My Review of Dexter's 6x07: "Nebraska"

Written by Wendy West
Directed by Romeo Tirone

Rudy/Brian (to Dexter): “At last a kill. No lengthy vetting process, no stalking. One could argue self defence maybe. A little too much talking for my taste.”

I have to admit that after watching this episode, it probably made sense that Rudy/Brian taking on the role of Dexter’s conscience/dark side only lasted in this episode because as fun as it was to watch the brothers reunite in their own way, I’m not sure if it’s something that could’ve been sustained for the rest of the season.

It’s amazing itself that this episode focused on three season big baddies and yet only two of them actually appeared in this episode. Given that Deb was under the belief that the Trinity killer had struck again, should we have gotten a ghostly appearance from Arthur Mitchell as well in the mix? Probably not. This episode seemed to do well without his appearance.

I liked that the whole scenario connecting Sally and Rebecca’s deaths with Jonah wasn’t as straightforward as it appeared to be. For all the show’s continued talk of serial killers being hereditary at times, I’m not entirely sure if Jonah actually fits into that category. Yes, he killed his mother but Rebecca had killed herself and Jonah at least showed some regret for murdering his mother.

Rudy constantly goading Dexter to lash out was amusing and while we did see Dexter having sex with a shop girl, stealing her gun and shooting at signs, I liked that he actually continued to show some hesitation when it came to the killing part. Both Dexter and Rudy are serial killers but Dexter isn’t dead inside whereas Rudy completely is.

The killing of the pot dealer wasn’t like last week with Nick where Dexter snapped – it was actually self defence. I didn’t need Rudy to point out that Dexter would’ve been killed himself if he hadn’t struck first against the pot dealer but this was yet another episode where Dexter showed a sloppiness that has to come back to bite him somewhere down the line.

As for Jonah – maybe in earlier seasons, Dexter would have killed him but I liked that before Dexter even did anything, he looked for proof and even when he found it, he was still reluctant to actually kill Jonah in the end. However that didn’t stop Dexter from running him down though. The question worth asking now, is whether or not Jonah is capable of keeping the fact that he knows Dexter bumped off his father a secret? Again I suspect only time will tell on that one.

Of course Dexter’s unwillingness to actually kill Jonah seemed to break Rudy’s influence from him and as a result, we got Harry back. I actually found myself a bit bummed out that Harry returned. I mean, I knew it would happen but sometimes this show does benefit from actually having a break from the character. I actually think I would’ve rather seen either Rita or Lumen, despite the latter being very much alive as Dexter’s moral guide for the time being.

Speaking of morality – can Travis actually stray a nice path and keep the hell away from Gellar? Unfortunately, I don’t think it’s going to be that easy for him. Lisa’s a great influence and all (despite the horrible feeling I have that she’s on borrowed time) but Gellar’s a desperate man and he’s the sort to do anything to get Travis back on board.

Emotional blackmail and God fearing might have backfired on Gellar for now but I can see him getting Travis back into the fold through other means. He’d want to get a move on though, considering that thanks to Masuka and Louis, Deb now knows that Travis is Gellar’s acolyte (or was). Now all we need is Gellar and Dexter to cross paths and things really will be back on track.

Getting away from the Gellar plot of the week, I also have to admit that Quinn and Maria sort of won some respect from me this week too. Maria, even though she was still annoying during the stats meeting at least seemed to remind that it was nothing personal and that she didn’t want Deb to end up with a failed relationship because of her new job. I think you’re a little too late with that one, Maria.

As for Quinn – he apologised for being an asshole and it looked like he genuinely meant it too, so I’ll ease up on him for it. I liked that Quinn and Deb were able to sort their differences, especially considering that it meant they didn’t get back together. Deb could probably do with being single for a little bit right about now.

Also in “Nebraska”

I wonder if this is finally the last bit of both the ice Truck and Trinity killers that the show is going to delve into.

Rudy/Brian: “You used to love to play. Why the long face?”
Dexter: “Brother Sam hoped I’d be able to forgive Nick for shooting him.”
Rudy/Brian: “Because you don’t turn the other cheek, you slice it.”

I found it interesting that the town in Nebraska they went to visit was called Kearney. It’s a family name of mine as well.

Gellar: “God is the one with choice, Travis. He chose you and me. We however have no say.”
Travis: “What about free will?”

Rudy/Brian (re Harrison): “It’s weird seeing you with a kid.”
Dexter: “Let’s go to Nebraska.”

Jamie and Louis are now dating as this episode confirmed. I’m wondering if they’re going to have a bigger storyline later in the series.

Rudy/Brian (re shop girl): “Wouldn’t it have been more fun to kill her than fuck her?”
Dexter: “I got what I wanted.”

Deb: “I would kill myself but that would add to my total of the month.”

It seems that Gellar’s next plot was the whore of Babylon, involving the poor victim Holly being forced to drink blood. I bet I can guess who Holly’s replacement will end up being.

Rudy/Brian: “Not this again, Harry’s Code. Tell me what does it matter if a person’s good or bad? Does it make you feel better to kill bad people?”
Dexter: “It’s part of the ritual.”

Dexter: “I know for a fact that Trinity did not kill anyone in this house.”
Jonah: “Was that because you killed him?”
Dexter: “Yes. Just like you killed your mother and your sister.”

It’s been confirmed that Showtime have renewed this series for both a seventh and an eighth season, so there’s more of Dexter to enjoy for the next two years after this season.

Rudy/Brian (to Dexter): “Don’t you just love it when things fall into place?”

Harry (to Dexter): “Welcome home, son.”

Chronology: From where “Just Let Go” had left off, more or less.

Not quite as fun as the previous episode but as road trip stories went, “Nebraska” was an interesting episode. I liked the back and forth with Dexter and Rudy and at least the Gellar/Travis interactions have improved as well. This season started off shaky but it’s getting better now.

Rating: 8 out of 10