S01.E09: The Family Business

[paigow]

Dexter and Harrison find themselves closer than ever over Christmas break, bringing father and son into the crosshairs of a serial killer; Angela starts to wonder if Iron Lake is not the safe place she always thought it was.

Airs 2 Jan. 2022

[Snazzy Daisy]

 

[Glade]

I had to look away during some of the 'Wiggle's scenes, which were disturbing AF. I hoped Dexter didn't really buy Harrison a gun...

The second they turned that corner into the trophy room, I was screaming "Get out! Run!  There's only one entrance!"  Seriously, how could it be safe to loiter and have emotional moments down there without a lookout?  They're so, so lucky Kurt didn't arrive home at that exact moment, cut the power and pour cement over the entrance.  Poor Molly....that was shocking, and I didn't believe it at first.

Harrison thankfully doesn't seem like he really wants or feels the need to follow in Dexter's footsteps.  I hope he makes it out of next week ok. 

[paigow]

Who was running Miami Metro Homicide??? Nobody -besides Dex- found the common thread that every missing kid was linked to a birthday clown??

Edited January 2, 2022 by paigow

[paigow]

Property taxes must be really low in Iron Lake because everyone has to haul their own garbage downtown for cremation....

[BooBear]

I was irritated with this episode. 

1. Why did Kurt Kill Molly? She didn't fit the MO. She is not a runaway? She is not in need of help.

2. Kurt had no idea that Dexter was a serial killer and had no idea that the confrontation would end in Kurt's death... soo...

3. What was he thinking killing Molly? She is a national presence.  The moment she goes missing the FBI will descend on this town.

4. Assuming Kurt's plan had worked on smoking Dexter out.. what was his plan with that one? The Police Chief's boyfriend goes missing after a fire? Way to draw attention and ramp up the investigation. Even if Angela didn't suspect Kurt she probably would call in the Feds. 

I am glad I didn't pay for this series... this was sold as a way to apologize for the end of the main series but I think this one has been just as bad. No one can figure out what is going on because the writers cheat by stalling on Harrison until the end so they can go anyway they want and by killing Molly off outside the show it is cheap and makes no sense. 

[CarpeFelis]

12 hours ago, Glade said:

The second they turned that corner into the trophy room, I was screaming "Get out! Run!  There's only one entrance!"  Seriously, how could it be safe to loiter and have emotional moments down there without a lookout?  They're so, so lucky Kurt didn't arrive home at that exact moment, cut the power and pour cement over the entrance.  Poor Molly....that was shocking, and I didn't believe it at first.

I had a similar thought when Dexter deliberately tripped Kurt’s warning system. Now that he knew they were there, what was to stop him from showing up and trapping them down there? At that point a lookout was really necessary! And Kurt NOT showing up felt like a plot contrivance.

I suppose we’re to assume Iris was Kurt’s first kill, since he didn’t follow the MO of offering her a hot meal and a room before killing and “preserving” her. Just shot her and dumped her in the cave. If his real motivation was this twisted idea of “saving” them from supposedly worse fates, why make them run and shoot them in the back? Why not do something painless—put an overdose of sedative in their food, or pump the room full of carbon monoxide or something? Probably wanted to relive Iris’ shooting, but it still doesn’t square with what he claimed his motivation was. And neither did shooting Iris in the first place. I think he was just pissed off that she walked away from him.

I assume he broke his pattern and killed Molly because he was afraid she’d catch on to him. We already knew from the episode where Dexter followed Kurt and Molly that he was probably going to kill her.

ETA: With Kurt dead I hope we don’t have to listen to that stupid Runaway song ever again. The instrumental part always sounded to me like it belongs in a circus.

Edited January 2, 2022 by CarpeFelis

[aghst]

Was Wiggles in the original series or they made one up so Dexter can explain to Harrison?

Well I watched it in 4K and you could see the detail on Wiggles' beard so it was obviously filmed for New Blood.

