Dexter went dark side for this week’s ‘Nebraska’. For someone who already spends most of his time on the dark side, Dexter certainly pushed his own limits. I have to say, rogue Dexter was fun while he lasted but I’m glad he only lasted the length of this episode. I like Dexter floating somewhere between hero and villain. There’s something so intriguing about a flawed protagonist.
There was something almost cartoonish about Brian and Dexter’s interactions. Brian may as well have grown a tail and perched himself on Dexter’s shoulder. Not to say I didn’t enjoy their chemistry, because I did. Brian’s character was a lot of fun and provided quite a few laughs as well as a great deal of perspective for Dexter. But I’m glad it didn’t last long. I could never see Dexter throwing caution to the wind and abandoning the ritual that’s kept him grounded all these years.
As someone who has also read the Dexter series I noticed a great deal of similarities between Brian’s character in the books and in this episode. I won’t go too much into this but feel free to skip the paragraph if you have no interest. In the books, Brian is described as having almost a singsong voice; something I thought Christian Camargo affected nicely. In the books Brian also uses a lot of puns and plays on words, which he did here as well. Brian’s character in the books is also incredibly patronizing toward Dexter, which came across nice and clear in tonight’s episode. It was fun to see Brian’s character come to life in this episode since we don’t get to spend much time with the real Brian in the series.
Brian shows up just in the nick of time for the reappearance of Trinity. Of course we know it can’t really be Trinity since Dexter killed him. But I wonder what Dexter would have done about the situation if Harry were still running the show? Surely he would have taken more time to research before he took off for Nebraska. I also don’t think he would have confronted Jonah directly at his place of work; especially if he wasn’t one hundred percent sold on his guilt. And he certainly wouldn’t have admitted his guilt in killing Trinity unless Jonah was strapped to his table with no escape. Brian is certainly a bad influence, isn’t he?
I was fairly convinced of Jonah’s guilt for the length of the episode except for Dexter’s pesky feeling that something wasn’t right. And of course his spidey sense was right again. But his encounter with Jonah was what it took for Dexter to realize he didn’t want to see the light go out of the eyes of an innocent man. He doesn’t kill just for the sake of killing. He still believes he’s serving a greater purpose through his hobby. And he was finally able to realize what Brother Sam had tried to tell him all along. There is still light inside of him.
“I wonder if darkness is defined by light. If so darkness can’t exist on it’s own; there must, by definition be light somewhere waiting to be found.”
I’m sure Sam hoped that Dexter could find a way to stop killing all together but that wouldn’t make for a very interesting show, would it? Quite frankly, I’m just happy Dexter realized he’s more than a monster who can’t control his own urges; he’s a man with darkness and the only way he can keep going is to find a way to balance his darkness and his light.
There wasn’t a whole lot else happening outside this main storyline but there were a few interesting developments worth mentioning.
Travis has decided to call it quits with the Professor. Too bad Miami Metro is hot on his trail. I feel bad for the guy, I really do. He’s like a lost puppy. He’s finally trying to do what’s right but it’s too late for that. Dexter knows who he is and soon the rest of them will too. I’m still fairly confident that Travis and Professor Gellar are the same person but this week we got our first hint that they may not be. The girl being held captive told Debra that there were two guys; one older and one younger. She never saw them but she heard them. Now, it’s possible that Travis could be using different voices for his different personalities but I think, even blindfolded, it’s easy to tell if there is more than one person in the room with you. My guess is that this witness was meant to throw us for a loop. What did you guys think? Am I nuts to still think Travis is imagining Professor Gellar?
I do wish we knew what the end game is for this apocalyptic storyline. What are the stakes here? I know people are dying and that’s enough but Travis and the Professor were working up to something. I think if we knew what that something was it might make this whole storyline more interesting. I’d even settle for more backstory on these two. Why should I care?
There was a touching moment between Debra and Quinn. I think it’s the closure they needed to move on with their lives. Quinn actually apologized for his behavior, which was an unexpected gesture. And it finally gave Debra the opportunity she needed to tell Quinn how sorry she was for hurting him. They can’t be together, which makes sense because of Debra’s new position as Lieutenant, but they can finally move on which is what both of them needed. I was satisfied with that as an ending to their relationship. Do you think they’ll ever get back together? I don’t really see how they could. And as I mentioned in a previous review, I’m actually happy that Debra gets her own storyline that doesn’t revolve around a relationship. She’s an interesting character and I’d like to see her come into her own a bit.
Overall I really enjoyed this episode. It was fun to see Dexter sow his wild oats for a change but I’m happy he got it out of his system! Here are just a couple more random observations to mention.
*“Brother Sam doesn’t know you like brother Brian does.”
*Travis is so sweet when he’s with his sister but does anyone else find their relationship a little creepy?
*“When has love ever kept people from killing each other?”
* “You’re life is nothing BUT responsibilities.”
* “Love really? It’s weird seeing you with a kid.”
*Dexter is such an awkward flirter. I actually cringed at the exchange between him and the gas station girl.
* Shady Norm was not so bright. Why would you steal knives from someone’s car and then hold them ransom. People with knife sets like Dexter’s are not people you want to mess with.
