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Dexter: Hop a Freighter

Lumen: "It can't end this way."
Dexter: "It's not going to."

Would it be too much of a cliche if I said the suspense was killing me?

I knew something horrible was going to happen to Lumen because, hey, this is Dexter and it's the penultimate episode. And I'm encouraged that she wasn't killed outright. Dare I hope this season's finale will echo the first when Dexter rescued his sister? It's not like there has never been a happy season ending on this show; Dexter got married at the end of season three. Of course, his wife ended up dying horribly and it was his fault, but still.

During the past four seasons, Dexter has grown so much as a human being. He's moved emotionally from babyhood to childhood to teen, and now he's emotionally an adult – finally – and in love. He's never been so relaxed and comfortable with anyone as he was with Lumen in the beginning of this episode. Total trust. That "can't stop touching each other" thing that lovers do. I particularly liked the toys. It was so, well, playful.

Since Jordan has been established as a hands-off mastermind, I thought he would make Emily kill Lumen, but no. I'm still curious about Emily. Why did Jordan keep her alive in the first place, and why was it so easy for him to kill her? The thing with "Eugene Green" felt odd, too. Losing a hundred pounds and having plastic surgery? That felt like a huge clue (so to speak) that Jordan isn't Eugene, after all. But he knew those four guys for fifteen years, so how is that possible?

I knew Liddy would die. He was far from the first person to underestimate Dexter. (I really enjoyed that entire plotline; Peter Weller did a terrific job with that character.) But I have no idea what's going to happen to Quinn. When Dexter thought Quinn knew everything, it was definitely curtains. And then he changed his mind when he realized that Deb still loved Quinn. Michael C. Hall is so good that I swear I could see Dexter's thought processes as Deb was talking. I have no idea if Quinn will make it to season six, and he still has those photos of Dexter and Lumen on the boat. But I've actually, finally started to like Quinn. Mostly because he had the good sense to fall for Deb. Maybe Deb's seasonal tragic romance will have a happy ending for a change.

How interesting that Deb is into what Dexter is doing for Lumen. That was a great Dexter/Deb scene. I could swear Dexter was considering telling her the truth, too. I think it's going to happen. I think Deb is going to finally find out about her brother in the finale.

Bits and pieces:

-- The title, "Hop a Freighter," suggests that Dexter and Lumen should have skipped town. But hey, last year's season finale was called "The Getaway" and no one got away.

-- Deb versus Jordan in a verbal battle one more time, and Deb won again. She is awesome.

-- Dan the dentist's wife looked a bit like Emily and Lumen and all the barrel victims. Coincidence?

-- Maria finally did something nice for Deb. Maybe she realized that Deb would make a bad enemy.

-- Masuka figured out where the Tilden kill room was. That, and Dexter leaving Liddy's body in the car, is evidence that could possibly point to Dexter. Maybe.

-- The penknife purchase was too obvious a clue. I knew as soon as Dexter bought it for Lumen that she would use it by the end of the episode.

-- Dan thinks the final scene in the season will be Dexter taking Lumen to Harrison's birthday party on Sunday, and introducing her to everyone as his girlfriend. I have my fingers crossed.

-- In this week's hair report, Lumen was finally wearing her hair down. I think that was also this week's Most Obvious Symbolism. I bet if she lives through this, she wears it up for the rest of her life.

Quotes:

Maria: "So now it's vigilantes in love."
Masuka: "Yeah, like Romeo and Juliet. Except they didn't kill anyone. More like Bonnie and Clyde."
Dexter: (to himself) "Great. They ended up dead in a bullet-riddled car."

Dexter: "Anything of us?"
Lumen: "No. Just a cat that hiccups and farts at the same time."
It's on YouTube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J6q_-qhKhq0

Deb: "What they're doing takes devotion. To kill someone together? That's some pretty serious shit."
Dexter: (to himself) "Is that what Lumen and I have? Serious shit?"

Lumen: "We're a team."
Dexter: "We have serious shit."

Quinn: "You don't play games where I have to figure out what it is you're really thinking. You just say it. Usually with a lot of really filthy words that I've never heard before."

Dexter: "Is this the only kind of love I'll ever find? The kind that ends in blood?"
I hope not.

Three out of four baby monitors? Or four out of four?

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

13 comments:

  1. Great review, Billie. I'm guessing Liddy's death will end up being linked to Quinn. Remember the blood dripping on his shoe? So, currently, I'm guessing Lumen will take the rap for the main murders and Quinn for Liddy's. Unless, of course, Quinn takes the rap for all of them.

    Whatever happens I'm guessing we're going to be thinking "Poor Deb" this time next week. I just hope we won't also be thinking "Poor Lumen".

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  2. Paul -- of course! I knew the dripping blood would be important, but I couldn't figure out how it could implicate Dexter. It implicates Quinn! Poor Quinn.

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  3. My bet is that (conveniently dead) Emily will have to take the blame as #13.

