My Series Rewatch has left more excited for season 7 than I think any other time I have rewatched the series. There are things I noticed that I hadn't, a lot of which were woven in season six as this eerie bridge to inevitable breakdowns...
Clearly there are obvious parallels tying us back to season 1 with both Deb and Brian (Ice Truck Killer), and season 4's Arthur Mitchell (Trinity Killer), but there were subtle things too, along with some connections from all the other 5 seasons.
1.Blood in Jars. Travis Marshall like that of Brian Moser, had kept some of his victims blood in jars to be used in certain way for a certain event.
2.Refrigerator/Freezer. Brian gets his serial killer anagram: “The Ice Truck Killer”, because he uses cold places, such as an ice truck, and a built in freezer unit at his house to store his victims to drain the blood a certain way. The irony is that Travis Marshall is unknowingly being lead by a dark passenger, whom he doesn't remember he has murdered, and who's physical body had been left in the freezer on a lower level of the church. Brian then also takes the form of Dexter's dark passenger, as both the murder of Brother Sam, and the murder of Professor Geller are both (in a juxtaposition fashion) break downs for both Dexter and Travis, since in Dexter's breakdown, Brian takes the place of Harry as his dark passenger, which leads to havoc...
3.Louis Greene: This character ties back in a lot of ways. First there's Louis' apartment. Like Dexter's there is a clean, exceptionally organized contemporary-art deco aspect to it, but unlike Dexter's, who embraces moody sea-related earth tones, has massive touches of red and pop art astetic to it, including a painting of a women with dark hair. Louis is someone who is seeking Dexter's attention, much like Brian did in season one, but besides that he mentions to Dexter that he included the Bay Harbor Butcher in his notorious serial killer video game, he also took it upon himself to buy the Ice Truck Killer's prosthetic hand, that a previous intern had stolen from Miami PD's evidence department, and sends it to Dexter at the end of the season. The hand itself is rather symbolic, as it ties back to one of Brian's methods and disguise, but also one of his murder victims, a prostitute with an actual prosthetic hand, in which Brian had influenced to paint her nails in pop-art colors, which inevitably ties back to Brian and Dexter's mom, Laura Moser. Additionally season one ends with Dexter choosing Deb over Brian, despite the tempting fantasy of having a partner in crime, a blood brother. This whole situation bleeds itself over into the second season, as Dexter tries to let go of Brian, but also then embraces the former drug addict and artist, Lila West. Lila's art itself is like pop-art, but with a gritty morbid-flexible twist. At the end of the season she even paints a gritty pop art mural of Dexter on her wall. The women in the pop art painting in Louis' apartment looks very similar to Lila, but may represent a lot of women in the series.
4.Ryan Chambers. Ryan Chambers herself kind of has a bubble-gum pop appearance to her. Strangely she steals the Ice Truck Killer's hand just to sell it on ebay, but in some way it's hard to believe that she isn't directly involved with Louis Greene in some way, seeing as how they are both were interns during the same season. -Notably there was also a character in season 1 named Matthew Chambers. He was a known alcoholic who would kill people and ruin their lives in car accidents. He kept getting “off” and moving state to state, because he would cry in front of the jury. Dexter takes it into his own hands to keep Matt Chambers off the streets.
5.One of Travis Marshall's count down Doomsday events doesn't go as planned so he decides to punish Miami Metro for it. In season one Dexter mentions that a bio chemical attack is the last thing he thought could ever happen at his department. This is how Travis Marshell punishes the department (with the 7th event) with poisonious wormwood! (which also relates to "hallucination", as it is found in relation to absenth).
6.Part of the series seems to greatly explore drug dealing/drug users, and is really something left untouched and rather reflective of the real truth behind Dexter's birth to blood, as he calls it. Dexter's actual father is even more to blame than Harry is for Dexter's losses and traumatic experience, by being a Cocaine dealer and possible addict, as he sends "3" of his men to kill Laura Moser for being a snitch to the cops. Season 1 gives way to the drug dealer/addict aspect manifesting with Paul, season 2 with Lila, and season 3 starting out with the drug dealer, “Freebo” (Fred Bowman). In season 3 they're trying to track down Freebo and Debra makes this random semi-jokingly comment about not being able to catch him before he flees Miami, she says, to “Nebraska”. Ironically after the reveal that Arthur Mitchell is the trinity killer, his remaining family members go into witness protection and are relocated to Nebraska. Dexter finds out that “trinity” may be back, since Jonah Mitchel's mother and sister are killed. Dexter breaking down from the death of brother Sam (again some one Dexter cared for killed by drug cult), suddenly allows for the persona of Brian to take the place of his dark passenger, as Dexter sets out to find the real killer of the female Mitchel's, as Dexter knows Arthur is dead, because he killed him.
