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The story of the third season is mostly driven by Dexter’s attempt to form a real friendship with the Assistant District Attorney, Miguel Prado (Jimmy Smits). In a very childlike way, Dex is rather taken by the idea of having his first ever best friend; more than anything he wants someone he doesn’t have to lie to, someone who he can really “be himself” around. The developments surrounding this central plotline are the best thing about Season 3, and Smits does a great job portraying the conflicted Prado.
Unfortunately, however, this happens to be the first season of Dexter that I’ve got some real issues with. For one, the whole thing gets going way too slowly - in my opinion, it doesn’t actually hit its stride until midway through (although, as with all the seasons so far, the end is fantastic). Another aspect of the season that’s less than convincing is the emergence of “Dream Harry.” In this season Dexter’s foster father doesn’t just turn up in flashbacks - he’s now some sort of psychological manifestation that Dex talks to every now and then. Thankfully, by the end of the season, I was definitely much more OK with ghostly Harry’s intermittent appearances.
This season also sees the introduction of a new cop, Joey Quinn (Desmond Harrington), who turns out to be an excellent addition to the cast. Whilst he’s technically filling the gap left by Doakes (Erik King), he’s really a very individual and interesting character. It must also be mentioned that the acting performances on Dexter just keep getting better and better. It goes without saying that Michael C. Hall is phenomenal in the title role and Jennifer Carpenter is of course brilliant as his sister Debra. There’s also a couple of surprisingly touching moments dispersed throughout, including Dexter’s interactions with Camilla and the developments in his relationship with Rita.
I would say that this is my least favourite season of Dexter so far, but I can’t stress enough how much that’s still a big compliment. Every season of Dexter has been great for its own unique reason, and there’s still a lot to love in the third one. However, even though it has a compelling main thread to the story, its slow progress and lack of a threatening villain mean that it isn’t quite on the same level as the season that it follows.
Dexter Season 3 is currently showing on FX, Fridays at 10pm
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