IMO, the best episode of the season. It’s always interesting when Dexter has real challenges and problems that are almost outside of his control, and Lumen was quite the handful here. Masuka’s bit toward the end was quite funny, and it was good enough for me to gloss over some plot holes that could have arisen there.
At least we got some explanation for LaGuerta hiding the sting from Batista, even if it was a shitty reason. I still think she’s a very selfish person and I always grin when Matthews cuts down her pride.
Unfortunately, the plot with Peter Weller is still off to a slow start, but hopefully that will take off soon.
I’m trying really hard to overlook the fact that there’d be no way on earth that the CSI folks would be dispatched so prematurely. Even if they were, both the CSIs and EMTs would have been kept out of harm’s way until the cops secured the area. It is this kind of sloppy writing that takes me out of the plot.
Okay, so the dentist used Lumen’s cell phone to call his friend and warn him that the crazy chick was alive? How stupid is he? They can now just trace the number and it will lead them right to the next guy.
The guy streaking by wrapped in Saran Wrap was pretty funny. Masuka was hysterical.
Dex ought to give that nanny a raise. In fact, it’d be much more believable if she was just a live-in nanny. Maybe it’s the mom in me, but I’m always tense about how long he’s away.
I’m glad that they’re crystallizing the fact that Quinn actually cares for Deb and vice-versa. It should make for some interesting decisions for Quinn in a few weeks.
I love Michael C. Hall. He can snap a guy’s neck in one scene, then be gentle in the next, and be completely believable in both scenes.
I missed the first half hour, and was wondering (1) how he got ahold of her cell phone, (2) where she was carrying it (I didn’t see a bag or pockets in her dress), and (3) did Dexter or Lumen bother to pick up her cell phone after Dexter killed him?
I was also worried about the detectives noticing the luminol trail. Does it evaporate quickly?
And who was the guy wrapped up in the plastic? Was he one of Lumen’s attackers or another one of Dexter’s bad guys?
I was wondering how Deb, Masuka and two uniformed officers in an abandoned warehouse failed to hear two men running flat-out just around the corner, or Dexter strangling and dragging the guy out of sight.
Dexter’s victim was a guy who hooked up with guys on the internet and then tortured them to death. They barely mentioned this at the beginning, but it was supposed to be Dexter trying to get back to his usual routine.
Lumen had a purse. Dexter was not sure Lumen had the right guy and he was trying to figure out the whole situation out when he received a call from the nanny, which he took to an adjoining room. While Dexter was on his phone, Lumen began to assault the guy. Dexter ended his phone call and pulled Lumen away and her purse fell to the ground and her cell phone came out of the top of the purse. While Dexter was talking to Lumen, the dude grabbed her phone. I assume the cell phone was retrieved (either by Lumen while she was washing the room down, or Dexter after she left.)
The plastic wrap guy was not one of Lumen’s attackers. He was a separate kill Dexter had in-process when he was interupted by a phone call from Lumen saying that she had “killed” the other guy.
Had the same thought about why Homicide was called to a crime scene before they even realized anyone had been shot. And about them using Lumens phone to find the next rapist.
My wife and I were literally LOL’ing at Masuka’s antics at the end. We love Masuka.
Yep, again same thought, but they had my heart pounding. And I think this was the best episode this season. So far, I was afraid to admit, but I’ve been a little disappointed with this season. This episode gives me hope for the rest. Still a great show.
Not to mention - no (real) blood on saranWrap dude, why was the initial blood pool so far away from the eventual spot of the bodies? why did saran wrap dude restrain shot dude with a zip tie? why was shot dude’s neck snapped?
and least of all -
Why was Dexter at teh crime scene without having checked in with the officer in charge of the overall scene? Why was he at that particular location to begin with?
And the cops completely miss the mini van when they pull in?
Yeah, the broken neck is a problem. And how does a shooting fit with Masuko’s theory? If his theory is accepted, it doesn’t say much for the Miami police department. Dentist has a gunshot wound and a broken neck?
