Thanks to our mod, I can start a thread for one of my favourite Dexter episodes. One where while watching it "God, I love this show" went through my mind a couple of times. A lot happened, so there is a lot to love.

I liked how vulnerable Dexter felt when he entered room 103. Seeing this new side to him, although he continually states that he feels nothing etc, showed that sometimes what you know about yourself can be wrong. It was pivotal for his suppressed fears to come out IMO.

Paul's trick on Rita was really unexpected, but Dexter's trick on Paul was awesome to say the least. I really thought he killed him at first. It was a great suprise to see that he hadn't. And MCH's face in the frying pan scene was priceless, too funny for words. He continues to amaze me (David Fisher who?). JC is also amazing, I would have hated Debra if she were played by a lesser actress. It's all about the layers, I think (which this cast does pretty well). One of my favourite scenes from this episode was when Doakes and Debra opened the door to room 103. Just seeing their faces made you brace yourself for what was to come.

Oh and Angel. I'm glad nothing happened to him and his woe-is-me puppy face (come on it's cute). I really thought that the hooker-with-one-hand's (arm?) date was Paul, but I guess he wasn't since he was out with his kids at the time right? Still uncanny resemblance.

Dexter remembering his mom and that blood filled room was creepy. Really creepy.

I loooove this episode. I really enjoyed the Dexter/Deb scenes, especially.

And I have to say, MCH's face after hitting Paul with the frying pan is probably one of my favourite moments on the show. I couldn't stop laughing.

I like to think of this episode as "a very special Dexter episode" even though the whole blood bath hotel room was only part of the story. I loved this episode as I love all of them, every episode of Dexter is like a chapter in a great novel that you can't wait to finish and need to absorb multiple times to get the full effect. I thank the writers for creating such a great and complex world and Jeff Lindsay for providing them with at least a guide on where to lead the characters, despite having no affiliation with the show at all.

Anyway, I hated how Rita had to struggle in this episode after being accused of absuing Paul, which she did do but he was going to rape her. Plus seeing Dexter get so panicked and red made me feel for him, the man with no feelings.

I actually side with Dexter about getting rid of Paul. No matter what his NA sponsor might say, Paul was not clean. He may not have been shooting heroin, but he was still smoking weed and drinking, which doesn't seem like clean and sober behaviour to me. Plus there were the couple of occasions that he lost his temper with Rita before he tried to rape her again, and the fact that he then tried to blackmail her into giving him visitation afterwards. Just because he apparently loves his kids doesn't redeem him in my eyes - he's still a nasty piece of work who belonged in jail.

Exactly. It's not like he could say he was in control of himself and his temper at all times, especially when he was still drinking alcohol and smoking pot. I think Rita forgives a lot of his behavior just because he loves and values their children, but that shouldn't wipe the slate clean. I do think she acknowledges that to a certain extent though, since she didn't grant Paul unsupervised visitation.

Dexter's face after he hit Paul with the frying pan was definitely one of my favorite parts of the episode. The 'Whoops, my bad!' expression was just classic!

I cracked up after the frying pan scene too. He had that total "Mom caught me stealing cookies" look on his face. Love Michael C. Hall. He can go from menacing to outright adorable in an instant.

Exactly. I believe I remember his sponsor saying his drug tests came up clean, but anyone who has ever read "High Times" knows that their ads are chock-full of products to clean out your system for drug tests. Now, if they did a hair follicle test, I don't know how they got around that one. I have really long hair, and while getting a blood test done, I got a hair follicle test, too. (It was my idea; meds, and I wanted to see how it would turn out in my hair. It was quite....surprising. I didn't think my hair was THAT long.


Just because you love your kids, that doesn't mean you should be by them. Loving your kids, and being able to provide for them mentally, emotionally and physically are all completely different things. People should realize that more often. "Sure, I'm a drug abusing rapist, but at least I love my kids!"

Seeing Red

One of the coolest episodes in the series yet.

Dexter - We're learning more about his past and not so surprisingly it had it's fair amount of violence. The end scene definitely gave me a chill up my spine. The tension between him and Deb is also on the rise as well.

Rudy/Deb - Come on Deb, get a clue. Your boyfriend is a psycho and you are just bait in whatever he has planned for your brother. Deb certainly got rather animated when Rudy spent all that time with Dexter throughout this episode.

