Dexter 1.10 Seeing Red

[selenak]

Or, the one where things get Freudian.



A couple of episodes back when we first saw Paul, several people commented on him having something a physical resemblance to Dexter - not strong, but enough to suggest Rita has a (physical) type at least. Last episode when we heard about Dexter's late biological father being an ex-con, something else occured to me, to wit, that Paul the abusive husband with a parental sense might have something in common not with Dexter himself but with Dexter's biological father. This episode, revealing a bit more of Dexter's toddler-in-bloodbath memories, specifically the face of his mother, made it text rather than subtext, I think: if Paul mirrors the deliberately forgotten bio-dad, Rita mirrors Dexter's mother. (I wouldn't be surprised if that was Julie Benz' voice talking throughout the flashbacks as well rather than an actress sounding somewhat like her.) Which makes Dexter choosing an abused woman for a girlfriend, who originally does not want sex and has two little children, among other things, into a subconscious quest for the lost mother.

I was wondering about mothers on this show. Harry's wife is hardly visible in the flashbacks, I don't think we heard her voice, or know her name. And last week any mention of Dexter's biological mother was suspiciously absent. On the other hand, you have very visible and prominent in Dexter's life single mother Rita with her two children. (You also have La Guerta briefly taking on a maternal role with the Cuban boy, and as head of the team being the strict and sometimes unfair parent with Deb and the occasionally flirting but definitely favoring parent with Dexter. Hmmm.) Of course, Dexter starting to open himself just the slightest bit up with Rita and their relationship turning sexual goes hand in hand with dad coming home and trying to take Dexter's place in the new family and/or repeat his original crime. All of which points to patricide as the obvious solution. And Paul looked like he was going to become Dexter's case of breaking the Code of Harry, directly after the Harry-lied-to-me revelation....

...except he didn't. I love this show and the way it surprises me. Because of course Dexter is cleverer than that, and the way he found to deal with Paul without killing him wasn't just brilliant but completely set up as well by the episode, what with all the talk about what an examplary prisoner on parole Paul had been and Paul's boast about being clean etc. All the same, that swing with the frying pan? Has to be a first. I don't think we saw Dexter becoming violent strictly out of anger before, except for the flashback where Harry caught him and held him back at the last minute, and then he was a teenager.

Also: Rita, while getting more and more cornered through the episode, still not giving in to Paul and saying that quiet "fuck you" instead? *loves*

Meanwhile, Deb catches a clue as to who her boyfriend is really interested in. (As this somewhat resembles a theatrical_muse storyline from last year, except for the serial killing, I had some really odd moments watching.) Alas, not enough not to buy his apology at the end. My favourite Deb scene this week was the one with Dexter because one starts expecting her to be jealous about one thing and then realizes she's hurt because of another, which goes deeper. My heart broke a little for them both when she begged Dexter to talk to her, and he just couldn't.

Sidenote: has Deb a precedent? I must rewatch the final scene because I think it's possible there was a second child there - which would also fit the pattern with Rita and her two kids - but I might be imagining things.

Rudy is getting careless. That 80s' songs thing on the radio was something not only Dexter could decypher, and Deb was there to hear it. Also, note that Deb said "the ice truck killer had five victims" only a second after Dexter thought it. And of course the attack on Angel so shortly after Angel questioned him is a big hint as well. I'm really worried for Angel, though: yet again, it says something about the great way this show handles its ensemble that seeing Angel lie there with the flood flowing hit me like a punch. Here's hoping he survives!

Lastly, La Guerta versus The Captain: am rooting for La Guerta, of course...

Comments

[vonnie-k.livejournal.com]

Aside from the emotional impact, that flashback scene also made me wonder *where* Dexter's bio dad was when this horror was happening to his wife and son. I assume that the bio dad is not the murderer, despite Dexter's projection of Paul into the role of the potential killer. (Like you said, Oedipus complex much?)

