Dexter season 3 episode 6 review

The underlying truth of Dexter is that he’s alone, seeing the world from his unique perspective. If he did have a soul-mate, then it wouldn’t be Miguel Prado, a man for whom the removal of bad guys from the streets of Miami is about organisational efficiency, and not a psychopathic compulsion. He’s about order, where Dexter is on the edge of chaos.

Which makes their uncomfortable union even more bizarre as this season develops. Is it a marriage of convenience? And if so, how unpleasant a divorce are we likely to experience at some point?

‘Sí Se Puede’, meaning “yes, we can” (is this an Obama reference?), starts with Dexter pondering how little Miguel understands him, and quickly dissolves into one of his dream conversations with Harry, who represents the logical side of his personality. Dexter determines that Miguel needs to understand the risk associated with killing people outside the law, but how best to achieve this?

Soon Dexter is distracted when he turns up at another skinning crime scene, this time for the kid, Wendell, that Debra tried to get to talk in the previous show. Someone is killing all those related to Freebo, and it isn’t Dexter! And it appears to be someone feeding off the investigation that Debra is running.

But Dexter’’s soon back to the ‘Miguel’ problem, convincing him that he’s in over his head by picking a target that’s closer to home than he’s expecting. If this was Miguel’s only problem, then that might be enough, but it seems his cavalier attitude to convictions is drawing the attention of long time friend, Lt. Maria LaGuerta, now friends with attorney, Ellen Wolf. Is something from his past about to bite this Prado?

Actually the Prados in general have issues, since Dexter set Debra off like a clockwork toy by suggesting Ramon Prado might be the ‘skinner’.

Dexter lays out his next target to Miguel, who has his first sharp intake of breath. The man in question is currently in prison for armed robbery, and Mr. Gault is in ‘Super-max’ secure custody! Dexter loves a challenge. The idea is that Miguel will see the danger in this direction, and as Dexter so elegantly puts it, “We’ll be back to mojitos and barbeques.”

But, and this is where the psychology of Dexter and his understanding of ‘normal’ people lets him down, Miguel has exactly the opposite reaction and accepts the proposition.

And then, just when you think that Dexter is entirely without sensitivity, the writers throw a scene in where you realise that there are people he cares about. Camilla, the lady from records that he used to find his brother in season one, is dying of lung cancer. Dexter pays a visit to her bedside, in what was a rather touching scene.

Miguel Prado’s plan for getting to Gault is the courthouse, a location he knows well. The plan executes perfectly and Gault escapes into the hands of injection-wielding Dexter.

At the same time. Debra thinks she’s caught Ramon about to skin someone, but instead she sees him use fizzy soft drinks as a form of coercion. He’s not her man, so who is? Could it be Joey Quinn, or Anton? But she still has to arrest Ramon, for kidnapping, false imprisonment and torture. Debra tells Joey that internal affairs are after him, probably unwisely.

Dexter kills Gault in his ritual fashion, sending Miguel to another empty house. He considers Miguel a ‘friend’, but he’s not ready to share entirely and maybe he never will be. And so ends this Dexter story.

The tension in this friendship is slowly starting to notch up, along with the risk having another person in the Dexter loop creates. How this plays out in the second half of the season, I wouldn’t attempt to predict; there are just too many variables.

But, the coolest thing in this week’s show has to be Dexter’s blood splatter screen saver on his notebook. I want one…

Read our review of the previous episode here.