One week before the season, the plot advances at a fervent pace, in true Dexter fashion with everything that can go wrong going wrong. There's nothing inherently wrong with it, just that we've seen similar situations go down before. The biggest difference this time around is that Lumen is in the picture, and she's not the usual expendable adversary. Dexter comes to the realization that he may love Lumen, risking him well-being for her sake.
It's safe to say that Dexter will get away by the end of the season, so I'm not too concerned about him. In another season, when Lumen isn't around, I'd say that Dexter getting away again is boring. However, since Lumen is here, so many great developments could happen. Will Lumen die, driving Dexter further into the darkness? Will Lumen survive and stay out of law enforcement's reach, ending the season on a sunny note? Or will Lumen survive but be arrested, complicating matters for Dexter for the next season?
Emily is disposed of quickly before we can learn more about her. It's a shame, really. Unless her backstory is somehow tied back in postmortem, she'll be completely wasted, because she was the one parallel to Lumen who went in an entirely different direction.
Likewise, Liddy proves to be another minor barrier, as he's killed instantly before much can come of the kidnapping. His recording, however, is a big deal which needs to be taken care of.
There was the usual Quinn loves Deb stuff, and LaGuerta partially making up for Deb by getting a court order. Basically, lots of people trying to make Deb feel better after she got shit on this season.
"Hop a Freighter" is pretty standard episode with big plot development, easy deaths, and not much else. We'll see how the season finale plays out next week.
Score: 8.5/10
