This may be the shortest review you ever read from me. To be honest, this week’s episode didn’t have all that much going on. Let me rephrase that. There was a lot going on, but there wasn’t much in the way of plot advancement. The whole episode kind of felt like a waste because the majority of the drama came from the fact that we weren’t supposed to know Geller was dead. At this point that fact was so blatantly obvious to me that I was actually a little embarrassed for the writers. It’s too bad though because the concept is actually fairly intriguing. I just think it has been poorly executed.
If it were me in the writers’ room I think it would have been obvious that fooling the audience for eight weeks would be a difficult task; close to impossible. So instead of assuming the audience isn’t smart enough to put two and two together, why not let us in on the secret in episode three or four and let us watch Dexter put the pieces together? I think that would have made for a much more intriguing story arc. Plus this way I would have saved on all that eye rolling when Dexter kept ‘missing Geller by a second’. Think of all the great opportunities they would have had to dangle Dexter like a worm on a hook while we all watch in horror. I also like Colin Hanks much more than Edward James Olmos so if we had been let in on the secret we could have enjoyed scenes with Hanks playing both Travis and Geller. Maybe that’s still a possibility, who knows?
On a slightly related note, I’ve read a lot of complaints about Dexter not realizing Geller was really Travis sooner. Give the guy a break. I can’t think of one reason he should have known that. He’s never met Geller and he has only talked to Travis twice prior to this episode. We’re the ones with the inside information. And to me there’s nothing worse than a protagonist that figures things out too quickly, especially if it’s unearned knowledge. Like I said, dangle Dexter on a hook while we watch. That’s entertaining. What did you guys think? Were you surprised Geller was dead? Were you happy with the way this was presented to us?
There was a lot of interesting development for Deb this week. It seems her sessions with the therapist are bringing up a lot of buried feelings. And I have to say I’m intrigued by the way these conversations are chipping away at Dexter’s façade. She talks about how guarded Dexter is; how she never knows what he’s up to. She tells her therapist about how she was engaged to Brian who turned out to be a serial killer, and Dexter’s brother. She even compares Dexter and her relationship to Travis and his sister. Neon lights, anyone? I can’t wait for Deborah to realize who Dexter is. On some level she’s got to know already, right? I’m very interested to see what kind of turn the show will make after that moment. It will certainly be more difficult now with Deborah as Lieutenant.
Quinn and Batista exchanges some heated words and a few punches in what seems like an endless downward spiral for both of them. Quinn can’t seem to get it together. I thought he was going to calm down after he and Deborah had their heart to heart a couple weeks ago. But apparently he’s still hurting and Batista is getting sick of cleaning up his messes. I can’t say I blame him for that. Batista has some issues of his own to work through too. He was basically demoted at the beginning of the season. It wasn’t something I thought he deserved. I think he would have made a good Lieutenant. And as Quinn pointed out he’s got two angry ex-wives and a daughter that wants nothing to do with him. To me, this fight was more about reminding us what each of them is going through personally than creating a divide between them. I wouldn’t be surprised if they make up in the next episode but they’ll probably be working through their own issues for at least the remainder of the season.
Those are really the main pieces I took away from “Get Geller”. Like I said, not too much going on if you were already a card-carrying member of the Geller is dead club. At least now Dexter knows the truth. It won’t be long before we see Travis on Dexter’s table but first he’ll have to find a way to get Miami Metro off his tail. With three more episodes left, a lot could happen!
There were a few other random observations worth mentioning.
- “I’m here if you need a chair” It was hilarious watching Dexter trying to decode this analogy.
- “When it comes to matters of the heart, always follow your dick”
- How will Dexter feel knowing he can’t give Travis the “second chance he never had”?
- Was anyone surprised that Laguerta was covering up for Matthews? Cue the whomp whoooomp.
- What is up with Louis and the hand from the Ice Truck Killer evidence?
