What I’m Watching: Dexter

Dexter: Season 5, Episode 9 “Teenage Wasteland” (A-)

I didn’t think anything could top last year’s Thanksgiving week episode, yet this one is completely terrific while still managing to be so different from the superb “Hungry Man.” Namely, there’s not one slow plotline in this installment. Even the lameness that is the workplace marriage is more interesting than usual, with Batista finally taking a stand and not allowing Laguerta to get away with throwing Deb under the bus. Liddy is terrifyingly close to uncovering the actions of Lumen and Dexter, and the fact that Quinn is no longer on board, which is a major development, is even worse news for them. Astor showing up at the house was a huge shock, and this is the first time we’ve really seen her rebel in a troublesome, teenage fashion, making Dexter’s clarification of her age all the more horrifying. Her interaction with Lumen went infinitely better than expected, and fortunately, it seems all to have turned out for the best. Harry telling Dexter that he’s proud of him was a moving moment, and Dexter later telling Astor that he loves her was touching as well. On a far less happy note, this episode’s ending is one of the best in a while, as Jordan manages to scare the hell out of Lumen by using his token catchphrase and then calling her by name. Jordan’s quick discovery of Dexter’s duplicity and his constant statement of Dexter’s thoughts prove that this is another foe that is a serious match for Dexter, and someone who’s definitely going to complicate his life over the course of the remaining episodes this season.