7.The Build up to Debra's awareness. It's hard to say how Debra is going to handle learning the truth about Dexter and how Dexter in turn is going to react to her, but it was an interesting twist that she goes for psychological evaluation after the death of Lundy (a father figure), the separation of Quinn (which sometimes reminds me of the darker aspects of whom Harry might have been when he was young), and the act that Brian has come back to haunt Dexter, even taunting "The one who got away"...(all may forshadow season 7/8. -In season 3 Dex imagines his son playing with Cody and Aster and suddenly he kills Aster, his step sister. Travis Marshall kills his own sister)
8. Dissecting parents and children (and sibling pecking order) into the mentoring teachers and students – Travis Mitchell' = Professor Geller, as Dexter = Harry, as Jordan Chase = his cult. Additionally Travis' sister was an elementary school teacher...
9. At the beginning of season 3 starts off with Dexter in the dentist chair getting a filling...when he goes to attack the drug addict and possible killer "Freebo" he looses his filling, almost exposing evidence that would connect him to the murder of the younger Prado Brother, who was associated with Freebo. In season 6 Dex goes after a minor serial killer known as "The Tooth Fairy", who literally collected the teeth from his victims as his trophies. Additionally Walter Kenney has a dental implant that is loose. (The Tooth Fairy is also a reference to the Hannibal Lector Series "Red Dragon" - Walter shares the same alias as Francis Dolarhyde, the main antagonist of "Red Dragon". All of season six plays on the physiological aspect to humanity)
10. "Early Cuts" featuring a back story when Dexter finally decides to purchase his boat, features the killing of a man named “Gene Marshall”. The obvious name repeating here is Marshall, but in this case there is clearly no blood relation to Travis and his family. As a very early kill, Dexter has a hard time disposing of his former victims, and he slices Gene in a dark alley way, places the parts in a trash can, and uses a pipe/tube to syphin the gas from his car's gas tank to the trash can...to be grossly comedic, body parts fly in the explosion Dexter creates, including Gene's hand. Gene too is a reoccurring name. Gene Figg is the husband to Camilla Figg, both whom were dying from cancer, and both who seemingly were long time friends with the Morgen family.
The rewatch also brought other things to my attention. Things that keep repeating. The Trinity Killer (3") may be for ever more iconic compared to others Dexter has had to kill, but I think the reason why that is, besides John Lithgow's fantastic performance, is because of everything that has happened before, specifically his origins in blood, as Dexter calls it, and how that continues to come back and haunt Dexter in various ways through these other people that Dexter chooses to identify with or ignore, as he struggles to find his place in the world.
Family is then another aspect that has truly been dissected and re contextualized through out the series, as both Cody and Aster have dynamics realatable to Deb and Dexter, from Rita and Frank both playing the mother and father figures that Dexter and Deb felt they never had, to the reveal that there may always be other siblings that can come from a second family...Dexter gets adopted by the Morgans, Cody and Aster move in with Paul's parents, Arthur Mitchell had another love interest that led to another daughter, ect, ect
One thing that is also iconic about Arthur Mitchell is his vintage open convertible. -The one flashback Dexter has of his biological father was a very young Dexter sitting along side his father driving in an open convertible. It is also an open convertible Rita drives during part of season one, which had belonged to a former criminal. The Trinity Killer also shares another tie back to Brian and Dexter's father and that's listening to old records, as Dexter took one of his father's album's when going through his father's belongings in season 1, and Rudy leaves a message behind for Dexter through a song on a record, “Born Free”. Additionally It's curious that Brian kills their father, as later in season 3, Dexter being agitated towards Harry, doesn't attend a mini celebration Deb and Dexter have done every year to honor Harry on his birthday. The next day, Deb says something to the effect of getting over the whole “killing your father thing”. - When you think about the show and all the people Dexter comes to blame, the one that seems to go unscathed, or untouched is Joe Drischoll. I can't help to think there is something to this, especially considering Arthur Mitchell plays the role of his own father when dealing with the father counter-part of his adult male victims and in his own way, Jonah does too. (Season 6 Jonah kills his mother for his sister's suicide).
