Mos Def On Dexter, Is This His Definitive Role?

Mos Def On Dexter

Despite being six seasons in, looks like "Dexter" isn't losing steam when it comes to interest from viewers. According to Entertainment Weekly, the show last week attracted its largest audience for a season premiere at 2.2 million viewers, a 24 percent increase from last year.
The second episode begins with a huge dose of adorableness — Dexter doting on his son. Dexter says in a voiceover that rituals are important, not just for a serial killer but a 2-year-old, if you want him to get to bed on time. Then Harrison utters some surprising words: "Daddy's box." Does he know about Dexter's collection of his victims' blood samples?
In a later scene, Dexter swings a bouncy ball in front of Harrison to distract him while looking at crime-scene photos. This seems a little risky if Dexter really wants to keep Harrison at an arm's length from his extracurricular activities. Dexter decides to get Harrison a toy similar in appearance to his own.
The good thing about a 2-year-old is his mind is easily distracted, Dexter thinks. He won't remember Daddy's box if he has one of his own.




In this episode, we meet the older sister of the creepy acolyte/mentee (played by Tom Hanks' son, Colin Hanks). She seems very normal. Wonder how her baby brother could've gone so far astray. Later, his mentor (a prophet?) is mad about this visit and burns himself to show that he's suffering for the younger man's sins. In an earlier scene, we see the duo carrying trash bags filled with mannequin parts. Later, we see them abducting a runner.
Miami Metro lab geek Vince Masuka's hot-to-trot intern turns out to be pretty good at forensics. She runs tissue samples on the snakes and discovers heavy metals. The team turns their attention to hazardous waste sites near the Everglades. There, someone may have seen the bad guys.
Meanwhile, Dexter meets Brother Sam, played by Mos Def wearing some slick glasses, an ex-con-turned-minister who runs an auto body shop using reformed criminals. Dexter immediately senses a fellow killer. Brother Sam is brought into the police station to tell Sgt. Batista what he knows about the fruit vendor who was disemboweled and later found with snakes in his belly.
The homicide team thinks the case they're working may be drug related. A snake is considered a snitch to the cartels, Angel says.
Brother Sam insists the fruit vendor had changed his criminal ways. "Men can change," he tells Angel.


Dexter initially stalks Brother Sam, hoping to make his kill not believing his newly reformed persona, but then in a twist of fate it seemed that Brother Sam was telling the truth about his new path. Dexter remarked that he couldn't tell whether Brother Sam was bluffing, crazy, or a true beliver. We'll just have to watch and see.


But beyond the episode, what do you think of that role for Mos? We've seen him acting before but not like this! There's something different this time. Mos seems to have immersed himself in this role moreso than any other role prior. Usually when Mos is acting you still see some of that Mos the rapper swag. But this time you see all of Brother Sam. Playing a possible sociopath is probably the hardest thing an actor can do. And for Mos' character, we're still being kept guessing because you don't really know whether the character is a villain or not. So, bravo to Mos Def! So far so good.


Could this be his definitive role? Is this the one that could land him an Emmy nod or even an Oscar worthy role in a movie?