Dexter 5.8: Dexter Revealed

As Dexter attends a seminar hosted by the charismatic if not zany Jordan Chase, he speaks of following your primal instinct and not being afraid to “take it!” This is something Dexter can understand all too well, further solidifying the reality that Chase and his chief of security Cole are cold-blooded killers. Chase makes a comment that everyone will die, “some of us sooner than others,” right as Dexter thinks these words. There appear to be startling similarities between Chase and Dexter – although we know Dexter is never to kill an innocent and as far as the audience can tell the fraternity of killers pictured as teens in Cole’s house follow no such code.

Hilariously, as Dexter surveys those in the audience, he states in inner monologue, “I’ve never been around so many people that made me feel normal.”

One scene I found to be particularly telling of what may be to come in the end occurs in a dialogue between Deb and Dexter. She admits to Dexter that she doesn’t feel bad about killing Fuentes, in fact she doesn’t feel anything. Deb concludes that maybe some people do deserve to die. We know that she and Dexter are not related by any blood lines, but could she have Dexter’s sociopathic gene? What this makes me think for the first time is perhaps in the end she will find out Dexter’s secret and be able to come to terms with it. Before this moment I would have never thought this possible. Above all else she cares for Dexter and the law, and as much as she loves him I always thought finding out the truth would shatter her – make her choose law over loyalty and love. But now? Perhaps there can be a happy ending for these two after all. This is all assuming she will one day find him out, which I think is inevitable.

There was another important scene in this episode which occurred between Dexter and Lumen. He allowed her to be in on the Cole kill, but only if she wanted to be. It has become apparent that he needs her and no longer wishes for her to leave Miami. It also no longer has anything to do with him thinking she would rat him out, which is interesting because she now knows EVERYTHING about his life. She knows Boyd wasn’t his first kill, he’s done this all before. She even holds his latest blood slide, Cole’s blood. Now she has even helped prepare a kill room, something no one has ever been party to. “This is who I am,” Dexter says. And Lumen accepts him, gaping character flaws and all.

As the two dump Cole’s severed limbs into the deep blue, (and Lumen takes active part in this aspect of the ritual) Liddy captures it all on film. There they are, Dexter and Lumen, disposing of their latest kill.

All in all this episodes is one of the most crucial to the overarching Dexter storylines that I have ever seen. This season is destined for TV hall-of-fame greatness.

Dexter 5.7: Traffic Violations

While this season still continues to impress, this is probably the weakest of the episodes to date. However, it was still enjoyable and propelled various plot points forward.

Lumen has now been free for a month but can’t take her mind of the obsession of tracking down her captors. She barely eats and she can’t sleep. She explains to Dexter that they still need to find “watch guy” and “suit and tie guy.”

In a serendipitous twist of fate, for Dexter and Lumen, these two men find themselves right in the middle of the Miami Metro Police Station after a truck carrying the body-filled containers from the landfill winds up in the middle of an intersection. The viewer knows that it was indeed suit and tie guy who was driving the vehicle.

Dexter decides that if he and Lumen are going to be the ones to deliver justice to these men he must lead the police off their scent. He places Boyd’s wallet in the truck and now Miami’s finest are searching for a man they will never find. One other interesting fact: apparently all the killers knew each other as teenagers…this is one story I can’t wait to hear more about.

Quinn decides he doesn’t want to be part of the Dexter investigation anymore as his investigator seems to be spinning out of his control, but leaving their arrangement proves to be impossible for him. He’s stuck just where he is.

In a tragic twist, the stake out at the club goes terribly wrong when one of the Fuentes brothers discovers a gun strapped to her thigh. Batista and Deb promise nothing will happen to Yasmine but she is shot in the back and killed instantly when LaGuerta makes what Deb and Batista consider a bad call. Deb ends up shooting and killing Carlos Fuentes when he had a gun held to a hostage’s head.

I never thought it would happen but I am begging to question LaGuerta’s sanity. She seems to be slowly losing her grip. I’m wondering how much longer she can actually hold on to her job.

