Last night's episode of Dexter, Ep. 5: Dirty Harry," was yet another strong one. In the aftermath of the killing of Lundy and shooting of Deb, Dexter realizes that though Miami Metro is thinking it's another act by the Vacation Murderer(s)--who end up in custody-one in morgue custody, the shootings are instead Trinity at work. Dexter must add this to his repertoire of secrets however, and handle Trinity alone.
Lundy got careless and Trinity took him out before Lundy could interfere with Trinity's next ritualistic murder--a bludgeoning of a middle-aged man with two kids.
Deb, though not seriously physically wounded, psychically is destroyed by Lundy's death and by her own infidelity. Still in her hospital bed, she immediately confesses to live-in boyfriend Anton about cheating and ends "them" on the spot despite his pleas to let him help her as she did him when he was victimized by the Skinner (last season).
Rita continues to take issue with Dexter behaving as he always has--secretively--and you can see in one of the promo clips that he ends up in couples counselling with her.
I find most every scene with Rita annoying --at least the Rita part of it.
Michael C. Hall often rescues it ( mostly) so I'm not looking forward to her explanations of why she is so unhappy being married to Dexter. The relationship has always been heavily skewed toward co-dependency. Rita was at first a cover for Dexter--an added veneer of normalcy to cover his Dark Passenger. For Rita, Dexter was almost too good to be true (!) nice guy and a ticket to "living the (her) dream." She's completely oblivious to the fact that her dream is Dex's nightmare.
If counselling will do anything it will open her eyes--which should make her want to flee and it could do the same for Dex. Why the writers feel the need to keep the sad, tired character of Rita going is beyond me.
Finally, about Jennifer Carpenter (Deb). This character has gradually grown on me over four seasons, as the writers have fleshed her out and as the actress has learned just "who" Deb is at her core. I think Carpenter reached the pinnacle--the essence of Deb at her most raw and most real as after summoning Dex to the motel lot where she and Lundy had just days earlier had been shot, she opened up her soul and howled--literally. She's "broken." Not for a second did I not believe her. She sobbed convulsively and my tears started flowing, too. With Dexter standing there helplessly as his first attempt at touching his sister was rebuked, Jennifer Carpenter displayed an Emmy-calibre performance that was devastatingly pitch perfect.
Next week: Dexter - S4E6 - 'If I Had A Hammer' Dexter knows it's only a matter of time before Miami Metro discovers the Trinity Killer's latest handiwork. Therefore, he has to work doubly hard to stay one step ahead of their investigation. Dexter has begun to realize that the closer he gets to Trinity, the more he stands to learn from this very different beast. Trinity hides behind a well-kept mask, and getting behind that facade will require some extra prodding on Dexter's part. Meanwhile, Debra becomes frustrated when she finds herself shut out from her own case. She considers bending the rules in the name of justice, risking her career in the process. LaGuerta and Batista come to regret a major decision, and realize that by playing by the rules they may have painted themselves into a corner. And when the friction between Rita and Dexter comes to a head, Dexter gleans relationship advice from a most unlikely source.
Work It Out
Rita and Dexter visit their therapist100 Ocean Gate
Deb asks Dexter for a ride to the station while they discuss a new homicide investigation
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