Dexter: Season Four, Episode Three

As the third episode of the season shapes up the pieces of the Trinity investigation begin to fall into place. Trinity’s third victim will be an older man, bludgeoned to death. Repeated references are made to the fact that Trinity is able to maintain his status as a serial killer due to the fact that he has no family. But was if it was the loss of his family that turned him into a killer in the first place? A young girl, a mother of two and an old man. I couldn’t help but notice that the pictures on Trinity’s table show this exact ratio: a nuclear family of four. The only person in this equation who is not a victim of Trinity’s killing spree is the boy: Trinity himself (?). What if Trinity lost his family: as a result of either his own actions or someone else’s, and he kills the same type people in an attempt to somehow connect to his own lost family? Of course, since it would be too obvious to go around killing entire families in the same fashion as his own he has to choose unconnected people, however the connections these people have in his mind are always the same. Perhaps he is even killing the victims to coincide with some sort of anniversary of his own family’s death, I guess we’ll all have to wait and see.
Will Lundy be the Trinity Killer’s next target? It would seem so fitting.

Unbeknownst to Lundy, he has connected the dots between the personal motivations of himself, Dexter and Trinity, (this in itself forms a trinity of its own). They are all motivated by the thrill of the hunt, Lundy to catch a killer; Dexter and Trinity to be the killer. But as Lundy points out when examining Trinity’s motivations, “I could just as well be talking about myself.” It would be interesting to put Dexter in a position where he must rescue Lundy from the Trinity Killer, in a way it would be similar to the situation where he saved Deb from his brother: Dexter would once again be forced to turn against a personality who shares a ride with his dark passenger in order to help someone from the “normal” world. This would force him to once again examine himself: does he have more in common with society than he believes (?).

Episode three continues to explore ways is which Dexter attempts to connect to the people around him and tries to fit in. Ironically, Dexter is able to make a connection with Astor, even though adolescence persuades her to refuse the advice or attentions of any other adults in her life. Concerning Dexter’s setbacks, Quinn is once again on his tail after being snubbed his gift of football tickets. However, Quinn should have seen this coming when Dexter replied that he was more partial to manatees than dolphins. What really sets Quinn off is when Dexter insinuates that Quinn is a dirty cop for taking the crime scene money. He then bluntly points out to Dexter, “You’re not one of us. You’re not a cop.” However, it seems that Quinn will soon have his own problems with the department if he continues to tell case secrets to his reporter girlfriend.

Even though we don’t get to see Dexter perform another kill this time, the “thrill of the hunt” remains a prevalent part of the episode. In addition, the parallels to Trinity’s murder sequence and Dexter’s showdown with his neighbor Andy create a scene that might as well have been a kill, as it appears that we will probably not see anymore of Andy’s handiwork, or his character for the remainder of the series. In dissecting Trinity’s murder scene Debra struggles with how this apparent suicide could actually be murder. How could someone be persuaded to jump to their death? Dexter aptly observes that “fear is a powerful motivator.” This sentiment proves true with both Trinity’s murder and Dexter’s scare scene. Both Trinity and Dexter threaten the lives of their victim’s families, and both are able to accomplish their goals. So even though Dexter’s hunt fails to result in a kill, the combat with his enemy parallels Trinity’s actions.

My predictions concerning Debra’s reignited feelings for Lundy continue to become more flushed out. In reference to her situation, we also get to see a more sensitive side of Masuka. While admitting that he has no personal experience in her situation, he is nevertheless able to validate her feelings without cracking the usual inappropriate joke. It was interesting to see the interaction between Debra, Lundy and Anton during lunch. While it was obvious from the start that Deb was irritated by Anton stopping by in the middle of her workday, the differences between her interaction with him versus Lundy only further distanced her from her current lover. Anton was visually disturbed by the photos from the murder scene; meanwhile Deb and Lundy talk over the case eagerly. The last shot from above of the two of them continuing the conversation while Anton folds his arms is a direct reflection of the current dynamics between this trio. Later, it comes as no surprise that Deb willingly lies to Anton about her whereabouts. She may be working late, but her purpose is certainly not completely work-related. Even though she and Dexter share a conversation about their desires for solitude, in Deb’s case it seems that what she really wants is more freedom in her life.

Of course, Harry continues to make appearances, repeatedly reminding Dexter not to get used to his new life in the suburbs. Will these warnings ever result in an outing of Dexter’s true identity? Rita must have some suspicions of Dexter after witnessing him smash out the surveillance lights, looks like he’ll continue to be in the dog house next week. At this point the question becomes how well will Dexter be able to patch this up? Will he be able to cover for his actions, or will his true identity seep through his carefully laid exterior in the same way that the graffiti on his fence reappears?

Dexter: Season Four, Episode Two

Title: "Remains to be Seen"

The play-on-words in this episode’s title are not lost on the viewer: episode two, while not as explosive as its precursor, sets up many things that “remain to be seen”. While Dexter literally tracks down his lost victim’s remains by frantically going in circles we are still left with surprises for next week: How exactly will the Trinity Killer execute his next kill? Is the short lived relationship between Angel and LaGuerta already over? Did Debra really manage to squash her leftover feeling for Lundy? Will Miami ever be able to go one day without a murder? Stayed tuned!

Dexter’s fight with his need for sleep is quickly replaced by his need to find and dispose Gomez, of course further delaying the primal human need for rest. For once, Rita’s usually over-bearing advice rings true: Dexter should have taken a personal day to clean up his mess. As Harry points out, with so many plates spinning, it’s easy for things to get out of control: Dexter snaps at Quinn, stumbles with Lundy’s endless questions, shuts down against Masuka’s attempt to liven up work during evening hours and rails against Harry’s demands. Dexter’s mis-steps resulting in self-alienation have never been more profound and dangerous. Even though Gomez eventually winds up safely hidden in the deep waters of the bay, Dexter realizes that his fix is “only a band-aid.”

In terms of romantic relationships, besides the newly developing affair Quinn has with the reporter, things seem to have cooled off. However, just because romance has taken a back seat to work does not mean that’s where the trail ends. The record seems to be set straight between Debra and Lundy, but her desperate professions of love with Anton actually suggest the opposite. Meanwhile, LaGuerta’s inability to balance the power dynamics of work and her private life with Angel convince them to take a break, but it seems obvious that this is not where their story ends, (especially now with Masuka suspecting that something’s up).

The audience is provided a break from watching another creepy kill scene involving the Trinity Killer, but is not spared from the creepiness of the hunt in action. While Miami’s finest might be hot on the trail of the Vacation Murderer, it’s the Trinity Killer who steals the scenes and the storylines again. The only scene that did not jive well was the scene involving Checkers. How did Trinity’s latest victim end up walking down the street at night with so many heavy packages, and her van parked neatly in the driveway? A scene involving her walking her own dog Molly would have been more believable.

Let’s hope that Dexter is able to catch a little more shut eye for the next few episodes so he can return to his former self: confident and reserved, yet outwardly friendly and one of the pack. After raising so many eyebrows this episode, he’ll need to work overtime to compensate for his lack of vigilance.