I guess they had to pull out an example of the most deserving target of The Code, a creepy clown (who puts on his big floppy shoes while still in clown makeup) who murdered plenty of kids.

Harrison thinks it's cool, kind of like being Batman.  "You saved thousands of innocent lives!"

They did a good job with the suspense as I thought there would be a confrontation.  But if you think about it, the villains rarely get the drop on Dexter, even though in this case, Kurt had the surveillance camera footage and would surely know the layout of his cabin and his creepy underground trophy room -- they looked like dolls in cases, with the unnaturally white makeup.

Kurt isn't the type to go for direct confrontations against foes who are as dangerous or more dangerous.  He puts on the mask and uses a rifle with a laser scope.  He's not doing hand for hand, even though he taunted Dexter to fight at the wrestling match.

He was going to shoot Dexter and Harrison as they fled the cabin fire but that was about it.  Seems like his plan was to get the hell out of Dodge if that surveillance camera was tripped, not try to kill the intruders.  That really wouldn't work though, he'd become the most wanted man in the country if fled after his trophies were discovered.

 

So Kurt is dispatched, with the trusty crematorium, accessible to anyone.  But even damaged Dexter has to have noticed how cool and standoffish Angela has been since she discovered his real identity.  He thinks they can merrily exchange Christmas gifts and have a cozy stay over.

Meanwhile Kurt drops a simple postcard saying Jim Findlay killed Matt along with one of those titanium screws.  That doesn't prove anything, unless Dexter's prints are all over it or something.

What is Angela suppose to conclude that Dexter stabbed Matt with that screw?  Or even if she found out that Matt had a titanium screw in his leg, is she suppose to think that Dexter killed him and extracted the screw?  She has no idea it came out of Matt's cremated remains. 

(though I wonder, if you cremate a body with screws in the leg bones, do the bones become ash and the screws remain intact, not even burn marks?  And would that town crematorium burn hot enough to turn all body parts into unidentifiable ash?)

Unless they plan to have Dexter be caught or killed and this finale is the end of the Dexter story, they have to dispatch Angela somehow.

But I just checked and it just said "finale" over the logo of Dexter New Blood in the previews for the next episode.

It showed Dexter being photographed for a police arrest and then him running in the forest and something about him being the Phoenix.  I think the ratings have been strong enough (though the reviews have been lukewarm at best) that Showtime would renew it if the show creator and Hall were interested in doing more.

 

 

[Pike Ludwell]

2 hours ago, aghst said:

What is Angela suppose to conclude that Dexter stabbed Matt with that screw?  Or even if she found out that Matt had a titanium screw in his leg, is she suppose to think that Dexter killed him and extracted the screw?  She has no idea it came out of Matt's cremated remains. 

(though I wonder, if you cremate a body with screws in the leg bones, do the bones become ash and the screws remain intact, not even burn marks?  And would that town crematorium burn hot enough to turn all body parts into unidentifiable ash?)

 

There were at least two of those titanium items. I lost track of where the other one was, but maybe it was in Dexter's cabin. The cabin burned down, but titanium is burn resistant so it could be found. Still wouldn't be sufficient evidence to convict (so arrest and prosecution unlikely). Dex could just deny knowing anything about and could easily make it look like the insane Kurt was framing him. Dex needs to make sure the police find Kurt's underground lair. That would put most of the attention to Kurt and show his insanity. Maybe just leave that hatch door up, so when police start investigating his disappearance they'll see it.

Edited January 2, 2022 by Pike Ludwell

[ShadowHunter]

The Christmas sweaters were funny lol. I'd wear the one Dexter or Harrison had.  Speaking of Harrison he was much more tolerable this episode now that he wasn't doing the mopey emo teen thing. I noticed he still freaked a bit with the blood but for the most part he felt okay with everything. I still call bull on him being able to remember what happened to Rita. The Flashback scene was cool only for seeing Dexter's old outfit and hearing the old music.

Deb still continues to be one-note. Seriously if this comes back for another season drop her. 

