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It's over. I feel strangely detached. Sort of like Dexter, I suppose. The season two finale has come and gone. Sgt. Doakes became the sacrificial lamb in a spectacularly staged explosion reminiscent of Apocalypse Now, and Lila was butchered for her treachery.
The brilliance of this episode, and in fact, of the entire season, was the underlying tapestry that "everyone lies". They are either lying to themselves like Angel, who saw first hand that Lila was Satan in a tank top, but followed her down a dark path with his libido leading the way. They are lying to themselves like Debra, who was too deeply in denial to see small lies (like Agent Lundy pretending that he would ever be anything but an aging workaholic), or monumental lies (like the creepiness at the underbelly of her own brother, who leads the ultimate double life). Even Rita the sugar queen is lying...to herself, to her kids. She is the type who wants everything to be fine, but that's never going to happen. There is never a fairy tale ending for people like Rita. The most she can ever hope for long term is an affordable mobile home and a beer bellied boyfriend who doesn't beat her. Instead she has Dexter, who she thinks is a God, but is instead the dark sociopath that walks among us with a box of donuts and a pleasant smile.
I feel very sad that Sgt Doakes had to die so horribly, and that his last days were torturous. That Dexter doesn't show any remorse whatsoever, even though he put Doakes in harms way, is immensely troubling. Dexter, killer of bad guys, has now caused a good cop's death, and he's so delighted to be off the hook, he's practically skipping off to Rita's for a little post murder roll in the hay. Please pass the pancakes before I gag.
Dear old Dad said, "don't get caught", but that's exactly why I'll be tuning in next season. I think Dexter will be going down.
OK, Nose fans, it's time to end the Dext-Fest and go on to some lighter fantasy fare. "American Idol" anyone? How about "Lost"? Both are right around the corner!
And, as the last days of Dexter (season two) draw near, we are left to wonder....who the Hell is Dexter anyway? Our hero's Code of honor is kaput, the Feds are closing in, and Sgt. Doakes (poor thing) is still in a cage...all with one episode left to go. Oy vey.
The ambivalent Dexter is very conflicted, and that leaves us all feeling the same way. His relief at deciding to turn himself in to the feds felt very real. His decision (after a good steak and a few beers with Deb) to keep being true to his righteous serial killer self felt...well...crazy. And isn't that the kicker right there? Dexter IS crazy! It is only through the amazing acting skills of Michael C. Hall and phenomenal loopy script writing, that we have been able to accept good old Dexter, as just that cute boy next door who has an unusual hobby. For me, the hobby crossed the line into big time creepy, when he hosted Rita and the kids on his boat for a little pre-prison R and R. This was the first time the little ones (who clearly adore Dexter) were brought into his physical world. I'm sure I wasn't the only one who found the thought of them running around the deck that once held mounds of chopped body parts, not just a little stomach churning.
Oh Dexter fans...where do we go from here? The teaser for next week's final episode hints at an apocalyptic explosion in the swamp. We know that our Dexter won't be caught in the flames (spoiler haters, go take a bathroom break) as Lisa has already assured us there will be a third season. We most fervently hope that Doakes won't be caught in the flames, as Erik King's brilliantly nuanced performance has made this caged Special Agent a hugely sympathetic and engaging character. I love Angel to death, but as they said over and over again in this episode, he was warned about Lila. All bets are off for Angel's survival.
Ah yes...Lila. Here's what I think Dexter-ites, and I don't care a bit if it's trite. I'm hoping there is an eleven foot Gator out there in the Everglades who likes lean meat.
One. More. Dexter. Episode. Left. We will all need a 12 step program to get us through Dexter withdrawal until Season # 3!
I am wracking my brain for a hook to cover this week's Dexter! Isn't that weird? I feel oddly ambivalent about it...can't quite find the mojo for something to say that hasn't been said before. I feel like this week's episode was more of a "bridge" to advance the plot a bit more towards whatever they will do next week. Expository-city. The only thing that was truly revealed, which I suppose is too depressing for me to deal with on a Sunday night, is that our Dexter is so appalling, his adopted Dad had to kill himself when he realized that his monstrous lab-rat creation was a sicko beyond all repair.Also--I really do feel sorry for Doakes now. I have terrible claustrophobia, and the thought of him trapped in that hot, sweaty cage in the Everglades. Well. It's quite dreadful.I am getting too emotionally involved with the characters ...must have distance from them..yet also must find a way to be even closer.Actually, I'm happy for Deb and Agent Lundy. His line about thinking that once the "novelty of his AARP discount wore off" she'd dump him in a heart beat, was absolutely precious. Keith Carradine is a much better actor than I ever would have suspected. This has been a dream role for him, he's quite sexy and adorable, and has aged much more attractively than his Kung Fu brother.Lila must die. That is what I live for as we near the end. In a series full of miscreants and ne'er do wells, she is the lowest of the low.
"Don't Get Caught!"
The tantalizing passion play continues and it's starting to feel like a chapter out of Victor Hugo's classic, Les Miserables. Our hero Dexter (Jean Valjean) dispatcher of evil doers and all around nice guy, pursued relentlessly by the obsessive cop Doakes (Javert) who won't rest until Dexter is brought low. It's a lovely, blood drenched, beautifully choreographed dance and guess what fellow Dexter-Stalkers?....we only have three more weeks of this tango before the season ends. I could weep.
In this week's episode, "There's Something About Harry", Dexter the dragon slayer (avert your eyes spoiler haters) miraculously escapes discovery when the feds discover his stolen blood sample treasure box in Doake's car. Thus Doakes becomes the prime suspect before he can finger his nemesis and Dexter is appointed the chief forensic investigator of his own victim's blood splotches. It was a sweet twist, and I did not see it coming.
OK Dexter-ites...it's time for the first ever Flaming Nose official Dexter Poll. Please select one of the following moments from this week's episode as your favorite. You may leave your vote in the comment section:
- The brief glimpse of Agent Lundy's pale, yet surprisingly firm middle aged butt.
- Doakes and the hand-cuffed Dexter thrashing about in the Everglades. Gator bait? Not in this episode. Darn.
- Lila's inappropriate (and yes Irish accented) goat joke.
- The teenager Dexter's field trip with Harry to see someone flash fried in old Smokey. (This is Florida, and yes they still do have "the chair")
- Other?
I do finally have one tiny complaint this week. Dexter's tangled love life is getting a little tedious. Why must he choose between sugary Cinderella Rita and her banana pancakes and Lila the whippet thin anti-Christ? Why can't he find a nice, quirky, somewhat damaged girl like his sister Deb? Not that I'm suggesting that he take up with his sister, that would be weird. How about someone a little off beat and edgy? Someone drop dead gorgeous with a corrected harelip, a large collection of sci-fi movies and a cat. Just a thought for next season...now that we know (hip hip hooray!) that there will be a third season for our beloved Dexter and his merry band of Miami misfits.
