#Dexter 7.03 Yvonne is Back!

Oct 14, 2012 by SamMjM    1 Comment     Posted under: Dexter

Eight months and seventeen days after “Chuck’s final Fade to Black, Yvonne is back on television, err, rather cable. Hannah McKay is no Sarah Walker. And, “Dexter” is no “Chuck.” But Yvonne is still Yvonne. She brings an energy and intrigue to this character, mixed with patented Yvonne smirks & sarcasm. And we know we’re in for another wild ride.

As excited as we are to see her back, we’re equally curious about this new character. From all the interviews & previews, we learn that Hannah has a dark past. As a teenager, she got involved with an older man, Wayne Randall, who killed people. Hannah apparently helped. Because she was underage, she served her time in a juvenile facility and was released when she came of age. Wayne, however, was sentenced to two life sentences.

Wayne has decided to clear his conscious and tell authorities of three additional murders they committed in the Miami area. He has even offered to tell the location of the buried bodies.

After serving 15 years, Wayne is motivated more by the chance to be in the sunshine and sample a Frosty Swirl than he is in being too helpful to the police.

In fact, Wayne’s primary function in this episode is as a sounding board for Dexter, who is forced to explore his own demons & motivations. Can killers change? Can they stop being driven to kill again? Dexter’s sister/boss, Deb, has discovered he’s a serial killer and is forcing him to change. But can he? Which is why he looks to Wayne for answers: if Wayne has changed, maybe Dexter can, as well. If, as Wayne says, Dexter let’s go of the anger and just accepts that Deb will be watching him forever…maybe he can stop being a killer. But Wayne didn’t change. His final kill is himself as he runs in front of a semi.

Wayne serves another purpose, giving us a glimpse into Hannah. “Robin to my Batman” as he calls her. “I was never as alive as I was with her…Everyday was like Christmas Day. Hannah used to think I was special…now she only sees me as a killer. And, she’s not wrong.”

So Dexter comes into this episode questioning even more whether or not he can change…and whether he wants to change.

After Wayne’s mother brings in a bag of his mementos, which may include trophies from his kills, Deb sends Dexter out to collect Hannah’s DNA. It’s basically the scene that’s been online for weeks.

She owns a nursery. She isn’t cooperative. She doesn’t want to help the police. But Dexter has a court order, so she’s forced to submit to giving her DNA.

It’s a classic scene, tightly written and underscored by the subtle but effective performances by Michael C Hall and Yvonne.

She shuts him down when he says she can call him Dexter.

He stares into her eyes as he attempts to take the sample…and drops the swab.

She mocks him: “You do this for a living?” with a smirk.

He gets the sample, closes his case and thanks her, calling her Miss McKay. Now it’s her turn to suggest he call her Hannah.

He shuts her down, saying she was right and they should stick with last names.

It’s a great introduction, with both characters – and the audience – seeing a connection that goes way beyond collecting DNA. But both shut it down, at least for this week.

The episode is chock full of other business…the Russian mob, strip club, a Satanic killer. Deb realizes that Dexter has a point about getting the bad guys but it’s not one she supports. These are all important.

But that’s not our focus. We’re watching “Dexter” to see Yvonne and the story that surrounds her part of the episode. From what we’ve seen in teasers for episode 4, there will be more of the Hannah/Dexter story, personally & professionally…and more of Yvonne.

How will it play out? What will these kindred spirits discover in one another? That’s for another week. For now, we relish having Yvonne back on our TV screens. She again proves she can dominate a scene with a smile, or a smirk, or a frown. She’s just scratched the surface of what she’ll bring to Hannah McKay and we can’t wait to learn more.

Eight months and seventeen days is a long time. But waiting the next seven days may be even harder.