Angela did an awful job hiding her annoyance with Dexter. I'm surprised they even exchanged Christmas gifts. Even Harrison mentioned he wasn't sure how things were with him and Audrey but they seemed fine together now. 

Either Dexter gets caught or he dies in Episode 10. I still don't see everything getting wrapped up in one episode.

See ya Podcast Lady. The scene with her and all the girls being held in a shrine was creepy. 

 

[aghst]

18 minutes ago, Pike Ludwell said:

There were at least two of those titanium items. I lost track of where the other one was, but maybe it was in Dexter's cabin. The cabin burned down, but titanium is burn resistant so it could be found. Still wouldn't be sufficient evidence to convict. Dex could just deny knowing anything about and could easily make it look like the insane Kurt was framing him. Dex needs to make sure the police find Kurt's underground lair. That would put most of the attention to Kurt and show his insanity. Maybe just leave that hatch door up, so when police start investigating his disappearance they'll see it.

Yeah Angela is putting things together.

But autopsy pictures and a Titanium screw would not be reasons enough to arrest and prosecute.

Just as they let Kurt out because the DNA evidence wasn't 100%, they have even less evidence on Dexter.

[preeya]

Who put the note in Angela's mailbox?  "Jim Lindsay killed Matt Caldwell"

Well, he also killed Kurt Caldwell.

"Gonoohgwa'"

[paigow]

Too bad the Fire Department showed up... Dex could have killed some Moose Creek douchebags and thrown them into his house...  

Edited January 2, 2022 by paigow

[Morrigan2575]

52 minutes ago, aghst said:

But autopsy pictures and a Titanium screw would not be reasons enough to arrest and prosecute.

Based on Law& Order Criminal Intent, the pins have serial nbers which are tracked. So the pins will can confirm they came from Matt's disposed body.

However, going from that to proof that Jim/Dexter killed Matt will take a leap

[DiabLOL]

Leave it alone, Angela! I still think Dexter is a catch lol.

So you can just gift someone a gun like that? In upstate NY? I couldn’t stop thinking about that for the rest of the episode.

[Snazzy Daisy]

What a crazy episode‼️

I was right about Kurt killing Molly and keeping his trophies in the underground bunker. 😘

Father and son talking about the dark passenger at the back of the truck, MCH did a good job in holding back and letting something out, great performance. Kudos to JA as well for keeping up with him. For the first time, I didn’t find Deb annoying.

I still don’t trust Harrison 100%. He may or may not have a dark passenger. Dexter didn’t tell him the whole truth about why Trinity killed Rita. The dynamic between them will change once he finds out the truth. Will it lead to Dexter’s downfall?

Angela has a terrible poker face, Dexter should have realized what she’s up to. And will there be more revealing info stored in Molly’s recorder/camera that Angela found in the motel?

I saw a glimpse of Tess Silvera (the science teacher at Harrison’s school and the bartender) in the trophy room. Why would Kurt kill her? And why nobody notices that she’s missing? 🤔

 

Edited January 3, 2022 by SnazzyDaisy

[TVbitch]

WTF? Tess was the one girl who took Kurt's offer of a job and got out of the runaway life! And he danced with her all the time? 

It's bullshit that we didn't see how Kurt got Molly. Molly was already afraid of him from their previous encounter, she knew he had been questioned for a murder, and she studies killers. So exactly how did he get her alone again and subdue her? 

Was the original series that gory with sawing up of the bodies? If it was, I must have had a stronger stomach back then, cuz it's too much for me now. 

Here's hoping Dexter dies next week, so this show can be over for me! 

[preeya]

Who put the "Jim Lindsay killed Matt Caldwell" note in Angela's mailbox?  

 

[aghst]

Probably Kurt or his henchman before Dexter killed him?

[paigow]

Kurt brought his gift for Angela and dropped the envelope in the box.

[Tammy12]

I have a hunch that those gory sawing scenes were meant to push Harrison over the edge and he'll either kill Dexter or turn him in next week.

