"Jesus Christ!" These days it's more of a curse than a call for redemption, but it was a strangely appropriate reaction when Dexter approached the insane crime scene at the start of Sunday's episode, "Horse of a Different Color." In a murder tableau inspired by the Book of Revelations, a human corpse had been divided into pieces, attached to four live horses, and loosed in the streets of Miami to signify the harbingers of the apocalypse. (So a typical Tuesday, basically!) The nightmarish scene promised a thrilling new hunt for Dexter (who grinned like it was his birthday), but the larger theological implications were what really helped make this episode the best hour of the season so far.
This episode of Dexter actually had a few things working in its favor, the main one being that it finally unified all the major plot elements for the season: the Doomsday Killer, Miami Metro's investigation, Dexter's friendship with Brother Sam and their resulting conversations about faith. Who knew that having everyone on the same page would render everything more purposeful and compelling? I understand that a certain amount of set-up needed to happen in order to get us to this place, but it still begs the question of whether it was completely necessary to keep Dexter unaware of the Big Bad for three whole episodes? I mean, is that good storytelling or is it just spinning wheels? You know what, don't answer that. Let's just appreciate what we've got now!
Now that Dexter and Miami Metro are firmly aware of the Doomsday Killer (yes, singular, more on that in a sec), WE are finally getting a better sense of what exactly has been going on in that decrepit church. For one thing, Professor Gellar (Edward James Olmos) is a former theology professor who was let go for alleged artifact theft; not coincidentally, an antique sword was used to murder the first two victims. Professor Gellar's interactions with Travis (Colin Hanks) this week were mostly limited to Travis's awkward romantic tryst with a local waitress and Professor Gellar's punishment for Travis having "defiled" her. The episode culminated with the season's second consecutive glorious WTF climax, which went something like this:
I don't know, the locusts that followed might have been overkill, but at least the swarm led to Dexter eyeing Travis in the crowd (Dexter knows a killer when he sees one). I believe someone pointed this out in last week's comments, and this week's episode definitely confirmed it in my mind: Professor Gellar is most likely a figment of Travis' imagination! It's very Fight Club, but we still haven't seen Professor Gellar speak to anybody other than Travis. Neither the jogging victim nor the waitress seemed to lay eyes on him, plus he was absent from the crime scene—whereas Travis was hanging out like he had nowhere else to be. All we know is that Gellar "went off the grid" after his final blog post on the date of the first murder, but there's no reason to believe Travis hasn't somehow incorporated a long-dead professor into his own schizophrenia. I guess we'll see!
I can't believe I'm saying this, but the Miami Metro office plotlines were also pretty great this week. Deb got off to a slightly shaky start in her new capacity as boss, but this episode more or less confirmed what we've been suspecting: Miami Metro, until this point, has basically been the worst crime-solving team in North America and LaGuerta is mostly to blame! Think about it: They've now investigated half-a-dozen serious serial killers, yet Quinn doesn't even know the most basic serial-killer lingo? Also LaGuerta insisted on hiring only from within, which would have prevented the undeniably smart new detective from bringing some much needed expertise to the department (well, he's smart with cases, but a bit of a dunce when it comes to tact). LaGuerta also attempted to hijack Deb's press conference only to have Deb do it her own way and become a local hero from dropping the F-bomb on live television (Oh, Deb). This season has done a great job of pointing out just how horrible LaGuerta is, and to be honest, LaGuerta is a much better character the more evil she gets. Lauren Velez is a talented lady, but the sappy, vulnerable side of LaGuerta has always done her a disservice. Bring on the villainy!
Probably my favorite parts of this episode were the two lengthy, low-key, and lovely exchanges with Brother Sam, which were so smart and well-acted they were like something you'd see on AMC! As Brother Sam and Dexter have grown closer (a bond verging on friendship) they've began to talk openly about faith, how it's a double-edged sword that can be wielded by good men and evil men alike. As someone who's found himself on both sides of the faith divide, Sam made some compelling arguments about the dangers of putting too much faith in the wrong person, which shines a light on Dexter's relationship with Harry, not to mention Travis' relationship with Gellar (imaginary or not). In Brother Sam's case, his faith in his abusive father led him down a path of murder, but his later faith in an intervening God set him back on the path of righteousness. While Dexter remained slightly skeptical of God's existence, his conclusive admission that science doesn't have all the answers indicated a new open-mindedness on the subject. But seriously let's get to what's important here: How good is Mos? This is some Emmy-level stuff he's doing, and it's nothing less than a thrill to watch.
