Some friends of The Island have bashed Dexter this year for too much pontificating on life and love, and not enough killing. That's a legit criticism - but Michael C. Hall is so good, and the character is so interesting, that we're still totally on board Dexter Morgan's boat. Still, we came into this episode hoping for more blood, fewer family values. We got half of what we wanted.
The episode starts with Rita getting an ultrasound. Dex knows he should be feeling something, but he just can't. Then he goes golfing with Miguel Prado, and Prado complains about some killer named Ethan Turner he can't prosecute for some complex reason; and we sense by the way he's talking to Dexter that he's saying more than he's saying, if you know what we're saying. Which is that Miguel is on to Dexter.
Meanwhile, Rita wants Dexter to move in, but he doesn't want to leave his place, both literally and metaphorically. A secret serial killer kind of needs his space. Meanwhile, Deb and her informant are getting pretty flirty - which we like for the simple-minded reason that Jennifer Carpenter is really hot. They get a tip from a junkie that to find out about Freebo, you have to go through Wendell, who turns out to be a 15-year-old lookout that saw Dexter before the Oscar Prado murder. Wendell comes in to be interviewed, but doesn't get parental consent to talk to cops, so Quinn turns him loose when Debra isn't around. What's up with that? Is he undermining her? What are his motives? Hmmmm....
The supporting cast has other issues: Angel Batista wants to date the undercover cop who posed as a hooker, and Masuka is sulky because no one read his paper and showed up at his conference. There tend not to be loose plot ends on this show, so what is this tangential character development about? We'll see. Still no killing.
Well, some off-camera: there's a new skinning victim, and Ramon Prado comes in as a liaison for his brother's murder case. He believes the new skinning victim to be related to the previous ones, but Masuka delivers a tour de force presentation, explaining how this was a totally different murder by a totally different murderer. He punctuates his point by somehow relating this to a 14-inch dildo, and everyone smiles as if to say "Masuka's back." Which is a cute moment, but this isn't really a cute moment type of show.
Rita wants to look at homes with Dexter, but he can't, because he's got to go kill this Ethan Turner. Yes! That's what we're talking about! (We don't cheer real murders, just fake TV ones) Waiting to strike, Dexter keeps having visions of his father Harry, who asks Dex what's going to come first between the killing and Rita. Well, you know where our vote lies. When Rita goes to look at a house with Miguel Prado's wife Sil, she starts bleeding. Off to the hospital, and many frantic phone calls placed to the baby daddy, who's preoccupied slicing up this Ethan Turner's cheek, taking a sample of his blood, and talking about the new developments in his life to his victim, all to the sound of Bowie's "Changes." Dexter is joyous, sweaty, orgasmic, and totally masterful when he's killing, and we're reminded of just how much range Michael C. Hall has.
Deb goes to see this kid Wendell, and he tells her Freebo owed someone a bunch of cash. We can see this kid Wendell's being watched through binoculars. Then she goes to her informer Anton's pad, but a hot woman answers the door in her towel, and says he's in the shower. Aw, will Officer Morgan ever find love?
Everyone's still looking for Dexter. He's docking the boat, and has the slide of his latest victim in one hand and the ultrasound in the other. Please, Dexter, don't kill us with symbolism. Dex feels much better after killing, and knows so long as he can keep the murdering going, all these life ch-ch-ch-ch-changes will be okay. Which is reassuring, in a very weird way. He checks his cell to find 12 new messages, and hears Rita's in the hospital. He hustles over there, to find she, and the baby, are okay. He's got the peace of mind only a good murder can provide, and agrees to marry Rita before she starts showing.
Back from the hospital at the Prado's place, Miguel lets on that he knows Dexter wasn't where he said he was, and that he killed Ethan Turner. He even intimates that he gave Dexter the chance to murder Turner. This is all very strange for Dexter, and he issues a not very plausible denial, until Prado says "I'm behind you. I respect you." Which melts that little serial killer's heart, given all the rejection and horror he felt from his dad Harry. But is this much-needed acceptance for real, or is Dexter being set up?
-- Jake Kalish is the author of Santa vs. Satan: The Official Compendium of Imaginary Fights
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