Dexter Goes a Little Crazy -- A Great Moment from Last Week's "Dexter" Episode

About Last Night -- Wherein Dexter discovers that Miguel has been playing him, but good.



With HBO's TrueBlood finished until new episodes appear next summer, we can now concentrate fully on the last three episodes of Showtime's Dexter. This season has a been a good one for our serial killer, with a bravura and chilling performance by Jimmy Smits as Dex's confidante and co-conspirator. We've learned that Smits' Miguel Prado has gone rogue, throwing off Dexter's Code to murder his professional enemy, defense lawyer Ellen Wolfe, played with great verve by Anne Ramsay. Seeing her dead at the bottom of the open grave was a grim moment, and especially so for Lt. LaGuerta who had become Ellen's close friend (and though I think they were both supposed to be straight, I felt they might have tumbled into bed at some point, or was I just reading too much into their girl talk?). LaGuerta also took it on the chin last season when her good friend and ex-partner/lover Doakes was murdered by the evil Lila. Lauren Velez as LaGuerta has been especially superb in these last few episodes.

As we've said before, we're not so wild about the whiny wedding planning obsession of Dexter's girlfriend Rita, but we were on the edge of our seat as Deborah and Quinn (Desmond Harrington) raced to save her new boyfriend/informant Anton (David Ramsey) from more torture at the hands of The Skinner. We love that Angel finally has a girlfriend, too, the tough but appealing Lt. Gianna played by Kristin Dattilo. Is she going to be too street-wise for Angel? I don't think he was too thrilled to discover that she hit it off with Masuka, sharing bizarre sex practice information with the enthusiastically pervy forensic investigator.

Considering that we're only three episodes away from the conclusion of this season, it doesn't feel like Dexter's been quite as viscerally involving or richly-plotted as the first and second years of the show, but there have been other pleasures. This season has been more domestic, more emotional, very different but still very compelling and getting more so, thanks so much to Smits' excellent work and his excellent chemistry with Michael C. Hall. Were Smits not so much fun to watch as he sinks further into his mania, with Dexter desperately trying to keep him in check, this season might have been a bit of a let-down. But it's not, not even close.

Don't miss tomorrow night's Dexter episode on Showtime!

News about "Dexter" Season Three Casting!

Let's just give it to you from the horse's mouth, the Showtime announcements page, dated 6/6/08:

"EMMY® AND GOLDEN GLOBE®-WINNER JIMMY SMITS JOINS THE CAST OF SHOWTIME'S PEABODY AWARD WINNING SERIES DEXTER

Emmy® and Golden Globe® award-winner Jimmy Smits will wade into the murky world of Miami’s most notorious serial killer as he joins the cast of SHOWTIME's top-rated drama series DEXTER. Smits will be featured in ten of the third season's 12 episodes which are scheduled to premiere this fall on SHOWTIME.

Smits will portray Miguel Prado, an ambitious, charismatic assistant district attorney who comes from one of Miami's most politically powerful and beloved families. Dexter will join forces with Prado – who's risen in the ranks due to his aggressive stance against crime – in the pursuit of a murderer who affects both of their lives directly.

Best known for his many prominent television roles from L.A. Law, N.Y.P.D. Blue and The West Wing, Smits has enjoyed a diverse career in television and film. He earned eleven Emmy® nominations, including a win for Best Supporting Actor in Drama Series for his work on L.A. Law. Additionally, he has been nominated four times for a Golden Globe®, winning once for Best Performance By An Actor In A Television Series - Drama for N.Y.P.D. Blue. Other recent TV credits include CANE, on which he also served as Executive Producer, and the award-winning movie Lackawanna Blues. His film credits include Mi Familia, Price of Glory, Star Wars: Episode II and III, The Jane Austen Book Club and is currently filming the independent Mexican film "Backyard" from director Carlos Carrera.

One of the most acclaimed series on television, DEXTER stars Michael C. Hall (two-time Golden Globe®-nominee) as a complicated and conflicted blood-spatter expert for the Miami police department who moonlights as a serial killer. The show will receive a prestigious Peabody Award later this month and was twice named one of AFI's top ten television series. The show also stars Julie Benz, Jennifer Carpenter, Lauren Velez, David Zayas, C.S. Lee and James Remar."

I'd say this is certainly great news for Dexter fans; Smits is an interesting actor and would seem to be a terrific fit for one of TFN's favorite series. We've now gotten just a hint of next season's plotline -- hmmmm...a murder that affects both of their lives? -- and if Smits turn on the show is anywhere near as effective as Keith Carradine's guesting as Det. Frank Lundy last season, they've got a winner.

We're so eagerly awaiting this next batch of Dexter episodes that it hurts!