Terrific episode of Dexter this week, wasn’t it? Which means we have stuff to discuss about the plot, and I have at least one big suggestion to make about the future of the series. But to do that, I’ll need to dabble in SPOILERS, SO THIS IS YOUR WARNING, DON’T READ FURTHER IF YOU HAVEN’T SEEN THIS WEEK’S EPISODE, CALLED “DIRTY HARRY.”
Now then. Much to our sadness, and Debra’s, Lundy really was killed by Trinity — we’ll miss you, Keith Carradine.
You know what I wouldn’t miss, however? Three things:
1. If Dexter would drop the whole LaGuerta-Batista romance; it’s devolved into tedious office politics.
2. If Quinn and that irritating reporter broke up. That would be another dead-end avoided.
3. And here’s my biggest Thing I Would Not Miss: Rita. It pains me to say this, because I really like Julie Benz as an actress. And I realize that the writers are very deftly playing with making Dexter’s ambivalence toward his new marriage our ambivalence as well. It was extremely clever, this week, to have one of Dexter’s trademark internal monologues (“Trinity hurt my sister and I’m going to hurt him back… “) abruptly interrupted by the sight of Rita in his old apartment. The voiceover suddenly gulped, “Uh-oh!”
Funny stuff. But truly, after a few weeks of seeing how Dexter was exhausted from juggling husbanding and parenting with serial killing, the humor has worn thin. Yes, it was very tense, seeing the way, this week, Rita discovered that Dexter hadn’t given up his old bachelor pad/hidey-hole when he got hitched. And it’s a measure of how good this show is, that you could feel the genuine push and pull that both Dexter and Rita felt, agonizing over Deb’s wounded condition and having to confront Dexter’s deviousness at the same time. Life is like that: Problems don’t arrive in neat sequence; they tend to rain down in inconvenient clusters.
But: I felt dread hearing Rita say, “We have a lot of work to do if this marriage has hope.” I groaned during the coming attractions, showing us Dex and Rita in couples therapy. This is not the Dexter I signed on for this season, did you? Don’t you kinda wish Rita would fall down a Miami manhole or something?
Oh, well. Maybe I should trust the writers to come up with a way to save this relationship — for us. But I’m dubious.
I’m not dubious at all about the wonderful twist Dexter took in regard to Trinity, however. Having made him our anti-hero’s most worthy villain ever, to have Dexter and the audience follow the killer home to a happy household — the same suburban, married-with-children life Dexter is trying to lead — well, that’s just dandy. Dexter’s “He’s like me!” voiceover was the capper to a fine suspense sequence that began with that intense office-building murder. Kudos to John Lithgow for not going over the top with Trinity’s sicko brutality.
I suppose the only way to make this comparison between Dexter and Trinity continue to pay off is to have Dexter and Rita continue to work on that marriage. I get that. But between that and the other romantic relationships cluttering this season, the series is taking a risk at becoming a bit too soap-operatic.
What do you think? Dexter and Rita, unhappily ever after?
Comments (1-30) of 146 Add your comment
i totally agree with all those topics you bring up but with two changes towards them.
get rid of the overly porno-movie style introduction of quinn and his reporter gf.
and i actually like the batista and laguerta relationship IF they both (as characters) get to participate in the homicide division.
and that twist ending was something i really didnt expect but sooo enjoy because now DEXTER has a lot to think about.
YES> The Rita story line is absolutely terrible! I hope they have a clever capper to it or it’ll just ruin things.
The jury is still out on the LaGuerta-Batista romance. So far if I’m in the jury room I’m leaning towards ending it.
I just hope that Dexter has something awesome in store for his alone time with the Trinity Killer when he finally gets him.
Rita is such an immense drag on Dexter the character and Dexter the series. Who out there wasn’t secretly hoping for our hero to plunge a knife in her throat once and for all as she irritated him (and us!) to tears with her incessant singing in the car?! The only good thing Rita brings to this show is her giant breasts…
Maybe Rita will be the “older woman with children” who gets forced off a tall building!
