Dexter: the conclusion to my Season 1 saga

Please do NOT read below if you haven’t watched Dexter. It’ll just ruin it.

I mean it! Stop reading.

You think I’m joking… I’m not.

STOP.

If you haven’t watched Dexter and you’re still reading this, our friendship is now in jeopardy and my respect for you as a person has significantly diminished. Just puttin’ that out there.

Go away. Seriously.

Okay, so Miriam and I got to the end of Disc 3 (Episode 1.11 “Truth Be Told”) and we both literally screamed. It’s THAT good and intense. It was such a cliffhanger, that we hopped online to Netflix to watch Disc 4—which was only one episode?—but is the season finale. (Episode 1.12 “Born Free”)

Code of Harry

• I think my reservations about Harry were at least partially—if not fully—addressed. With the foil of Brian to compare Dexter to, Harry instantly saw into Brian's soul and saw what kind of man this kid was destined to become. He already had the darkness in him. But in Dexter, I think Harry sensed something that was redeemable, which is why he rescued him from that crime scene.

• But once Harry realized what he was up against (Episode 1.1 “Dexter” when Harry realizes young Dex has been killing animals), Harry mustered all his wisdom and resources to train Dexter to master his darkness and not be completely chained to it.

• Brian has totally embraced his identity, while Dexter barely hangs on by the thread of Harry’s code. Harry’s code and investment into Dexter, instilling values and ethics in him is what trained him to ultimately choose a different trajectory.

• I LOVE stories like this, where choice and free will so clearly determine one’s destiny.

• The sad thing is, the only difference between Dexter and Brian might have been the age. Brian was old enough to be twisted and warped by what he saw. Dexter couldn’t even remember the incident until Brian/Icey severely jogged his memory. And Dexter was still damaged by the event.

On the Job

• Dang it. Just when I start to really enjoy LaGuerta, she gets demoted.

• Wow, when she and Doakes figure out that Icey’s the Doctor = brilliant Sherlock Holmes moment.
• I think the reason I love Doakes is because he’s the only one who sees through Dexter. If Doakes can get over his animosity, I think Doakes might be one of the first to see and accept Dexter for who he really is. Although, since he’s a very, very good cop and former Special Ops, this knowledge will create some obvious professional conflict. Could go either way. We’ll see.

The Future Mrs. Morgan?:

• Rita, about Deb: “She must be a mess falling in love with a serial killer.”

Dexter: “What are the odds?” Seriously, writers. Stop winking at the audience. Haha.

• Rita discovers a shoe, just like Paul said. Aaaaaand the writers perfectly set up Season 2.

Brothers & Sisters

• The Lozenge reveal of Icey’s identity to Deb was BRILLIANT. I got the creepies during this part. I felt Deb become completely paralyzed and panicked. Brilliant acting, Jennifer Carpenter.

• “Not Deb.” This moment finally shed some clarity for me on the nature of Dex. Somewhere under layers of psychosis and trauma and mess, there is a beating heart there that has somehow developed strained affection for his foster sister Debra, perhaps merely remnants of his affection for Harry. However warped that affection is, it saved him and distinguishes him from Brian.

The Ice Truck Killer/The Dexter Factor

• Dexter: “Deb's fallen for you hard, and if you hurt her...”

Icey: “What you'll hurt me? Oohhh..”.

Dexter: “Yeah, something like that.” The way Icey says “Ooooh” had a Creepy factor of 10.

• I LOVED the final scenes between Icey and Dex. It was so epic and Shakespearean, the idea of two brothers of two separate moral fibers and destinies—but still linked by a common tragedy—dueling it out. Wicked awesome.

• Icey: “I know what you've been going through all these years. The isolation, the otherness, the hunger that's never satisfied. But you're not alone anymore, Dexter. You can be yourself with me, your real, genuine self. Takes the breath away, doesn't it?” SUCH a good demonstration of permissive freedom versus true freedom with the right restrictions. Icey has fully embraced his freedom as a license to fully indulge his insatiable need to kill. Icey sees Dexter as bound and restricted because of his “code.” They’re both damaged. But which one is truly more free?

• Now, Icey’s getting Dextered. INTENSE. Such a loaded Dexteration, too. How in the world can Season 2 top this in narrative and emotional gravity? How I yearn for August 19^th… Oh, Season 2 DVDs, please come quicklyJ

• I kind of breathed a sigh of relief with the conclusion. So I did not have to embrace any sort of “ethical paradigm shift” after all. In light of his backstory, Dexter makes perfect sense: “My mother was murdered before my eyes. Makes sense I'd choose a life where I search for meaning in blood, and the sole memory I have of her is being covered in it.” Yes, it does, Dex. Yes, it does. Now you should go to counseling…

Other random Pretender parallels and trivia:

• The title character Dexter is played by actor Michael C. Hall. Jarod was portrayed by actor Michael T. Weiss.
  
• In 2006, Michael T. Weiss portrayed a character named Dex in a movie called Razor Sharp. I'm not even making that up.
  

Now I have to wait for August 19th for Season 2. Oh, the agony:P