Stumptown Review: Dex Education (Season 1 Episode 9)
Stumptown Season 1 Episode 9, “Dex Education,” solidifies the Dex-Grey-Miles love triangle and I’m bored already.
The end of Stumptown Season 1 Episode 8, “The Other Woman” leads viewers to believe that Dex has sex with Grey’s new girlfriend. As it turns out, that rather shocking cliffhanger is a bait and switch and in reality, Liz is just setting Dex up to drive a wedge between her and Grey.
After “The Other Woman,” I expressed concern about the use of a bisexual cheating trope but as it turns out that isn’t what I should have been worried about at all. Instead, it’s this dumb additional twist where Liz decides the best way to keep Grey is to pretend she slept with Dex. What?
MONICA BARBARO, JAKE JOHNSON
Let’s just acknowledge that Liz’s plan is ridiculous and Stumptown’s twist on a twist feels almost manipulative. Did Liz honestly think the best way to save her relationship with Grey is to make him believe she cheated on him? Come on, nothing about the way they set up her character in previous episodes suggests that she is that dumb or that vindictive.
The idea could be that she knows Grey values his relationship with Dex over his relationship with her, and therefore he will be more hurt by Dex which somehow makes it easier for him to forgive Liz. But that seems like a stretch, even if we accept that she would want to be in a relationship like that, to begin with.
First, they’ve only been dating for a couple of weeks. Dex and Grey have years of history. Of course, he is going to be more invested in his relationship with Dex at this point.
Plus, again, given that there is no indication that Liz is possessive or manipulative there is no reason for viewers to believe that she would do something so extreme that early in their relationship. Add to that, that Grey has given Liz little reason to doubt that he is fully invested, the whole thing feels like a means to an end rather than an actual character-driven story.
COLE SIBUS
To paraphrase another showrunner, Emily Andras, stories should make viewers feel surprised. They should go places viewers don’t see coming but they shouldn’t make viewers feel tricked, and that’s how this feels. It isn’t a surprise that feels earned or satisfying or one that even makes sense as a way to progress a love triangle.
I’d also add that while they didn’t exactly end up using a bisexual cheating trope, this isn’t much better.
It’s hard to imagine this being written for a male character, at least in this way. It relies on sexist stereotypes about women being manipulative, competitive with each other, and even emotionally unstable to make it believable. It ends up using Dex’s sexuality as a contrived plot twist that just feels gross.
It also leads to the godawful moment where Miles asks if there is an exception when a woman you’re dating sleeps with another woman, as if it’s somehow less real than if she sleeps with a man.
Stumptown should be better than that.
JAKE JOHNSON
“Dex Education” can’t even be saved this time by a strong case of the week’s because this week’s case is pretty awful too.
The idea for the case of the week is not awful. The idea itself sounds like a lot of fun. Dex going undercover at a high school would fun be no matter what the other circumstances, add in that it’s a school full of privileged, fake people and her client is her old high school nemesis and it practically writes itself.
What we end up with though, is a couple of uninspired scenes of Dex interacting with students before the police take over the case and she’s barely even involved anymore.
One of best parts about Stumptown is watching Dex work cases, and we don’t even get to see her do that on “Dex Education.” We get a dull, predictable case that has little to do with Dex in the end.
JAKE JOHNSON, COLE SIBUS
“Dex Education” is the first awful episode of the freshman series, and it’s a shame. Stumptown’s pilot is one of the strongest of this year’s new shows. Even with a few miss-steps (almost always about Dex and Grey’s romantic feelings), the proceeding episodes are compelling and fun. The potential of the show shines through despite the love triangle increasingly dragging it down.
But not this week. This week’s episode is tedious, frustrating, and quite frankly beneath a character of Dex’s caliber.
The real problem and the real disappointment of “Dex Education” though is it’s not just a bad episode that we can roll our eyes at and never speak of again.
“Dex Education” is the set up to the rest of the season and they make it very clear that the rest of the season is going to focus on the love triangle, even to the point that the previews for January flat out say they will have all the awkward love triangles you could ask for.
TANTOO CARDINAL, COBIE SMULDERS
The thing is, no one asked for that. No one comes to Stumptown for an awkward love triangle or any love triangle for that matter. They come for Dex. They come for the tongue in cheek attitude and irreverent spirit. They come for clever writing and to watch Cobie Smulders shine.
They come for what the show itself alludes to, in the only high point of the episode, when Grey and Sue Lynn tell Dex to get her life together. There are so many more exciting ways to explore Dex’s struggles than to center it around a messy love life that force-feeds the audience romantic tension regardless of whether it works. There are other characters that can be a part of that journey with her and choices she can make that are more interesting than who her romantic partner will be.
Unfortunately, it looks like that’s where things are heading in the back half of the season. I hope against hope that this is just another misdirect and the writers have bigger plans for Dex. I want so much for Stumptown to be the show I know it can be, but after “Dex Education” I’m prepared to be disappointed.