Oh my gosh! You could be onto something there Nanci. I mean she does have three children now and if Trinity finds out Dexter is onto him (which I have a feeling he will) he could make her one of his victims in the next cycle just out of spite.
I love Rita’s character. I’m under the impression that she is supposed to be a little overbearing to Dexter. Almost anything outside his comfort zone will overwhelm him. I think we oughta take more time to see what Rita’s dealing with. This show is and will always be centered around Dexter. But the people in his life do matter in the story. We can’t honestly expect Dexter to have everything easy, can we? He wasn’t prepared at all for marriage and he’s going to make major mistakes. I’m getting tired of HIS problems being blamed on Rita. We can blame Dexter and still love him. That’s the fun of it. Rita’s not perfect but definitely hasn’t done anything major wrong yet.
The point your missing though is how whiny and bratty Rita is. Sure, Dexter isn’t perfect, but he isn’t a child either – and she tends to treat him like one.
There’s more to Rita than meets the eye. She has a first husband that the show has been hinting at that we don’t know anything about yet. There are some skeletons in her closet and I’m hoping they are interesting ones. I’d honestly be fine with the writers offing her in some way down the road, but I’m not sure what Dexter’s going to do with three kids on his own…someone has to be around to take care of them, and that seems to be all Rita is good for right now.
Sarah, have you seen the first couple seasons? We already know who Rita’s first husband was, an abusive druggy that Dexter killed by looking like an overdose. I’m sorry to spoil it, but really its not that important to those first seasons main plot.
Rita’s ex husband was Paul, a drug dealer/abusive husband who was framed by Dexter and sent to prison, where I think he was killed in a fight. He was on in season 1 mostly, and the first episode of season 2.
There was another one, before Paul, that was brought up either last season or the season before (I can’t remember which) that Sarah was referring to, that has yet to really be explained in the show.
I just love this show i have been a fan since the first episode… the actors r great the scean where Deb says shes broken and Dexter says no ur not I am got me teared up….but i agree im sooo tired of Rita….im not sure if i was ever a fan of hers she just comes off as a total nag….but i trust the writers of this show they have yet 2 let me down, i can’t wait 2 see how it all unfolds
Okay, he hides the fact that he is a serial killer, but is unable to keep the apartment a secret? Broken water pipe or not, Dexter would not have been that careless to let Rita find out about his place. It is just too much of a stretch for me to believe. In my opinion, that was a writing error with Dexter’s character. He is way too methodical and cautious to let this happen that easily. Anyway, I love this show and all the characters. It just plain rocks!!
I think it was totally believable that Dexter would freak out over Deb being shot and leave his cell phone at home. Anyone would in such a situation, no matter how cautious and methodical they normally are.
ITA with this. I yelled it at the TV. Dexter is not a man with normal emotions. He wouldn’t be upset about another person the way normal people would be. He was bent on revenge and nowhere near out of control. He’s a methodical serial killer who would never have allowed for this secret to be so easily exposed.
If characters always followed rules of logic there would be no drama.
I disagree. As the seasons have gone on, they’ve shown that while Dexter is certainly not “normal” by any standards, he DOES have some kind of emotions. In fact, it was clear by the end of season 1 that the one person he did care about was Deb, so it’s makes perfect sense to me that he was distraught about her getting shot.
I’ve been a big fan of Dexter and Rita’s relationship,and I’m married so I never expected to have any ” oh #$%@ the wife AGAIN” moments, but Rita makes ME feel like a henpecked husband. Every time things get fun here she comes to spoil it. For a women who was SO damaged by her first husband ’s abuse Rita sure has become high maintance and demanding. I loved Julie Benz in Angel, and I love her still in Dexter, so I really hope Rita mellows out.I’m getting to cozy w/ the idea of trinity throwing HER off a building.
Agreed completely. She went from being happy to have someone care about her to telling Dexter he can’t have frigging coffee because he already had some this morning. I wanted to slap her when she said that.
