Dexter Review of Season (6) Episode (4): A Horse of a Different Color

To begin with, really nice job on your reviews and analysis of Dexter. You definitely put a lot of time and thought into them.

I really enjoyed this week’s episode and think the story has progressed nicely since the season premiere. After the first episode I was somewhat wary about where this season would head, but the show has been getting progressively better week by week, in my opinion.

I completely agree with your assessment that the episodes that feature Brother Sam are far more interesting than the other episodes and I think much of it is simply the chemistry between Hall and Mos. I’ve never seen Mos act before but I must say I am highly impressed.

However, I think what makes these episodes stand out is also due to what Brother Sam’s character represents in relation to Dexter’s continual quest to figure out who his is, who he can be – and who I think Dexter really wants to be. (Until this moment I never thought of Dexter as an existential character, but I suppose he is.) Throughout the series, we see Dexter questioning … can I be this “monster” but still be a boyfriend, be a husband, be a friend, be a father? In all the previous seasons, Dexter is shown trying to fit the “monster” into a “normal” life. In the character of Brother Sam, Dexter has discovered the option of changing who he is – to discard the dark passenger – and to actually have a chance at a “normal” life.

When he first met Brother Sam, Dexter was highly suspicious of him and asked if a man can really change. Can a man really cast off that part of himself that perpetrates evil deeds and eventually become a man of “goodness”? Right now, I think that Brother Sam is just he’s been described, a good shepherd – the face of “good” that juxtaposes with the “dark passenger” in Dexter’s life – who we’ve come to associate with Harry. Think about it … Brother Sam tells Dexter that change for the good can come IF you believe and IF you fight the evil impulses within; whereas, Harry told a young Dexter that he could NOT ever change … that he was a killer and there was nothing he could do to change that … the only recourse was embrace the killer but kill according to a certain code. And not only does Brother Sam talk the talk … it appears that he also walks the walk. And Dexter finds that intriguing, because he never considered it as an actual possibility.

Do I think that Dexter will cast off his dark passenger? No … that would be the end of the show as we know it. But I find the Brother Sam story arc from this perspective interesting nonetheless.

Likewise, I think Brother Sam’s version of “good” offers a direct contrast with the Doomsday killer(s) who commit horrific acts in the name of “good.” I can see where you are coming from when you say that there is something not adding up when it comes to the Doomsday killer(s). However, I do like this storyline and will be interested in seeing how far the writers go with it. I actually have an interesting (well I find it interesting LOL!) theory about Travis/Gellar but I don’t want to step on any toes. As a series long fan of LOST, theorizing and guessing is second nature to me … but I’ve seen people get extremely upset when theorizing and guessing actually turns into reality and I most definitely don’t want to anger anyone or spoil anyone’s enjoyment of the show. However, if you give me the green light, I will be more than happy to share.

You ask “Does Gellar think that they are going to usher in the end of days?”– Actually, I don’t think this is too far from the realm of possibility. If Gellar/Travis truly believe … and I mean truly believe … that Armageddon has arrived … then yes, they could most definitely think that they are assisting – they maybe even feel bound by duty or a “higher calling” - to help it come about. Real-life killer Charlie Manson attempted to hasten an apocalyptic race war by going on a murderous crime spree in the 1970s. In the 1990’s a group called Heaven’s Gate committed mass suicide due to their belief that the world was about to end and the only way to save themselves was to kill themselves. So I think that, yes, someone can believe in an idea so strongly that they do completely irrational (at least what seems irrational to the rest of us) things. And we are dealing with some psychotic characters here LOL!

I found the following comment interesting: “Colin Hanks (playing Travis Marshall) is utterly unimpressive in his role. I simply don't buy it. He is murdering people with ancient swords and managing his love and family life all with the same demeanor.” But I have to ask, isn’t this what Dexter has been doing all along? Managing love and family life while murdering people? I think that ol’ Travis and Dexter have an awful lot in common. But I think that Travis/Gellar upped the ante and this is what excites Dexter and why we see him in a state of awe with each successive murder by Doomsday. Dexter has been murdering people by the code Harry taught him … with cold rationality … how did Deb phrase it? “Like how you train a puppy.” The Doomsday murders have meaning attached to them … and meaning is what Dexter has been searching for this season. And I think this is why Dexter’s killing of the Tooth Fairy seemed out of place with typical Dexter killings, he attached meaning to it where, in the past, he used logic to rationalize the killings that satisfied his “dark passenger.” Like I said above, I don’t think Dexter’s going to all of a sudden find religion and stop being a serial killer. But I think he can certainly evolve into a new type of serial killer.

I do like Colin Hanks’ character. And I loved, just loved, that he was there at the scene at the end when the locusts were flying about. I was like … is that Travis there looking around in fascination or am I imagining things? And it was him … and Dexter recognized him … and it was almost like he found his soul-mate … and perhaps that is exactly what we were seeing. Perhaps Dexter will track him down before the police do (as is typical for Dexter to do) and Dexter will question and examine and analyze Travis/Gellar much like he is doing with Brother Sam at the moment. What I wonder is if, when the time comes, will Dexter be able kill Doomsday? Or will his quite obvious admiration give him pause?

As far as the rest of the characters … I’m loving Deb. Her character has definitely grown on me over the years and I like to see her finally coming into her own. Is she being set up for a fall? I hope not … but I don’t see things going easy for her … nothing for Deb ever comes easy. Batista and Quinn getting stoned had me cracking up this week but I hope the writers go easy on the comic relief with those two. Personally, I find more comedy in some of the things that Dexter says/thinks than in the gimmicky comedy that is sometimes given to the minor characters (with the exception of Masuka) … but that’s just me. You’ve mentioned Quinn picking up the trail to uncover Dexter … I would not be surprised to find Anderson and Quinn joining forces in this pursuit. Anderson doesn’t have the history with Dexter that most of the other characters have so a new set of eyes may just be useful to Quinn.

Gads … I can’t believe I’ve gone on so long here! Thanks for giving me the opportunity!