Yeah. That was the question of the episode.
And of course, Dexter discussed it with "Deb." Should Dexter take out Kurt Caldwell himself? It's interesting that Dexter wasn't seeing it as "I need to remove this killer of innocent women before he kills again" but as how Kurt's unexplained disappearance would affect Harrison, who has fixated on Kurt as a father figure.
Loved the diner scene with the Boston cream pie; Michael C. Hall and Clancy Brown are both such talented actors. Kurt thought he could intimidate Dexter. Guess again. Although later, the titanium screw did take Dexter aback. Where did that screw come from? Did it actually come from the crematory? It's genuinely creepy that Kurt apparently knows that Dexter incinerated Matt's body and was grinning at him while discussing it. Harrison is definitely in danger from Kurt, no question.
Kurt told the police a sad tale about his abusive father and his "Runaway" mother, who abandoned him to his father's abuse, explaining why Kurt kills, I suppose. Twenty-five years ago, Iris was running away from Kurt and he shot her in the back, after he apparently tried to save her from endangering herself by hitchhiking. There has to be more to it than that, though. Right?
It was enjoyable to see Dexter analyzing a crime scene again. Iris was shot and then buried alive under a pile of rocks. Truly horrible. But Dexter indeed caught the skin on Iris' teeth, helping Angela pin it on Kurt. Dexter is dropping some of his mask with Angela now, and she's calling him Dexter without that sarcastic lilt to her voice.
But then there was the situation with Molly Park. Molly owes Dexter her life and she knows it, but I can't fault her killer instincts, so to speak. Molly could tell there was something "off" about Jim, too, and suggested that Angela had already done a deep dive background check on her boyfriend. Not yet, but I'm sure now that Angela is thinking about it, it's gonna happen soon.
I also enjoyed the bit where Harrison, about to power wash a truck, was suiting up with apron, gloves and splash helmet much like Dexter suiting up for a kill. They keep doing that – suggesting that Harrison is Dexter Junior. But as it turned out, Harrison finally told Dexter that Molly Park's podcast made him remember Trinity and the razor and the bathtub. Really? Can a baby that young remember something like that? Again, and this seems to be my mantra for this season, Dexter and Harrison desperately need to talk... but what can Dexter tell him?
I must be into this season because the cliffhanger at the end when Dexter was grabbed by Kurt's minion made me yell, "Nooo!"
Bits:
— Kurt deconstructed his kill room. How far away did he drag the pieces? Far enough to elude Angela?
— Audrey said no to hanging out with Harrison because of what Harrison did to Jeremy during the wrestling match. Can't blame her. In the same situation I would have backed off, too. Why wasn't Harrison dumped from the wrestling team?
— Title musings: "Skin of Her Teeth" was an obvious pun since there was DNA evidence on Iris' teeth. The original run of Dexter featured many clever titles. My favorite was "Shrink Wrap," an episode in which Dexter killed and wrapped up an evil psychiatrist.
Quotes:
Angela: "I have a theory." (That it's a demon. A dancing demon, nah, something isn't right there)
Dexter: "Okay. My sister used to test out her theories on me to see if they had legs. Plus, you know I can keep a secret."
That worked. This time.
Deb: "He's drifting further and further toward Kurt."
Dexter: "Who is probably a murderer."
Deb: "Yeah, and so are you."
Dexter: "Well, that's... (long pause) fair."
Dexter: "I'm used to being the predator. But now I'm the protector. Funny what fatherhood will do to you."
Dexter: "I hate the view from the cheap seats."
Another good episode. Three out of four exceedingly creepy titanium screws,
Billie
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Billie Doux loves good television and spends way too much time writing about it.
>>"Harrison is definitely in danger from Kurt, no question."
ReplyDeleteI'm not so sure about that. Kurt might still harbor ideas about taking him on as a willing surrogate. I think Dexter's really the only one in immediate danger, considering what I thought would finally be a moment between him and Harrison turned into another instance of him pulling away, and running away. Wait, maybe that does mean he's in danger from Kurt.
I'm liking the Kurt stuff so far, I can buy that it's a botched RESCUE that added to his psychosis. I hope there's more to it too.
>>"Why wasn't Harrison dumped from the wrestling team?"
BECAUSE HE DID NOTHING WRONG THERE
Good episode, I feel the familiar concern for Dexter's fate now. That scene with Molly Park and continuously referring to Jim displaying creepy behavior (although I found original Dexter to slip up this way more than anything Jim ever did). It's not a good feeling, but it's better than being mentally checked out and impatient like I was with the original final season. I'm invested.