Hear hear, eXo. I could not believe that whole car ride/coffee thing. Maybe it was exaggerated on purpose, to let the viewers in on just how aggravated Dexter felt, but it was almost unreal to a point: her squeaking that toy in his ear repeatedly, him not speaking up about wanting another cup of coffee and who the heck was she to deny him a cup of coffee, her not even noticing how completely annoyed/unhappy he was about sitting in the car with the music that loud. I know Dex doesn’t quite “get” normal humans, and these past eps have certainly reinforced how awkward he is at being tactful, but seriously? He can’t even ask her to turn the music down? Then, he turns right around and has a brilliantly awkward–but totally believable–conversation with Astor in which he’s totally tactful about being an idiot sometimes. Lots of character inconsitency. I LOVE this show, which is why I wish it were more careful about these kinds of things.
I AGREE WITH YOU ABOUT RITA, MAN SHE IS ANNOYING….
I agree the Quinn romance is unneeded.
I would rather see Angel with anybody other than LaGuerta.
and Rita is really just a nag since season 2. She starts off the series as a broken woman, timid and fearful of losing her seemingly sweet and gentle boyfriend. Then she totally flips and becomes an overbearing witch. I dont get it.
I think trinity should kill off Rita, LaGuerta, AND Quinn.
I liked Julie Benz as Darla on Angel/Buffy but I find her very irritating on Dexter. Maybe it’s her breathy little girl voice, or the way she is trying to shape Dexter into a cookie-cutter suburban dad. I’d like to see less emphasis on Dexter’s family life and more on his profession and his “hobby.”
I’m usually not a fan of the May/December romance at all, but Debra and Lundy were really growing on me. I’ll miss his character.
The reporter romance is needed for the plot. Not innovative by any means – reporters have been used repetitively as a way to advance plots in crime dramas, but still, I can accept it because it’s a necessary element for the plot.
But really, do we need that many True Blood-esque boob shots?
Dexter was giving us “boob shots” long before True Blood was.
Yes, we need them.
Rita was hot, too; now she’s just annoying…
Absolutely.
Can you not put spoilers or hints at spoilers in the title that appears on the homepage? Im at school and my sister is DVRing the season so i can watch it over Thanksgiving. I dont want to be spoiled by a headline. Thanks.
What are you talking about?!?
There is no spoiler in the title retard.
Way to read these comments and keep yourself in the dark.
Kelly, chill, that’s just his opinion on where it should go ,has nothing to do with the episode’s plot itself. Calm down. And if you’re that worried, don’t read a website b4 you watch
When do we get to see Quinn naked???
okay first of all,… is this a regular recap?? I had no idea there was a Dexter recap! Yay!
this was another excellent episode. that reveal at the end… omg.. I’m beyond words. As for Rita, I’m ambivalent. I think she’s the exact opposite of Dexter and she balances him. Which doesn’t mean she’s not my least favorite character.
I forgot to ask earlier… Is anyone else really looking foward to seeing more of thr Trinity Killer? John Lithgough does creepy,twisted and insane really well. If you haven’t seen Raising Cain watch it. He is amazing when playing disturbed.
Raising Cain is a really fun movie. Lithgow straddles the line between comic and menacing all the way through.
A better choice would be Blow Out, from the same director, Lithgow played a much more subtle, methodical, creepy, hitman/killer that’s very much like the Trinity killer
I don’t know if I can live now that Lundy’s dead. I fell in LOVE with Keith Carridine through Dexter. I totally understand Deb’s attraction. I mean, hell, I’m 21 and I adore him. I cried when he died, and I bawled when Deb was standing in the parking lot. That was a fab scene. I’m also on team Get-Rid-Of-Rita. I joined the very first moment she opened the door in episode one.
I’m 24 and am a mess over Lundy dying. SO sad. He is SO hot. It was SO romantic.
I sometimes get annoyed with Rita, but I also get a little annoyed at Dexter’s father showing up all the time. I understand their importance to the plot and Dexter’s character, so I tolerate them both.
I like both Batista and LaGuerta, and office romance is unavoidable, so I’m okay with that; but I can do without the semi-porn Quinn/reporter scenes, too.
