Dexter S4: spoilers thru "Slack Tide"

[Temis the Vorta]

Wowee.

Signficant Event #1 - Dexter tries to shred his Mommy's photo, stops midway and saves the photo. Clever setup there - if Dexter had never touched Laura's file, the worst Deb could have learned is that Dexter is unwittingly related to the ITK. He could have denied knowledge of everything - Harry's affair, Laura being his mother, Brian being his brother.

By saving the photo after partially shredding it, he's establishing evidence that he knows who Laura is, and is trying to hide something - Harry's affair, that Brian was his brother, or both. That photo has now become a much more incendiary thing for Deb to discover than the original file.

Significant Event #2 - The inevitable happens, Dexter deliberately murders an innocent. He's done similar things in the past - the pedophile who never murdered anyone; Miguel's brother, even though that was self-defense. But this is the first time he's ritually slaughtered someone who turns out to be innocent.

Even scarier is the way it happened. I dunno about anyone else, but when Dex was in the kill room, the thought flashed into my head: "Hey! How does he know it wasn't the guy's assistant who murdered the models?" Followed by SQUICK and "Oh well, I sure hope it wasn't the assistant."

If I can think of that, why can't Dex? Because he isn't the perfectly objective serial killer anymore. Far from being the guy with no emotions, he is being ruled by his emotions. He doesn't like the creepy stuff the photographer does. He hears the word "rape," one of his hot-button issues (the other being anything to do with kids.) The guy says something sleazy to Deb (and far from the worst she's ever heard) and that sets him off even more. Maybe the guy's accent reminded him of Lila.

Dexter has gotten so completely compromised that he simply cannot continue to delude himself that he has the ice-cold objectivity needed to continue to kill according to the Code. I hope the writers really confront the consequences of this problem - the way I see it, Dexter has no choice but to stop killing. Yet that will put him and his loved ones at the mercy of the truly remorseless Dark Passenger. I have no idea how this problem can be resolved but I'm sure it will be fascinating!

 

[Joe Washington]

Thanks for pointing out about the loss of objectivity in Dexter, Temis. Because it really makes you think if Dexter becoming open to the personal relationship in his life is actually a good thing.

In the beginning of the series, Dexter thought himself as someone without emotion. Someone who saw his relationships as disguises and necessary tools to keep up his mask. But I think it was partially because of that he was as skilled serial killer as he was back then.

Now, in the present, he is a changed man. He still kills bad guys for a living but he now sees the relationships in his life as more than disguises. He has come to learn and accept the fact that he loves Rita and the kids and has taken steps towards making them a major part of his life. He is embracing his relationship with his sister Deb more, acknowledging he actually has affection for her. But by opening up to these things he has created distractions for himself that has decreased his effectiveness as a serial killer to the point of hushing some of his kills and struggling to fit them in his busy schedule as family man.

I too would like what happens next after Dexter realizes that he's killed an innocent, not in self-defense but in cold blood. I can see it messing him up a bit and making him keep a distance between himself and his loved ones.

 

[Obiwanshinobi]

Its funny because that Farrow guy, the actor who played him played War on the short lived CW Valentine. Who was married to Jamie Murray's (Lilah) character Aphrodite. And now on Dexter enduring the same fate.

Quinn starting to become more and more like Doakes. Dexters getting sloppy. God I love this show!

 

[ITL]

How many times can nail-biting tension be shown (Dex in the photographer's studio, Dex with Arthur, Dex in the nightclub....) without it ever getting boring or stale?

I take my hat off to everyone involved in making this show. Fecking amazing, that's what it is.

 

[Obiwanshinobi]

i still laugh about that line from few episodes ago. "What is up with you and rape? Nobodies raping anybody! Michael C. Hall's delivery was great in that scene.

 

[Starbreaker]

^ I laughed just thinking about that right now.

Yeah, great episode. I was a little bored until about halfway through when Trinity hits the deer, then it was all excitement from there.

 

[LitmusDragon]

Great stuff. Dexter's life is spinning further and further out of his control. How can be possibly keep it together?

