Dexter: Season 7 review: Episode 1

Episode 1 - "Are You...?"
The first episode started with a recap of the 6th season - going over Travis Marshall and the Doomsday killings, Louis and his serial killer game that he pitches to Dexter, Deb's feelings towards Dexter and, of course, the ending of season 6 where Deb catches Dexter as he plunges a sword through Travis' heart.

This episode followed on from that season finale and mainly focuses on what Dexter has done, and Deb's attempt to try and understand what she has just seen. There are several back and forths between the two, where Deb throws questions at Dexter on how he was so prepared to carry out the act. Later, Deb looks through evidence from the Ice Truck killer's case as she tries to make sense of things. She can see a link between the way the Ice Truck killer had restrained her on a table of plastic wrap, and the way that Dexter had Travis Marshall on the table (even though the Ice Truck killer - Brian Moser - had been imitating Dexter).

Alongside this, there are a few flashbacks of when Dexter and Deb are kids; Deb receives a puppy as a present, which gets Dexter on edge. These flashbacks result in the puppy having to be given back as Harry (their dad), is worried that Dexter will have the urge to kill the puppy. Ultimately, Harry and Dexter have a conversation about Dexter telling Deb the truth about himself. Harry explains that if Deb ever found out what Dexter does/is then she would be mortified and she would not look at Dexter in the same way again.

New developments in this episode were that of Mike Anderson being shot dead after accidentally stumbling on a dead stripper in a broken down car. This leads Dexter to go on the hunt of the killer - a Ukrainian gangster, Viktor Baskov.

Dexter works his magic through the databases available to him and catches up with his man at the Miami International airport (This sequence was also the opening to this episode where it was assumed that Dexter was going to flee the country after his sister catching him in the act of murder). Here, Dexter has to change his methods sightly, and kills Viktor to avenge the death of Mike Anderson and to satisfy his cravings.

Connected to this is that the dead stripper (Kasia Soroka) is linked back to the club that she works at - The Foxhole - where Batista and Quinn investigate and speak with the club's manager, George Novikov. After this initial meeting, Novikov calls his boss in the Ukraine, Isaac Sirko, to let him know that the police have nothing to connect this situation to Mike Anderson's murder. He also informs him that Viktor (Baskov) is on his way home to the Ukraine. Sirko seems happy about this. Sirko seems like he is a powerful man.

Another interesting discovery in this episode was that of LaGuerta finding the blood slide from the Travis Marshall crime scene that Dexter had accidentally dropped into a vent. This led her to speak with Masuka about who takes blood slides; Sgt Doakes - The wrongly labelled Bay Harbour Butcher - is the answer that Masuka gives. This gets LaGuerta thinking; she then takes the blood slide from evidence.

This episode ends with Dexter getting home to find that Deb has trashed the seating area looking for clues, as she knows something is not right. On display are Dexter's slides and knives. Busted. Deb asks if he killed all them people, along with the most important question: Are you...are you a serial killer? Dexter answers 'yes'.

Summary
A great start to the new season. The biggest reveal to date is that of Deb finding out that Dexter kills - although up until the end it was just assumed that it was a one off. Dexter now has a lot of explaining to do!

The loss of Mike Anderson isn't a great one as he wasn't in the show for a long time and was pretty much a generic cop character. His death has started up what looks to be the start of what will occupy season 7. It also potentially brings a very dangerous threat to Dexter's safety and survival. LaGuerta's find will also bring something new to the table as she'll undoubtedly question how a blood slide could be present if the Bay Harbour Butcher is no more.