This week, Christine (Courtney Ford) is being held as a material witness by the Miami Metro, who are convinced she's the daughter of the Trinity Killer, but are having difficulty getting her to admit it because she's pathologically conditioned to protect her errant father. Even when presented with postcards from "Daddy" found in a shoebox under her bed she claims they've been planted and just asks for a lawyer. Incidentally, was Angel's (David Zayas) Jack The Ripper reference that the postcards are "from hell" a clever in-joke, because British director SJ Clarkson worked on Ripper-centric thriller Whitechapel earlier this year? It's probably just a coincidence (given that both shows deal with serial-killers, not even a big one), but that's the kind of connections my brain makes sometimes. It's a curse.Elsewhere, Dexter (Michael C. Hall) is determined to kill Arthur (John Lithgow) for his lifetime of murders, but needs to ensure the police investigation doesn't interfere with his scheme. So, he spends the episode trying to frame one of Lundy's old Trinity suspects (a hirsute trucker called Stan "The Man" Beaudry) to give his colleagues a closed-case and leave the path clear for his own brand of justice to be meted out.
This whole area was my biggest issue with "Hello, Dexter Morgan", as it just didn't seem feasible that Dex could create this stitch-up at such short notice. And would simply planting a traces of Arthur's DNA around Stan's truck, toothbrush and comb be enough to convince the cops he's their man? Perhaps. Also, when Dex is told that Christine's been arrested and is Arthur's secret daughter, why isn't he concerned that she'll point the finger at Arthur Mitchell (whose guilt couldn't be ignored if she did?) I'm sure there are ways to twist the facts to create some form of half-logic out of them, but it certainly didn't snap together in a plausible way for me. Like Dexter throughout this episode, it felt like the writers had written themselves into a corner and were improvising a way out that only makes partial sense.
Still, another example of the cat-and-mouse game Dexter does so well was set in motion when Arthur realized "Kyle Butler" rescued his last would-be child victim, but has returned him to his parents without raising the alarm. After calling Kyle to enquire about his bewildering decision, Dex provides him with a credible reason: he's prepared to let the matter drop if Arthur hands over $50,000. Arthur is given 24-hours to raise the funds, but instead uses the time to play Terminator and systematically track down every "Kyle Butler" in the city phonebook. Dex is alerted to what's going on when he's called to the murder scene of a Kyle Butler who unwisely posed a problem to Arthur during one of his house visits, and the tables are turned when Arthur draws Dex to an arcade and follows him back to the Miami Metro...
There follows one of Dexter's best ever edge-of-your-seat moments, as Arthur gained access to the police station using a stolen visitor ID badge and prowled around Dex's workplace... first finding the evidence board of all his crime scenes and victims (visibly fascinated by the detail, and perhaps even slightly proud of his handiwork?) and then, finally, Arthur and Dexter met without any pretense between them -- directed in the fashion of two giant monsters sizing each other up at a pre-bout weigh-in, before Arthur deliciously reads Kyle's real name off his laminate: "Hello, Dexter Morgan..."
A truly great moment and a fantastic cliffhanger setting up next week's finale, helping gloss over many of the sillier, improbable moments beforehand. As I said, much of the storyline regarding Dexter's frame-job and Christine's interrogation just didn't make much sense when you stop to examine them, but they at least elicited good performances from Ford (who's been fairly weak overall, but has improved as her character's crumbled) and Jennifer Carpenter as Debra (who finally managed to get Christine to confess to Lundy's murder, but couldn't prevent Christine shooting herself immediately after.) The latter shock was another of those developments required by the story, really, as otherwise the plot's in danger of unraveling with Christine still around to incriminate Arthur. I assume Christine scoffing at Debra's claim her dad is "Stan Beaudry" was because she assumes Arthur's pinned the blame on someone else to escape, and has hung her out to dry? That's how I rationalize it, anyway.
The Laguerta (Lauren Vélez) and Angel office romance reared its ugly head again, sadly, taking a ridiculous twist when Captain Matthews got hold of CCTV footage of them kissing in a liquor store, forcing the pair to get married in an impromptu ceremony in Laguerta's office! This was to ensure Matthews wouldn't fire them, as otherwise he'd look bad for going against the institution of marriage. Or something. It was all very silly and incredibly annoying -- a sentiment echoed in Dexter's expression when he was called into work just to be their witness! This really has been a weak, absurd storyline all season and a real low-point for a series that infamously struggles to give its supporting cast decent material if it's unrelated to Dexter's activities.Overall, this was another episode where Dexter struggled to keep the facets of his public, personal and secret lives in play (neatly symbolized by his many reflections in a dressing table mirror), which has been a big part of this season's overarching theme. I don't think this season has been as efficiently plotted as earlier years, as recent developments could perhaps have come a bit sooner and have been given room to breathe, as we're experiencing a definite rushed sensation now. Still, this episode has put many of the subplots to bed (including Rita's kiss with Elliot), so next week should be more focused on Dexter and Arthur -- and remember, Arthur may know "Kyle" has been lying and has known he's a killer for weeks, but he doesn't actually know that Dexter himself is a killer. And I'm still convinced Debra's CI files or Quinn's (Desmond Harrington) suspicious nature are going to provide us with a shock to make the wait for season 5 unbearable...
6 December 2009
Showtime, 9/8c
written by: Scott Buck & Lauren Gussis directed by: SJ Clarkson starring: Michael C. Hall (Dexter Morgan), Julie Benz (Rita Bennett), Jennifer Carpenter (Debra Morgan), Desmond Harrington (Det. Joey Quinn), Lauren Vélez (Lt. Maria Laguerta), David Zayas (Sgt. Angel Batista), James Remar (Det. Harry Morgan), Courtney Ford (Christine Hill) & John Lithgow (Arthur Mitchell)