 

Predicting a reboot of the reboot with Dexter as Harrison's Dark Passenger 

[AngelaHunter]

6 hours ago, aghst said:

 But even damaged Dexter has to have noticed how cool and standoffish Angela has been since she discovered his real identity.  

I doubt it. He never was any good at picking up signals from regular people.

To everything else - WTF, show??

Was Wiggles the Creepy Clown in Iron Lake? I zoned out for a moment due his over-the-top evilness. So a whole bunch of kids have vanished as well and no one had a clue?

I guess we all long since figured Kurt had his underground lair where he did his work. I must say, his artistry would make Vincent Price envious. Gee, those girls looked like they were still alive.😏

Shame on you, Dexter - turning your son into a serial killer is bad form. Taking a teen to watch him murder Kurt and dismember him was likewise bad form. And I just knew he'd still lie about Arthur Mitchell, still with the same, "I killed him for what he did to your mother." He didn't even know Rita was dead when he killed Arthur for his own selfish reasons. He got Rita killed. Better not tell Sonny that.

Dexter always did love having a partner in crime, even though it inevitably blew up in his face as it surely will this time, choosing a disturbed boy to be his sidekick and witnessing a scene ("I cut them into 9 pieces") that would make some hardened criminals blow chunks and seek therapy. "Batman and Robin". Yeah, Dex has always killed to make the world a safer place, and at least HIS trophies don't require a complex and large underground facility.

Why did Dexter give his son, who has violent tendancies, a rifle? Dexter doesn't like guns. He should have given him his own Serial Killer Starter Kit knife package.

Police Chief Angela needs to get her information on crime from Podcast Gurl? Still with the ketamine crap? I can't believe these writers still haven't remembered Dexter never used that, not that anyone found out he used anything.

So, what happened to Dexter's pets? Oops, I guess the writers forget about them or didn't want to burn them up and poof! -  they're gone.

Well, bye, Kurt. Thanks for getting rid of Podcaster. Of her more I could not take. Why am I talking like Yoda? However, Angela is going to feel her loss acutely. Who is going to help her solve crimes now? Her bumbling sidekick cops? 😄

 

2 hours ago, TVbitch said:

Was the original series that gory with sawing up of the bodies?

No, it was not. We'd see Dexter wielding the chainsaw and sometimes some blood splashing on his visor and that was it. Better get another chainsaw, Dex. This sawing them up by hand is way too strenuous.

How many more episodes do we have to watch? Yes, I'm a masochist. I must be since I watched Se06 and 08 of the OS, even though I hate myself for that.

[AngelaHunter]

6 hours ago, Pike Ludwell said:

That would put most of the attention to Kurt and show his insanity. Maybe just leave that hatch door up, so when police start investigating his disappearance they'll see it.

And there's Dexter and Harrison's footprints leading from the hatch to that weird vehickle and the tracks from THAT going back to Dexter's  place. I think maybe Miami Dex still hasn't got the hang of this serial killing in the snow thing yet.

[Cotypubby]

10 minutes ago, AngelaHunter said:

Was Wiggles the Creepy Clown in Iron Lake? I zoned out for a moment due his over-the-top evilness. So a whole bunch of kids have vanished as well and no one had a clue?

 

So, what happened to Dexter's pets? Oops, I guess the writers forget about them or didn't want to burn them up and poof! -  they're gone.

No, Wiggles was in Miami. Dexter was telling Harrison about a previous murder he committed where he killed some clown who was a child murderer. (Actually maybe not Miami proper, but somewhere in Florida. The pamphlet Dexter picks up said Greatest Playland in Florida.)

Dexter had pets? I don’t remember that.

Edited January 3, 2022 by Cotypubby

[AngelaHunter]

Just now, Cotypubby said:

No, Wiggles was in Miami

Oh, thanks. Wiggles wasn't in the OS, so I got confused.

1 minute ago, Cotypubby said:

Dexter had pets? I don’t remember that.