The thing I enjoyed least about this episode (apart from the pot-smoking shenanigans of Quinn and Batista) was that it took a formerly intriguing plotline and more or less trashed it. Last week when intern Ryan stole the MANNEQUIN hand (got it, commenters!), it seemed to be a suggestion that she was somehow linked to the Ice Truck Killer, and my imagination ran wild with what THAT could mean. Instead we found out this week she merely stole the item to sell on eBay. Whoops! Definitely not as interesting. Anyway, the one good thing that came from it? Masuka fired her. It's so rare he's allowed moments to prove that he's serious about his job, so I instantly respected him when he asked her to leave. Ultimately I'm hoping there will be another twist to this plotline, but this disappointing turn of events was probably more a victim of my own expectations than anything.
I don't mean to shock you guys, but this episode was one of the more solid hours of Dexter I can remember. Credit where credit's due!
RANDOM BLOOD SPLATTERS:
... Do YOU think Travis and Gellar are the same person?
... Have we seen the last of Ryan?
... Did you detect possible romantic sparks between Deb and the new detective?
... Do you completely trust Brother Sam yet?
... If the new detective is as competent as he seems, how long before he's onto Dexter?
BROTHER SAM! Oh my gosh. Mos Def is awesome. Seriously. SERIOUSLY.
We have definitely not seen the last of Ryan. She mentioned all previous serial killers related to Dexter. She's going to pick up on a connection that no one else has found and blackmail Dexter. She'll also probably have closer relations with Masuka by this point so she'll be missed when Dexter puts her on his table. I'm guessing Masuka would be pretty dedicated in searching for his lover's killer.
And I don't see anything happening between Deb and the new detective. Yet. Through they probably will make it happen just to have that conflict between Deb and Quinn.
I totally trust Brother Sam. Because I definitely think that Sam is going to find out what Dexter is. Or Dexter is going to tell him. The real question is how Sam is going to react when he finds out. Will he turn him in, or keep his secret?
I do think the detective is competent however I don't know if they're going to focus on him this season. There's a LOT going on right now. Perhaps right at the end of the season? He would be smart enough not to mention ANYTHING to Deb about his suspicions (or at least he would figure out a plan for Deb to discover for herself) and I think that would be a season's story on its own.
And Brother Sam is awesome. Mos Def is doing well
I can't really tell. If that is all, it was quite useless and such an evident filler. But we've seen that with Batista and LaGuerta before: useless fillers. Anyway, she doesn't look (act) very sane. I wouldn't be surprised if she was involved with Travis.
"Did you detect possible romantic sparks between Deb and the new detective?"
Nope.
"Do you completely trust Brother Sam yet?"
Yes, I think he's genuine.
"If the new detective is as competent as he seems, how long before he's onto Dexter?"
End of this season and/or next season.
There is already plenty of stuff for this season.
I don't know but, after the whole hospital scene and the last discussion between Dexter and Harry, I am scared for Debra..
I liked the episode though. Quinn is funny when he's stoned! And Batista is creepy! Brother Sam is getting a little stale with the constant God-stuff, but he is acting the hell out of though!
Never heard of post-traumatic shock?
That was Dexter's mind brewing this whole stuff together.
What if Travis bought it?
And what's with her always shaking her booty in front of Masuka? Was this think a whole plan all along? Seducing Masuka to get the parts for the final scene?
Could she be another of Gellar psychotic admirer, in it with Travis.
Is this some kind of Cult whom Gellar was the leader of and is now the "Ever Seeing Eye" in their mind?
Cultism is another facet of Faith, the theme of this season.
-Yes, the girl tied up in the kitchen don't look at Gellar one single time. She just look at Travis like he was an insane man, although he try to help her. that means she saw him tie her up and is afraid of him an what he will do to her. Well that's my opinion.
The two ways of killing pointe by Dexter can be explained by schyzoprenia (or multiple personality disorder), the calm Gellar, and the shy Travis
... Have we seen the last of Ryan?
