DEXTER: The Getaway

Wow. That is all I can say. I feel bad, in retrospect, for all of the times I’ve said something on “Dexter” was/could be a “gamechanger.” Little did I know that the fine folks running the show would come up with a way to truly change the show as we know it.

It needs to be said right now, before I go any further, that SPOILERS WILL ABOUND in this review and, if you plan on watching the episode and being surprised, do not read this review. You’ll thank me in the long run.

Let’s dive in, shall we? This week had a few things to tie up. First of all, Trinity had to die. Secondly, Deb had to reconcile her knowledge of Harry’s past, whatever that was. Thirdly, Dexter’s home life had to find some jumping point for next season. All three of those are achieved, I think, to marvelous results.

We picked up right where we left off last episode, something that they’ve done a fair amount this season. I always enjoy this technique in a show, as it really makes it seem, as it’s one big narrative. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that “24” and “True Blood,” the two other shows I review on GMMR, use this tactic often. An agreement was made between Dex and Trinity: Let it go, and so will I. Of course, we knew that actually wasn’t going to happen.

I wonder why Quinn has to continue to antagonize Dexter? It doesn’t get us anywhere, in fact it’s just annoying. Maybe it’s supposed to. Maybe it’s meant to slow Dexter down when he has to be slowed down to further the story, like he was tonight. Anyway, one thing leads to another and another and Dexter gets arrested, ruining his recently made honeymoon plans with Rita.

This entire episode, we really saw how much Trinity had gotten to Dexter. I think that, along from the countless victims Trinity claimed over the thirty years he was active, one of them was Dexter’s management of conflict and his double life. As soon as Trinity showed up, Dex had to become Kyle Butler as well. It all just became too much. It led to silly mistakes that, if they hadn’t happened, might have changed the ending.

I always imagined the casket that Trinity built being used for Trinity. But, Dexter hiding in it was just as creative and poignant. At that point, with SWAT descending upon the Mitchell household, Dexter thought he was dead, in the sense that he was caught. I do wonder if, at some point, Deb will second-guess why or how Dexter got to the crime scene so quickly. As of right now, however, there are bigger issues at hand.

Deb’s reveal of the information Dexter already knew was touching. Not only did Deb put herself out there, perhaps for the first time in a non-work setting, but Dexter’s realization that Deb would know have that knowledge on her conscience was also touching. How Deb and Dexter’s relationship evolves out of everything that has happened is very intriguing to me for next season.

OK, so Dexter killed Trinity. Awesome. We all knew that would happen, barring some horrible, jump the shark moments. But, what I didn’t expect (why would I?) is that it would be a moment that merits rewatching. A couple of times. Because, the conversation that takes place between them takes on a whole new meaning by the end of the episode.

Dexter goes through all of his rituals and the two talk about if and how Dexter is different from Trinity. It all boils down to Dexter has never wanted to or has never abandoned his family, something Arthur failed to do; also, Dexter is trying to fix himself or stop the killing whereas Arthur just waited for something or someone to stop him. It all ends with, “It’s already over” coming from Arthur’s lips and a framing hammer going into his skull.

Little did we know what that meant. My girlfriend brought up the point that Rita would be expecting Dexter in the Keys and would have called. I figured that he called her after SWAT raided the Mitchell house and said that he would be late. When they showed him returning home, however, I had figured it out.

Rita, and perhaps Harrison, was dead. And I was half right. Rita was killed, naked, in the bathtub, just as Trinity’s cycle dictated. Harrison was left to cry and wallow in his mother’s blood, just as Dexter was when Harry found him. Dexter is forced to face an entire new future. One where he feels he cannot stop the killing. One where he has three children depending on him. One where the utopia he envisioned will never occur. One where he has a revenge that will never be fulfilled because it already has been.

There are tons of questions that can be asked. Could Dexter have done anything to stop it? Was Rita killed in this way because it was all part of the cycle? Did Dexter cause Rita’s death? And, most importantly, what will happen next?

This season has been a blast, and I hope that you all have enjoyed reading my reviews as much as I have had fun writing them. Stay tuned for my “24” updates starting in January.