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Dexter: The Damage a Man Can Do
by Debra McDuffee, posted Nov 17th 2008 12:22AM
(S03E08) OK, so I am sitting here, trying to figure out how I can actually write a review of this episode of Dexter when the bloody preview left nothing from next week's episode a surprise. WTF, Showtime? So, let's move past that huge spoiler that is next week's coming attractions and talk about the damage done by Dexter, Miguel and Quinn in "The Damage a Man Can Do."
Dexter talks of the Butterfly Effect, in which one event sets off a chain reaction of other events. This is essentially what happens throughout this episode, and in every case, things go downhill fast.
What was Dexter thinking about when he taught Miguel the intricate details of how he kills? Yikes, dude. I know you want a friend, but I'm with Harry on this one. At first, I really thought Harry was going to be all wet, and we were going to find out that Dexter can break Harry's code and become more human and live a pretty normal life. I thought we'd find out that Harry was controlling and made Dexter into the social deviant that he is.
Well, I've taken a 180-degree turn on that opinion now. Miguel stopping by Ellen's was a huge red flag that his newly released "darkness" was going to spin out of control, and the previews showed me I was right on that point. Next week's episode promises to be a doozy. It looks like we are leading towards Dexter having to kill Miguel, which will probably bring Dexter closer to the first season Dex we knew -- no friends, no relationships, protected from the world by The Code. He'll need to do this to repair the damage he caused by setting the Butterfly Effect with Miguel into motion. Listen to Daddy, Dex.
It makes me feel sad for Dexter, because I really thought breaking away from Harry a bit was going to be a good thing. Now onto Quinn ....
Quinn's Butterfly Effect and all the damage it caused started with him never doing the paperwork to make Anton a proper CI. Deb tells Anton, the Skinner gets Anton (yeah, thanks again, previews) and it's all bad, bad, bad. It makes me think that Miguel has absolutely nothing to do with the Skinner; he was far too busy being serial killer guy to bother pulling any tree trimmers' strings. So is it coincidence that Anton was taken by the Skinner as soon as Deb tells him Quinn never really had him as a CI?
Other things:
- It's painfully awkward watching Angel and Barbara blossom into the love thing. I'm happy for him and all, but they are a little creepy.
- The Rita storyline was lame and stereotypical; hormones, blah, blah, blah. We get it; she's pregnant.
- So, was Maria expecting more than just chummy girl stuff when she asked Ellen out on a date? I thought they were going there, but when Ellen slobbered all over the bartender, I wonder if Maria felt disappointed.
- Loved Miguel's Unibomber look.
- Oh, the green Miguel so needed the serial killer's starter kit. That's what friends are for, right Dex?
- "Your brother's kind of a dweeb, huh?" Quinn to Deb about Dexter.
- It's important that Quinn's situation is challenging Deb's black and white view of the world. I wonder, if like Dexter, that her original view will be solidified when she finds out that Quinn's a bad dude, or if she'll be able to accept shades of gray because of Quinn. Which way do you think Quinn will go?
- So is King the Skinner? Mario was certainly terrified of him for some reason. I'm excited to know where they are headed with this, because there has to be something big behind it, doesn't there?
- Poignant line of the episode goes to Harry: He says anything Miguel does now is connected to Dexter, because Dexter "coached" Miguel into releasing his "darkness." It was too much for Harry to bear with Dex, ultimately leading to Harry's suicide (he couldn't take the damage he caused, and he couldn't watch Dex cause his damage) and he hopes Dexter is a stronger man.
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