- She talks about the others serial killers (trinity etc) . I think she just want to make money as she said, even though it's disapointing. But blackmail can come Masuka's way.
... Did you detect possible romantic sparks between Deb and the new detective?
- Yes, and I would find it boring, very boring.
... Do you completely trust Brother Sam yet?
- No, Dexter always ends up betrayed and alone.
... If the new detective is as competent as he seems, how long before he's onto Dexter?
Too soon to tell
The question Price asked is a bit tricky, anyway. No one ever claimed that Gellar and Travis were the same person in the previous comments on this site. The suggestion was that Gellar was (now) existing in Travis' head like Dexter's father.
and the last question you asked i think you should ask also how long before hes onto debra?
His dad keeps helping him, in his mind, to control THAT with rules, as he did when he was alive.
But the main thing is when she's tied on the kitchen floor. She never looks (not even a peek) at Gellar. Just when he said "She's part of God's plan, now" would have made look at him with fright, if only a glance. And she didn't even pull herself away in disgust (or whatever) when Gellar "touched" her hair.
The 2%? Well, last week we saw Gellar paint the head of the mannequin.
So there are only two possible outcome:
1- The writers want us to believe that Gellar is in Travis' mind which would make the thing described above odd and more or less plausible and the whole thing a little cheap. OR
2- Travis is not only hallucinating but also suffers from multiple personalities (two, in this case) where he painted the head and tied the girl down as Gellar and doesn't remember it. That would also explain the discrepancies that Dexter noticed between the chopping of the body and the meticulousness of the horses scene. That would be very fiction because cases like that never have been observed. This also contribute to my 2% of doubt that they are "one".
Anyhow, if Gellar is an hallucination of Travis it would be interesting to see how they will develop that against Dexter's dynamic but I find it a little cheap also.
I always found Masuka a bit corny but that dumb? Unless the writers are getting sloppy this year or think that WE are dumb & dumber... It's not because someone put a winning bid on eBay, or whatever, that the thing is lost. She hasn't shipped it yet. Why did he act like that and, more over, didn't ask her to bring the thing back and return the money to the bider?
The angel scene was a new twist: animated murder. Not as complex as in "Saw" but cool.
But the scene that thrilled me the most as to what is coming this season is the last discussion between Dexter and Harry. That was the bond between all we've seen so far. Now, the show begins.
Harry: "Harrison's okay, and you did make that pact."
Dexter: "Come on, you don't really thing there's someone out there holding my IOU?"
Harry: "I don't know. But if there is, you better be ready to pay the Piper"
Nah, I think he was thinking with his "ding-ding" more than his brain.
Still, eager to see where the writers will take us with this... I hope they don't think we're that dumb.
On another note.. They jury is still out on wether Geller is real or not. We know he at least did exist at one point, evidenced by the picture of him on the website. But it could very well be that he's dead and Travis is only imagining him. I do hope he's real though as Olmos is an insanely good actor and I want to see him and Hall duke it out with with their acting skills!
Yeah, that would be very neat indeed.
They wouldn't have Dex come up with this just for him to be wrong about it.
And of course Geller hasn't spoken to anyone besides Travis. When you are "Off the grid" you don't go round talking to everyone. Thats why he has Travis.
It's a master-apprentice duo which is much more interesting than your ridiculous theory. And it's much more challenging for Dexter to go up against two rivals rather than one young schizo.
No matter how many times you say ''im ok, thanks'' they would still ask you ''are you ok?'' 10 minutes later as if you didnt even ask them.
As for the website of Gellar, I think Travis killed him at one point or he committed sucide and Travis witnessed it and now hes just imagining him still being alive and ordering him around kinda like Dex's dad or something.
Nah, not at all. But so far he is convincing and my resistance is dwindling :D
... If the new detective is as competent as he seems, how long before he's onto Dexter?
I don't like him, he seems obsessed with regulations, protocols ... can't like him until he gets a bit more relaxed. He also seemed displeased that the 2 stones guys had so much success at identifying a possible subject.
Maybe he will be another Doakes.
I definitely think Ryan's character will return. Her fascination with serial killers may turn out to be an interesting storyline. I think there's definitely more there!
