Mike86

Episode 7 of 12

Synopsis:

DJariya

Preview:

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dsa_shea

I'm questioning what is going on with the murderous Olmos/Hanks pair. Did that lady just confirm that there actually are two of them or is she just confused? I always thought that Olmos actually was no longer alive as nobody in the outside world ever acknowledged him.

Mike86

Wow just wow. Another knock out episode this season just keeps getting better. It was fun seeing Brian back for this episode but in ways I'm kind of glad they seem to have wrapped him up. I also thought the twist with Jonah was good with the explanation that his mom was still in love with Arthur and drove his sister to kill herself. I do have to wonder how Dexter is going to write off his little trip. It's going to seem pretty suspicious that he leaves without telling her where he's going and that she won't find it a little fishy.

Osiris3657

well the preview of next week's episode confirms

Paul1957

So Dexter:



Still love the season so far!

Goat3001

Another really great episode. This season is rolling. I do wish they did more with Brian as the dark passenger. I wonder if he'll make another appearance this season.

bdshort

Osiris: I just saw the preview again and sure didn't see anything suggesting that was the case.

Paul: Maybe there were stairs?

Another great episode, but I'm glad that his brother is apparently gone again. Liked the explanation about what happened with Trinity's family, but I wonder if there will be fallout from that little trip...

Paul1957

DJariya

Good episode. It felt kind of self contained in a way as more of a wrap up to the Trinity storyline. But there was some elements with Gellar and Travis. I also think judging by this episode that Gellar is probably real. They are kind of see sawing back and forth with this.

at Dexter and Brian's road trip to Nebraska. That was really fun. I loved Dexter banging the gas station chick to swipe her gun.

at Brian eating burgers and sodas during the trip. So we actually have food to look forward to in the after life?

I also liked the reveal at the end on what really happened to Jonah's sister and Mom. It was interesting to see Dexter shun Brian as his dark passenger and let Jonah live. I liked Dex's Dad making an apperance at the end before he came back to Miami.

Osiris3657

Watch it again, Dexter said

Goat3001

Just a little fyi, if the episode has already aired there is no need for spoiler tags unless you're discussing the previews for next week. By now the west coasters and DVR crowd know to avoid the thread if it's aired already.


I don't think they've really been see-sawing back and forth with Gellar being real or imaginary at all. I think anything that they've shown for Gellar not to be real is just the viewer looking at things too closely.

However I still think Gellar is imaginary. Mostly because this season has been putting a lot of focus on Dexter's dark passenger and even brought back his brother for that reason.

I'll tell you what, I really liked bad ass Dexter. He had great chemistry with Brian. I wouldn't mind if they did a few episodes like that. And to point out how good the direction was this episode, I really liked how when Brian was talking to Dexter about how terrible Deb is they kept doing flashes in the car without Brian there. It was almost as if all the bad talk about Debra was knocking sense into Dexter. He really cares about Deb which all but guarantees that she's going to kick the bucket sooner or later.

Any word on how many more seasons they plan to do? While I'm enjoying every bit of Dexter that I get I'm really looking forward to them blowing it all out in its final season.

Raul3

Yeah, Dexter and Brian are great couple, really liked this episode.

Shazam

This season is just rockin'. Sooo much better than last year's.

clckworang

What makes it really hard to judge what is real or imaginary is that the show fudges with those types of rules. Like this episode, we saw Brian handing Dexter things and eating as another poster said. That makes it a lot harder to conclusively say that Gellar is real. If he were real and wanted inside the sister's house, why didn't he just open the door when Travis shut it? He asked to be let in, but Travis left the door unlocked. Gellar could have easily walked in. I found Gellar's lack of physical interaction in that scene curious. The woman Travis set free might have identified two voices, but she never actually saw two people. I thought that was a particularly important point. The actions she described could have been done by the same person; Travis could have been arguing with himself, much like Dexter was doing with Brian at times during the episode. I don't mind whichever way they take things because I'm enjoying the ride and could see either storyline working well, but I would really like for someone on the show to confirm that the Gellar we're seeing is the real one.

And while one could draw conclusions from next week's preview about Gellar being real or not, I still don't think anything was shown that couldn't be explained one way or another. The show has proven that conventional rules and clues don't always apply here.

