Saturday, February 9, 2008

Dexter

DEXTER
Season 2 Episode 9
‘Resistance Is Futile’
Written by Melissa Rosenberg
Directed by Marcos Siega
(WARNING: SPOILERS)

Let’s run through the subplots first.
Deb and Lundy are indeed getting it on now, as we actually see them in a post-coital snuggle. And in some post-coital pillow talk, Lundy is all for full disclosure at the station, which Deb isn’t so crazy about.
Deb however, blurts it all out to LaGuerta (with Angel in earshot), when LaGuerta starts to pressure Deb to convince Doakes to hold off on announcing the identity of the Bay Harbor Butcher case’s primary suspect (see below).

Rita meanwhile, gives Dex a call, admitting that she still has feelings for Dex, and oh, by the way, the kids miss him too.
After Dex has assured her that the Lila experiment is so over, Rita suggests a sit-down talk, and Dex agrees, so a date is set.

And having mentioned the gross, English titty vampire, she shows up at the station, having called Angel up about the “decorating” job. Dex has a word with Lila, but she still wants to help Dex carry the weight of his mask.
At the station, Dex tries to warn Angel that Lila is just using him, but Angel’s only too willing to be used at the moment, still reeling as he is from the divorce.

Now to the meat…

So Doakes’ abrupt departure from Lundy’s office puts him on the FBI superstar’s radar, and all the background poop on Doakes points glaringly in his direction as being the Bay Harbor Butcher: military background, abusive father was a butcher, the two recent on-the-job shootings.
Circumstantial, yes, but when a search warrant is taken out on his a$$, Lundy’s boys find the box of blood slides he nicked from Dex’s place in the trunk of Doakes’ car.
As if doing Dex a favour, Doakes left the damning evidence in his car, which he left at the airport, since he took a quick flight to Haiti, to help arrange some discreet analysis of the slides.

With a primary suspect in Doakes, and aware of the friction that has always been present between Doakes and Dex, Lundy arranges to have Dex put under protective custody (and ironically, have him be lead investigator on the analysis on the slides).
While the forensics work on the slides allows Dex to further cover his tracks and eliminate anything that may point back to him, the hovering FBI goons make it difficult for Dex to get back to the cabin to clean Jimenez up.
But Dex is resourceful, and manages to ditch them and get to the cabin, but even as he’s taking out the body parts, Doakes shows up, having tracked Dex there via his boat’s GPS. Doakes keeps a gun trained on Dex and gets him in handcuffs, but Dex goes for it, managing to lay Doakes out by cutting off his oxygen with the cuffs’ chain (though not before Dex catches a bullet in his leg).
This episode’s great cliffhanger has Doakes locked inside the cabin, while screaming at Dex, “You’re gonna have to kill me, Morgan!”

So the plot rushes along rather nicely towards season’s end, and there are some great scenes in this one, from seeing the tender emotions that lie between Deb and Lundy, to LaGuerta’s phone call with Doakes, and the very apparent desperation that grips her as she continues to protect Doakes even after all the fit has hit the shan.
There’s also the great face-off between Doakes and Dex, and that nail-biting cliffhanger.

What’s Dex to do? He’s in a prime position now to pin everything on Doakes, but he has to ensure everything will fall perfectly into place when Lundy comes in to eyeball the mess.
And of course, if Dex does frame Doakes, he will have to off the angry black man…
Let’s face it, Dex framed Paul, but he didn’t kill him. What’s killing Doakes gonna do to Harry’s Code? Doakes isn’t a murderous piece of scum like Dex’s usual victims, but then again, Harry’s # 1 rule was “Don’t get caught.”
So, what’s Dex to do?

(Image courtesy of sho.com.)

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