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I’m starting to think that we’re a bit more divided then I thought we were on whether or not Professor Geller is real or not so I thought I’d create a quick poll to see who stands where, just for kicks.
The way I see it, Travis is either working with Geller as it’s been presented to us thus far in the series if we are to take everything at face value
OR
Travis is working on his own and Professor Geller is not participating in these crimes.
I’m trying to dance around him being dead. If in the coming weeks I hear Angel or Quinn say “Hey Deb, I just got word from Dallas Sheriff’s office that Geller moved down there about 10 years ago and died from a heart attack about 7 years ago” I’ll be annoyed, so I have to assume that if Geller is a figment of Travis’ imagination that he either died at Travis’ hand (or somehow Travis was the only person to know about the death and hid it) or he’s still alive but living far enough away that he doesn’t know he’s being connected with these crimes yet.
As I write this I realize there’s some middle ground there. Geller could be alive Travis could be screwed up enough in the head that Geller can simply instruct him to do all these things and he does them without realizing it. I suppose since I’m dancing around Geller being dead, a scenario like this could fit into either category, so pick one and tell us why you picked it.
Or maybe you’ve got some completely different theory that hasn’t been brought up yet. Here’s your chance to make your prediction.
Let’s try to keep this thread just about these two characters and keep everything else in the weekly threads.
Also, FTR, I’m firmly in the camp that Geller isn’t really there. Also, I really do believe that most of the people that watch the show but don’t pick it apart each week probably have no idea and haven’t even considered this yet. It’s been mentioned here that if Geller turns out to be real that would be the bigger twist. But I’ll argue that for most people, if he turns out to be real, they won’t even bat an eye.
I was leaning toward imaginary, but this most recent episode has Geller conking Travis with a shovel and chaining him up, which to me strains credibility for a delusion - or at least requires such a depth of delusion that it strains credibility that Travis is otherwise functional.
I’d be disappointed if he turns out not to be real because while I like clues and hints from the writers, I object to being jerked around.
Of course, I’m disappointed in Dexter’s uncharacteristic attempt to reform Travis and letting Travis see his face strikes me as downright suicidal - if the police get to Travis and Geller (assuming Geller actually exists, of course) first, Dexter’s involvement in the subsequent trials will be unavoidable, being the department’s blood-spatter expert and all. Travis (and Geller - ?) will definitely find out who Dexter is at that point.
I am so incredibly confident that Gellar is fake. I will bet large sums of money on this. I don’t mean to insult those who think he’s real, but… I’m almost insulted to think that the writers think we aren’t supposed to have figured it out by now (because Dexter hasn’t figured it out).
Will the last tableau somehow be Geller and Travis in a murder suicide scene? what would/should be the last one?
I’ve been twisted on real or not twice now - the cell phone call is what has me decidedly on the fence.
The writers have gone to great lengths to have it be “both ways” - but I think the scenes with Rudy cemented having a passenger “do stuff” (tosses head overboard, drops tools off, etc) - The shovel scene has to be the passenger “forcing” Travis to kill his sister.
As I said in the weekly thread, I think that entire episode was one giant plot device to show us just how much control someone fake/dead can have over us. Yes, Dexter has Harry, but Harry is only a guide, Rudy made Dexter act like a different person. I predict that the episode that reveals that Geller isn’t real will begin with clips from the Rudy episode in the “Previously on Dexter” section and Dexter’s monologue will have plenty of Rudy (Brian? I never know what to call him) references.
I’m leaning toward Geller being real. Up until this most recent episode I was 50/50 on it, and didn’t much care which way it went (wouldn’t have been disappointed with either result) but now I think he’s probably real.
Can I safely assume that everyone that’s saying that Geller is real is also saying that everything that’s been presented to us thus far is truthful? As in, the writers aren’t going to pull a Sixth Sense type twist on us in the next week or two?
IOW, are any of you implying (since I left it open) that he’s alive but not actively working with Travis? For the purpose of this discussion, if he’s alive but not actively working (or currently communicating or otherwise manipulating) with Travis I’m calling that ‘not real.’
IOW
Real=Everything that’s been show to us so far true. Geller has actually been present everywhere we’ve seen him. Geller physically pushed Travis’ leg down on the accelerator to hit that couple. Geller assembled the seven headed beast. Geller is the one that killed Travis’ sister. Geller burned Travis with the rebar etc etc etc
Not Real=Whether Geller is living or dead is irrelevant…All the crimes related to DDK have been physically carried out by Travis. Travis killed his own sister…Actually, come to think of it, we haven’t seen any of the actual crimes being carried out. Travis was conveniently unconscious when his sister was killed. Either way…Not real would still mean that Travis has been doing this alone…I think that makes sense…I had a funny feeling this was going to get messy when I started the thread.
Geller has been portrayed as imaginary in such an obvious fashion that if he turns out to be real I will consider the writers to have actively lied to me.
I particularly liked him showing up outside the sister’s screen door. I almost wanted him to say “Peek-a-boo”
Come to think of it. I think that’s the first time I’ve ever seen a screen door on a house on TV. It seems they always leave them off. I wonder if there was a reason for that. Blocking him off from the inside of the house perhaps?
I think the scene in the outdoor cafe from the waitress episode might give us a big clue here. IIRC, Travis was eating, but I cannot recall with confidence if there was a plate, cup or food in front of Geller. That scene may hold the answer.
I’ve seen them a lot. I notice them because we don’t have them in the UK.
I’m still 70/30, not real/real but I’m a couple of episodes behind. I guess it’s also possible that Gellar is alive and involved, but some of the scenes are also hallucinations.
If Geller is real, then yes, I think what they’ve shown has been literal. I’m still open to the possibility that Geller is in Travis’s head, but I think there are good storytelling options in either direction.
Didn’t Dexter see Geller alive and going into the professor’s office building? If so, how could Geller already be dead and be a figment of Travis’ imagination?
Maybe Musaka’s intern is involved and he killed Geller. He idolizes Dexter. Maybe he wants to be like Dexter and kill serial killers.
This thread is pretty much dead since it was about a very specific topic within Dexter, but you might want to read and/or throw your opinion in over at this thead which discusses the 11/27 episode.
But no, both times (walking by in the school and up in the loft in the church) Travis saw Gellar by the time Dexter looked over he had already walked away. Dexter had no reason to suspect that Travis wasn’t telling the truth and just took his word for it. Clever editing made it look like Dexter saw him.