Another repeating thing, also iconisized by Trinity, is the use of hammers (which seemingly comes from his father Henry). Even before Mitchell, in season 3 there was a criminal locked behind bars for a lesser crime, than the murder Dexter and M. Prado knew to be true, named Clemson Galt, who allegedly murdered a young girl with a hammer after learning she was pregnant. At the beginning of season 6 Dexter goes to his high school reunion to attempt to kill Joe Walker, who killed his wife and fellow class mate to both Dexter and Joe. Eventually when Dexter catches up to him to kill him, Dexter violently kills him with a sledge hammer and uses the phrase, "Hammer Time". (Note: Joe is the name of Dex's father...the last name "Walker" may allude to both Star Wars "Skywalker" - Having to deal with the shadow of, and the killing of your father to come into your own, and walker may imply 'one getting away with crime', aka: "he walked'. I also like to note that Luke Skywalker was adopted and that Joe Drischoll had no photos in his house and we never see him in the face as young man, like Darth Vader in the originally Star Wars Trilogy, Joe is "masked" to us.) And lastly, a character named Matt Davis is introduced for Dexter's interactive game. He killed "3" people in Chicago and "3" people in Miami using hammers (and Dexter learns that Matt may have killed his father).
Note: "Freebo" may also be a play on the song Born FREE.
More and more I also see references to sci-fi, fantasy, and or child hood fables that deal with super natural phenomena, that tends to reflect the broken human psyche. Some of these repeating themes and ideas in Dexter are SO phenomenal, almost ridiculous in their probability to repeat, that I can only assume heavy "fate" in the Dexter universe, or that literally, just like Dexter doesn't quite seem to know himself and perhaps neither do we, that Dexter may be darkly dreaming...
Author: DarthLocke from SpoilerTV Forum
While the connections where okay, nothing about this season was in par with the last seasons. I never felt Michael C. Hall had an performance that he deserved an Emmy-nomination from, like have done in other seasons.
ReplyDeleteLot of the writing this last season was sloppy, even for a Showtime-series. The villians was not as great as earlier seasons, not all fault should be blamed on Tom Hanks Jr. The writers where also to blame, he did not fit as a villian or a main villian.
The one thing season was good, was the ending. And giving Jennifer Carpenter better materiale to act on, than just re-hash of what she did from the start off like i have felt before. Im looking forward to season 7, but season 6 was the series worst season to this date in my book.
I´m sorry, but i just don´t see, how any of this makes season 6 better. I mean, those parallels (or is it lack of new ideas ?) are sometimes interesting, but still season 6 remains just what was - a horrible and sometimes almost unwatchable mess. and that´s comming from someone who really loves the show.
ReplyDeleteReally well written article.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed Season 6 but I know a number of people disliked it.
The only part of the season that felt "off" was debs feelings towards Dexter.
Well clearly I disagree with everyone, and perhaps what I should have stated better was that the psychological aspect, which is highlighted in season 6, is what is MOST important to the entirety of the series. There is this idea running through the series that psychologically damaged leads to more psychologically damaged. Dexter isn't exactly a true sociopath, because of his ability to question himself, seek refuge/redemption, and because his methods may be more socially justifiable than most other killers, as he removes them from society, but season six shows us he could totally become one, as he has the ability to ditch one 'dark passenger' and "code" for another. Dexter is about some image of a family/families that keeps getting more and more shattered by criminals and/or those with sociopathic tendencies.The season by using the image of someone we see visually week, Travis Marshall, who unknowingly kills, plays on a continuous juxtaposition on "being in the dark" in terms of knowing any possible truth, as Dexter didn't know his origins, which are really his "reason" for his actions, that also then leave Deb in the dark at a distance as well. Knowing ourselves, understanding why we do the thinks we do comes at psychologically dissecting our lives, which is why a crime/serial killer show is so perfect, for a show that's actually about the perception of reality, but learning the truth and coming to terms with it. This show is more like Life on Mars than say Law and Order, and the reason it's so likeable, beyond it's shock and awe value, is because it is about "feeling" and expressing feelings (art), then it is about anything else.
ReplyDeleteare we taking lrssons/emulating doc jensen now?
ReplyDeleteactually it IS sloppy writing,season 6 was full of it....and while I certainly don´t watch Dexter just for the "horror aspect" i think you should face the fact, that perhaps the show doesn´t have some super deep point.it once had (the first two series which at least tried to point tha t what Dexter does is WRONG) but now it doesn´t.but even without deeper meaning the show was superb, especially in its fourth and fifth season.
