Dexter 2 Episode 10: Dex, Doakes, and Harry

I thought the most significant exchange in tonight's Episode 10 of Dexter (Season 2) on Showtime came when Dexter tells Doakes, in his cage, early in the show, that Doakes is really the same as Dexter - two serial killers working on the side of the angels, by killing bad guys. And this is to apparently be moving Dexter towards a decision to kill Doakes. Except ...

Doakes turns out not quite as much the sociopath as Dexter. Doakes is genuinely sickened when he's forced to witness the sound and reality of Dexter sawing a victim - a bad guy - that Dexter will be passing off as Doakes's.

And, indeed, Dexter decides not to kill Doakes, but to frame him. This, according to Dexter, would satisfy Harry's code of not killing someone who doesn't deserve to be killed. Dexter of course doesn't really believe that Doakes is as bad as Dexter's other victims - Dexter was just thinking that Doakes is as bad as Dexter, and it turns out Doakes may not even be as bad as that. So framing Daokes will get Dexter off the hook in a Harry-appropriate way. And satisfies what I said last week about my not being able to see Dexter just kill Doakes. Except ...

Well, it may be appropriate to Harry, but will it really get Dexter in the clear? At best, only temporarily. Surely, Doakes framed and dead is surer protection for Dexter than Doakes framed, living - and talking.

This is an error in Dexter's reasoning - framing but not killing Doakes, instead of framing and killing Doakes - which I hope is resolved.

Meanwhile, Doakes says something about Harry which gets Dexter to look into it. Eventually, the unlikable Captain Matthews tells Dexter that his father committed suicide. (The character is suitably unlikable, but not the actor - Geoff Pierson - who was just right as President Keeler in 24, as is just right as Astor.) Dexter's understandable conclusion is that Harry committed suicide over despair about Dexter. My take: I don't trust much of what the Captain says.

And Lila's up to some pretty deep tricks herself. She has sex with Angel, then takes roofies and passes out cold, all to implicate Angel for date rape. What does she hope to gain from this? Sympathy from Dexter? Possibly, but who knows what else she has in mind, and this is not the find time I find myself still rooting in some way for a pretty evil character.

I'm also rooting for Dexter, and I've been all Fall, and looking forward to the final two episodes of this great season.



See also 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 Deb's Belief Saves Dex and Season 2 Finale: All's ... Well

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