Dexter 4.7: 'He Can't Kill Bambi'

Another superb, surprise-twisting Episode 4.7 of Dexter Sunday night. The 'he can't kill Bambi' quote comes from Harry, Dexter's id, conscience-super ego father voice, and it's about the Trinity killer. "He spent his life killing innocent people, but he can't kill Bambi," Harry/Dexter Morgan acerbically notes about Trinity, who cringes away from using an ax to put a deer that he hit out its misery. Dexter goes on to do the job.

Harry's/Dexter's code would never allow him to kill an innocent person, and this sets Dex sharply apart from Trinity, and all the other killers Dex has killed.

But on Sunday night, Dex kills an innocent man mistakenly thought by Dexter to be a serial killer. I'm pretty sure this is the first time for killing an innocent by Dex, though there have been some close calls. Even Sunday night was a close call - Dex is initially thrown off his plan to kill this apparent killer by a camping trip with Cody - but leave it to Dex, he figures out a way to get his man later that night, anyway-

Only to find the next morning that the real killer is being brought into the station house by Batista - the real killer was the assistant of the guy Dexter dispatched.

Dexter's shocked, Harry's frowning - this goes totally against their code. What impact will this error have on Dexter? He is rational enough to realize the lesson of this mistake: vigilante justice, even when meted out by someone as smart and careful as Dexter, is no substitute for the police and judicial due process. This process is far from perfect - it convicts innocent people, and sets free guilty parties (who are prime candidates for Dexter's attention). But due process does afford the accused and apparently guilty a lot more opportunity to prove their innocence than do Dex's knives.

This show keeps getting better and better, fearless addressing profound ethical issues, as it keeps the pot boiling with serial killers of every stripe prowling the nights of Miami.
5-min podcast review of Dexter


See also Dexter Season 4: Sneak Preview Review ... The Family Man on Dexter 4.5 ... Dexter on the Couch in 4.6

See also reviews of Season 3: Season's Happy Endings? ... Double Surprise ... Psychotic Law vs. Sociopath Science ... The Bright, Elusive Butterfly of Dexter ... The True Nature of Miguel ... Si Se Puede on Dexter ... and Dexter 3: Sneak Preview Review

Reviews of Season 2: Dexter's Back: A Preview and Dexter Meets Heroes and 6. Dexter and De-Lila-h and 7. Best Line About Dexter - from Lila and 8. How Will Dexter Get Out of This? and The Plot Gets Tighter and Sharper and Dex, Doakes, and Harry and Deb's Belief Saves Dex and All's ... Well

See also about Season 1: First Place to Dexter

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