Paul Levinson's Infinite Regress

reviewing 3 Body Problem; Black Doves; Bosch; Citadel; Criminal Minds; Dark Matter; Dexter: Original Sin; Dune: Prophecy; For All Mankind; Foundation; Hijack; House of the Dragon; Luther; Outlander; Presumed Innocent; Reacher; Severance; Silo; Slow Horses; Star Trek: Strange New Worlds; Surface; The: Ark, Day of the Jackal, Diplomat, Last of Us, Way Home; You +books, films, music, podcasts, politics

George Santayana had irrational faith in reason - I have irrational faith in TV.

Sunday, July 21, 2013

Dexter 8.4: "The Lab Rat" and Harry's Daughter

That was my favorite phrase in the once again superb Dexter 8.4 just on tonight - "lab rat" - which Dex realizes or at least thinks Vogel is treating him like, and which gets Dexter to vow he'll have nothing more to do with her after he takes of A.J. But is Dexter nothing more than a lab rat for Vogel? Not really, he's more like, well, a son to her, though I don't know the woman shrink well enough to be sure how she differentiates between sons and patients and lab rats in her practice and life.

Meanwhile, Deb under Vogel's far less than perfect treatment has come to a realization herself: she's just like her father. Meaning, her love for Dexter got her to bend the rules to save him, just as Harry's love for Dexter got Harry to do the same. Of course, Deb bent the rules far more than Harry ever did, when she killed Laguerta to save her brother.

But Deb doesn't see that - or maybe she does. When she showed up to talk to Dexter, my wife thought that was prelude to taking her own life, just as Harry did his, out of despair of what they had done for Dexter. My thought was Deb was there to make things right by killing Dexter.

Turns out we were both right, and the episode concludes was Deb trying to kill her and her brother by getting their car to dive into the water. It was great ending - including that neither dies, even though that was predictable from the metaphysics of television drama. Had this been the last episode in the series, then their joint survival would have been stunning, since either or both could have died at that point. But in just episode 4 of the finale season, it's just too early for either to die.

Still, this may clear the air, at least for Deb, who again realizes she can't let her brother die, and goes back into the water to save him after a guy fishing on the shore saves her. For Dex, this episode may well turn him against his sister - which we see a little in the coming attractions - but that won't last either.

I sure wish it was Sunday again tomorrow. But speaking of dates, did you catch that the calendar in A.J.'s place said "July 2012"? I thought Dexter was taking place pretty much in our present ... but who knows ....

See also Dexter Season 8 Premiere: Mercury in Retrograde, Dexter Incandescent ... Dexter 8.2: The Gift ... Dexter 8.3: The Question and the Confession

And see also Dexter Season 7.1-3: Sneak Preview Review ... Dexter 7.4: The Lesson in Speltzer's Smoke ... Dexter 7.5: Terminator Isaac ... Dexter 7.6: "Breaking and Entering" ... Dexter 7.7: Shakespearean Serial Killer Story ... Dexter 7.8: Love and Its Demands ... Dexter 7.9: Two Memorable Scenes and the Ascension of Isaac ... Dexter 7.11: The "Accident" ... Dexter Season 7 Finale: The Surviving Triangle