Dexter Season 5, Episode 1 – My Bad
Dexter Season 5 Episode 1 – My Bad
Rita is dead. What does Dexter do now? This is essentially the conflict in this opening episode to season five after the shocking finale last year. While Dexter was hiding in the trunk of a car, the Trinity killer was murdering his wife. How does Dexter process that guilt (can he even feel guilt?) and what does it do to him?
This episode picks up immediately after the last one, with Dexter coming outside, baby Harrison en tow, as police swarm his home. The first words out of his mouth when the police arrive are “It was me,” words that will certainly haunt America’s favorite serial killer in the coming weeks. He’s subjected to funeral homes, FBI interviews, breaking the news to their children (while wearing Mickey Mouse ears, no less) and more before he decides to cut and run. He prepares to leave his infant son with his sister and pack up his life and move on with no regard for how guilty that makes him look. Harry would be most displeased. In the end, though, he returns to seek support from the people who knew and loved Rita because he needs their support more than even he thinks he does.
As per usual, it’s Dexter’s inner conflict that is most interesting about this episode as he tries to process, if not muster, some grief for his fallen wife. He’s so caught up in how he thinks everyone else thinks he’s supposed to feel that he doesn’t allow himself to actually feel anything until he can’t bear it any longer. The result is Dexter at his most human in a powerful scene made even better by a typically amazing performance from Michael C. Hall.
This year is going to be tough for Dexter. Aside from his inner demons, there’s plenty to keep him on his toes. Quinn is a dog with a bone over Rita’s death and all signs point to Dexter in his mind as the primary suspect. Maybe he should ask Sergeant Doakes how that road ends. The previews for the coming episodes look fantastic.
The premiere episode was a slow one, but it needed to be. The characters needed to breathe and process what had happened before we could move on as an audience. It set a LOT in motion while resolving some leftover bits from last year. Dexter has a track record of getting better each year. Last season is going to be a tough act to follow, but if this week’s episode is any indication, we’re on the right track.
Most uncomfortable hour of television EVER.
Yeah your right… You can watch it here in full video: http://www.dexter-show.blogspot.com
This show gets better and better!!!!
Quinn is now Doakes light.
A very sad episode. Obviously.
I couldn’t help but feel deeply betrayed when Dexter went on the lam.
I know cleaning up my sister-in-law’s blood totally gets me engine revved. Anyone else notice that neither Deb’s hair nor Quinn’s shirt showed any sign of wear and tear after the cleanup?
And seriously, Masuka? Dude…that was fucked.
It made me kind of angry over how everyone expected Dexter to react, and when he didn’t react that way it was instantly suspicious. Being in Dexter’s situation would have plunged almost anybody into a deep state of shock. So the neighbor douchebag was more visibly upset than Dexter… Well, he didn’t exactly see what Dexter saw, now did he? How Quinn can even compare the two is just a big joke.
And now that Quinn is taking over the role of Doakes… ugh, I have a feeling I’m going to love to hate this season.
Did anyone else notice how small Quinn got? Brother needs to get back in the gym and push some weights around. Seriously I went on IMDB.com to check if he was dying from some incurable disease or something. Last season dude was popping out of his shirt. This season he looks like he’s got undiagnosed diabetes. Maybe he’s just doing too much yoga, I don’t know but for some reason it is really bothering me. Not to mention messing with my internal sense of continuity.
How is Disney not screaming about Dexter wearing the ears when he breaks the news to the kids? Very disturbing imagery there.
When Dexter was wandering around the funeral home, I had to remind myself which show I was watching. I kept expecting him to drop to his knees and start sucking a dick. I miss Six Feet Under…
It was hard to watch, obviously due to the subject at hand. Nevertheless, fantastic episode, great writing and above all another great job by Michael C. Hall.
My comment from the forum thread:
Well, it was quite a good opener.
There was a lot of emotional drama and no thrill, so they had to do at least one killing before the end, even it was unplanned and against the code. Dexter’s succumbing to his emotions and breaking down afterwards, in the “presence” of Harry, was a an excellent scene.
It was mostly a farewell episode for Rita, but I still liked the way the memories of her were what brought Dexter into finally choosing his family over running away. Throughout the lies (from the very beginning, no less) and his dire attempts to be human, Dexter really loved Rita and got his softest side out thanks to her.
What I didn’t like was Astor’s quick reaction and judgment of Dexter, although she was partially right. Dexter telling Paul’s parents (IIRC, Rita said they’re Paul’s parents in the last episode of last season) to keep enjoying the day with the kids was surreal, but I get the logic behind it. It could as well have been Cody and Astor’s last happy day before hearing they’re orphans. More surreal was Dexter sitting with the Micky Mouse hat on his head and delivering Rita’s family the awful news. I almost laughed.
I also didn’t like Debra and Quinn doing it. I hope they won’t become more than partners. These kind of plots are boring. See Angel and Maria. Bleh…
Quinn was at least right about one thing: Dexter’s colleagues and friends are too close to the case to act like real detectives and smell the fishy details. It doesn’t matter that Dexter is not the killer, but real cops would’ve investigated him just in case.
With that, I imagined during the episode Dexter coming clean to Quinn, telling him that the Trinity Killer really killed Rita but he’s already dead. “How do you know that?” Quinn would ask. “I killed him.”
Deb jumping Quinn is all too in-character. The chick’s got issues. I would have been more surprised if he she DIDN’T jump his bones.
“Captain Painway September 28th, 2010 12:16 am
It made me kind of angry over how everyone expected Dexter to react, and when he didn’t react that way it was instantly suspicious. Being in Dexter’s situation would have plunged almost anybody into a deep state of shock. So the neighbor douchebag was more visibly upset than Dexter… Well, he didn’t exactly see what Dexter saw, now did he? How Quinn can even compare the two is just a big joke.”
I agree 100%.
Quin is also coming from a suspect place with Dexter anyway, though. they were butting heads a lot as things came to a head with Trinity. his behavior has been “erratic” to say the least.
NICK! Thank you! I was wondering the same thing about the actor who plays Quinn! And my internal chronology was all messed up to… “This is, like, a DAY since we last saw him!!!”
As for the show as a whole, it was great. Not without its flaws, but great. That’s it from me.
I am hoping Quinn does not go the Doakes route. I am glad him and Deb finally did it, the sexual tension between those two has been there since his first appearance on the show.
I am looking forward to this season, especially because of Julia Stiles, she is a major crush of mine.