Secrets can tear you apart. They eat away at you, destroying you bit by bit. 

On Stumptown Season 1 Episode 16, Dex finally was ready to face her own secrets and the consequences that came with them, while Ansel was sharing his own secret with Grey and Tookie.

Read our review and join us as we discuss the MAJOR revelations surrounding Dex's past and the incredible win for Ansel.

When Ansel moved out of the house he shared with Dex, he was on a mission to become an independent man, and he crossed the last item off his list to get there. 

No one deserves happiness on Stumptown more than Ansel.

He has been through so much in his life -- from his parents abandoning him to Dex slowly falling apart in front of his eyes for years. He faced it all with a positive attitude and a smile on his face.

He is due for so many good things in his life. 

Who else did their own happy dance when Ansel's crush accepted his invitation to go on a date with him? 

It seemed a little touch and go there for a second when he decided to admit to Grey and Tookie that he has a crush and ask for girl advice. They definitely wouldn't be my first choice, but hey, I guess when you're options are limited, you make strange decisions.

Ansel practicing his technique on Grey was priceless. The only thing missing was a pretty blonde wig on Grey.

Grey is a genuinely incredible man. The more we get to know him, the more that fact is proven. 

Not many men would take on the role of a surrogate father to the brother of a woman with whom they are not so secretly in love but stuck in the friend zone. Not many men would put that same women's needs above their own. Yet Grey does.

When Grey and Tookie were discussing Dex and Tookie was encouraging Grey not to wait to pursue things with her, it almost felt like Grey was going to tell Hoffman to go after Dex.o

There was so much focus on the love triangle the first half of the season that it just felt logical that when Grey said he wasn't what Dex needed that Hoffman would be what he thought she needs instead.

Instead, our expectations were completely subverted. 

Grey knows Dex better than anyone and knew how much she needed Ansel in her life. Grey couldn't have given Dex a better gift, at that moment, than bringing her rock back to her. 

Dex: I'm just so tired of running away from this, you know?
Grey: Then don't.

• Permalink: I'm just so tired of running away from this, you know?

If Dex can't be okay for herself, then at least she can try to be okay for Ansel. He gives her motivation to be better, and given how quickly she was unraveling throughout "All Quiet On the Dextern Front," she needs that motivation. 

It's been discussed many times in my reviews how incredibly Dex's PTSD has been handled until this point. After this episode, though, I can say that the portrayal of Dex's PTSD is the best I have seen on television. Period. 

The raw gut-wrenching emotions elicited from the flashbacks and the sheer weight of them on Dex in the present time is very powerful.

Cobie Smulders gave an earth-shattering performance, and we should all applaud her for it. In less capable hands, it might not have held the same power, but Cobie takes what the writers give her and runs a marathon with it. 

Stumptown might not be the same ratings magnet that How I Met Your Mother was in it's prime, but make no mistake, Dex is Cobie's crowning glory. 

Robin may have been entertaining and relatable, but there is an authenticity to Dex that you don't see very often in TV characters, and that is why her character resonates. 

Watching Dex's secret regarding Benny's death tear her apart was hard. 

Who knows what any of us would have done in Dex's shoes?

It is easy for her to look back and see that she lost the love of her life because of her decisions and wish that she had decided differently, but at that moment, she knew what she was doing was right.

Yes, Benny lost his life because of a mission that Dex sent him on, but he signed up to be a marine and knew the risks.

Hadjira was a civilian. Maybe her husband was a terrible person and responsible for terrible things, but those choices were his, not hers. They shouldn't have tortured her for his actions, especially when she was willing to cooperate.

Of course, she was going to ask for their help in return for her cooperation. As a mother, her first concern is her children. She needed to make sure they were safe. It should not have been a problem for the military to assist her with that in return for her help. 

Dex coming clean to Sue Lynn might not have been a completely selfless decision as it was mostly to appease her guilt, but that doesn't change that it was the right thing to do. 

Sue Lynn deserved to hear the truth about Benny's death, and Dex deserved her forgiveness. 

Despite how it appeared when we first met Sue Lynn, she has a lot of respect for Dex as a person.

She may have some anger and sadness over Benny's death that she has misdirected towards Dex, but she is big enough to admit that Dex did the right thing, even if Benny died for it. 

Of course, when Dex seems to be coming to terms with Benny's death and what happened, a huge wrench gets thrown into the mix.

The fact that there is more to the story behind Benny's death gives Dex a sense of purpose, something at which she can direct her sadness and frustration instead of herself. Maybe it was just what the doctor ordered. 

We only have two episodes left to Stumptown Season 1, and things seem to be kicking into high gear. Are you ready for this final ride? 

Over to you Stumptown Fanatics! 

Are you loving the exploration of Dex's PTSD storyline?

Are you happy that Ansel moved back in with Dex?

Do you have any theories about what the story is on Benny's death?

Join the discussion in the comments below and watch Stumptown online to catch up!

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