Dexter: Season 7 review: Episode 2

Episode 2: Sunshine and Frosty Swirl
Episode 2 starts, as the first episode did, with Deb and Dexter. This time there has just been a new development in that Deb has now found out that Dexter is a serial killer. Wow, it's like Christmas for her with all these lovely 'presents' that she's unwrapping!

They talk at various times throughout the episode and Deb comes to the conclusion that Dexter is like a drug addict. The way in which a drug addict would confront their addiction would be to go to rehab - in Dexter's case this will be by moving in with Deb so that she can keep an eye on him and help him to stop his urges. It's amazing that what she has found out recently hasn't led her to do the 'right thing' and arrest Dexter - luckily she 'loves' her brother - this to be dealt with in other episodes.

Whilst at Deb's they discuss why Dexter does what he does. She also questions why she is helping her brother. A very confusing situation for her - she also tries to compare them to other families and hopes that there are some that are 'more fucked up' than theirs. That would take some doing, I think.

Also, Deb lays down the law to Dexter as well as setting a first rule that Dexter has to abide by: total honesty/trust. This is instantly broken as Dexter drugs Deb's food so that he can sneak out to target Louis and his questionable intentions towards Dexter.

This leads onto the two other notable interactions that Dexter has in this episode; the first is with Louis (Masuka's intern; Jamie's boyfriend). Louis is very upset that Dexter wasn't a fan of his serial killer game, and this is his reason behind wanting to ruin Dexter. He really doesn't know who he's messing with here...

Dexter breaks into Louis' apartment to look for clues as to what he is up to. He instantly finds a slip of paper that has Dexter's credit card details on - revealing that Louis was the one that cancelled them. He also discovers Louis' ideas/videos on his laptop (as well as a revealing clip of a prostitute going down on him). He also sees the lengths that Louis will go to in order to get what he wants - previously, Louis ruined a businessman to gain access to his company. This section ended when Louis arrived home and Dexter ambushed him wanting answers. Once Louis admitted that he was upset that Dexter didn't like his game, Dexter told him that he never wanted to see him again. Louis agrees that this will happen. Problem solved as far as Dexter is concerned...

The second notable interaction that Dexter has is with a new character, Wayne Randall. Randall is a serial killer (also prisoner) that decides to aid the police in finding bodies that were previously not discovered. Each time that Dexter arrives at this scene, he and Randall speak. There seems to be an ease about this - they are both killers after all, so this is a comfortable exchange for Dexter. It's almost as if Dexter can relate to Randall; maybe even try to learn from his predicament.

Towards the end of their exchanges, Randall admits to 'surrendering' to his situation. This is something that Dexter thinks about. Randall also mentions a 'Hannah' (Randall's accomplice?) and how he felt 'alive' around her. Maybe she will come into play soon? Randall finishes this segment by saying that 'the clock has run out' and that there is 'one more person to kill' before throwing himself in front of an oncoming truck. Dexter is left with a splatter of blood across the face as a result.

The Mike Anderson murder picks up more pace this episode, too. Quinn and Batista shut down the Foxhole again in an attempt to get information from anyone that is willing to help. One such stripper, Nadia, is questioned by Quinn, who with his reputation, seems to take a shine to her straightaway.

Connected to this is the arrival of Isaac Sirko - the leader of the Koshka brotherhood. He first turns up in George Novikov's office at the Foxhole and you can instantly tell that he is a man of authority. Novikov cowers to him and tries to explain Viktor's disappearance after Isaac informs him that he never made his flight back to Kiev. To showcase that he is a man not to be messed with, Isaac (and bodyguard) pay a visit to a former employee of theirs - Tony Rush - that was seeing the dead stripper from the first episode. After questioning him about what he might/might not have said to the police, Isaac stabs him through the eye, killing him, before leaving. Clearly Isaac Sirko is going to be a dangerous man in this season.

Capt. LaGuerta has an outside forensic department take a look at the blood slide that she found. The results come back that the blood on that slide belongs to Travis Marshall. This leads her to look back at the evidence of the Bay Harbour Butcher case and realise that this slide matches those from that case - all meaning that the Bay Harbour Butcher is still at large.

Summary
A good second episode that continued the focus on Deb's confusion and conflict with what she has just discovered. Everything she thought she knew has been turned upside down in the last two episodes.

We now have Isaac Sirko on American soil and things appear to be heating up as far as a major threat to Dexter go - he might be having to deal with a whole brotherhood of foes in the coming episodes. Also connected to the Mike Anderson murder is Quinn's involvement with Nadia in his quest to find out what's happening at the Foxhole.

And finally, LaGuerta appears to be on Dexter's trail (although he doesn't know this yet). After her relationship with Doakes, she will stop at nothing to get to the truth surrounding the true identity of the Bay Harbour Butcher.