What did you think of this episode of Stumptown? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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Stumptown airs Wednesdays at 10/9c on ABC.
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Sarah Fields
Sarah is an obsessive geek who likes to get into the weeds and over think things. She is passionate about Sci-Fi and comics and is a giant classic film nerd. Sarah cares deeply about media representation and the power of telling diverse stories. When she's not writing or watching her favorite shows she spends her days working in the non-profit world trying to make life a little better for those that need some extra help.
2 comments
Love triangle…ugh!! This will destroy the series! It already struggles in the ratings! Viewers would flee a love triangle! They didn’t tune in for that!! So let’s speculate! Dex just went through a grueling day! She was believed to have slept with Liz!! Kicked to the curb by best friend and true love!! Then she gets home and is blind sided by Ansel who wants to leave!! Guess who he will be working for…Grey his other family member!! Before she can digest this Miles comes to ask for a serious relationship!! Whoops bad timing! In addition to the fact Dex isn’t looking for a serious relationship! At this moment her attention is on Ansel!! Miles is a self absorbed narcissist and sexist!!! He has shown this not only with Dex but as well with officer Lee!! He is perplexed and ticked that Dex isn’t falling all over him! He forgets Fiona’s warnings after all she is only a woman she can’t be right! It’s not that he’s not enough man for Dex it’s that no woman can equal him!! He cares nothing about her personal life or problems! He has no investment in Ansel and doesn’t see Dex’s relationship to Ansel! It’s a one sided relationship! He has to prove he can tame her to show he is superior!! In the last episode he sarcastically dismissed her problems and wouldn’t listen to them!! Then proceeded to tell her he had greater problems than hers and brought up his race as well if you aren’t black and only a woman your problems don’t count!! In the first episode he told Cosgrove that he had a handle on her and would use it as long as he could!! And he and Cosgrove have USED her on several cases! Surely and hopefully Dex sees this!! She uses him on occasion for sex and on her cases but that’s all!!
Dex hasn’t changed her character so it’s doubtful that she would be looking for a serious or exclusive relationship especially with Miles!!! Unless the writers are forgetting the very character they created! She uses sex to relieve stress and PTSD!! She avoids commitments!! The person that knows her best is Grey! They’ve had a relationship for six years! They know each other in and out! Unlike Miles Grey loves Ansel and Dex! He is the one that has cared for both all these years! Unless the writers are stupid to put Dex with Miles for soap opera emotions they will destroy the show!! The writers have beaten up Grey for over four episodes! Surprised he doesn’t have PTSD by now!! Dex would still be a PI with Grey and Ansel by her side! Then we could concentrate on cases without the soap!!! Otherwise good bye Stumptown!!!!!
If you would allow one more comment on the upcoming episode 10! I saw something in the promo that caught my attention!! Miles is going to use Grey as an informer! This raises a red flag!!! His supposedly best friend that was killed was an informer! We didn’t get the details!! While some viewers may see Miles as perfect on paper there is a dark side and he’s far from perfect !!! Self absorbed people can be dangerous! He almost killed Kane until Cosgrove stopped him! He is willing to break the law for self serving reasons for Dex!! Don’t forget from the earliest episodes he was trying to break up Grey and Dex! He told her she might have a murderer in her house! He constantly said you can’t trust Grey! Even when Dex was furious with Grey he raised the same question!! But even in her rage she still defended Grey!!! When he asked Dex if she had feelings for Grey which are obvious he SNARLED “IF YOU DO!!” Sounds ominous!! But he didn’t finish the sentence!! And we know everybody in this show has a dark side except Ansel!!! Miles jealousy of Grey will be the impetus to create a scenario to get rid of Grey! Nothing else has worked! If Grey is badly hurt this will be the event that causes Dex to unveil her love! Can’t lose both Benny and Grey! Miles doesn’t care about Dex personally she is unavailable and an object to conquer so as to feed his ego! He’s not looking to form a family with Dex and Ansel! I’m surprised that as smart as Dex is she has missed all these dangerous signals! Just like Liz who tried to nullify Dex to get Grey so Miles has to nullify Grey for the same reason!! They both recognized the love between Dex and Grey!!
Writers have discussed love triangles in books and shows! There are 9 types!! There are two that fit this story! 1) The make out buddy- The connection between the Woman and one of the guys is more about a physical relationship and about her needing to escape, than anything emotional. This usually isn’t dragged out. 2) Next The woman usually gets into this situation, when a second guy comes into the picture during the middle of a break-up between her and her main love interest. Authors must keep the tension high!
Regardless the consensus is everybody hates any kind of love triangle and too bad the writers sent this series down the same rat hole!! Not sure I can endure rest of series because writers lose their creativity!! My speculations only!!!
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