Last week’s shocking, provocative change of pace in Dexter, “Do the Wrong Thing,” has had us
holding our collective breath for the sure-to-be-risky revelations of this week’s
latest gut-wrenching chapter, “Chemistry.” A volatile exchange of Dark Passengers
seems to have forged a new and irreversible compound—but can what has been
drawn together by forces of nature be split from within, if not by pressure
from the unforgiving outside? Is chemistry the tie that binds, or betrays? If
you’re still reeling from the thrill of the new ride, try to ground yourself
with the mini-synopsis below, followed by an in-depth review of just what is
spinning into fearsome motion with this episode and the sharp stab of a
surprising concluding demand we didn’t see coming! Welcome to the wild world of
“Chemistry”—where a double dose of dark matter breeds far, far darker matter in
the face of what’s to come… CAUTION:
SPOILERS AHEAD.
THE BREAKDOWN: Dexter struggles to pry
himself away from Hannah’s intoxicating hold; a lethal-turned-libido-charged
encounter which they both attempt to pass off as merely “interesting” turns out
to be slightly more than unshakable and very revealing of a latent kinship
that sends them spiraling deeper into one another’s complicated worlds. Debra
continues to vie for Dexter as LaGuerta’s Bay Harbor Butcher investigation runs
up against some imposing walls—and speaking of walls, Deb is more than fascinated
with breaking down the barriers around the true person of Hannah McKay
alongside true crime writer Price, whose threatening fascination with Hannah and her new “beau” is brought to a
sudden halt. The blood on Dexter’s hands is only becoming more apparent in the
eyes of Isaak, whose guarded release into the Miami public is enabled by the
Kashka Brotherhood’s puppeteering act with the lovelorn Quinn. As Dexter finds
his own naïvely “lovelorn” heart intertwining around Hannah’s, Debra affirms
his need to kill by making an offer too risky to accept or refuse… Skip the jump for more.
“I saw chemicals mix that combust, and explode.”
Explosive certainly beginnings to
describe the way Dexter’s been going about his usually clean, hysterically neat
existence. He is both growing, and ungrowing. Sure, he’s kissed goodbye the old
play-toys of his blood slides; yet, he’s kissed goodbye his ability to really
see clearly that which he’s getting his conflicted self into. In attempting to
retract away from the unstable, he continues to interact, leaving breadcrumb
trails of erratic desire at every turn. We thought that the fiercely perceptive
and loyal Debra would be the one to experience and cave into confusion this
season, but it appears that Dexter’s coming further off the tracks than even
his sister at the revelation of his true identity! She is beginning to come to
terms with the justice her brother is capable of enacting, while he is calling
into question his ability to enact that justice when met with a Dark Passenger
as poised, confident, and hungry as his own. Blame it on the southern weather;
better yet, blame it on the chemistry.
Dexter, in losing what he perceives as his virginity to the art of feeling, is
drawing ever nearer a heart-wrenching decision. He is coming to a position that
requires the cutting of Wire A or Wire B—either his new muse or his faithful
confidant—and his immersion into a world of ardent, fiery impulse may deny him
the judgment needed to make that choice. He’s a scientist playing with poorly
understood chemicals from which a monster just might spring, if his
experimentation with intimacy pushes him to greater extremes and away from the
things that have grounded him through brewing chaos.
Harry,
a flickering voice of skepticism; Harrison, a deeply-dimpled toddler confined
to a laptop background; Debra, a nagging knock on an office door. Dexter’s
vision of family is becoming blurry as his infatuation with his bright-eyed
almost-victim, Hannah, becomes more crystalline clear. Dexter veers away from
seeking the understanding of Debra and into craving a new kind of understanding
in which he is afforded the sweet valium high of another Dark Passenger’s presence.
He prides himself in his ability to “swim deep” and yet forgets that his sister
is anxiously warding off enemies at shore—for instance, LaGuerta, who seems to
be putting aside her lust for power long enough to dedicate herself to the redemption
of a dear friend and partner. He quickly concerns himself in the elimination of
Sal Price in a desperate attempt to cover up for the kill he couldn’t follow
through on, hoping to make a right of a slew of sharp lefts. Two higher-ups on
the food chain, both predator and prey attempt to fall into step for reasons
that neither of them can fully comprehend. They are evolving to survive in one
another’s presence, adapting eyes for only each other as the rest of the world
grows dangerously dim. Is this “love” he’s thirsting to make his own a bringer
of shadow or sun?
Quinn
is also in the business of making rights of innumerable lefts as he disposes of
incriminating evidence in the Isaak Sirko case, enabling his release in order
to secure Nadia’s. He even cuts Batista an impressive check to boost his
restaurant dream—whether he’s working off of a legitimate inheritance or the
dirty cash from which he is helpless to escape, we don’t know. Unfortunately,
he’s having a bad time as far as shaking free the “bag boy” status with the
Kashka Brotherhood, and chances are he’s just as much of a dangling marionette as
Nadia is in this formidable operation. The blades up the sleeves of the
Brotherhood are only mere reflections of the cunning of Isaak, who smilingly
confronts the impediment of police surveillance upon his disconcertingly smooth
release from the clink. In his eyes, Miami is still overpopulated by “one too
many,” and the honor of satiated revenge is far from lost on him as he pursues retribution
for Viktor’s demise. Further, he pushes Dexter to own up to the truth of his
action, recognizing that Dexter is “a different kind of animal” as far as
takers of life go. He wishes to “charge” Dexter on every possible account as he
takes the whole of him down. As Dexter acquires for himself a variety of inexorable
enemies whose passions will not permit them to quit or acquit him, he still finds himself plunging further and further
into the arms of Hannah, whom Debra’s caught onto with all the fervor she has
to offer.
Justice
is sought against Dexter from every angle; even from Debra, who doesn’t yet
realize that this wicked femme fatale with a Poison Ivy’s kiss is coming over him
with a vine’s pervasiveness. Deb doesn’t mince words for Hannah, who has
learned to offer tears and whose addiction to self-preservation has kept her
unflinchingly inflicting “heart attacks,” and she’s ready to pull the rug of
immunity out from under Hannah’s feet on any grounds she possibly can. After
her failed attempts at using the law enforcement system, Debra coolly calls an
oh-so-preoccupied Dexter and issues him a challenge she doesn’t realize he had
attempted before. “You’re a killer, Ms. McKay,” Deb had told Hannah with that
tongue-pressed-to-the-teeth satisfaction that accompanies an acted-upon hunch.
She passes the baton to Dexter, saying, “There has to be some fucking justice.
It’s you, Dex. She deserves it. I want you
to make it right. Do what you do.” In a moment of panic, Dexter locks eyes
with the camera, recognizing the magnitude of the sh*t soaring towards a fan
the size of Antarctica. His proclivity for chaos, for explosiveness, is about
to manifest itself in the most vulnerable area of his entire life.
Dexter,
Dexter, Dexter. You can’t have it all. The choice is yours to make, and it will
define you, condemn you, or create you anew. Who is worth the sacrifice? Who
needs to be sacrificed, to make that sacrifice come about? In the words of the
band Anberlin, it seems you’re on the verge of “hurting the only ones you
really love.”
How
did “Chemistry” strike you? Sound off in the comments below with all your
thoughts, theories, and more!