Goats and chickens and maybe something else. That's why he told the vet he needed the meds, that "Vincent Van Goat" had a sore leg.

[bobbyjoe]

Quote

Predicting a reboot of the reboot with Dexter as Harrison's Dark Passenger 

God I hope not.  Deb as the Harry character has been obnoxious and frustrating; to limit Michael C Hall to that kind of role would be a crime. 

[Cotypubby]

8 minutes ago, AngelaHunter said:

Goats and chickens and maybe something else. That's why he told the vet he needed the meds, that "Vincent Van Goat" had a sore leg.

Oh! Right right. I was thinking a dog or something that lived in the cabin. In the wide shot at 54:18 you can see that the fire didn’t reach the barn and there is a goat walking around in the pen. 

Edited January 3, 2022 by Cotypubby

[AngelaHunter]

2 minutes ago, Cotypubby said:

. In the wide shot you can see that the fire didn’t reach the barn and there is a goat walking around in the pen. 

You're sharper than I! I was looking but didn't see them.

[Cotypubby]

21 minutes ago, AngelaHunter said:

You're sharper than I! I was looking but didn't see them.

I only looked cause you mentioned it! I didn’t even notice that the first time I watched the scene. 

[Kristi800]

20 hours ago, Glade said:

The second they turned that corner into the trophy room, I was screaming "Get out! Run!  There's only one entrance!"  Seriously, how could it be safe to loiter and have emotional moments down there without a lookout?  They're so, so lucky Kurt didn't arrive home at that exact moment, cut the power and pour cement over the entrance.  Poor Molly....that was shocking, and I didn't believe it at first.

Yeah, me, too. That didn't seem too smart! 

I think he killed Molly because he needed to kill and - first the girl (bad with names) who he shot in the face didn't work and then missed a chance with the girl with the boyfriend outside the truck stop. So creepy dressing them in the Marilyn dress in the chamber. Shiver!

Wouldn't the police have determined that the girls were last seen - most likely at the truck stop? Yes, of course, they could have been taken by a trucker (see Big Sky), but wouldn't they have at least talked to Kurt, besides, he had been a trucker. Is he supposed to very rich? 

7 hours ago, aghst said:

Harrison thinks it's cool, kind of like being Batman.  "You saved thousands of innocent lives!"

Remember in the original there was a whole "Dark Defender" comic book that was created and people were hailing whoever was cleaning up Miami's streets from criminals. As long as his kills were for "good" it was OK-ish.  

While it might not be "lawful" for people to give minors guns (see Kyle Rittenhouse [not being political]), and the state of New York's statutes say that it's illegal, people in rural areas have them regardless of age for hunting, which would make him fit in, especially since "Jim Lindsay" works at the gun store.

 

[Jenxee]

I have a theory.  I came here to see if I was alone in thinking this and so far I haven't seen anyone else mention this.  Even though it's not a spoiler, I'm going to mask it because I know some people don't even like to read speculations.  What if

Spoiler

Harrison is not really Harrison.  He's Dexter's brother Brian's son, he's a serial killer, and to get revenge he first killed the real Harrison and looked for Dexter to either learn from him or kill him.  I know that theory is out there, but Harrison is definitely hiding something.  For instance, tonight he acted like he didn't know how to shoot a gun, but he clearly knew how and purposely deceived Dexter.  Another thing, he looks nothing like Dexter and Rita.  And his backstory is fishy.  Hannah died from cancer?  Or did this imposter kill her.

It's just speculation, but Clyde Phillips said,

Quote

The audience will be satisfied with the end while their own brains are exploding

https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/dexter-new-blood-ending-surprising-yet-inevitable-make-viewers-brains-explode-clyde-phillips-promises.html/

What do you guys think?  Is my theory plausible or completely off the wall?

