Dexter 3.01 Our Father

[selenak]

After last season, I wasn't sure whether I'd continue watching. Not for the usual reasons, because the quality of the show hadn't stopped being very high; the second seaosn was excellent. But my feelings regarding the main character had changed so much. On the other hand, my feelings towards the rest of the ensemble hadn't, so I felt torn. I still do, but ensemble love won out.



First of all, I'm still not over Doakes. I think any affection for Dexter the character really died in the second season finale; at some point during that brilliant yet revolting replay of the credits sequence - Dexter goes through his morning routine, then shows up with donuts at the preccint, quite unable to understand why not everyone feels cheerful, because hey, Doakes is dead and his suspicions gone. So emotionally, what I'm rooting for at this point is for Dexter to be caught; which will make both Deb, Rita and the children feel awful, but they've all gotten to a point where I think they're emotionally strong enough to cope with the blow. All this being said, there is a certain amount of clinical interest in Dexter's development, plus as I said, I do love everyone else. So, the season opener accomplished its purpose; it made me feel intrigued, and confirmed I still am hooked on the show.

To start with the shallow, Deb's new haircut is adorable. What's his name - Vince? - seems to be set up as her new love interest, but I find the woman from Internal Affairs far more interesting as far as Deb is concerned. I'm curious how this show will present Internal Affairs. As londonkds once said, in cop shows and movies, Internal Affairs usually are presented as either authoritarian bureaucrats who Just Don't Understand What It's Like Out There, or as corrupt and sleazy, only out to get honest cops. A show like Between The Lines, where the Internal Affairs department are actually the heroes, performing an unpleasant but necessary job in a world where they're vilified, is rare. Nobody liked those who watch over the watchers, and so forth. So, I could see this storyline with Deb and Internal Affairs woman going various ways. The most obvious one is this: Deb's ambition and need to prove herself versus the code of standing by your fellow cops no matter what. In this episode she said no, despite the fact that Guy Who Hit On Her And Might Have Been Called Vince was more or less a stranger, but had to experience Angel putting professionalism before friendship when pulling her off the investigation. So maybe next time, the temptation will be stronger. But this possible storyline isn't the most interesting, imo - i.e. Internal Affairs as an unsympathetic outside source of temptation that forces Deb to confront her own ethics. And this show has been layered about similar questions in the past; in the first season, Angel when witnessing Doakes' shooting of a running away suspect eventually decided to tell the truth instead of protecting his fellow policeman, and Doakes himself approved of this, shutting down those in the preccint who reacted by calling Angel a traitor. It would be far more interesting if Deb started to cooperate with Internal Affairs because she genuinenly comes to believe this could be the right thing to do, if it's not friendship versus ambition but truth versus friendship. Maybe even truth versus love, if Deb should finally come across proof for Dexter's activities.

In any case, I'm happy they cast the Internal Affairs officer with a female actress. Her scenes with Deb are intriguing. More!

Angel, Mr. Ultimate Nice Guy, being promoted and confronted with the not so fun part of being someone's superior is another interesting situation. All the more so because it's not an easy choice, because Deb really didn't do anything wrong, and helped with the case - but you also can understand LaGuerta's point. This time, Angel managed to do the unpleasant demoting and managed to remain a pal, buying everyone drinks to celebrate, but how much longer?

Given the sheer amount of sex Rita and Dexter have in this episode, I was wondering whether the show was overcompensating for the Lila scenes last season or whether there would be a pay-off; the later turned out to be the case, with Rita realizing she's pregnant. Clever choice on the part of the show. Dexter is convinced he's moved on beyond Harry (but immediately proves he's still in the angry retaliation stage but not simply telling Deb he won't show up for the toast but standing her up), and he has been a father figure for Rita's children for two seasons now; becoming a literal father will put the idea of having grown up to the test. (Especially if you see the last season as the equivalent of a belated adolescence, with all the selfishness that implies.) But I'm seriously afraid for Rita now, what with Dexter calling her the glue that holds his normal life together. On a lesser show, this would mean her death sentence. I cling to the fact the show already did the Dexter-without-Rita thing last season and that it didn't go with any cliché as far as Rita was concerned before. So please, show, don't overplay the parallels between Rita and Dexter's dead mother by letting her die gruesomely, whether or not this is connected with her pregnancy.

Dexter having killed someone who didn't fit his criteria is another good storytelling choice. Oscar being revealed as a druggie isn't a cop-out, since this still doesn't qualify him as a killer. And ADA Jimmy Smits bringing up the brother parallel involuntarily seems to point towards the fact this will have consequences for Dexter through the season, too. Plus his original target now is at large and knows what he looks like. Dexter has become increasingly careless ever since season 1, and sooner or later, this is bound to catch up with him.

Comments

[violaswamp.livejournal.com]

I loved the ep, and Deb's haircut. I agree about the IA storyline--it has the potential to be really good. And Yuki is female AND Asian, no less--a realistic multi-ethnic Miami, yay!

I'm interested also in the development of LaGuerta's relationship with Jimmy Smits, esp. now that she's suffered the loss of Doakes. Here's another ex who's become a friend, showing up in her precinct. How will she deal with him?

I believe "Vince" is actually called Quinn.

[selenak.livejournal.com]

I'm torn whether or not LaGuerta has decided to let things rest with Doakes or whether she's just putting on a facade (which she did re: her job at the start of s2) because she has seen open insistence on investigation or his innocence would get her nowhere. But the parallels with the Jimmy Smits character are there, yes, especially since he's on a quest now, too (to find his brother's killer). I also thought when she insisted in her scenes with Angel that you can't always be a friend and a superior that she was thinking of Doakes, since by trying to protect him and covering for him when he began to cross the line more and more it ended up making things worse, as Lundy pointed out to her.

Right, Quinn.

[ffutures.livejournal.com]

Lots to like here - Dexter is still a monster, of course, but he always was, we just saw it more explicitly at the end of S2.

[selenak.livejournal.com]

That's true, and I'm not saying it was a bad storytelling choice- it was an honest one. It just had a certain effect on me. But as you say, the show still offers a lot.

[kalypso-v.livejournal.com]

Oh dear, we've only just got to the end of second season here. I'm never going to catch up with your reviews.

[selenak.livejournal.com]

But they're easily accessible via the "dexter" tag!

[kalypso-v.livejournal.com]

I know, and I did get as far as going to read the reviews of the finale yesterday, but work's been very hectic, so I haven't had time to say anything. And it always feels a bit funny commenting on something you wrote a long time ago (I was baffled yesterday to get a comment on a thread I'd started in lifein1973 in January!)

[monanotlisa.livejournal.com]

I too was glad there was a point to all the sex -- and this ending also re-established my faith that this show can do the totally unexpected and have it make total sense, obviously still exploring the idea of families, fathers especially, but at least we get some daughter moments through Deb...and possibly, maybe, Astor? I do think the show will have to address the upcoming change for Rita's children.

[selenak.livejournal.com]

It will. I mean, they adore Dexter, but having a baby sibling, who is going to be the center of parental attention, is bound to make a difference to them. Plus Astor and Cody are close enough in age that there is a certain equality there, even if Astor is the older. A baby is different.

Astor no longer wanting star-shaped pancakes as the start of growing up: made me smile, but could augur for more, yes.