. Dexter has held his story close to his chest, but finally let go of a lot of information, telling Lumen a great deal about his past. Lumen is certainly no Rita, but I think in the long run Lumen could be good for Dexter. He needs another good friend. Seeing how they go about taking down Jordan Chase (Jonny Lee Miller) should be exciting. Dexter’s got to get close to him again in order to pull it off.

Their relationship may not last long if Liddy continues to get close to the pair. That was quite a telephoto lense he had on that camera at the end of the episode. Snapping photos of Dex and Lumen dumping Cole’s body overboard could be dangerous.

Rating: 9.4

The relationship between Dexter and Lumen remains a fascinating one to watch unfold each week. While neither trusts one another one hundred percent, they manage to get along for the most part. Dexter, who has a lot to lose if he gets caught, is somewhat controlling. He’s careful, but not perfect. He can’t control everything Lumen does. Her showing up at a crime scene became a problem. Quinn (Desmond Harrington) was able to lay eyes on her himself, making him question what Dexter is up to.

Dexter was in for quite a surprise when he got to meet two of this season’s biggest villains in Jordan Chase (Johnny Lee Miller) and Cole Harmon (Chris Vance). Cole has been identified as being one of the men who assaulted Lumen. His biggest undoing was removing Lumen’s blindfold in the process. He obviously assumed Boyd would hold up his end of the bargain and make sure Lumen was dead. Cole clearly never factored in the possibility of things not working out.

C.S. Lee as Vince Masuka

As for Jordan Chase, the wealthy motivational speaker is far from innocent. He put on a good show for Miami Metro, but that scene in the car showed he’s not Mother Teresa. Just what he is responsible for is unknown, but it wouldn’t be surprised if Jordan ends up being “watch man,” as Lumen nicknamed a person who always kept a watch on and told Lumen it was the sound of her life ticking down.

“Circle Us” had a fair bit of action in it thanks to Dexter and Lumen looking into Jordan Chase. But there was also a hell of a shootout at Club Maya. Debra Morgan (Jennifer Carpenter) finally got her man, but he wasn’t the only one shot in the process. With numerous casualties, it’ll be a huge problem for Miami Metro, especially for Maria (Lauren Vélez), as it was her call that sped up everything.

I’m always impressed by how the crew is able to get so much into an hour of television. There are a lot of characters and stories to fit into an episode. I can’t think of another show that crams so much into an episode without serious mistakes. I guess it’s one of many reasons Dexter remains one of my all-time favorite shows. It’s amazing that they can even bring us drama with the nanny and Quinn’s investigation into Dexter.

Rating: 8.9

The episode had Lumen Pierce (Julia Stiles) in Miami, after having never actually left, and trying to kill one of the men she thought was responsible for raping her. Lumen’s being in Miami was quite a shock for Dexter. He was clearly under the impression Lumen had hopped onto the plane. No dice, Dex.

After nearly killing an innocent man last week, Lumen seemed determined to get one of the men who hurt her. Much like Dexter, I had some reservations about Lumen’s judgment. She’s clearly still traumatized by what a group of men put her through. I have to hand it to Lumen for how she went about finding one of the men responsible for her trauma. It was very clever, if not insanely dangerous.

I was disappointed in the lack of progress in the big murder case, but something good came out of it. Angel Batista (David Zayas) was able to find someone who may be able to bring in the two brothers the police believe are responsible for the recent murders.

Angel also finally made up with his wife, Maria (Lauren Vélez), after some heated exchanges. Angel can get a little hot under the collar sometimes, but he was right to be upset with Maria. That being said, Angel needs to keep his emotions in check in the future if he and Maria expect promotions anytime soon.

I was laughing hysterically when they had Masuka (C.S. Lee) describing, in vivid detail, what he felt happened with the two victims killed by Dexter. God bless C.S. Lee for being willing to do the goofy, humiliating things the writers expect of Vince Masuka. Dexter wouldn’t be Dexter without Masuka.

It’s definitely getting uncomfortable to see Debra (Jennifer Carpenter) constantly falling for Quinn (Desmond Harrington). Debra’s got the worst taste in men. Just about every one of them ends up dead sooner or later. If Quinn’s investigation into Dexter gets him where I hope it does, Quinn’s dead and I’ll be a happy man.

As for Lumen and Dexter, it’s impossible not to notice how things are pointing towards these two becoming lovers, but in the short-term, Lumen is still a problem for Dexter. Her actions can get Dexter in trouble if she’s not careful. She’s learning more and more about him in each episode which could be an issue if she ever decides to turn on him.

Rating: 8.8

The fact that Dexter (Michael C. Hall) just about killed an “innocent” man wasn’t a surprise. It was a riveting scene to watch, however. If it weren’t for Harry’s (James Remar) persistence, I’m confident Dexter would have killed the man. Dex was so caught up in killing him before Lumen that he didn’t think it through carefully. When Dexter does things on impulse, surprises are sure to be present.