Love Dexter; and loved the irony of the ending. I thought last season was fairly predictable, but this one still keeps me guessing.
never watched the show but keep up reading you alls comments and reviews. To much f bombs and gore for me to handle. But this so called review has got me totally lost
Jennifer Carpenter was brilliant as Deb breaking down in the parking lot about Lundy (and Anton?) I was in tears.
YES!! Thank you, me too!! I was screaming at the TV, just hug her Dex!! Jennifer Carpenter has really evolved through this series, I hated her in the first season but either she took some acting lessons or has just matured as an actress. Either way, I was really impressed. Emmy reel!!
You see a lot of fake crying on TV. Her “crying so hard you can’t breathe” took things to another level.
She is awesome. I have really grown to love her character.
Am i the only one that was disappointed that Deb didnt die and Lundy did? I find her waaay more annoying than Rita.
she is so annoying. her voice, her face, she is just so rough. how does michael hall marry her. he’s uncouth/
Yes I agree, the character of Debra is so rough and she’s such a skank but have to say, her crying scene was the best acting I’ve seen out of her.
love dexter; its time 2 dump rita .. she is such a hypoctite, she never revealed her 1st marriage to dexter. its time for her to have a permanent accident.
I agree that the relationship with Laguerta and Batista and Quinn and the reporter is getting a little soap opera for me…I agree with most that the Rita storyline is starting to get annoying…Anyone else think that maybe Trinity didn’t shoot Deb? I want to see Dexter with his freedom back!! How can he function now without his apartment? Jackhart-good point about her previous marriage
I like Batista + LaGuerta.
I don’t mind Quinn and the reporter, but I feel really bad for the actress that she’s the only recurring woman on the show who’s required to show her boobs. If I were her, I’d demand to be taken more seriously by the writers and directors.
I don’t want Rita to disappear, especially not after Dexter’s realization last week that he didn’t want to lose his family. I foresee Dexter and Rita’s drama paralleling Dexter’s exploration of Trinity’s family and how Trinity makes his marriage work. That could be very interesting.
… You would demand to be taken more seriously because you had to show your boobs?
You do realize how ridiculous that sounds, right?
By showing the boobs she is automatically NOT taken seriously by the show.
eXo, you might want to brush up on your reading comprehension skills. that was brooke’s point, that the actress who plays the reporter should demand to be taken more seriously and NOT do the boob shots anymore.
I so agree with this post except for the Batista/Laguerta romance. I like them together. For some reason Deb my favorite character. She is the reason I tune in every Sunday. When her and Lundy got shot, I actually leaped up from my couch and shout NOOOOOO! I loved Lundy and Deb’s romance and I wanted to see a real love triangle. Since I watch for Deb, those other storylines bore me or just irriate me. I don’t give a care about Quinn or the reporter. Don’t even know her name. I don’t really even get the point of them. I don’t care. Rita is irriating me so much. Her and her brat of an older daughter. I did want to see how Dexter would handle being a serial killer and family man but now I don’t care.
You people are delusional if you think killing Rita would make this a better show. What would happen to the kids??? Even more work for Dexter.
I agree Rita is annoying, but her character would be easy to fix: just give her a JOB! She’s just so bored with the kids and being a housewife, that the only thing she finds to amuse herself is to focus on every step and every mistake Dexter makes.
Give her something to feel more useful and she’ll be alright.
WOW, way to insult every stay at home mom on the planet. Ever stop to think some people find the role of wife and mother very fulfilling?
No, I did not insult every housewife, just Rita (and did not insult, just pointed out how bored she is right now as a stay home mom).
What about her character and actions imply she’s bored other than the fact that she is a housewife? You’re saying she’s bored because she’s a stay at home mom, which implies that being a stay at home mom is boring, and also useless according to your words.
“Give her something to feel more useful and she’ll be alright.”
It’s insulting.
NO, NOT happily ever after. I think a GREAT close to the season would be someone who has a grudge against Dexter kills Rita and her kids. That way we would be DONE with those annoying distractions.