- I don't think they are the same person, or at least I hope not.
- I heard that Ryan is booked for 7 episodes this season and there is a "shocker" in ep 6 so maybe the shocker involves her? There could be more to her then we saw or maybe she becomes a vitctim of Travis and Gellar.
- Deb and the new detective could hook up but I hope not, romances tend to just feel out of place on Dexter
- I do trust Brother Sam but he could very well be out-doing Dexter at his own game. Brother Sam could be suspicious of Dexter, I mean Dexter was snooping around his shop and he's been around the shop a lot.
- This guy seems like a new Doakes, which is good, but I don't want a carbon copy of his character. Quinn just backed off Dexter, do they really need another Detective on his case?
The subplots don't annoy me that much. Debra's storyline is still relevant and the new detective is for sure charismatic and useful. As for the Ryan&Masuka story, I liked that we get a glimpse of a serious Masuka and not the puerile individual that he usually is. I hope as well that this subplot evolves because we got two references so far to the Ice truck Killer this season and I don't think it's innocent. I did not really understand the weed moment between Quinn and Batista though.
Of course, we have that terrible suspicion of the non-physical existence of Gellar. I'm uncomfortable with this idea. On one hand, I'm a bit angry to suspect it that way (on this site) because I would have never suspect it on my own : so it's quite a spoiler. On the other hand, I'm glad to have the chance to watch the ep with that knowing in mind and therefore making me analyze every frame. I'm still not one hundred percent convinced but the cafe scene made me wonder : the gal offers coffee to travis but won't even look to his friend... weird. But is the guy so crazy that he doesn't remember tying the girl he just honored ?
I can't help but think that this heavy subject that is faith is perfectly timed with Dexter's background. After Rita's death and all that he has experienced about his secret life, Dexter is more than ever sensible to the idea of faith even though he seemed quite naive about it in the pilot (at the school). Those conversations with Brother Sam are like any conversation that he had with all the important people of the previous seasons : Dexter is growing up. The depth of those conversations has always been the backbone of the show because they are the reason that Dexter is having his perpetual introspection.
This season is definitely on. Next week seems pretty solid too.
Yes.
I hope Ryan returns, and that she is more interested in the past serial killers, and that this hand thing was really just a money need. I'd like to see some more pressure from that side.
I felt that there was, on a scale of 1 to 10, 1 being complete indifference, 10 being full on heat, a 2.1 amount of attraction between Deb and the Chicago transplant. Not enough to really even be noticeable to either, but enough under the surface that if they start flirting with each other next episode I wouldn't be surprised, though I will be disappointed. I'd like Deb to have an actual professional relationship with this guy for a change.
I LOVE Brother Sam!! And I will sign your petition for Emmy nod in his direction. Mos is making it work, and doing it well.
I hope that Chicago transplant doesn't get onto Dexter on his own. I hope that it's something that happens at like the end of this season, maybe with Ryan in there somewhere and leads for an interesting 7th season. But that's just me.
ryan, most likely
hell no...i would hate that
yes i love brother sam and trust him with my life
next season
Besides, Professor Gellar is a real person in Dexter, isn't it sort of a stretch to say, "Oh yeah, the real Professor Gellar is dead, but Travis has had a psychotic break and is having hallucinations of Gellar nonetheless?" They really gain nothing from that. Besides, I really think it would be a great scene for Dexter to talk with Professor Gellar about religion.
It is traditional for Dexter to have a supporting actor nominated for an Emmy (Jimmy Smits, John Lithgow, Julia Stiles), and Mos Def is fantastic so far.
I actually prefer the way Ryan's plot is turning out. It would be messy (and require awkward reworking of the the previously established backstory) to fit her in as a relative of Ice Truck Killer. There are people who collect serial killer memorabilia, and there are those who sell it. She won't be simply discarded as a character, especially since she hasn't actually been fired yet. Masuka berated her and is going to keep close watch on her, but he doesn't want anyone to find out that he fucked up, so he didn't say anything.
Of course Chicago cop is going to suspect Dexter-give it another episode or two. Of course Deb is going to get a new fuck-buddy, but I don't think it'll be him. And, I do trust Brother Sam.
The episode was great.