Deconstructing the Dark Passenger

Troublesome bumper stickers, unexpected social commentary, and mothballed pajamas. With the earth shattering discovery that Special Agent Grandpa had missed a trick on the case that had consumed him, Dexter’s Kyle jig is nearly up. As we near end of the season, the precision with which plots small and large are resolving is about as crisp as the show in its original iteration will ever get. It mak...

More HR nightmares, not-yams, and neighborly kindness. In one of the most memorable episodes of the entire series, Dexter's mask slips--and reveals what only be called righteous anger. The impotence of that anger in that moment resonates as part of the core appeal of the show. Elsewhere in Miami, the writers' quest to make Rita uncharacteristically fickle continues, and Angel and Maria continue to...

Freeloaders, fish heads, and everyday applications of geometry. The most hand-wavey episode of the season. Still, the pointed parallels where we least expected them (though we should have) between Dexter and his so-called normal surroundings churns up some drama that will further crumble Dexter's facade. #Dexter #Dexterseason4 #Roadkill #trinitykiller Questions, comments, and theories –  deco...

Strained metaphors, bad neighbors, and the quietest boat motor in the world. Teetering on the brink of doing too much, the episode manages to plant the seeds of a season that we should have had but never got. #Dexter #Dexterseasoon4 #Trinitykiller #slacktide #manofthree Questions, comments, and theories –  deconstructingthedarkpassenger@gmail.com Follow us everywhere –  https://linktr.ee...

Murder weapons, breadmakers, and empty urns. The true indicator of the season is how, at the halfway point, pacing and story development are still on track. Masuka continues to be off the rails, while everyone else rallies. Dexter continues to take silly chances. But the normalcy that Dexter has always craved is beginning to seep into the fabric of the story, helped along by its juxtaposition with...

Springing leaks, daddy issues, and bad timing. The follow-up to the dramatic end of the previous episode, this episode manages to not only avoid being clunky, but finesses into its own smooth ending. Through all the seasons and spinoffs, Dexter's overconfidence is always his undoing, and it starts in earnest here when he is given reason to believe that he really, actually can have it all. #Dexter​...

Chain of what?, poked bees, and a permanent end to cholesterol woes. Lithgow steals the show again to give us a vision of a man so ensnared by trauma that his entire life is orchestrated around its recreation. Dexter reverts to his perpetually annoying tendency to act in ways entirely contrary to his inner monologue, emphasizing again that the idea of an unreliable inner narrator, while interestin...

Enough Culture Club to make a man want to kill, Victoria's Secret Offender Registry, and the saddest sack on the HOA. While this episode marks the absolute nadir of Vince Masuka's characterization as an HR nightmare, we get another taste of Trinity's stunning brutality, contrasted with some of the most quietly profound brushes with "normality" that Dexter will ever have. The success of this season...

Nine easy pieces, no more cream cheese for you, and weaponizing the best boys. Care is taken with further fleshing out Trinity, so by the end of the second episode, he is already rivaling the Ice Truck Killer for most well-realized and genuinely unsettling of all the Big Bads. Kudos to more masterful misdirection to leave viewers breathing a (momentary) sigh of relief. #Dexter #Season4 #Remainstob...

Hand mirrors, iPods, and Marco Polo. It's a blood bath to kick off one of the most well-composed seasons of Dexter, with an opening episode harkening back to season 1 in its the efficiency of its storytelling. #Dexter #Season4 #LivingtheDream #Trinitykiller #bloodbath Questions, comments, and theories –  deconstructingthedarkpassenger@gmail.com Follow us everywhere –  https://linktr.ee/d...

Marrying unicorns, memorial cupcakes, and jokes that aged like milk. There was a lot to love in this season, but it's great weaknesses are on display here, where the show tries to do too much without any real integration or narrative purpose, and treating the audience like absolute children. Still a satisfying ending. \#Dexter #Season3 #DoyoutakeDexterMorgan #redwedding #badluck Questions, comment...

High class adult entertainment, top notch detective work, and a posse of parrots. Returning to the well of what worked in Season 1, we have that ending at home. Not precise repetition, but a strong echo, and still with a full episode left in the season. #Dexter #Season3 #Ihadadream #blackSUV Questions, comments, and theories –  deconstructingthedarkpassenger@gmail.com Follow us everywhere –&n...

