You can run from it, sink it to the bottom of the ocean, bury it seven feet underground, but in the end, the past never stays buried.

Dex was learning that the hard way on Stumptown Season 1 Episode 8 as she was confronted with a ghost from her past that has haunted her the past 12 years. 

Was Dex able to confront her past and exorcise her demons? Read our review as we discuss!

We've been getting breadcrumbs dropped about Benny and Dex's time in the war since Stumptown Season 1 Episode 1, but during this episode we were given an emotional punch to the gut unlike anything we've gotten before.

Something that Stumptown has excelled in is its use of flashbacks as a storytelling device. 

Whereas in some shows it can feel like a gimmick, Stumptown has managed to use it in a way that continues to be effective each time. 

While the flashbacks provide us with information about what happened, it never feels like that is their real intention. Instead, they are used to bring us to the emotional headspace that Dex was in during that moment, which aligns with where she is emotionally in the present.

The flashback to Benny's funeral showed us the sadness, regret, and guilt that Dex felt in that moment, and still lives with to this day.

Naomi confronting Dex at the funeral, and again at the reservation in the present were both such powerful moments. 

Both women lost the love of their lives, and as we learned throughout the episode, both women blame themselves.

Naomi lashing out was just a front to ease the guilt that she was feeling herself. 

Regret is an awful burden to have to live with, and in Naomi and Dex's case, there can't be any resolution. That's the hardest part.

Naomi can't go back in time and not kick Benny out. Dex can't go back and save him from his fate. Benny is dead, and nothing they do can change that. They both have to find ways to live with that fact. 

It is interesting to look at the two women side by side. 

Both were hardened by Benny's death, but Naomi seems to have found a strength that she has channeled positively, while Dex is let's face it, a hot mess. 

Somebody give Cobie Smulders an award please! 

Robin Scherbatsky was a fantastic character, but Dex Parois is Cobie's masterpiece. 

Dex is a flawed, nuanced character who is like a magnetic force that draws in everyone around her, and Cobie plays her to perfection.

Natural chemistry between characters is something that is so hard to come by yet Cobie manages to have incredible instant chemistry with every single person on screen with her.

She could be talking to a wall, and I would probably end up rooting for a spin-off of their friendship. 

Without Cobie Smulders, Stumptown would not be the show it is.

Cobie's ability to play off those around her with ease was on full display on Stumptown Season 1 Episode 8.

Dex and Naomi may have been dancing around each other while they were forced to work together, trying to navigate the complicated dynamics between them, but that didn't stop them from having amazing chemistry.

You could feel the weight of their history, even if we were meeting Naomi for the first time as an audience.

Often on shows when they introduce a new character it feels like the writers have to tell you about their background with the characters to believe it. 

That is something that sets Stumptown apart and makes it feel more authentic than its competitors.

They could have left out the flashback of Benny's funeral, and still immediately once Naomi and Dex were on screen together, you would have been able to sense the history.

Those little things, go a long way.

It was interesting the Sue Lynn was on a mission to bring Naomi and Dex together and resolve their issues.

From everything we have seen and heard about Sue Lynn, she dislikes Dex and is the whole reason that her and Benny couldn't make it work when they were younger. 

If that's the case, why would she want Naomi and her to kiss and make up? 

Sue Lynn is a force to be reckoned with and I wouldn't be surprised if she is playing a long game and this was just another piece of the puzzle she needed to put in place. 

Hopefully, Sue Lynn will be too preoccupied with the growing threats within the tribe.

Russ may have been the one who tried to kill her, but Sue Lynn doesn't know what is coming for her from within her own ranks.

Lee's threat against Sue Lynn may be extinguished for now, but if we learned anything from this episode it is that Sue Lynn is on thin ice with the tribe. 

Lee will not be the last person who will look to take her out of power and it wouldn't surprise me if Hollis is the one to pull the trigger.

Dex may have been making strides with her enemies, but she was sure pissing off those closest to her.

Did Dex think she was going to get away with casually slipping Liz's name into the suspect list to get a background check done on her? Did she forget that Hoffman has met her? 

Hoffman is invested in Dex, and that is why he is willing to look past issues like this, or the glaring signs that Dex has feelings for Grey, but eventually he is going to grow a pair and tell Dex enough is enough.

Right now their relationship is very one--sided, and that can only last for so long before it grows tiresome. 

Dex eventually is going to have to decide if she is willing to let Hoffman in or let him go because she can't give him what he wants, and I get the feeling that time is coming sooner than she thinks. 

Especially when he finds out about her and Liz.

Talk about keeping your friends close but your enemies closer.

If Dex was looking to push away the two men she cares about this was the perfect way to do it because neither of them is going to be too pleased with her. 

Yes, obviously it was a mistake, but she can't piss all over Grey's relationship with Liz then go and sleep with her, or completely disregard Hoffman's feelings.

Eventually, Dex has to face some consequences for her actions.

Other thoughts:

• The soundtrack to this show is always out of this world, but it felt particularly great this time around. Who doesn't love an emo PJ sulk session.

• Grey pays Liz $20.00/hr? Plus, she gets tips? Maybe I should have become a bartender instead of going into the medical field.

Over to you TV Fanatics! 

How do you feel about Liz and Dex taking their girl's night to a new level?

Were you a fan of Naomi? 

Do you think Sue Lynn has something up her sleeve?

Share your thoughts in the comment section and make sure to watch Stumptown online!

Meaghan Frey was a staff writer for TV Fanatic. She retired in September 2020.