Dexter - The Dark Defender / 2/2

 The big revelation to me in "The Dark Defender" is that Dexter's mother and Harry, it seems, were fucking. This is revealed by Chainsaw Man, when asked by Dexter (while beating him) regarding why his mother was killed. Dexter listens to a recording of his mother's concerns with Harry about turning against her dealers, with him promising to protect her. He failed. You can imagine how Dexter feels. Harry lied to him. Even worse, Harry never provided this truth to him. Harry's code on how to kill and who to kill and concentration on Dexter (sometimes not giving Deb the attention she deserves and needs) so that he would avoid trouble...but how Dexter winds up the way he does, Harry did contribute to that. This is the kind of detail that makes shows great. While Dexter tries to circumnavigate separate relationships with Rita and Lila, while undergoing an examination and scrutiny from Rita's worrisome mother, Gail, he's also hoping to avoid that boat evidence being pursued by FBI Agent Lundy's Bay Harbor Butcher task force. His boat activity at the end, not realizing a perfectly placed camera behind a horn captures it all certainly bookends the episode with a fun, "Uh oh." Gotta love that sort of gotcha closing scene. It leaves that immediate thought of, "How is he getting out of that one?"

The episode also has Deb breaking up with her gym rat boyfriend over what she thought was an email literary file actually containing a children's story he would be publishing in book-form soon. Yes, he's not dating Deb for some Ice Truck Killer story to publish. She looks through his drawers, handcuffs him to the bed so he can't move, and peeps at his computer emails. Lundy, being the kind of paternal mentor he feels Deb might need, even provides her a background check on the poor guy, with her feeling like shit. He's clean. That Ice Truck Killer relationship fail really has attached itself to her every move...personally and professionally. Lundy, with his 1:00 afternoon lunch at the boat dock throwing Deb off because she doesn't feel comfortable around boats, seems to really have that fatherly appeal she lacked from Harry. That this might turn into anything romantic, I'm not quite at all ready for.

But Dexter contending with a Harry he never knew while trying to figure out who he wants, compelled by Rita to not just follow Gail's wishes and leave the family alone while allured by the seductive and sexy Lila, he's got a full plate of drama. Seeing Dexter within memories as an adult, like the one where Harry was promising his mom she'd be okay if she continues to snitch, really adds this eeriness to me. When you want answers, sometimes they are not exactly what you anticipate or expect.

Also I can't help but get a kick out of Debra talking about the Butcher at a cafe table when he is her adopted brother sitting right in front of her. The irony of these moments never fail to amuse me.