And I totally don’t think Trinity shot Lundy and Deb. Trinity would snatch Lundy, take him somewhere and enjoy his fear…let him know that he is in charge and Lundy is nothing. A gun is too impersonal for these guys.
I agree with you. I think Trinity was setting up Lundy to be the third in his trio, but someone else got to Lundy and Deb first. Maybe the vacation killer?
Your both way off. The trinity is all about ritual. Lundy would not have been his victim, because he was not a father of 2 who lived a family man lifestyle. He also would not have tortured him, because that is not part of his modis operandi. He has 3 specific types of kills he uses, and Lundy did not fit into any of the 3 victim classes that he required. He was however an obstacle in the path of his ritual, and had to be taken care of accordingly. Once he realized that Lundy didn’t recognize him in the courtyard area, he knew he could kill him.
You missed my point completely. If Trinity thought Lundy was an obstacle, he would take him out, but not by shooting him. He would take him somewhere where he would be able to talk to him and, more than likely brag about his crimes, and then he’d dispose of him when he was done. He would not kill him as part of his ritual, but he does have to worry about self preservation and he would be forced to eventually get rid of him as Lundy kept getting ever closer.
Okay. Trinity WOULD have killed Lundy to make sure his ritual was not blocked and to make sure the 3rd kill was 6 days after his second kill. He would have had no grudge against Debra. The vacation killers would have made sure Debra was dead and not a witness. Also Trinity is a type of serial killer who is ashamed of his killing, yet cannot resist the compulsion to kill. That is why he tells his victims “you made me do this”.. he attacked the guy in the alley, to justify the 3rd kill. He has 2nd vic in cycle jump (it’s their fault they die).. etc.. AND not all serial killers make the kill personal. David berkowitz (son of sam) killed by shooting his victims.
good call Jules.
Trinity doesnt seem to revel in his kills at all.. he seems almost depressed or at least resigned that he is compelled to do them.
he wouldnt take pleasure in torturing lundy, because he’s not a sadist, in the strictest definition. inflicting pain is not his end game, fulfilling his need is.
I agree, but I don’t think it was the Vacation murderers either. If Trinity’s motive for killing Lundy was that Lundy was on his trail, he would have taken his tapes or some of his files and theories he had stashed in his motel room. It doesn’t make sense that the Trinity killer would kill Lundy but then leave all of Lundy’s evidence pointing directly to him behind. This might be really out there, but I think there’s something suspicious about Quinn and he was the 1st officer at the scene.
I have been tired of Rita from almost the introdution of her caractor
To be honest, I think it was Quinn, I don’t know why, but I just gotta feeling!
I haven’t watched yesterday’s episode yet, but I heard Lundy did die. I’ll have to hold my opinion on who I think it might be. But i’d bet my paycheck it’s not Trinity. Watching it tonite! Can’t wait! (although it sounds like I’m going to have to sit through more Quinn-porn. And I agree, if we have to see HER naked, why not Quinn) HAHAHA
Does anyone think it would be a twist if it was Trinity’s kids who did it? Then THAT would be great television!!!!
I absolutely love “Dexter” (ALL the characters too!). Even though Harry is dead, PLEASE do NOT get “rid” of him (or the equally terrific James Remar). I agree that Rita is truely getting to be annoying, but then I love Deb; potty mouth and all. Sorry to see that they killed Lundy off. But PLEASE no more of John Lithgow naked! Ew!!!!!!!!!!! This show has been so great this year, that I prefer to watch it first run and DVR “Desperate Housewives” (and watch that bore an hour later).
why watch it if it bores you so much?
Dream on about seeing Quinn, and pretty well any male on TV, naked, except maybe for a quick tease from the back of people we’d rather not see naked at all. Men are way, way to cowardly to show what they have and Hollywood is way to sexist and protective of their fragile little egos – little being the key word – God forbid all those short little actors turn out to have other shortcomings too!
James Remar was naked front and back in Sex and the City. Californication has frontal nudity of males all the time…
Women are objects. Men are seen without shirts a lot more than women. I hate feminist cows like you. Bury yourself please.