‘Dexter’: The Doakes and Dex show!
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The gloves have come off and it’s a fight worth watching. Finally, Dexter (Michael C. Hall) has someone he can openly discuss murder with. Watching him chat with his captive, Sgt. James Doakes (Erik King), the audience saw the ‘real’ Dexter, who more resembles one of those funny and clever evil villains we all love than the stiff blood-spatter expert he presents to the world. ‘Why did you have to go and ruin everything?’ Dexter asked Doakes, but in reality, there must have been some relief on Dexter’s part that he for once didn’t have to pretend. In true epic form, Dexter pointed out to Doakes that they were not so dissimilar -- both were murderers, with a ‘professional courtesy.’ Doakes rejected that claim, saying he worked within the confines of the law, which Dexter wryly pointed out meant that Doakes just got a paycheck for killing people.
It’s too bad Dexter has so many other things to deal with at this point -- his girlfriend, Rita (Julie Benz), psycho ex Lila (Jaime Murray), figuring out some family secrets, murdering another drug dealer, escaping capture -- because the rapport between him and Doakes, as it has always been, was the best part of the episode. Dexter finally got to lob back at his nemesis some of the verbal attacks he’s had to endure, noting most pointedly that if Doakes had a personal life (like Dexter), he wouldn’t have spent all his time tracking the murderer, and he wouldn’t be in this pickle where he ends up killed or framed for the Bay Harbor Butcher cases.
A much better solution, it seems, would be to frame Lt. Maria Laguerta (Lauren Vélez) for the crimes, as she is perhaps the most unprofessional, conniving, ineffective cop to walk a beat. Then Dexter and Doakes could form a wonderful, profane crime-fighting duo. Or maybe not.
After trading barbs and poisoned water, Dexter and Doakes finally got under each other’s skin a little bit, with Doakes scoffing at Dexter’s proud claim that he has no feelings, and finally breaking his façade and being just the slightest bit perturbed when Dexter murders a drug dealer in the same room with him. Won’t these two ever get along?
-- Claire Zulkey