Watching Showtime

Life’s been getting more and more interesting for Dexter every day. Not only is his secret burial ground not so secret anymore, his very own sister is on the task force hunting him! Doakes is still the only one on the force that thinks Dex might not be all he’s cracked up to be, and Rita’s laying down the law where 12-step programs are concerned. How does Dexter cope? Murder, natch!

Dexter’s first NA meeting is a less than desirable event to keep he and Rita together. He doesn’t even make it through the entire first meeting, trying desperately to think of anything else than the addicts surrounding him. Too bad for Dexter Rita knows more about NA than he does, and when he can’t produce his “Newcomers” chip she freaks out. She tells him if he doesn’t work the program their relationship is over … and he actually has to contemplate what he wants more. He promises to head to another meeting and stay the whole time, however.

The next day at work, the station is full of families of missing persons, all hoping their loved one will be found in the Bay Harbor Butcher’s burial ground. Lutenient Pascal gave an interview to the press telling people they’d do everything they could to identify the bodies, asking for help from the community. Now there’s hundreds of family members all over the station. Agent Lundy forms a task force to interview the family members and work the BHB case, splitting their time between the task force and their regular work. Deb’s been added to the task force, mainly for her experience with the Ice Truck Killer coupled with her strength. She’s having a hard time dealing with all the family members, but despite asking several times to be taken off the task force, Lundy asks her to stay, telling her she’s the most valuable member of the team. The one thing Lundy’s doing right? He’s looking for a pattern in the vics, which will give him a profile of the killer.

Occupying Dexter’s time while all this is going on? He’s hunting a used car salesman who seems to be killing single women. After meeting with him, he not only buys a mini van from the guy, he learns he’s a lying sack of shit and deserves to be Dexter’s next victim. What sells him on the car? The stow and go seating and tinted windows. Perfect for transporting victims!

Dexter heads to his second NA meeting, and decides to stay the whole time. After receiving his Newcomer’s Chip, he tells his story, although every single word of it is a lie. Everyone seems to believe every word he says. Everyone except the exotic brunette at the back of the room. The pair head for coffee next door to the meeting and she calls his bluff, reading him completely. It scares him so bad he tells Rita he doesn’t want to go back, that he thinks he can do it alone. She reacts the best way she knows how, by kicking him out of her life until he changes his mind.

The next day Dexter goes back to prepping his victim, and while at the car dealership he runs into Roger’s next victim. While he’s working on saving a woman from certain death, Esme is screwing herself out of a job. She’s forgetting to sign paperwork and neglecting assigning detectives to homicides. Maria offers to help her out … is it just me or does it seem like she’s being a little too helpful?

While talking to Doakes, we discover a few interesting things about Dexter: he was top in his class in med school but didn’t become a doctor. He keeps all his assets in cash, and doesn’t belong to any alumni associations. He also took advanced jujitsu in college. The fact that Doakes knows all of this about Dexter is super creepy, but it’s nice to know a few extra things about him.

Instead of heading to pizza night, Dexter heads back to the car dealership to pick up Roger. Finally feeding the “dark passenger”, he offs Roger after having an interesting discussion about how Roger lies so much better than even Dexter does. What’s most interesting is how good Roger is at reading Dexter and his love for Rita. After Roger’s dead and “buried” he heads back to NA. This time he tells the truth: his name, that he’s not sure what he really is, and how he feels when he lets the “dark passenger” take over his world. It would seem like NA might just be good for him after all! Just as Lila’s about to start leading the serenity prayer, who happens to show up but Doakes! Strangely, even he buys the lie that Dexter needs the program for drugs/alcohol. And suddenly this lie he’s told has paid off in dividends. His new problem? Getting Rita to accept Lila as his new sponsor!

Lundy was right about Deb being perfect for the task force as well. While suffering through the family member interviews she discovers Dexter’s pattern. She meets three separate people looking for family members who weren’t all that nice. With that pattern, Dexter’s hunters are one step closer to discovering the truth.

To catch up on old episodes:
season one recaps
it’s alive!
waiting to exhale

Dexter, Showtime, Dexter Morgan, Michael C. Hall, Rita Bennett, Julie Benz, Debra Morgan, Jennifer Carpenter, James Doakes, Erik King, Maria LaGuerta, Lauren Velez, Angel Batista, David Zayas, Harry Morgan, James Remar, Vincent Masuka, C.S. Lee