[anoninrva]

8 hours ago, Pike Ludwell said:

There were at least two of those titanium items. I lost track of where the other one was, but maybe it was in Dexter's cabin. The cabin burned down, but titanium is burn resistant so it could be found. Still wouldn't be sufficient evidence to convict (so arrest and prosecution unlikely). Dex could just deny knowing anything about and could easily make it look like the insane Kurt was framing him. Dex needs to make sure the police find Kurt's underground lair. That would put most of the attention to Kurt and show his insanity. Maybe just leave that hatch door up, so when police start investigating his disappearance they'll see it.

Burn resistant isn't magic, though.  Those screws looked brand-new.  I don't think they were what was left of the ashes of Kurt's son.

[anoninrva]

6 hours ago, SnazzyDaisy said:

Angela has a terrible poker face, Dexter should have realized what she’s up to. And will there be more revealing info stored in Molly’s recorder/camera that Angela found in the motel?

 

Am I just imagining that she basically broke up with him when she found out he wasn't Jim?  And that Harrison and her daughter basically broke up (or were never officially dating to begin with) also?  That Christmas just felt weird, icky, and contrived.  Who double-dates with their children?!  On Christmas?

[ZeeEnnui]

I never pegged Kurt as a Return to Oz fan. His trophy room was clearly inspired by Mombi.

 

 

[Snazzy Daisy]

23 minutes ago, anoninrva said:

Am I just imagining that she basically broke up with him when she found out he wasn't Jim?  And that Harrison and her daughter basically broke up (or were never officially dating to begin with) also?  That Christmas just felt weird, icky, and contrived.  Who double-dates with their children?!  On Christmas?

No, you aren’t imagining it, Angela did break up with Dexter, at the police station, she said she can’t trust him. And by Christmas, he was calling her ‘babe’ again, saying ‘I love you’ etc. Weird.

Re Audrey and Harrison, as far as I know, they aren’t officially dating, not in previous episodes.

Edited January 3, 2022 by SnazzyDaisy

[Pike Ludwell]

2 hours ago, AngelaHunter said:

And there's Dexter and Harrison's footprints leading from the hatch to that weird vehickle and the tracks from THAT going back to Dexter's  place. I think maybe Miami Dex still hasn't got the hang of this serial killing in the snow thing yet.

Wait till the next big snow. Snow comes down, covers everything, and then send an anonymous tip to the police about a weird underground space there. 

[DrBriCa]

1 hour ago, SnazzyDaisy said:

No, you aren’t imagining it, Angela did break up with Dexter, at the police station, she said she can’t trust him. And by Christmas, he was calling her ‘babe’ again, saying ‘I love you’ etc. Weird.

Re Audrey and Harrison, as far as I know, they aren’t officially dating, not in previous episodes.

And the last few episodes have only been a few days overall, so it was definitely odd to see them all hang for Christmas or for Audrey to be like "they MUST stay with us!" Angela definitely broke up with Dexter; she did call him after the wrestling match to help out with Iris, but otherwise, nothing had been really resolved by them. Certainly nothing to denote that she'd invite him over for a gift exchange a few days later.

Harrison and Audrey slept together, but then he broke the other kid's arm, and he backed away from her when she confronted him about it. By the next episode (Christmas Eve), it seemed that Harrison was still avoiding her since he didn't want to discuss the wrestling match. Yet on Christmas Day, they had gifts for each other and were very cuddly.

Speaking of gifts:

3 hours ago, AngelaHunter said:

Why did Dexter give his son, who has violent tendencies, a rifle? Dexter doesn't like guns. He should have given him his own Serial Killer Starter Kit knife package.

Dexter only told Harrison about his Dark Passenger late on Christmas Eve, so he wouldn't have known Xmas morning would've been a great time to get a Serial Killer Starter Kit knife package. The store would've been closed! But the rifle certainly seemed an odd gift for someone Dex was pretty sure had already stabbed one student and someone he'd witness purposefully brake another student's limb.

[Tatum]

Well...this was just silly.

 

I don't think Wiggles was a real kill of Dexter's. I think he was just a stand in/amalgamation of Dexter's Miami victims. Dexter was modifying the story based on Deb's input. If there seriously was an influx of missing children, all local to Miami, the FBI surely would have been called in.