He doesn't have time to worry about Quinn, he's clearly not giving Trinity his full attention, and now the mistake with his mother's picture and the innocent victim- did Dexter manage to do anything right this episode?

I get the feeling Trinity's behavior may be explained by a dissociative personality disorder of some kind. His compulsion to kill may have caused a rift in his psyche, evolving into two separate personalities- the killer Trinity, and the family man. He's so careless with his murder weapons and trophies simply because he is not aware of their significance once he emerges from his murderous fugue. There are a few things we've seen that don't quite gel with this theory, but I still feel it makes the most overall sense.

Clearly there is some piece of Trinity's puzzle we are still missing- whats up with the coffin he's building?

 

[Checkmate]

I'm pretty sure the coffin is for himself. He's done his ritual for 30 years now (notice the round number), and has returned to his home for the final ritual. And now he's putting all of his heart into designing a coffin from scratch. Kind of suggestive.

 

[Aaron McGuire]

I think the coffin is something he does at the end of every cycle. He builds it and then buries it at the site of the house he's building at the time.

Speculation aside, this turning out to be the best season yet. The tension is higher than ever. Dexter is the best show on TV.

Aaron McGuire

 

[Tyre]

It's weird, as soon as the assistant answered the phone in at the police station I immediately thought "maybe the assistant did it." I agree that finally accepting his emotions has caused him to lose his edge. He just didn't seem as meticulous as he normally is, in part because his new family responsibilities and dealing with Trinity took time away from his "research".

Still, this season is fascinating. It's strange, critics seem to be losing interest in this show, mostly because him settling down is boring. Yet they'd probably complain if it was just "Dexter's Fish Food of the Week" for four years too. In terms of sheer thrills, the last couple seasons may not compare to the first, but each offers different insights into Dexter's character. Plus, of course, his monologue one-liners are as good as ever.

 

[LitmusDragon]

I think the coffin is something he does at the end of every cycle. He builds it and then buries it at the site of the house he's building at the time.

Ah, so extending that idea a bit further, maybe that means his cycle is not over? Maybe there's a fourth part of his cycle that nobody knows about because he buries the body each time? Trinity may not be so harmless right now as Dexter thinks he is.

 

[Aaron McGuire]

Who says that the coffin has anything in it when he buries it?

Aaron McGuire

 

[LitmusDragon]

Who says that the coffin has anything in it when he buries it?

True enough. It could be a symbolic gesture. We really have no idea at this point.

 

[ITL]

Plus, Dexter does tend to push his luck, as he did with the cremation vase. Maybe he'll push Arthur into doing something rash...

 

[StarTrek1701]

Engineer Olsen got killed more horrifically than under Nero's drill. The guy can't catch a break! At least he got to play with a hot Latina girl this time.

 

[Checkmate]

Yeah, no. He's not just going to bury an empty coffin. There's a reason he decided to perform his ritual in Miami again, and there's a reason it's taking place 30 years after the first one. What those reasons are, who knows, but it's not simply happenstance or coincidence.

 

[Temis the Vorta]

i still laugh about that line from few episodes ago. "What is up with you and rape? Nobodies raping anybody! Michael C. Hall's delivery was great in that scene.

His facial expression was hilarious. I didn't know anyone could do that who isn't a cartoon character.

 

[stj]

In the end, I didn't bother buying the third season, due to the slump in quality. One of the biggest signs was turning "Harry" from memory, into a tiresome cliche pseudoghost manifestation of Dexter's ego. Are they still doing that?

 

[LitmusDragon]

In the end, I didn't bother buying the third season, due to the slump in quality. One of the biggest signs was turning "Harry" from memory, into a tiresome cliche pseudoghost manifestation of Dexter's ego. Are they still doing that?

I thought the third season got quite good towards the end, though it did start a bit slow.

Yes they are still using Harry as a manifestation of Dexter's psyche. I'm not crazy about that development myself, either.

 

[stj]

^^Too bad. But thanks for answering.