Deconstructing the Dark Passenger

High class adult entertainment, top notch detective work, and a posse of parrots. Returning to the well of what worked in Season 1, we have that ending at home. Not precise repetition, but a strong echo, and still with a full episode left in the season. #Dexter #Season3 #Ihadadream #blackSUV

Buzz kills, c*** blocks, and stubborn stains.Dexter achieves a stunning clarity in this episode, maybe becoming the first serial killer in history to become disillusioned with how far gone other serial killers are. After a series of infographs and tutorials from Miguel explaining precisely how off the rails he is, Dexter gets the big picture, and finally returns to the multi-tasking that we know and love. #Dexter #Season3 #Goyourownway #sgtbuzzkill

Missing CIs, dead lawyers, and open graves.We've come to the point in the season where, traditionally, Dexter's naivety catches up with him, and at least one innocent party. #Dexter #season3 #aboutlastnight #wikipediaofperv

Serial killers, cereal weed, and the stunning insights of Detective Obvious.We might never know what was behind these random impulses to trust the audience to understand the symbolism of a broken lightbulb, but not piece together board game level clues, but they are out in force in this episode. Rife with uncharacteristic behavior (across multiple characters) this episode does what it had to do, and we will forgive it because it makes up for it in so many other ways. #Dexter #Season3 #TheDamageAManCanDo #caffeine

Deb's hair, Quinn's tan, and F***ing Albert ChungThere are as many different understandings of justice, innocence, and mercy as there are ways to make key lime pie. Dexter learns a hard lesson here, but at least this one won't be in vain.#Dexter #Season3 #EasyasPie #keylimepie #albertchung

Mom and Mom are fighting, the sordid truth about key lime pie, and losing Rita to the darkness of the 2008 real estate market. Following the usual pattern of the original series, the mid-season muddle kicks in, and with it the feeling of treading water with wild editing that emphasizes rather than elides impossible timelines. Day is night and night is day. But this is also a dive into Camilla's arc, and what should be one of Dexter's most consequential relationships. #Dexter #Season 3 #Sisepueded #keylimepie

HIPAA violations, misremembered balls, and bupkis.Dexter would absolutely buy oceanfront property in Arizona. His earnestness is necessary for the particular growth narrative the writers have chosen to follow, which is odd considering the amnesia he seems to have for the lessons he should learn from its indiscriminate application. So Miguel Prado continues to play him like violin, to the detriment of his relationship with Rita. Won't be the last time.

Dexter’s (the show’s) biggest weakness is that Michael C. Hall is too good at his job. His consistently outperforms spotty characterization, giving us a Dexter Morgan that continues to lie to the audience and himself, and letting us see character growth in a more organic way than the script seems to want to allow. Nowhere is this more evident than watching his actions betray his voice over when it comes to Rita and the kids. 

C is for Cheerios Guy, Z is for Zucchini, and S is or Should Have Paid Better Attention in Spanish Class. The dynamic between Dexter and Miguel sets in, whether Dexter realizes it or not. (Though in fairness, he was taken in by a used car salesman with a bad hairpiece just last season.) Dexter will only ever meet his match once or maybe twice (that we know of), but in terms of bald manipulation, he doesn't have much to against Miguel Prado.