Buzz kills, c*** blocks, and stubborn stains. Dexter achieves a stunning clarity in this episode, maybe becoming the first serial killer in history to become disillusioned with how far gone other serial killers are. After a series of infographs and tutorials from Miguel explaining precisely how off the rails he is, Dexter gets the big picture, and finally returns to the multi-tasking that we know...

Missing CIs, dead lawyers, and open graves. We've come to the point in the season where, traditionally, Dexter's naivety catches up with him, and at least one innocent party. #Dexter #season3 #aboutlastnight #wikipediaofperv Questions, comments, and theories –  deconstructingthedarkpassenger@gmail.com Follow us everywhere –  https://linktr.ee/deconstructingthedarkpassenger Other shows, e...

Serial killers, cereal weed, and the stunning insights of Detective Obvious. We might never know what was behind these random impulses to trust the audience to understand the symbolism of a broken lightbulb, but not piece together board game level clues, but they are out in force in this episode. Rife with uncharacteristic behavior (across multiple characters) this episode does what it had to do,...

Deb's hair, Quinn's tan, and F***ing Albert Chung There are as many different understandings of justice, innocence, and mercy as there are ways to make key lime pie. Dexter learns a hard lesson here, but at least this one won't be in vain. #Dexter #Season3 #EasyasPie #keylimepie #albertchung Questions, comments, and theories –  deconstructingthedarkpassenger@gmail.com Follow us everywhere –&n...

Mom and Mom are fighting, the sordid truth about key lime pie, and losing Rita to the darkness of the 2008 real estate market. Following the usual pattern of the original series, the mid-season muddle kicks in, and with it the feeling of treading water with wild editing that emphasizes rather than elides impossible timelines. Day is night and night is day. But this is also a dive into Camilla's ar...

HIPAA violations, misremembered balls, and bupkis. Dexter would absolutely buy oceanfront property in Arizona. His earnestness is necessary for the particular growth narrative the writers have chosen to follow, which is odd considering the amnesia he seems to have for the lessons he should learn from its indiscriminate application. So Miguel Prado continues to play him like violin, to the detrimen...

Dexter’s (the show’s) biggest weakness is that Michael C. Hall is too good at his job. His consistently outperforms spotty characterization, giving us a Dexter Morgan that continues to lie to the audience and himself, and letting us see character growth in a more organic way than the script seems to want to allow. Nowhere is this more evident than watching his actions betray his voice over when it...

C is for Cheerios Guy, Z is for Zucchini, and S is or Should Have Paid Better Attention in Spanish Class. The dynamic between Dexter and Miguel sets in, whether Dexter realizes it or not. (Though in fairness, he was taken in by a used car salesman with a bad hairpiece just last season.) Dexter will only ever meet his match once or maybe twice (that we know of), but in terms of bald manipulation, h...

Elevator etiquette, great hair, and Chicky Boom Boom Hines. Questions, comments, and theories –  deconstructingthedarkpassenger@gmail.com Follow us everywhere –  https://linktr.ee/deconstructingthedarkpassenger Other shows, episodes, schedules, random announcements, and (coming soon) merch! – chasmotic.com             &nbsp...

The importance of flossing, laminate complexes, and nasty nasty nasty pudding. An immediate tonal relief from the chaos of Season 2, the first episode of Season 3 is not without its problems. Editing glitches and a few jarring stylistic choices make the episode feel sloppy around the edges. Still, there is a luridness here that is reminiscent (for the best) of Season 1. Questions, comments, and th...

And France to the rescue... Questions, comments, and theories –  deconstructingthedarkpassenger@gmail.com Follow us everywhere –  https://linktr.ee/deconstructingthedarkpassenger Other shows, episodes, schedules, random announcements, and (coming soon) merch! – chasmotic.com                  Theme Music:...

Heathy hydration in the Everglades, the importance of language education, and theft prevention tips. Questions, comments, and theories –  deconstructingthedarkpassenger@gmail.com Follow us everywhere –  https://linktr.ee/deconstructingthedarkpassenger Other shows, episodes, schedules, random announcements, and (coming soon) merch! – chasmotic.com       ...

Dad Bod day at the beach, even more bad wigs, and pasión! Questions, comments, and theories –  deconstructingthedarkpassenger@gmail.com Follow us everywhere –  https://linktr.ee/deconstructingthedarkpassenger Other shows, episodes, schedules, random announcements, and (coming soon) merch! – chasmotic.com              &...