Deconstructing the Dark Passenger

More HR nightmares, not-yams, and neighborly kindness.In one of the most memorable episodes of the entire series, Dexter's mask slips--and reveals what only be called righteous anger. The impotence of that anger in that moment resonates as part of the core appeal of the show. Elsewhere in Miami, the writers' quest to make Rita uncharacteristically fickle continues, and Angel and Maria continue to spin their wheels this time with tequila.#Dexter #dexterseason4 #hungryman #trinitykiller #notyams

Freeloaders, fish heads, and everyday applications of geometry.The most hand-wavey episode of the season. Still, the pointed parallels where we least expected them (though we should have) between Dexter and his so-called normal surroundings churns up some drama that will further crumble Dexter's facade. #Dexter #Dexterseason4 #Roadkill #trinitykiller

Strained metaphors, bad neighbors, and the quietest boat motor in the world. Teetering on the brink of doing too much, the episode manages to plant the seeds of a season that we should have had but never got.#Dexter #Dexterseasoon4 #Trinitykiller #slacktide #manofthree

Murder weapons, breadmakers, and empty urns. The true indicator of the season is how, at the halfway point, pacing and story development are still on track. Masuka continues to be off the rails, while everyone else rallies. Dexter continues to take silly chances. But the normalcy that Dexter has always craved is beginning to seep into the fabric of the story, helped along by its juxtaposition with the convincing malignancy of Trinity. #Dexter #Dexterseason4 #Trinitykiller #ifIhadahammer #breadmakers #cows

Springing leaks, daddy issues, and bad timing.The follow-up to the dramatic end of the previous episode, this episode manages to not only avoid being clunky, but finesses into its own smooth ending. Through all the seasons and spinoffs, Dexter's overconfidence is always his undoing, and it starts in earnest here when he is given reason to believe that he really, actually can have it all.#Dexter​ #Dexterseason4​ #Dirtyharry #trinitykiller #clawhammers

Chain of what?, poked bees, and a permanent end to cholesterol woes.Lithgow steals the show again to give us a vision of a man so ensnared by trauma that his entire life is orchestrated around its recreation. Dexter reverts to his perpetually annoying tendency to act in ways entirely contrary to his inner monologue, emphasizing again that the idea of an unreliable inner narrator, while interesting, would have worked better if there had been consistency; instead, it seems like odd flashes of poor planning. While vaguely ham-fisted, the end of this episode was at least four episodes in the making, and will at least not be wasted. #Dexter #dexterseason4 #trinitykiller #zoeykruger #dextakesaholiday

Enough Culture Club to make a man want to kill, Victoria's Secret Offender Registry, and the saddest sack on the HOA.While this episode marks the absolute nadir of Vince Masuka's characterization as an HR nightmare, we get another taste of Trinity's stunning brutality, contrasted with some of the most quietly profound brushes with "normality" that Dexter will ever have. The success of this season is found in these episodes, that aren't about the big beats but the quiet in between.

Nine easy pieces, no more cream cheese for you, and weaponizing the best boys.Care is taken with further fleshing out Trinity, so by the end of the second episode, he is already rivaling the Ice Truck Killer for most well-realized and genuinely unsettling of all the Big Bads. Kudos to more masterful misdirection to leave viewers breathing a (momentary) sigh of relief.#Dexter #Season4 #Remainstobeseen #Trinitykiller #Icetruckkiller #Checkers

Hand mirrors, iPods, and Marco Polo.It's a blood bath to kick off one of the most well-composed seasons of Dexter, with an opening episode harkening back to season 1 in its the efficiency of its storytelling. #Dexter #Season4 #LivingtheDream #Trinitykiller #bloodbath