As for the actual episode, I thought it was good, though not the best. I struggled a bit watching Dexter succumb to his Dark Passenger. We've all pointed out the unnecessary risks that Dexter makes, but this was really ridiculous. I just kept waiting for Dexter to get pulled over while he was shooting the gun while driving; that had to be one of the most uncomfortable scenes of the episode for me. He was acting so unlike himself, which I realize was the point, but if Brian really were that sloppy and prone to risk, I don't think he would have lasted as long as he did. But of course, I guess this really wasn't "Brian," but rather the Dark Passenger or Dexter's perception of Brian. I did really like Dexter picking up his hitchhiking dad. I thought that was a nice touch putting him back in Dexter's passenger seat.

And good lord, Deb is a clingy sister! She would be absolutely lost without Dexter. I couldn't get over how much she was panicking without him around to calm her down. It was a damn smart move on her part to call from the house phone. When/if she discovers the truth about Dexter, I bet she'll shrug it off if for no other reason than because she'll recognize she wouldn't be able to completely function in life without him.

Coral

Still hard to say if Gellar is real or not. The chick identifies one as yonger and one older. How does she know unless she hears them speak... or is Travis doing Gellar's voice?

I'm beginning to think Vince's intern will stumble onto something about Dexter simply because he's at his place by dating Angel's sister. I see no other reason for his inclusion this season and why he would be dating Angel's sister.

The way they brought back Trinity's kid seemed a little forced - even if it was a way for Dexter to find a way to forgive. I was hoping they would've validated my suspicion during Season 4 that the son was along for the ride in Trinity's later killings.

Major bright side the last 3 episodes... very little Laguerta.

Nice "American Gothic" re-creation with Dexter holding the pitch fork next to Brian in front of that painting (right after he killed the motel guy).

SuckaMC

Wasn't there a scene with a solo Gellar cutting someone/something up? What the hell was that? One could assume that Travis was with his sister while Gellar was cutting whatever up.

I'm actually glad Brian was only a one episode arc (so far). He was waaaay too abrasive and in Dexter's face. That would get old quick episode after episode. Agree that I liked him picking up his dad coming into town.

philo

My favorite moment was the shot of Dexter holding the pitchfork alongside his brother in front of a picture that made the whole thing look like American Gothic.

Those motel scenes at the front desk sure seemed similar to the ones in Psycho, the shot of the two in profile and the keys on the wall. Maybe the manager should have been named Norman.

Might be a stretch but the episode also brought to mind that TV movie Dark Night of the Scarecrow, with its shot of a scarecrow, death by pitchfork, and body in the silo.

As for the Gellar real/imaginary debate, I think the only way it could be a surprise at this point is to have him really exist. Maybe have Dexter or someone think he's just a figment and then Gellar steps up behind him and whacks him over the head.

dsa_shea

We do know that Gellar was at one point a professor/teacher of Travis, don't we?

bjh_18

It hasn't been explicitly stated that I recall, but between the fact that the woman they had chained up said one of them called the other "professor" and the picture of Travis and Gellar in graduation attire, it seems pretty clear to be the case.

Goat3001

Yes. The full confirmation came when Deb was looking through the 200 names they picked out that were Gellar's students and were living in the Miami area.

MikahC

I fall closer to this opinion. I didn't like having Brian there and found most of the episode a chore to watch, redeemed mostly by the last few minutes. I don't mind Dexter having a Dark Passenger, but someone continually calling him a wimp, etc. wasn't fun to watch.

I'm OK with Dexter being a sociopath who has developed at least some humanity via (first) his relationship with Harry and Deb, and (subsequently) his relationship with Rita, her kids, and the kid they have together. We've seen some very specific scenes over the course of this show that pointed out Dexter developing feelings about some things/people. Just the very fact that he doesn't want his son to turn out like him shows that. A pure sociopath would say, "Whatever happens, happens."

PopcornTreeCt

Great episode. Loved the scenes with him and Brian. Did anyone notice the nice little homage to American Gothic with Dexter with the rake and Brian? Awesome.

I'm actually kinda bummed that Brian is gone but the way they ended it with Jonah was very well done. I still think Travis is the one and only killer.

stopgap

I couldn't help but think of Smallville's Red Kryptonite episodes with this one.

Fun ep and pretty dark even for Dex.

Gunde

Scenes like this and the one a couple of episodes ago, where we saw Gellar talking while Travis was no where around makes me think he's a real person.