I found the Bautista (David Zayas) / LaGuerta (Lauren Vélez) drama to be a little difficult to watch. While I wouldn’t have been very surprised to find Maria doing something with McCourt, it wasn’t worth Angel losing his mind. I kept thinking he should just say something to Maria before she left. There were plenty of opportunities to do it. I guess he’d rather make a total ass of himself in front of witnesses than do it privately. What an idiot.

Julia Stiles as Lumen Ann Pierce

Speaking of idiots, I feel the writer, Tim Schlattmann, should be blamed for the pointless story surrounding Harrison’s violent tendencies. The child psychologist has already established the fact that Harrison was too young to be influenced by seeing his mother killed. Suggesting something contrary to that seemed like a pointless endeavor.

Having said that, I’m pleased to see the murder case is still progressing nicely. It’s a little slow going at times, but the scene at the tattoo shop made up for it. There were some very funny moments in there. It’s nearly impossible not to laugh at C. S. Lee’s laugh.

“First Blood” did a good job of covering just about everything. Nothing was overlooked – not even Quinn’s (Desmond Harrington) interest in nailing Dexter. I can’t wait to see Quinn and his old buddy get what’s coming to ‘em in due time.

Rating: 8.3

With Dex having to keep an eye on Lumen (Julia Stiles), it almost cost him his babysitter. It took some coaxing, but I’m glad she agreed to look after Harrison again. I really like her. She’s one of the few sweet people on the show.

With the Lumen character being added to the show, there’s an inherent mystery added. Who is she? Where does she come from? And why in the hell did Boyd have her locked up in her home? I’m a big fan of mysteries so I was pleased to see Dexter got right to work answering the first obvious question: who is this girl?

Michael C. Hall as Dexter Morgan

In “Beauty and the Beast” we didn’t get to learn a whole lot beyond her name and what state she lived in. All we know is she has a mother who wants her back and that Boyd isn’t the only crazy psycho in Lumen’s twisted life. I was immediately intrigued as to some of Boyd’s last words before Dexter plunged the knife into his chest. It’s got me wondering how many others are connected to Boyd and possibly to that ambitious Jordan Chase (Jonny Lee Miller) character – the one who was on Boyd’s CDs.

As far as the Santa Muerte murder cases go, I liked the fact that some progress was made. Debra (Jennifer Carpenter) was put in an awful position when it came to that hostage situation. I can’t imagine many cops would have handled it a whole lot better, however. Thankfully the hostage lived. The fact that the machete-wielding madman got away doesn’t deter me from seeing everyone get to the bottom of these cases.

There was a lot of inter-office drama this week. Angel (David Zayas), of course, was in trouble for his bar fight, but then there was some weird business going down between Maria LaGuerta (Lauren Vélez) and the Internal Affairs investigator. I hope I’m not the only one who was uncomfortable with that scene.

And then there was Quinn (Desmond Harrington). He didn’t want to let it go so he had to go around his boss and the feds in order to get confirmation that Dexter was Kyle Butler. Quinn deserved the suspension, but it’ll just give him more time to look into Dexter’s life. So I’m not so sure the suspension was good for Dexter.

I thoroughly enjoyed “Beauty and the Beast.” It answered a few questions about Lumen, but more than anything, opened the door to a whole bunch of other possible suspects. Boyd isn’t the rotten apple in Miami.

Rating: 8.7

I enjoyed the line of questioning to the first potential nanny. Deb was as stern as ever as she questioned one young woman about past drug use. I loved her line about not “sort of” doing blow. You either did or you didn’t!

Dexter’s stalking of Boyd Fowler (Shawn Hatosy) went afoul this week when Boyd shot Dexter in the gut with a tranquilizer gun. That was rather surprising to see. It made Dexter vulnerable, but once again, he proved to be a more cunning hunter than Boyd, taking Boyd out in his own home.

Michael C. Hall as Dexter Morgan

While the kill went fine, Dexter was once again caught off guard when he noticed someone saw him do the deed. It seems one of Boyd’s eventual murder victims saw Dex and there’s no way he can just let her go after being a witness to all that.

Unlike in some of the previous seasons, the murder cases not involving Dexter have me intrigued. The Santa Muerte murder cases are very bizarre in nature. They have the department busy and Debra upset. I suspect Deb will eventually come around and begin to like that police officer she was paired up with for a bit in “Practically Perfect.” She and Deb both have a strong opinion and I happen to see similarities in their personalities.

One of the other big developments this week was the aftermath to the bar fight. Angel Batista (David Zayas) is in deep stuff right now by the sounds of it. Not only did Maria La Guerta (Lauren Velez) not like what happened, but now IA is looking into the matter. I’m a little torn as to what to think of this latest development. Either it’ll be a waste of time and lead nowhere, or something big will happen and we’ll all be taken by surprise. I’m leaning toward it going nowhere. I can’t imagine this show without Angel, even if Angel can be useless at times.

“Practically Perfect” seems like a good jumping off point to the season. Boyd is dead, Dex has his hands full with a new character, Harrison is safe with the new nanny, and Debra’s working her butt off trying to get a strangle hold on these new murder cases. And to top it all off, we have Joey Quinn (Desmond Harrington) trying to connect Dexter to Kyle Butler. Things are looking good on Dexter.

Rating: 8.3