TVSquad

(S0403) - "This neighborhood's going to kill me." - Dexter

Dexter's move to the suburbs seemed like a perfect way to keep Dexter's mask, but it's starting to become the perfect way to ruin an otherwise decent episode.

Rita and the kids have always been part of his plan to keep his true feelings hidden from the universe, even if he has more than a few shimmers of love for his new family. Moving to the suburbs was just part of the plan and a good move for the script, especially if one of his future prey includes a homeowners' association president who chastises tenants for keeping their lawns higher than three-fourths of an inch.

But now that he's in the thick of deranged suburbia and trying to keep his sane face in front of a whole neighborhood who always have their eyes peering into every open window, it just feels like a distraction from the truly interesting relationship that Dexter may or may not have with the Trinity Killer.

It's hard not to feel sorry for the guy, and maybe that's part of the reason the plot device exists. Every guy knows that friend in their pack who sold their soul to their homeowners' association, and Dexter is giving up more than a piece of himself for Rita and the kids. If I knew one of my friends was stuck in their minivan on a three hour trip with nothing but a batch of kids and a Bananarama mix-tape in the stereo, I'd call the cops and file an unlawful torture report.

But there is so much more to get excited about and feel for, like the Trinity Killer's newest kill. It's hard to think of a more painful or downright scary way to go, and making that poor woman jump to her death had the hairs on the back of my neck suicidal and wishing to jump for their freedom. The way his scenes leave little breadcrumbs for the audience to nibble up until his true secrets are revealed are well-paced and leave you wanting whatever breadcrumbs are used to make (I would assume bread, but why make individual crumbs just to make bread?).

Bringing Lundy back into the mix also makes for tasty viewing since he still feels like he's on Dexter's trail and possibly Debra's. The meeting between Lundy and Debra's current squeeze gave off more awkward tensions than a North Korean peace summit and is destined to lead to some giant confrontation between the two. What the hell was Debra thinking letting these two share the same table, let alone the same state? Does she not realize how hot she is?

And speaking of boning boneheads, just what is Quinn thinking shacking up with a reporter? This is bound to lead to pure disaster, and the final scene of he and the ink goddess getting down had my brain screaming at the screen.

Once again, the weird and twisted Masuka proves himself to be the wisest one of the bunch.

[Watch clips of Dexter at SlashControl.]