Dexter Season 6 Episode 11 "Talk to the Hand"

          While the show Dexter usually doesn’t effect me, I find that Travis’ religious rantings are disturbing. Hearing him talk about being called by God to kill people is beyond messed up. This is one of the reasons why he is an extremely effective villain to this season.  Having emotions toward a character is usually the result of good acting and writing. If you love or hate a character, it is most likely because you have some sort of emotional tie to the character. This can be seen in Dexter’s third season. In season 3, the Skinner played a small role compared to that of Miguel Prado. Much of the storyline was directed in Prado’s direction, leaving the Skinner behind. In the beginning, Miguel was a likable character but later became detestable due to his hatred for Ellen Wolf. The Skinner was just background music and became another show filler.

          As Beth was walking into the homicide department with Worm Wood, I realized that this is a repeat of what happened in season 4 when Arthur Mitchell entered Miami Metro looking for Dexter. Luckily, the situations ended entirely different which is a wonderful sign that the writers still haven’t lost their abilities.

          Once again, I am loving the communication between Deb and Dexter. It adds a wonderful emotional aspect to the seemingly emotionless show.  What I think many people don’t realize is that these emotions play a major part of the show. Dexter is a serial killer who kills murderers who have escaped the justice system, but it surprisingly has a great deal of deep and emotional content. So far, my favorite scene in season six is the conversation between Dexter and Deb after Beth activates Worm Wood. The love is nearly palpable yet Dexter is keeping his emotional armor tight. Deb on the other hand realizes that despite his dark times, Dexter will always have his sister’s back.

          Another thing I am enjoying about this season is the incorporation of Tom Matthews. While he usually plays and extremely minor role, he has moved up to a lesser known major role. I find his character interesting, especially with the call-girl case. Despite persuading Deb to call of her investigation of him, I find him honorable. I hope Deb will do the right thing and turn him in. Sadly, my two hopes for his character are contradictory. I want to remain a series regular, but I also want him to get caught.

          Just like the Skinner in season 3, Mike Anderson has been on the back burner for this season. I understand that there are so many character additions to be made, but I also find his character to be a filler. It almost would have been better if they would have just left his character out for this season.

          Part of me wants to scream “I told you so” when it comes to Lewis. I had always figured he was up to something, but I had never known what. His intentions are not yet clear, but they seem devious. Because little has happened recently with his character, I am assuming that there will be a major plot twist with him in the season finale.

          Probably the most awkward scene of the season occurred when Deb was in a session with Dr. Michelle Ross’. Implying that Deb has “feelings” for Dexter both makes sense and is outrageous. A great deal of respect for the writers would/will be lost if Deb falls in love with her brother. This is one circumstance where emotions can ruin a show. This being said, I found the scene humorous due to Deb’s fury at Dr. Ross’ idea, and the fact that Jennifer Carpenter (Deborah) and Michael C. Hall (Dexter) were married for a time until they recently got a divorce. The dream that Deb had definitely supports this theory of Deb’s love for Dexter but it is a terrible theory. Why on earth would the writers even propose this? They should know that the viewers will become furious if this actually happens. Honestly, it may keep me from watching the show, which is saying a lot!

          For the most part, Dexter is well written. However, I always find things that don’t make sense. For example, Dexter sending a video message directly to Travis is an incredibly dumb decision.  Dexter’s face has now made an appearance on Travis’ incredible paintings (which will probably be found by the police).  Just as expected, the show has become extremely complex and it is impossible to determine the outcome from here. Much like Lock, Stock and Two Smokin Barrels, Dexter’s multiple plots intertwine to make the tension unbearable.

          While this episode started out extremely strong, the final ten minutes were terrible. Dexter became extremely arrogant and sloppy while trying to kill Travis, he also failed by not going to the emergency room, and Deb seems to be falling in love with her adoptive brother. As much as I love Dexter, this is one of the most disappointing episodes I have ever seen. If this continues, (which I have faith that it won’t) my respect for the writers will be close to nothing. A lot is riding on the next episode so they better not screw this up!