Rudy's arrogance in insinuating himself into the lives of Deb and Dexter, who've been living and breathing the ITK cases for months, will ultimately be his downfall, I think. I also thought the show took a significant turn toward more grim darkness (as opposed to its trademark mix of black humour and violence) in this episode. What happened to Angel really shook me, not to mention the horrific nature of Dexter's flashback. And we only have two more episodes to go! I can't wait to see how this will be all wrapped up.

[selenak.livejournal.com]

The nature of the flashback didn't surprise me that much because there were several hints starting with the very first flashback where Harry tells Dexter "you came to us too late", so it had to be something like that, but yes, nonetheless, the emotional impact when we saw it on screen was stunning. And Angel! I spent the rest of the episode wibbling "but he's not dead, is he? Is he? Tell me, damm it!"

Bio dad: I also don't think he actually did it because if he had, there's no way he'd have been released from jail, especially not with almost twenty decades of freedom ahead of him. Otoh, if he wasn't incriminated in some way, he wouldn't have lost custody of Dexter, so - maybe (again, shades of Paul!) he was a drug dealer/user and the killer was a drug lord punishing him via wife & kid for trying to steal some of the stuff?

Rudy's arrogance: definitely. Also, I think pretty much the only way he could know so much about Dexter is by accessing Harry's file the way Neil Perry accessed La Guerta's. (Assuming Deb & La Guerta were right when saying Harry found Dexter literary on a crime scene, the report about the murder of Dexter's mother etc. would have been filed by him.) And that surely leaves electronic footprints?

[faroutgal.livejournal.com]

About the file, has Dexter accessed his own file? I was wondering as I rewatched his flashback if he had ever read it. I don't remember him referencing it which, I think, would be unusual for Dexter.

[selenak.livejournal.com]

I don't think he ever read it, being determined to make "the little boy go away" as he still was in that episode. He might now, of course, but not previously, no.

[faroutgal.livejournal.com]

That's what I thought, which means, that scene is coming...we'll see if the code of Harry survives it.

[bitterbyrden.livejournal.com]

I just watched this last night. It was really a stunning episode. I feel so horrible for ...everyone actually. Rudy + Dexter is the biggest OTP ever, but Rudy really, REALLY blew it with that gift. How much does Rudy really know about Dexter, because it's one thing that he knew about Dexter's father, but if he knew ANYTHING about Dexter's traumatic babypast, he had to know that Dexter might react poorly to a bloody re-enactment of...

Or maybe not. Maybe Rudy just thought that Dexter was really into blood.

The Deb and Rudy interactions were great. The Rita and Paul stuff was frustrating beyond all end, because it's fairly common (I think) that it gets twisted when an abused wife fights back.

I'm just in love with this series, man. I looked forward to reading your commentary for days... I just had to wait until I downloaded the ep.

[selenak.livejournal.com]

Rudy probably thinks bringing the past back will dissolve Dexter's conditioning by Harry and make him into the same kind of no-limits serial killer Rudy himself is. (That's my current guess anyway.)

I'm in love, too. And I just watched (and reviewed) the latest episode, which means only one more to go until the season ends. *mourns in advance*

[likeadeuce.livejournal.com]

Great fakeout with Dexter getting Paul violated on his parole (and the former criminal law student in me was rather SHAMED that I didn't think of it earlierin the ep as firearm possession = automatic violation in pretty much any jurisdiction).

Gah, I have to sleep, will watch the rest in the morning. Also, Dexter/Rudy as Harry/Connor made me giggle a little.

[selenak.livejournal.com]

and the former criminal law student in me was rather SHAMED that I didn't think of it earlierin the ep as firearm possession = automatic violation in pretty much any jurisdiction

I'm not a former criminal law student, but I didn't think of it, either, and when we saw it slapped my head and said "of course!". Points to both Dexter and the show for letting him be smart and use his knowledge from daily work that way.

Also, Dexter/Rudy as Harry/Connor made me giggle a little.

He. But I really thought of it during this episode. Also, Deb does remind me of Kara. At least Harry O. is not a serial killer! (Though Connor is one if one does not limit serial killing to the human species...)

Here's another silly thing for you: Doakes as Todd, going after Rudy with the gulf club?