 

Angela definitely broke up with Dexter, and more importantly, wasn't happy about finding Harrison in bed with Audrey so I really doubt she would have insisted on Modern Family Blended Christmas time, and certainly would not have agreed to having them as houseguests. I do love how Dexter is completely oblivious to her. I prefer to think Angela is so frequently moody and pissed off that it simply doesn't register with him.

 

I am SO sick of all the killers turning into idiots and always being outsmarted by Dexter. I also can't see how Kurt was so confident that Dexter and Harrison wouldn't go straight to the cops. Dexter and Harrison both had their phones on them and were in contact with each other that night and it stands to reason after Dexter was kidnapped and escaped he'd come looking for Harrison. Kurt was kind enough to leave a paper trail for his lackey/incompetent hitman, Kurt also can maybe prove that Matt was in the incinerator but has no way to prove it was Dexter that did it so they really do not have each other over any barrel.

 

I assume Molly was killed simply for shock value. Telling that no one even thought to look for her until five seconds before she's discovered in Kurt's little museum. When Harrison kept going down the line I assumed he was going to find someone he recognized.

 

If this is an "apology" for the way the original series ended, then I would say they actually doubled down on what sucked about the first series ending.

[ahpny]

16 hours ago, Morrigan2575 said:

Based on Law& Order Criminal Intent, the pins have serial nbers which are tracked. So the pins will can confirm they came from Matt's disposed body.

Yes, both the titanium screw presumably still left among the ash of Dexter's house, and the second one sent to Angela should have serial numbers traceable back to Matt, presuming his medical professionals kept proper records. See 21 CFR 801.20, requiring medical devices to carry a "Unique Device Identification." How that demonstrates Dexter's culpability for anything is still far from clear, though together with what else Angela has learned, "Jim" is already looking sketchy, even if the accumulated evidence so far is insufficient for a conviction, let alone an arrest.

What I didn't get is why Dexter didn't use the "do you know anyone who'd want to burn down your house" question to implicate Kurt, however tentatively. Dexter could have at least acknowledged to Angela that Kurt seemed pissed at "Jim" for interfering with Molly in some way, which is indeed true, despite not being the actual arson motivation. The most credible lies carry as much truth as possible. Maybe Dexter thought voicing any arson suspicion of Kurt would open the door to too many further questions. But leaving the potential arsonist completely unidentified could  lead to a broader investigation than otherwise. Kurt's apparent "fleeing" of the scene would have easily fit with even a loose suspicion lodged by Dexter. Subsequent investigation possibly might even verify that Kurt was found to be doing something in preparation for arson, like buying lots of gasoline in cans.

[anoninrva]

27 minutes ago, ahpny said:

Subsequent investigation possibly might even verify that Kurt was found to be doing something in preparation for arson, like buying lots of gasoline in cans.

Kurt owns a truck stop.  It looked like he was using a truck for refueling gas-stations and no cans.  It's not implausible that he would own that.  Granted, he would probably be seen with it, since truck stops would be 24/7.

[khyber]

What about Chekhov's billionaire? 

[AngelaHunter]

3 hours ago, Tatum said:

I don't think Wiggles was a real kill of Dexter's. I think he was just a stand in/amalgamation of Dexter's Miami victims.

Probably. Dexter wanted to impress on Harrison how righteous his kills were. After all, avenging the murders of little children and protecting others is pretty darned noble! He seems to have taken it all from the priest he killed in the first ep of the OS who did murder little boys, and turned him into a clown to make him even more heinous. Killer clowns are nightmarish and surely deserve to die

 

1 hour ago, ahpny said:

But leaving the potential arsonist completely unidentified could  lead to a broader investigation than otherwise. 

Yes, but considering who is doing investigations, and now without the assistance of Molly,  I don't think Dex is too worried. After all, that all these missing girls were seen with Kurt - working for him, getting in his car, sitting in the bar with him and even dancing with him - never raised a bit of suspicion.