ReplyDeleteI was never in the camp of "Season 6 was awful, it ruined Dexter", but neither did I think it was the best. Your points are very good and are some of the reasons I enjoyed the season. I enjoyed Season 6 more than Season 5 and much more than Season 3.
ReplyDeleteYou have the right to not like season 6, call it sloppy, and even feel it doesn't identify with one of the most important aspects to Dexter's own being, as each season arched antagonist, say for Jordan Chase (thus far) does, but I am aloud to disagree and point out IMO the brilliance of making such a melting pot of a season, through a character that's broken through and through to the point where he can't see himself, is both back shadowed and foreshadowed interesting story telling.
ReplyDeleteEach viewer is going to take Dexter differently, as we all as viewers have possible different perceptions to what we believe in, our codes and moral ethics.
The show continuously asks will Dexter survive this and become better for it?
As I said, the show plays on this idea that Chaos breeds Chaos, and Dexter has been at a line where we ask, is what he is doing "helpful" to others by stopping serial killers from continuing to ruin the lives and families of others? -But Dexter continuously faces the consequences of that possible motive, as saving other families is his way of trying to save the one he originally lost. (all of the characters are fractured pieces to that lost family) -But those consequences, come at the expense of Dexter's other current families (Deb, Cody-Aster, Rita, Harrison-the whole Miami Metro Department), so the show is still asking us, is what Dexter doing at all justifiable, if it also keeps hurting those that wanted to be closed to him? -Season 6 shows us a bad slide into what happens if Dexter's beliefs and faith in those he loves are shattered, as Brian re-emerges. It's a dangerous turning point, and Travis Marshall may not have caused that, but his abuse in his Theological pursuits, and his lack of awareness is reflective of Dexter's own sometimes pre-misconception of his own reality and it enlightens the viewer to how dangerous that is, since now Deb will know. Travis in his own way is a sad villain who is written in the background to what Dexter is feeling, instead of the forground, as the others have been, but it's that shadow, that mirroring, that actually makes the season "heavy" IMO, because it's those things we can't see or just blatently know that can ruin us.
For anyone who has known me on the forum, my posts for many shows, are a lot like Docs and have been doing them since 2005.
ReplyDeleteThanks for reading.
ReplyDeleteI didn't think season 6 was awful and it had some great moments. Mos Def was a great character, Olmos is a great actor, and of course after years of teasing Deb finally sees Dexter as he is.
ReplyDeleteThe problem was in the getting there:
1) (The big problem) We all knew Gellar was dead by the second episode. It was the only real conclusion since we all knew there had to be a shocker of some kind. I could have lived with that but when the revelation comes the Travis basically becomes Gellar and that's it. They could have done a better story and better parallel by making Gellar like Dexter's conversations with Harry.
2) I agree that building up and spinning Deb was necessary, but I'm still in the camp that felt they were bordering on incest. There had to be a better way to make sure Deb makes it to the church to see Dexter killing.
3) Overall the story felt like a bridge. The other seasons connect to one another but they also have a certain stand alone quality to them. This season didn't have that feel to it. It felt like it the point of it was a build up for the end of the series. So in that sense I'll happily reevaluate based on the story as a whole. That said, I also enjoyed the introduction of Louis Greene. I really hope they build him up as the season 8 big bad.
Please, I should be thanking you for writing out such a detailed article about your rewatch of Season 6. So thank you. It is never an issue to read an article about a show I love.
ReplyDeletei meant no disrespect here. i've only found this site in the last year or so, but i knew jensen from his lost stuff. just made me kinda homesick for a minute there, in a good way. :)
ReplyDeleteIt was terrible, especially guessing the "twist" pretty early on with Hanks and his split persona. Things just became so cringe worthy when Hanks was on scene. Terrible bad guy.
ReplyDeleteand I don't know why I wrote the word "anagram", when I meant moniker?!
ReplyDeleteI think it was easy to guess, because our culture has sort of over-exposed us to things like this with films like "A Beautiful Mind", "Secret Window", and "Sixth Sense", but also because it's not like Dexter doesn't "imagine" things either. -But to be honest, even though I thought there was good chance that Gellar wasn't physically there, I was torn about it in the beginning, because Travis looks so not capable of doing all of that, both physically and emotionally, and so the reveal that he could was not so much shocking, as it was truly scary, because it points out how capable any of us can be when driven by our beliefs, despite actually knowing what the truth of reality is. It was so sad, because he didn't know and didn't get help, and truly threatening a baby is pretty low, but it all plays on the uncertainty of all the character's 'future'...