One more important thing to point out is how quickly Lumen is becoming the only person in Dexter’s life, other than Harry, who knows all aspects of his life. He introduces Harrison to her, and admits in inner monologue how much he needs her. But will she ever truly know everything about Dexter’s private life? My guess – absolutely. Dexter is about to finally let someone fully in on his secret life.

Dexter 5.6: "Autoerotic Mummification"

The episodes this season are growing increasingly stressful as Lumen continues to complicate Dexter’s already complicated life. She calls Dex in the middle of a kill and requires his assistance to clean up her mess – she tried to kill one of her rapists and botched the job, claiming she had no idea how hard it would be to kill someone. Dexter at this point is a natural.

This is not a distraction that Dexter can afford. As it is he is already stretched so thin trying to do his job at the station and take care of Harrison, as well as allow time for his extracurricular activities. In a somewhat comical moment, Harrison said his first words “die die” and Dexter can’t help but be worried yet again that Harrison will turn out like he has.

As he and Lumen search through the warehouses to find Lumen’s injured attacker the two bicker back and forth. All Dexter wanted was for Lumen to leave Miami but she stayed and tracked down her attackers instead. Now he’s in trouble, something she doesn’t seem to understand, because everything Lumen does is traceable back to Dexter. She said she had to catch the men herself because Dexter wouldn’t help her, yet she still calls on him to help her when she fails.

In what was arguably the most stressful scene in the entire series thus far, Dexter sprints after his wrapped-up would-be next kill as Masuka and Deb are wandering through the warehouses looking for a possible homicide (Lumen’s attacker). They come within inches of catching him, but yet again Dex thinks quickly on his feet and poses the two dead men in what looks like the throws of a strange sex act, to which Masuka determines it was “autoerotic mummification.”

Meanwhile Debra decides she likes Quinn more than she had anticipated and looks on with jealousy while Quinn flirts with young women in the club while undercover to find the Santa Muerte killers. The two decide that they will become a couple – all the while Quinn continues his investigation of Dexter. Can’t imagine Deb will be too pleased when she finds out – and I have no doubt that she will. I can’t imagine where this season is going but there is no denying that Dexter is becoming all too sloppy and that is not a trait that he can afford.

Dexter 5.5: Quinn won't Quit

Dexter Morgan was born in blood. He witnessed the beyond brutal butchering of his mother at a young age and the man he is today is directly related to that event. Now his biggest fear is that Harrison will turn out the way he has; Dexter fears that he too was born in blood through the killing of Rita.

We see Dexter at a mommy-and-me type event with Harrison. There is a scratching incident and the other moms suspect Harrison to be the culprit. But Dexter does not want to believe that his son is capable of hurting others. The truth is Harrison is still just a baby and a shrink assuages Dexter’s fear and guilt by saying he is a normal baby boy and shows no signs of aggression or violence. Dexter couldn’t be happier.

At the end of the episode we see a protective and defensive Dexter walk by the other moms and say there is nothing wrong with his son and imply that he wouldn’t scratch another child. In what was a perfect ending to this story the camera begins to pan away as Dexter is putting Harrison in his car seat and we hear a loud “ow.” Harrison was the scratcher all along, but this is hardly a sign of deviant behavior and is pretty typical of a 10-month old.

Also important to point out is the fact that Quinn, even after being placed on unpaid leave by LaGuerta, won’t quit in his investigation of Dexter. This is becoming even more reminiscent of Sgt. Doakes. What is so interesting is that Dexter works all day long with cops and only Doakes and Quinn have suspected him of being off. This ended in the death of Doakes and it can only be assumed that Quinn will meet the same fate. Granted Doakes and Quinn are right, but we don’t want to see people checking up on Dexter, we want to see him left alone.

As for now we’ll have to wait and see how it all plays out, but this season is shaping up to be even better than the last (a feat I never thought could be accomplished). Where Dexter will end up is still unknown, but the adventure of getting there couldn’t be more exhilarating.

