Moment of Strange

Dexter Season 5 Episode 10 "In The Beginning, Dexter and Lumen kill the fourth of the five abusers, leaving only Jordan Chase. All signs point to him as the ringleader among the five. The latest to die, a banker named Alex, protested that he and the others would have never acted on their own, would have never abused all those women: “It’s all Jordan! He has this way.” Karma comes sharply for Alex, in this case by Lumen’s own hand as she sinks a knife into his heart, her hands adorned in the leather gloves Dexter purchased for her.

Just as Dexter discovers a possible ally in the pursuit of Lumen’s former captors, he and Lumen are forced to step down as Homicide uncovers some key evidence linked to one of their prior victims. Debra, who’s been reassigned to the Barrel Girls murders, positively identifies two more suspects in the case.


Remember how last week Dexter protested (a bit too much) to Aster and Deb that Lumen was not his girlfriend? Well, this week he obviously had a change of heart, seeing as the two of them went from kissing to shagging all in the space of two minutes.

They've been building to this moment rather slowly for several episodes now. A few episodes ago, Lumen still seemed too damaged and their relationship too imbalanced (he was obviously her protector) to make a sexual encounter believable, but tonight's episode was rather overt from the start.

All signs pointed to go the moment Dexter gave her the gloves, not to mention when he saw Lumen in her "kill outfit." Incapable of proper flirting, Dex just stared at her, smitten and struggling to speak. It was almost worthy of a teen romantic drama. Considering all the commentary about hunting in pairs, and how relieved she seemed after stabbing one of her torturer's to death, it was absolutely no surprise when they finally found a way into each other's arms.

When the big moment finally arrived at the end of the episode, the scene was heart-racing, awkward and tender, just as you'd expect between a psychopath and a victim-turned-vigilante. It's sweet good that Dexter finally, finally has someone with whom he can be completely open and himself, but how much longer can their lovefest last? With only two episodes to go in the season, it's still a big question mark in this spoiler-free recapper's mind how they will resolve this relationship. There's no room on this series for Dexter to have a sidekick lover, so it's hard to be invested in a relationship that's doomed.

Speaking of doomed relationships, this series is full of them. Deb and Quinn will likely only stay together if he doesn't discover the truth about Dexter (which seems unlikely), and LaGuerta and Batista (who lack any and all chemistry) aren't exactly the picture of connubial bliss. It's kind of twisted, but at the moment, Dexter and Lumen are the healthiest and happiest couple.

Who else squealed in delight at seeing good ol' Archie Morris (Scott Grimes, best known for his seven years on 'ER') as the missing fifth rapist? It was almost a shame he was killed off so quickly, although at least the writers gave him some extra lines before Lumen straddled and stabbed him. Of course now there is absolutely no link between Jordan and the cabal of kidnappers except for the crazy Emily Birch character, who is being manipulated by Jordan Chase.

We know she told Lumen the truth about her gang-rape at summer camp (and Jordan's former life as a fat boy named Eugene Greer). But the scene with Jordan wasn't expected. What exactly are they? Is she just the living symbol of his debut as a motivational speaker/life coach? Other than his charm, what's so irresistible about Jordan that led to his ability to convince four life-long friends to secretly torture, rape and kill? What motivates him? His fast-talking psychobabble and childhood obesity isn't enough of an explanation, but the answer will probably be revealed next week.

Peter Weller continues to steal his scenes as the shady but on-the-right-track Stan Liddy. It's not the first nor the last time someone will find out about Dexter, but we all know what happens to people who do. Weller hits all the right notes as a disgraced cop desperate to redeem himself -- no matter what the cost. And who can blame him? Dexter would be a bigger catch than the Trinity Killer for Liddy, and he's so very close.