ReplyDeleteI think a bridge is great way to describe it!
ReplyDeleteBut I disagree with the incest a bit, because they are not blood related (although the Star Wars similarities could parallel that). -But I think when people go through "change" and traumatic experience together they bond, become family, whether blood related or not. (Deb and Dexter keep searching for the perfect soul mate. Dexter seeks other killers-which never works out, and Deb often times gets in good relationships and either they die, or she throws them away), and Deb for whatever reason has always felt "safe" around Dexter and in season 1 we can see why. Dexter himself seems like he prided himself on protecting/getting close her. In both flashbacks and because Dexter picks Deb over Brian, but the thing we don't understand is why Deb feels the need to be close to Dexter, or even Brian? One hand we can see she's damaged because she's been continuously isolated, she gets a strange new brother, her mother dies, her father keeps excluding her and then he dies...and so Deb almost repressingly lacks an identity because she really doesn't stay close to people for very long, except for perhaps Angel. -But season 1 also brings up jealousy! -Brian's actions all point that need to have Dexter be in his life in real personal-bonding way. --But there's another side, since Brian came back in a role of Dex's dark passenger, and we can argue that dark passengers may represent an aspect or persona of one's subconscience, then it becomes more clear that Dexter maybe has always secretly wanted to kill Debra himself! "The one that got away" (Because this might be how Dexter 'loves')
Deb has grown as a character, but I think for her to able to be her own person she has to be able to move on, and she can't because this thing that's been eating away at her for years has been deeply buried in her subconscience. In some ways it's really sad, because over the last few seasons she has matured, has been less self absorbed, and more conscience of others around her. She was able to accept "barrel girl" and her accomplice as 'a beautiful romance'. So in that sense, we see that there's something a little pathological to even how Deb goes about her relationships or ideas about what a relationship should be (she tends to feel very strongly about women being abused), and it's hard to say if they can trust each other, because really neither of them knowingly had to rely on each other, Harry was initially the barrier...so what happens when that goes away?
Sadly, I agree. I loved the introduction of Louis and I think that storyline is going to be great, but the rest of the season was a letdown. I love this show, but I'm really hoping it hasn't jumped the shark. Season 6 had great potential but just flat out fizzled through mediocrity. The last 5 minutes "saved" the season.
ReplyDeleteI didn't really answer your question. It makes season 6 better, because you can't call something that ties back to so many things, which gives more definitive substance, "sloppy writing".
ReplyDeleteIf someone where to ask me what sloppy writing is, it would be writing that doesn't make any constructive sense in terms of the rest of the series. It's true the season feels different, because the season played with sub-conscience, more than physical action and sudden twists, so their was this slow progression that suddenly led to shear insanity in those last few episodes. In terms of trying to convey a break down, it is reflective to this slow, uncertain, but yet probable build up. As Locked Up said, it is the ending that saves the season, but that was the point of counting down to 'dooms day'...you know it's coming, but when you get there it's underlying so massive, that it still somehow extraordinary...
IMO Season 5 is the odd animal out, although I love that season, it's a season that is really fresh, doesn't tie back much, and allows Dexter (and Deb) to truly find hope in himself, something that he yet to even consider believing in...and then Jordan Chase being able to psychologically convince others in 'the power of belief' (specifically his beliefs), as he was a motivational speaker, is a great launching pad into faith, and shattering of faith, as Hope/Illumination and Doomsday are serious contrasts to each other. In fact I suspect that there will be elements of season 3 and 5 in season 7 with what I have read about some of our antagonists.
The writers IMO are at a point where they have enough material through the all seasons that they can play with the elements in ways that they couldn't with out writing it that way. If their telling a cautionary tale, then it makes sense to build and scramble and build and scramble for sake of what ever Dexter's outcome is going to be, because Dexter's outcome may rely on his perception of his reality...
I think you make a good point. I agree that it is the ending more than anything that saves the season, but I still think it's intentionally written that way, which is why I felt the tie-backs and the introverted look into not seeing what's right in front of you worked.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed all of its seasons. its a well written review here.i enjoyed more of that after reading this
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season 6 is no way better then the early seasons. i enjoyed reading the review here ,its very well written.
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