"Dexter" Season 5, Episode 4

• Showtime
• Oh Dexter, I can't stay mad at you!

Dexter has a dilemma, and her name is, ridiculously enough, Lumen. As in “light.” And it’s probably not a coincidence that her last name is Pierce. As in “stab.” As in, let’s give Dexter a damaged, revenge-seeking protégé through which he can redeem himself. As in, let’s take season 2’s killer girlfriend, mix it with season 3’s BFF killer-in-training, and see where it takes us.

Though it’s not exactly as fresh as I had hoped, it’s a tactic that could make for a twisty season, and an unpredictable outcome: could Dexter really end up dispatching pretty, damaged Lumen Pierce, as he’s had to every one of his murderous counterparts in seasons past? On the other hand, can the team behind Dexter handle an arc about a revenge-seeking rape victim without devolving into I Spit On Your Grave-level exploitation?