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Dexter: Living the Dream

Dexter: "If I want to be around for my son, I have to do this right. I'm killing for two now."

Dexter never expected to be a devoted husband and a father of three. His quiet, ordered life of crime-fighting and serial murder has turned into sleep-deprived chaos.

Clearly, Dexter can't accept that he has physical limitations, and isn't very good at expressing his own needs to other people. Rita didn't take the "night shift" because Dexter didn't even think to ask her. He should have told Rita that he desperately needed sleep, and he didn't, or couldn't. Marriage isn't a partnership for him – not yet, anyway. And now he just screwed up. Dexter never screws up. (I must admit that Dexter fumbling a body part like a football was pretty funny. I also loved how they recreated the credits with the broken shoelace, baby spit-up on Dexter's tee shirt, and so on.)

It looks like Deb is on her way to discovering what happened to Dexter when he was a toddler. I really want her to find out. Deb is the person Dexter is closest to, after all, and Dexter's childhood trauma is the core of his existence. Wouldn't it be good for him if he could talk with Deb about it? She would never be able to wrap her head around his murders, but at least she could understand the extent of his damage.

I heart Keith Carradine and I'm glad they brought Lundy back. (Anton probably doesn't stand a chance against Deb's daddy fixation -- although maybe finding out truths about Harry will change that.) Dexter and Lundy working together to bring down a killer would be cool. Dexter admires Lundy's brilliance and is deeply wary of him at the same time, which makes for a complex and interesting relationship. It would certainly make things uncomfortable for Dexter if Lundy and Deb become a permanent couple. My brother-in-law, the serial killer catcher.

John Lithgow is a terrific actor, and the Trinity killer story is promising. He certainly seems to have a deep and complex psychosis, what with the baths and showers and mirrors and all. And there are tourist murders, too. Because one killer would just be too easy, wouldn't it?

Angel and Maria as a secret couple made my jaw drop. "Sergeant." "Lieutenant." I like them both, and I'm worried for them. The oblivious Masuka constantly between them in the elevator symbolized the problems they're going to have with their office romance. It had better work out because if they break up – well, then again, Maria managed to stay friends with Doakes, didn't she? I still miss Doakes.

That scene with the baby made me think of all the scenes with young Dexter and Harry. Dexter will have to keep himself a secret from his own child. No way to recreate that special relationship with Harry.

Bits and pieces:

-- The cast is the same, except for the addition of Desmond Harrington (Quinn) and special guest star John Lithgow. I'm glad James Remar (Harry) is still in the cast. He works well as Dexter's inner voice, the visual and auditory code of Harry.

-- Michael C. Hall, who has a professional singing voice, sang to his baby. He didn't really sing, though. The baby's name is Harrison Morgan. After Harry, I assume.

-- Nice bit with Adrienne Barbeau as one of Harry's informants. I was glad that Harry didn't sleep with all of them. I'd hoped that Dexter's real mother Laura was important to Harry.

-- It seems unlikely that with a new house and a baby, Dexter can truly afford to keep his apartment, doesn't it? Well, maybe he has zillions in savings.

-- Quinn is still a jerk, and he's too dense to see that Christine Hill, bright cute reporter, was hitting him up to pump him for police dirt. I can see inappropriate headlines coming our way. I'm sure the Internal Affairs thing hasn't gone away, either.

Quotes:

Dexter: "There's this cliche where serial killers are always described as quiet, kept to himself, kind of a loner. It's a cliche for a reason."

Rita: "Car pool and swimming pools. How much are we living the dream?"
Dexter: "So much."

Masuka: "Talk about your blood bath. Hehehehe. (No one laughs) Tough room."

Masuka: "How about you, Morgan? Stud muffin still out of town?"
Deb: "It's tempting, Masuka. And elegant. Fuck off and die. Then die again."

Dexter: "Daddy's not going anywhere, buddy. I already lost my innocence. I'm not going to sacrifice yours, too."

Lundy: "Hello, Debra."
Deb: "Motherfucking fuck."
Lundy: "Nice to see you, too."

I'll admit I was disappointed with last season. It had some high points and Dexter's relationship with Miguel was interesting character development, but it wasn't as enthralling as it could have been. I'm ready for Dexter to blow me away again,

Billie
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Billie Doux loves good television and spends way too much time writing about it.

6 comments:

  1. I really enjoyed this first ep. esp. I am looking forward to seeing how crzay John Lithgow can go this season.. He must be a great actor... since he was in 3rd Rock from the Sun.. He was very funny in this sitcom.

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  2. BTW, I always like your review...How is Braking bad going? Have you seen 1 season yet? I hope to read your review for that show as well if possible..

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  3. It was a good first episode but I really hope they can make this season tighter and more intense than last season. I really agree with your feelings on season 3 Billie.

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  4. Thanks for your comment, Harry. I agree.

    Bristow: No, I haven't seen "Breaking Bad" yet. It's been busy.

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  5. Anyone else wonder how the Trinity Killer can be so meticulous when he was wrapped around the woman naked in the freaking bath when he killed her? You're telling me he didn't leave one hair or bit of skin or anything in that bloody water? Color me highly doubtful.

    Sorry to hear you didn't like season 3. I personally thought it was just as good as ever, but everybody's opinion differs.

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  6. Good point Alex, I decided that he was just meticulous about cleaning up after himself but you'd think he'd have a Dexter-like floor covering at the very least. Maybe he should have shaved off all his body and head hair but I'm guessing that John Lithgow has grown too fond of his eyelashes and eyebrows for that!

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