Dexter 5.4: Dexter’s Fairy Tale Life

The episode opens with Dexter cleaning off the wounds of the woman who witnessed him kill Boyd (we later find out her name is Lumen) while Harry admonishes Dexter for his lack of focus lately, bringing up the incident in the public bathroom, botching Boyd’s kill and landing Lumen as a witness. This is a new Dexter who seemingly has new priorities, stating the first rule as never kill an innocent, not never get caught. Harry makes one other important observation: Lumen isn’t his responsibility, Harrison is. Now that Lumen has witnessed him killing Boyd she could go to the cops and then baby Harrison would grow up without a father.

Dexter’s interactions with Lumen show a soft side to him. Even though they meet under the darkest of circumstances, there is something touching and sweet to the way he cares for her wounds. Naturally he can’t let her go free, at least not just yet, but the tenderness he shows to her demonstrates the affection and emotions he can feel for another.

One thing that never ceases to amaze me about this show is the fantastic writing. Every episode has these amazing tie-ins from the beginning of the episode to the end. This episode centers around the theme of fairy tales and the balance between truth and lies, and is appropriately called “Beauty and the Beast.” Dexter at one point equates a drugged out Lumen to sleeping beauty. Harry later says to Dexter that this isn’t a fairy tale; Dexter is not a handsome prince who gets to rescue the damsel in distress.

After Dexter is out all night killing Boyd, taking care of the witness and helping out at a crime scene where the machete man has struck again, he returns home to an irritated nanny, and rightfully so. She shares an interesting piece of advice that her mother told her years ago, “never lie to someone who trusts you, never trust someone who lies to you.” This is a sage piece of advice. However, Dexter’s whole life deals with lies and bending the truth to cover up his dark secrets. But by the end of the episode we see Dexter really trying, he’s telling the truth, just leaving out certain pieces of the puzzle, to gain both the trust of the nanny and Lumen. Each of these characters needs to take a leap of faith to trust the others.

One thing I found to be important to the overall question of the show, “who is Dexter Morgan?”, is when Lumen says that she thought he was a monster. She says this as she is cleaning off a wound of Dexter’s, one she inflicted, but it shows again how this show always comes full circle. Dexter really isn’t a monster at all, which is why this show is so wonderful. It is so thought provoking. How can we actually find ourselves rooting for a serial killer? Is it just that Dexter has become the world’s most loveable vigilante serial killer? And while we all want Dexter to win in the end, how can he not get caught? He’s killed an exorbitant amount of people. Regardless of the fact that they were other serial killers, Dexter took the law into his own hands, he has to be punished.

Dexter 5.3: Dexter and Harry

When looking at the complex character that is Dexter Morgan one must take the time to examine his interactions with all those around him. This includes none other than his deceased father Harry. In this episode the audience witnesses yet another one of Dexter’s inner monologues in which Harry surfaces to discuss with Dexter the importance of his next kill. Harry represents for Dexter a side of his unconscious, not necessarily his conscience, but the side of him that keeps him focused and alert.

From the moment Dexter began stalking his next kill, Harry was there reminding him of the rules and the necessity for Dexter to follow those rules to the letter. Dexter refers to these rules as “the code of Harry.” The most important thing that Dexter must always consider when killing is to never get caught. Everything else is superfluous next to this rule.

Yet in this kill Harry senses that Dexter is not giving it the focus and attention that it requires. While he wants Dexter to claim his next victim so that he can begin healing from Rita’s death he warns him that he can’t rush things.

Cut to the end of the episode: Dexter’s attempt to sedate Boyd fails and he has to rush the kill, surprising him at his home and setting up an impromptu kill room. There is no plastic wrap, there are no tarps. Only newspaper taped to the walls and a body held down by duct tape. The body is not secured in its typical plastic cocoon.

But the most notable difference between this kill and the more planned out ones is that Dexter has an observer. Chained up in the next room is the terrified would-be next victim of Boyd, played by Julia Stiles, and she sees everything. Dexter’s most soppy kill by far, he must now deal with the fact that an innocent woman has witnessed him in the act. And one of Harry’s other rules is never kill an innocent.