Angel/Masuka - Nice to see Masuka being a bit more useful beyond the sexula jokes but really Angel finally getting a clue on the ITK was great. Too bad he nearly got killed after Rudy tried to stop him.

Rita/Paul - Finally Paul gets his just desserts all because Dexter grew tired of his stupid backside ruining Rita's life. I really this is the last we've seen of Paul but somehow I doubt it.

LaGuerta/Doakes/Matthews - First off, Matthews did push Maria so I can see why she decided to prove him wrong but once again, she's possibly made a bad call. Doakes on the otrherhand seems to be lusting after Deb or is that just me?

Oh I know. Although I almost thought she was going to make some comment about not thinking Rudy wanted her anymore because he had fooled around with Dex. (Which no and eeeww!) There are times I feel sorry for Deb. She gets points for trying to warn Dex about the room though.

Oh gawd yes, his talent for comedy more than anything else sells the whole show. LOVED that!

Genuinely creepy-as-hell episode. I figured Dex would pull the heroin trick because a) Paul hasn't killed anyone so there's no way to justify murdering him just yet under the Rule of Harry and b) the whole Paul plotline would make a good arc in its own right and the writers are saving it for S2 or beyond...Paul will either break out of prison or his lawyer will find evidence that he was set up and get him sprung. Then Dex will have the problem of murdering a guy for whom he would be the prime suspect - unlike his other killings where he's had no direct personal connection with the victims.



Not just you. I expect this plotline will also develop in S2 and become interestingly complicated as Dex is forced to spend more time in Doakes' vicinity and they are forced to play nice together (that should be priceless!) PLUS Doakes is also a vigilante killer now, isn't he? Hmm. How interesting. And Dex & Angel can put their heads together and figure that out, too. Hee hee.

I'm enjoying S1 so far but I can see plenty of juicy stuff shaping up that they'll have to address in S2 or beyond. I think S2 could be even better. Maybe I should hurry up and get a Showtime subscription so I don't have to wait a whole frakkin' year.

IMO, worth every penny. It doesn't hurt if you like Weeds too. The first two episodes of season two are fantastic. I don't know if this is in just my area but Showtime is having a free couple days which includes the premier episode of Dexter.

I would call the frying pan a cast-iron skillet; much heavier.

Of course Dexter's memories were of him "seeing red" but this phrase also implies anger. Dexter's anger with Paul? I wish it was easier to go back to last year's thread and see what everyone else thought. It is a pain to navigate through to the right date, but I've done it for a few episodes earlier and it is helpful to read what everyone thought when it first aired.

Do we really know for certain that it was Rudy? The only hint was that he had a bloody lip when Deb tried to kiss him. His excuse was an accident with a tool. Although Rudy obviously has a motive, I suppose it is possible they are throwing us off. After all, the attack on Angel was fumbled, almost inept, not the way we know ITK.

Edited to add:

When Dexter was having flashbacks and was struggling with the conflict of trying to forget versus trying to remember, I thought, ooops, bet you wish you hadn't fired your therapist, don't you?

I think what Dex did was even worse. After all killing would be quick, this way the pain can last far longer.

Doakes definitely wants a little Morgan in his life, Deb that is. Not that fucking weirdo, Dex, as he so lovingly calls him. MCH must've gotten deja vu with those Rudy scenes, the gay subtext was strong. Rudy's whole "I'm at Dexter's and I've been drinking" call to Deb, if I were her I'd wish them well and hope they're very happy together. I'm guessing our hot little Debbie doesn't get rebuffed in the sexin' department too often. Red flags should be popping up. Judging by the episode numbers we're reaching endgame soon.

Like I kept re-running the scene between Dex and Paul just to see the jerk land with a thud, I kept re-reading the recap of the scene.

And it got better with each re-reading. LOL

Mark Pellagrino (Paul) had one hilarious scene in the movie Mulholland Drive. He was a bad guy, but such a luckless, clumsy one, and the scene just keep escalating more and more. Paul is kinda like that, a criminal but not a smart one. I like how Dexter has a hard time dealing with "out of Code baddies". Ouh, out of Code, I might envoke my first TM on that one.

