Dexter - An Inconvenient Lie

 

****Top Dexter episode****

Ok, so there is a minivan salesman with a toupee who chooses brunettes with no children or pets, single, with a home he could get from running a credit check. After two brutal crime scenes, Dexter connects the victims to a salesman, actually buying a minivan from him (taking a comb with a synthetic hair). Later Dex returns to get some legit DNA out of the salesman's trash (and off his desk) when talking extras for the minivan. Sure enough, Dex gets a match (using his Miami lab's equipment). And, sure enough, Dexter sets his sights on his next victim.

What makes this episode such an important one in the Dexter canon is The Dark Passenger is introduced into the lexicon of the show. Lila (Jaime Murray), a woman he meets at an Addicts Anonymous, clearly is attracted to him. She invites him to a diner next door and makes him realize he has a Dark Passenger inside him that encourages him to kill. She seems to have a Dark Passenger, too. I laughed out loud at the end when Rita, inside the driver's seat of the minivan, sees Lila, Dexter's "sponsor". Rita would not take no for an answer, insisting Dexter go to rehab his addiction, finish the course, the whole shebang. And this, in turn, brings Dexter and Lila together...or does it? Rita puts her foot down, though. She won't make a commitment to him if he doesn't complete the program. And Dexter even commits to standing in front of his fellow addicts and admitting his own "darkness" (without truly sharing what he's addicted to).

Even more surprising (or perhaps not; this episode would have you believe "everything's coming out Dexter") is Doakes' following Dexter everywhere after work, leading him to the Addicts Anonymous and realizing Dexter's secret is "an addict trying to get better". Because he believes Dex's secret is an addiction he's trying to combat, Doakes lets him know he won't be following him anymore!

I am very surprised of how much I'm enjoying the Pascal/LaGuerta subplot. LaGuerta was removed from her position of head of the Homicide department and sees Pascal "blowing it" in her place. Pascal can't seem to get it together because of her cheating fiance and his constant interference during work hours. A press snafu (she says way too much to the press about the Bay Area Butcher case), arriving late to work, seemingly unable to direct her people properly, and devoting more time to personal than professional matters, Pascal seems to be overwhelmed. But Pascal seems to have an ally in LaGuerta, who won't betray her boss' confidence despite having the opportunity to get her position back. Captain Matthews seems ready to drop another woman out of power due to "erratic behavior", but LaGuerta calls him out for his "sexism". LaGuerta is really working hard and even helping Pascal to corral the department with a heavy workload and certain members of the team selected to Special Agent Lundy's (Keith Carradine) Task Force to catch the Bay Area Butcher.

The irony of the episode being Dexter is the Bay Area Butcher, seeing his handiwork in this very impressive FBI "tent", as all the skeletal remains are individually stationed on tables. Lundy is trying to determine a pattern. Dexter drops off dental records, sees his victims, finds Lundy "reading the room", and the episode sort of sets up the profiler and the killer. With Debra and Angel selected to the task force, Dexter being the one they are supposed to catch, that irony is what makes the show such a fun ride. Dexter must continue his work, and doing so, appeasing The Dark Passenger, how the bodies are dumped and where takes on greater importance. How Debra feels wrong for the task force, Lundy convinces her that her experience with the Ice Truck Killer is exactly what is needed to find the Bay Area Butcher. Even Dexter admits that it sucks his sister is trying to catch him. The motive of why Dexter selects these victims is even realized by Deb who interviews a ton of Miami citizens, going to Lundy about certain missing people who were in and out of jail. Lundy had already told Dexter (hence, even more irony) he believes the only reason to kill anyone is to protect innocent lives. Lundy sort of offers Dexter a reason to continue his work, a morality that works with Harry's Code, even though he always acknowledges The Dark Passenger always speaks and must be heard (and obeyed). Dexter's talk with his murderer/victim has him realizing he does care about Rita, that she found a way in. Of course, this guy eventually reveals his woman-hating side and Dexter drives the knife in. 5/5

***CS Lee, the forensic investigator in the Miami lab assigned to the task force, continues to make sexist jokes that his workers just seem to look over. This guy would so be cancelled today.***