Dexter admits that he needed this kill, even though he knew it would not bring back Rita. However, afterwards he says that he needed this kill to bring him back. Unfortunately for Dexter, this kill doesn’t help him the way he needed it to. Yet again I argue that despite his constant denial that he feels emotions like love for others, he clearly does, because he can’t seem to find his way without Rita, his whole world has been turned upside-down. It goes beyond just missing her, she was a part of his life and he cared for her very deeply. Even after this kill he has not been brought back to his old self. It’s possible he never will be that Dexter again.

One final thing to analyze is why was Dexter so sloppy in this kill? He was pressed for time, yes, but if only he had taken care to prepare a more legitimate kill room. This begs the question, does Dexter want to get caught?

Dexter 5.2: “Hello Bandit”

Funny and heartfelt: not two words that always come to mind with this show, but this is the best way to describe episode two of this season of Dexter. This show is so successful because its ability to blend intense drama with dark humor, and this was beautifully executed in this episode. With such a serious and important episode for a season opener, the fans needed a little bit of humor and joviality to lighten the mood.

Dexter opens the episode with an inner monologue in which he explains how he has begun going through the seven stages of grief. Stage one: anger…that’s how he explains the un-Dexter style kill of a nameless man in a bathroom stall at the end of the last episode. He and the kids have now inserted themselves into Deb’s tiny apartment and as much as she wants to help Dex in any way she can, she’s definitely feeling the pressure.

This leads to her spending the night at Quinn’s apartment, but only in a platonic way, which she makes perfectly clear when he tries to kiss her at his door. She sleeps on the couch. Deb, who is ruled by her emotions, but oftentimes can’t control them, cannot openly admit that she and Quinn have slept together until the end of the episode. But there will definitely be more where that came from. She and Quinn shared an interesting and fun-to-watch dynamic throughout this episode. I only hope Quinn will just stop pursuing Dexter, because it never turns out well for those who do (lest we forget Sgt. Doakes), but this unfortunately won’t be the case.

In this episode we see Dexter fall back into his old routine, always hunting his next prey. But the manner in which he begins this next project is priceless. He goes to rent a moving van and sees a spot of blood in the van. Later that night he brings baby Harrison with him to investigate the blood spatter, not the best environment for a baby, especially if you want them to grow up into a healthy, fully functioning adult. I don’t know if all bets are off for Harrison yet, but Dexter’s life is certainly not the most baby-friendly. He sits in the darkened truck and marvels at how pretty the glow of dried blood is on the inside of the door. He then goes on to equate it to a fairy tale, “once upon a time there was a prince,” the blood is all that remains of him now. You couldn’t help but laugh in shock at this scene.

Dexter’s suspect for this bloody crime is a man named Boyd, an animal control guy. He definitely seems an odd ball, as made evident when Dexter is snooping through Boyd’s house when he gets home on a lunch break from work. It is not until the end of the episode that we see he is a killer. We’ll be seeing more of him next week.

Angel and Maria continue to struggle with adjusting to married life, especially after he discovers she has a large savings account that she failed to mention to him. These adjustments will be a continuing theme for these two throughout this season.

Also, a decapitated head is found in a Spanish neighborhood, seemingly set up in a ritualistic manner. Could this be a lead-in to this season’s arch-nemesis serial killer?

Now even though this episode was light at points, this is not to say that there were not some important developments in Dexter’s home life. Astor decides she can’t live with what has happened to her mother and leaves for Orlando, taking a reluctant Cody, to live with her grandparents. This might not be the best idea for her emotionally, being that baby Harrison still lives with Dexter in Miami and her whole life has been in Miami, but perhaps her grandparents will be able to provide more stability than Dexter would. I’m hoping to see these two come back soon, because while Dexter will miss them, having two less kids to worry about would make his life easier, and as we know nothing is ever easy for Dexter Morgan.