This episode was better than the last one, but it still had several moments that I had trouble suspending disbelief for. Luckily, both Mr. Hall and Ms. Stiles are awesome and their scenes together are terrific.
Dexter breaking the dude’s neck was a bit cheesy. It seems too much like an action-movie cliché. I was also bothered by the ridiculously quiet chase scene. Granted, one of the people involved has decades of experience moving swiftly and silently in order to kill, and the other was barefoot. I can believe that the saran-wrapped man might not scream. He’s probably still woozy, probably using all his breath just to run like hell, and as far as he knows the only people in the labyrinthine building complex are himself and his would-be killer. He might also have still had a gag of some type; I don’t recall. Still, the scene could have been edited better to be more believable.
I’m conflicted about how Homicide would respond to the bizarre scene they find. As others have said, they’d presumably find the broken neck during autopsy. There wouldn’t be any gunpowder residue on the saran-wrapped man’s hands. Surely they’d do a routine check of that, just to be sure? Then again, if they look into either man’s personal life they might well find evidence of sexual perversion, making Masuka’s theory relatively plausible.
Speaking of which, Masuka’s masturbatory pantomime had me in stitches. It is now my second favorite Masuka scene of the entire show. (My very favorite Masuka scene: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yDk6UP2-OV4 )
Dexter needs to learn to start ignoring his phone. Now that the nagging wife is gone, he needs to become “the guy who is hard to reach via phone, better send him a text instead.”
Seriously, it’s getting to be a drag that every time Dex is in the middle of doing something skeevy, someone calls. And he picks up.
I know what you mean about the phone, but Dexter’s a father so I can see why he’d not leave his phone off. Plus, he always seems to be on call at his job. Maybe that’s how he affords everything – all that OT has to add up.
And this potential murder scene was so important that they had to call TWO blood spatter experts in.
Who was the second? Masuka is the lead forensics guy, but he isn’t a blood spatter expert. He just fills in for Dexter with regards to blood when Dexter is on leave, in addition to doing his other forensic duties.
I’ve been thinking that maybe Dexter gets a little extra income stealing money from his victims. He’s too smart to use their credit cards, of course, but surely they have a few bucks in their wallets / purses. And if he searches their homes (as he often does) before the kill, he probably knows if they have a stash of cash somewhere. He isn’t going to get rich that way, and the money obviously isn’t his motivation, but it could help defray the cost of bulk purchases of Saran-Wrap.
I was okay with Dexter not checking in with the rest of the team. He could have just told them that he just got there and on his way noticed blood all over the door to that building so he figured he’d check it out. I’m even okay knowing that an autopsy will pretty much prove a third person was involved. They could have been doing something kinky in there when someone happened across them and killed them, whatever, I can live with that. My problem was when they heard him talking on the phone. Remember, until they walked in they heard him talking but couldn’t tell what he was saying. Dexter’s response should have been to run in there and knock the phone out of his hand, not sneak in quietly to see what he was saying. It seems like the writers were struggling to find a way to prove to Dexter that this was a bad guy. Also, will anyone notice that Luminol has been sprayed all over the warehouse?
Well, Masuka’s theory may well fall apart before it’s over. Note that they made a point of saying that no one should touch the hose nozzle. I don’t think Lumen would be savvy enough to remember to wipe her fingerprints off. Whether or not Dexter had time to do it himself, under the circumstances…
Plus I don’t think Masuka has explained how all the blood got hosed down the drain, either. The dentist was zip tied out of reach of the hose, and someone had to have been close enough to strangle saran-wrap guy.
That said, I liked this episode. I’m glad they’re not going directly for “the serial killer’s apprentice” theme this time. I think it’ll be an interesting way to explore Dexter’s continued evolution from emotionless monster to a feeling human being.
Yeah, this season is much more plot holey than seasons past. The idea of buying Masuka’s (funny) story for real is just silly - they dismissed their expert after a 2 minute glance over a very weird situation with trails of blood everywhere. The resolution didn’t make sense.
Plus, having the guy call his friend to say “THE BITCH IS STILL ALIVE!” instead of calling the police to say OMG WTF HELP ME SIRS was beyond believability.