Spoilers. If only the first batch of season 3 episodes had moved with as much speed, efficiency and purpose. Oh well. At least now we can settle in for a barnstorming finale in two weeks time. "Go Your Own Way" finds Dexter (Michael C. Hall) trying to sever his ties with Miguel (Jimmy Smits), having discovered the incriminating, blood-stained shirt Miguel gave him as a token of his integrity was faked with cow's blood…However, getting rid of Miguel Prado isn't going to be easy. Dex knows he can't just capture and kill the city's Assistant District Attorney without arousing a lot of public interest, and suspicion could easily fall on Dex as Miguel's close friend and best man. Therefore, Dex spends the episode trying to get leverage on Miguel to nullify his threat and call an end to their friendship/partnership. News that Ellen Wolf's body was missing a wedding ring indicates that Miguel took a trophy of his first, solo kill -- the ideal trinket for Dex to steal and use to blackmail Miguel.
The supporting plots are back in force this week -- but now that they're drawing to a close, they're easier to stomach. Debra (Jennifer Carpenter) is worried that her relationship with Anton (David Ramsey) will endanger the strength of their case against The Skinner, who is still on the loose. I had to giggle at moment when Deb jokes to Rita (Julie Benz) that she let Cody and Astor watch Saw I and II when she babysat them with Anton -- a little in-joke, seeing as Benz appeared in Saw V?
Anton later discovers from Quinn (Desmond Harrington) that he was being illegally strung along as a C.I, and therefore risked his life for no reason to help the police investigation.
In smaller plots, Masuka (C.S Lee) organizes a typically debauched bachelor's party for Dex, and Angel (David Zayas) rushes to the bedside of his girlfriend Barbara (Kristin Dattilo) after she's beaten up while working undercover. The latter story wasn't great, although it created a nice moment when Angel uses Dex's bloodwork skills to identify Barbara's attacker, with the clear intention of meting out some vigilante justice -- and Dex, in an act of true friendship, gives Angel a quick pep talk about how wrong that would be.
But the real draw, as ever, is with Dex and Miguel -- as the friends quickly become enemies and begin plotting each other's downfall. Laguerta (Lauren Velez) finds a witness who saw Miguel's SUV at Ellen Wolf's house before she was murdered, so Miguel tries to get closer to Laguerta so he can influence the investigation from a position of trust. Unfortunately, his wife Sylvia's suspicions that he's having an affair are rekindled, and now seem to have some substance when she catches Miguel leaving Laguerta's house. Even Dex's discovery of Ellen's wedding ring might not be enough to ensure Miguel's obedience, as a rooftop confrontation comes with a nasty sting in the tail…
"Go Your Own Way" reaps the rewards of a careful multi-episode build-up, particularly regarding the complex and fascinating alliance between Dex and Miguel. The merry dance both men engage in is gripping, particularly as we've learned never to underestimate Miguel. For once, Dex has an enemy he can't dispatch by normal means (a la his brother Brian or mistress Lila), which makes everything more uncertain. I still think that, ultimately, Miguel will have to die -- but will it be at Dex's hand?
The big shock of this episode is the last-minute reveal of Miguel's nefarious plot to get rid of Dex: he's teamed up with Mr. King (a.k.a The Skinner), who identifies Dexter during Miguel's rooftop rant, and captures him in the closing moments. So, the hunter has finally become prey. It will be fascinating to see how Dex handles this situation next wek. I doubt he'll be reduced to a quivering wreck like The Skinner's usual victims; but can he talk his way out of the situation, killer-to-killer? He has a wedding to get to, so will Deb realize her brother's been kidnapped and rescue him in time so he can tie the knot?
The only thing letting this episode down was the confusion around The Skinner's back-story. The killer's interest in Freebo is difficult to recall clearly (as it has its roots in the early episodes of the season, that have since been overwhelmed by the Dex/Miguel situation). If I'm piecing it together properly -- Freebo owed Mr. King drug money, but couldn't pay it, so he was targeted by Mr. King, who couldn't find him because Dex scared him away into hiding, so he killed Freebo's girlfriend Teegan in anger? So now Miguel's told Mr. King that Dex knows where Freebo is -- despite knowing Dex "accidentally" killed Freebo. But Miguel doesn't know that Dex actually killed Freebo to prevent him snitching about the fact Dex killed Miguel's brother Oscar. Confused yet? Yeah, this whole storyline is too cloudy and convoluted, which limited the twist's deeper impact. Fortunately, the simple fact that Dex has been captured by another serial-killer was enough to land a punch.
Overall, "Go Your Own Way" was a lot of fun and contained some riveting scenes between Dex and Miguel. As usual, the outcome is difficult to predict, and the writers have two episodes to make the finer workings of The Skinner/Freebo/Oscar more cohesive in retrospect. I still think season 3 had a weak start, which the show is paying the price for that now (in a few areas), but the Miguel/Dex story has worked as a magnificent counter-balance.
30 November 2008
Showtime, 9/8c
Writer: Tim Schlattman
Director: John Dahl
Cast: Michael C. Hall (Dexter), Julie Benz (Rita), Jennifer Carpenter (Debra), Jimmy Smits (Miguel), Lauren Velez (Laguerta), David Zayas (Angel), Desmond Harrington (Quinn), Kristin Dattilo (Barbara Gianna) & David Ramsey (Anton Briggs)
