Dexter: Season 4, Episode 5: "Dirty Harry": 8.2/10

Dexter: Season 4, Episode 5: "Dirty Harry": 8.2

This season is really just getting better and better. As I have said before this show can easily feel like it is on repeat but I really do feel like we are starting to delve into some new and interesting material here. Particularly in the way that the season has connected Dexter and the Trinity Killer in the issues involving family. At the end of this episode we and Dexter learn that the Trinity Killer who we assumed was a lone wolf because Lundy (RIP : ( ) assumed it, is actually a family man. Dexter is also now a family man. It brings up a lot of really fascinating stuff for Dexter and I cannot wait to see how the show explores these issues of family and being forced to maintain connection to humanity as both Dexter and the Trinity Killer do what they do and more importantly why the Trinity Killer is able to do this.

Something else I really loved about the episode is that you would expect this to be a pretty low key episode that mainly deals with the fallout of the shocker at the end of the previous episode but in fact a great deal happens here. Deb and Anton broke up, Rita found out Dexter still keeps his apartment and confronted him on it, Deb had a breakdown (which I will get to), Angel is being transferred, the Trinity Killer killed again, Dexter found out who the Trinity Killer was, etc. A lot happened which was nice.

My favorite scene of the season to date occurred in this episode and it was Deb's breakdown. I have said before that I think that Jennifer Carpenter is entirely unappreciated and she is without a doubt more talented than a great deal of the actresses working today. She gave us a very refreshing on screen breakdown that moved me to tears not only because of what her character was saying and how badly I felt for her but because she had a breakdown in the way that real people have breakdowns. She starts hyperventilating and everything; it was so real and exactly the way it actually is and she absolutely nailed this scene which was so extremely emotional. I hope Deb can pull through and I think she can because even though she is such an emotional person who really feels everything she is also very very strong. Her dialogue in that scene hit pretty hard. She has such a low sense of self worth and we rarely get to see that she does so when it all comes out it is slightly hard to take. I love Deb.

Anyways this was a really great episode and I think they are doing a much better job at keeping up momentum and intrigue than last season and the first season as well. Thinsg are just getting more and more intense and I really hope this season can end with some actual consequences or a cliffhanger because I am sick of each season ending with everything perfectly wrapped up. You would think Dexter is controversial but it is actually so easy to watch and it really pulls back a lot of the time. I want it to do something drastic at some point. Last week's end was pretty incredible though.

There are still things I do not like very much particularly Quinn and his stupid girlfriend but at least we got rid of one weak link this week; Anton. He sucked. I think the show has always struggled with making any supporting character stuff as interesting as the Dexter storylines.