    But jeez, the suspense is just too much. It's really creepy how we're all rooting for the serial killer. I kind of miss season 1 where Dexter was the creepy one.

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  4. Hey one thing is bugging me that hasnt been addressed. What happened to the mighty code? Dex was ready to go through Quinn and offed Robocop instead. Sure the guy was a douche but he certainly wasnt a killer, same with Quinn. That was the whole delema with Stokes..otherwise he would have just offed him as well

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  5. Anonymous, Liddy pulled a knife on Dexter. Dexter got it away from him and killed him with it. I don't think Harry's code comes into play in a situation like this.

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  6. I also thought it was weird... You have a point with the self defense, Billy, but that was basically the same thing that happened at the start of season 3 with Miguel's brother and Dexter was upset then (although maybe it was more because he had no idea who he had just killed) (I know Dexter didn't have much choice with Liddy, but I expected some comment on it afterwards)

    Actually, this season Dexter has already murdered an 'inocent' at the first episode in that bathroom.. I was expecting this (and the other mistakes Dexter has been making this season) to come back in the last episodes (and maybe it still will).

    Great ideas on the shoe implicating Quinn and Emily taking the blame! It makes a lot of sense (before Debra found out about her, I was expecting Lumen to be convicted at the end of the season)

    Also liked the idea about the season ending in Harrison's birthday with Dexter presenting Lumen, but I have the feeling this season is going to end tragically... (and hey, maybe Debra will find out.. After all, if this isn't the moment to do it, when will it be?)

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  7. I also thought as soon as I saw the blood drip on Quinn's shoe that he would be implicated (plus think about how many calls there have been between Quinn and Liddy). Not looking good for Joey.

    I have to say after watching the first season of Dexter on DVD (virtually in one sitting!) it is excruciating having to wait a week for a new episode! It just seems like in the second half of every season they turn the tension up to 11 just to make us all suffer!

    On a side note, great to see that Dexter has now officially been renewed for Season 6. As always, the 9 months of waiting will be the hardest part.

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  8. The suspense is also killing me. Please live, Lumen (and Quinn I guess), also please find out about Dexter, Deb!

    I thought Dexter had sort of given up on Harry's code? I can't remember what episode or how long ago, but it was in a previous season - Dex became pretty disillusioned with the code. In season three also killed several people who didn't fit the code. Oscar Prado in self defence, a paedophile (he didn't have any evidence, just wanted to protect Astor) and his ill friend who liked key-lime pie. I'm pretty sure he killed someone who didn't fit the code in season four too.

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  9. I dunno, this was sort of the most unsurprising episode of this season.
    The whole Liddy-situation was resolved with too much luck, ease and haste.
    Plus I think Jordan acted out of character. Being the masterful manipulator he is - why didn't he just take off to Europe. And why kill what's-her-face now? After all these years? Didn't feel right.
    I had really hoped for Jordan and blondie to have a deeper, weirder, relationship.
    Hope all is resolved in the finale in a satisfying way.

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  10. That's what I thought first about Liddy, but that's actually Peter Weller's fault for making his character look greater than he was, haha — in the end he simply underestimated Dexter, big time. It was essentially a set-up for the finale.

    As for Jordan acting OOC, well at least this surprised you. I don't know, to me he always seemed on the edge so I wasn't that shocked, just a bit disappointed like you, that they didn't do more with Emily.

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  11. I'm not sure Jordan acted OOC, his is a manipulator but all of his pawns are dead. He killed Emily and plans to kill Lumen simply because they could tarnish his image - which is the most important thing to him. Flaunting his power. If he'd left, he might have had to go on the run. That's something he wouldn't want to do.

    I think Emily was a trophy to him. She represented the power he had to manipulate people into doing horrible things, and he enjoyed wearing that power. Hence the necklace. He killed her once she became a threat, and I doubt he regretted it much. She was his first, but she wasn't worth anything as a person. She was just a symbol. The weird obedience Emily acted with around Jordan was really creepy, and I would have loved to understand that better.

    The Liddy thing was way too quick. I was kind of hoping we'd find out exactly what Liddy thought Dexter was into. Did he just suspect he was a murderer? It would have been nice for it to be clarified. He really didn't have much evidence, all things considered. That knife scene is suspicious, but I kept thinking it really didn't prove much. Couldn't he be showing her how to kill a deer or something? Dexter could probably talk his way out of just that bit. Honestly, the ocean dumping was more criminal. People don't just dump bags in the ocean, and I'm sure that's illegal. Liddy was fantastic, though, and I wish he wasn't dead but at least now we know Dexter will be able to focus on rescuing Lumen.

    All in all, this season had a slow start, but it ramped up quickly in the tension department. It's cruel that the season finale is the same week as my finals. How am I supposed to concentrate when I'm emotionally drained? So cruel.

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  12. I wonder how much of the wearing of the blood necklace was a poke at Angelina Jolie, his former wife.

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