[Tatum]

9 minutes ago, AngelaHunter said:

Yes, but considering who is doing investigations, and now without the assistance of Molly,  I don't think Dex is too worried.

Look Angela! Something shiny! (Dexter voiceover: Crisis averted).

[Bcharmer]

14 hours ago, AngelaHunter said:

Why did Dexter give his son, who has violent tendancies, a rifle? Dexter doesn't like guns. He should have given him his own Serial Killer Starter Kit knife package.

I thought he said it was part of the "fitting in" thing. All the other kids had rifles, so now Harrison has one, too.

[chediavolo]

19 hours ago, DiabLOL said:

Leave it alone, Angela! I still think Dexter is a catch lol.

So you can just gift someone a gun like that? In upstate NY? I couldn’t stop thinking about that for the rest of the episode.

Are you kidding? Upstate NY is so different from the NYC/LI area as to be its own entity. It’s practically southern😂

[MamaBird]

When Dexter was hacking up frozen Elric, I was disappointed that he didn’t say anything about his late brother Brian Moser. He even mentioned the convenience of no blood, over a close-up of a severed limb that looked exactly like Biney’s work.

Hey, I can’t help it. The Ice Truck Killer is my favorite Dexter Big Bad; even Trinity can only come in second. That scene in Dex’s biological father’s house when Deb and "Rudy" jumped up on the furniture and played air guitar to “Slow Ride” might be my favorite of the entire series. I would have greeted a flashback to him more warmly (see what I did there?) even than Angel’s appearance.

[CarpeFelis]

Here’s an off-the-wall theory that just occurred to me. Everyone is pointing out how it makes no sense that Dexter and Harrison would be going to Angela’s house for Christmas like the breakups never happened. In fact, the entire episode came off like wish fulfillment for Dexter, finally being able to tell Harrison everything and eliminate Kurt. So… what if none of it actually happened? What if all this turns out to be a fantasy running through Dexter’s mind right as Kurt is about to kill him?

BTW does anyone know what model Angela’s folding tablet was? When she removed the keyboard there was a brief glimpse of a logo on the back but it was too blurry to make out.

[chediavolo]

Not fair that we don’t know how Kurt killed podcast girl. I think we all knew we were going to see her in the dungeon. How is he preserving those bodies? won’t they rot? 

I love Dexter and while what he does isn’t  by any means normal or legal it is still saving lives. I hope he doesn’t die. I know this series isn’t perfect but I like it and hope it goes on.  I also wonder about his son.  

Never heard of two people being so happy 10 minutes after they saw their house after it was burnt to the foundation, having lost everything they own. 

[CarpeFelis]

17 minutes ago, chediavolo said:

Not fair that we don’t know how Kurt killed podcast girl. I think we all knew we were going to see her in the dungeon. How is he preserving those bodies? won’t they rot? 

I love Dexter and while what he does isn’t  by any means normal or legal it is still saving lives. I hope he doesn’t die. I know this series isn’t perfect but I like it and hope it goes on.  I also wonder about his son.  

Never heard of two people being so happy 10 minutes after they saw their house after it was burnt to the foundation, having lost everything they own. 

Kurt embalms the bodies, which slows decomposition. Maybe the containers he put them in are refrigerated?

I don’t want Dexter to die either, so I hope the theory I posted above is wrong.

[AngelaHunter]

1 hour ago, chediavolo said:

Never heard of two people being so happy 10 minutes after they saw their house after it was burnt to the foundation, having lost everything they own. 

No kidding! How jarring was that to see your home and everything in it reduced to ashes and then 10 minutes later it's no biggie. "Hey, Merry Christmas! Let's open gifts!"

 

1 hour ago, chediavolo said:

I love Dexter and while what he does isn’t  by any means normal or legal it is still saving lives.

I want him to die for all the innocent lives he shattered, destroyed, and ended with his ceaseless, "I want! To hell with everyone else". I wonder if he ever thinks about Astor and Cody, after he managed to orphan them.