I'm almost hestitant to comment, since it's been a few weeks since these comments, but I didn't see a follow-up. Dexter did in fact confirm that Rudy attacked Angel (don't remember if it was the next ep or the finale when though). Deb told him about Rudy's lip, and Dex found the gauze or napkin or whatever Rudy had dabbed at it with (I forget where he found it) and then compared it to the blood in the collar of Angel's jacket, which they knew was from the attacker since Angel wasn't hurt anywhere near that blood. They were a match.

One thing I really liked about this episode, in addition to things other people have said, is when Deb told Rudy about the hotel room. He was anxious to hear Dexter's reaction to the room, but when Deb told him how Dex freaked, Rudy looked a little like he was almost upset about how Dex reacted. It was kind of a quick pass across CC's face, but there was a wonderful subtle reaction there that I thought was really cool. Rudy's obviously excited to be playing his game with Dex, and he's stepped that up to draw Dex into connecting with him at a depper point. And he thought this move would be exciting for both of them, but realizing it affected Dex differently gives him pause. And it instigates him going and hanging out with Dex for the evening. He still has this older, protective brother thing somwhere inside him. It's kind of a small thing, but it was enough to keep this series and Dexter and even the concept of Rudy elevated above a lot of serial killer lore. You'd almost stereotypically expect Rudy to be hostile and plotting against Dex, since Dex had the family and avoided serious hospitalization while Rudy was much more abandoned, but he's actually trying to bring them closer. Not only does he not show any feelings of blame or anger toward Dex, he still has this part that wants to look after his baby brother.

How did Dex make sure that the police would find Paul in his room with the heroin and gun? Did Dex call and report a disturbance? Apparently I missed a minute.

Dexter cranked up Paul's TV really loud so the cops would be called. Although, I would think it'd be the manager who'd be there to check it out first.

What if the ex gets out for good behavior? Will Dex do what he does best? I hope so.

Deb has zero cop instinct I take it? Don't cops have instincts?

Was it revealed who killed Dexter's mother?

So Season Two is just coming up on Showtime? I thought the show was farther along.

It's not shown, but he probably called the police.

Season 3 is coming up this fall on Showtime. Can. Not. Wait. !

Julie Benz is gorgeous, but between the way she is made up for the show and her acting chops, she totally sells me on Rita being a desperate, vulnerable, beaten-down woman who can barely make ends meet. (It kind of reminds me of Charlize Theron in Monster, only not to the same extent.) She is trying so hard to be tough and hold on to her children and what she thinks of as the only slice of sanity in her life--Dexter. The scenes with the lawyer--who was that? I kept thinking it was Malcolm Jamal-Warner--and at the police station were great, but the best was when she was informed of Paul's "relapse." Was she crying? Laughing? Probably a little of both--crying with relief, but also in terror over what might have happened if he'd done that while he had the kids; and laughing giddily at the thought that her worst nightmare just might finally be ending. And that, "Dexter, come here! You're part of this family too." Kinda broke my heart.

Yes, it was Malcolm Jamal-Warner with dreads.

I want to know why anybody would think that Neil Perry would sue them. He did confess, after all.

Given his sick need for attention - it seems likely.

I hope I am not the only one who finds Rudy's obsession with Dexter far more creepy than his crimes as the Ice Truck Killer. Maybe I've been desensitized enough where the bizaree nameless, faceless murders by a serial killer don't phase me but I become disturbed when he's stalking a character I care about.

<Accidental double post. Deleting. Sorry about that.>

I can't understand why Deb hasn't asked Rudy "Are you hot for my brother?" yet (even if she can't sense he's a killer), as, like last episode, he seemed way too interested in Dex. Maybe she simply can't imagine that she isn't the centre of everyone's world?

Loved seeing Dex really losing it (twice, in fact): when he collapsed in the hotel room and when he hit Paul. But with all the "103" signs I couldn't understand why nobody suggested it was a date (even though I know that's not the case) as it seemed a reasonable leap to me. Also loved the slightly cartoonish hitting with a frying pan - I half expected to see Paul's head flattening into a pancake before popping back.

I'd assumed Dex had phoned in a tip off to the police to come and arrest Paul.

I just loved that face he made when he hit Paul. Classic. And how he pretty much freaked out while still taking care of everything. That whole scene in general just reminds me why I love Dexter.