Dexter: Storm of Fuck

"Dark tendencies?"

One thing I always loved about Dexter was how funny it could be.

Back in Miami, Dexter killed dozens of bad people over a period of many years, and got away with it. In Iron Lake, he killed one guy and an absolute storm of fuck cops immediately descended upon his remote little cabin. The fact that Matt Caldwell was buried in pieces under the fire pit that Dexter generously gave to the local cops as a base of operations was disturbingly hilarious.

The high point of this episode for me was Harrison. He's so intriguing! Smart, laconic, cool as a cucumber, and look how easily he lied to Angela, like yeah, hi, I'm Jim's son. The apple doesn't fall far from the tree, does he? Billionaire Olsen defensively told Chief Angela that kids see the world as black and white, good and evil, but I bet Harrison is already aware that there are shades of gray.

It's ironic that Harrison found Dexter because of a letter Dexter sent Hannah about watching for "dark tendencies" in Harrison. Clearly, Hannah never told Harrison the truth about Dexter. Does Harrison take after Dexter? Rita? Hannah? Aunt Deb? I suppose it's not surprising that Harrison is calm and resourceful and easily keeps things to himself. Did he really have a drug problem, as he told the other kids in the cabin? Or is he like Dexter, a control freak who avoids impairment? The teens suggested that Harrison is an oddball and a killer. As I said in last week's review, I really hope they don't go that way.

Dexter's cover story about leaving Miami because he was overwhelmed by the losses of Rita and Deb made sense, and it was even truthful. Harrison's explanation for how he found Dexter made sense, too. I think Harrison might be longing for morning pancakes and high school after all, for the normalcy he hasn't had since Dexter abandoned him. Part of me really wants the two of them to re-bond and make a good life together in Iron Lake, while the rest of me is very aware that that's not what usually happens on this show.

Harrison found the cops' methodology and the search for Matt Caldwell interesting. Like father, like son? And Chief Angela kept reminding me of Deb, with the uniform and the hairstyle and the cleverness and inquisitiveness, certainly not a coincidence. This time, we learned that Angela is a helicopter parent, that Audrey isn't her daughter by birth, and there was someone called Iris. Who is Iris? Did Angela lose a child?

The ghost of Deb became violent. She smashed a stained glass window with the bullet from her abdomen, and then put a knife to Dexter's throat and shoved the bullet in his mouth. That's some pretty creative haunting, Dexter. She even made Dexter scream, at least in his head. And of course, this is Dexter's guilt manifesting as things are starting to spiral out of control again. It's interesting that Deb was out of focus in the background several times, as if Dexter is now moving past some of that guilt.

Just as he did in Miami, Dexter carefully led the cops in the direction he wanted them to go – to Matt killing the white deer on Seneca land and leaving town to avoid prosecution. But meticulous Dexter also missed the blood stains that could have led the cops directly to Dexter himself. Was that a subconscious manifestation of Dexter's guilt, like Deb? I also noticed that Dexter isn't crossing off the days on the calendar anymore. Is that because life is more interesting now that Harrison has arrived, and/or because Dexter has resumed killing?

Dexter's current near incompetence might spell curtains for Lily, the young woman locked in the motel room who was poisoned by a gift basket. We were only shown one eye of the person watching her, but even that little bit looked like Kurt Caldwell (Clancy Brown), Matt's father, who just kept the search for Matt going by reminding everyone how important Kurt himself is to Iron Lake.

If Kurt Caldwell killed the missing women and is about to kill the unfortunate Lily, I'm guessing he killed Iris whoever, too. Abraham of the Seneca Nation mentioned Native American girls going missing as well.

Come on, Dexter. Work to do.

Bits:

— I just now realized that Dexter's alias "Jim Lindsey" must be an homage to the author of the Dexter books, Jeff Lindsey.

— It was suggested that Harrison is fifteen or sixteen. Jack Alcott, the actor playing Harrison, is 22 and doing a terrific job playing a much younger character.

— Dexter fixed up a closet with a cot for Harrison. Really? That cabin is large, dark, cold and empty, not my idea of a comfy home. Something better is clearly called for.

— Title musings: "Storm of Fuck" made me laugh out loud because I could hear Deb saying it, although it actually came out of Dexter's mouth.

Quotes:

Harrison: "You're not dead."
Dexter: (to himself) "He's owed an explanation. But the only one is that his father is a monster."

Deb: "Harrison's been here one day and you have him in the woods looking for a man you killed?"
The ghost has a point, Dexter.

Dexter: "We need to talk. Words you never want to hear from your doctor or your girlfriend."
Interesting, and lucky, that Angela thought she and Dexter could relate better since they're both parents.

A second good episode, so yay. Three out of four cots in a closet,

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

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