Dexter 6x04: A Horse of a Different Color

Original Air Date: 23 October 2011

Storyline: Dexter is in awe of the latest display from the Doomsday killer: the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse made up of mannequins and human body parts. Testing confirms that the human parts all came from the same body. Deb Morgan, in her capacity as the new Lieutenant in homicide, holds her first press conference which she concludes did not go well. Meanwhile, Geller is unhappy with Travis' decision to go on a date with a pretty waitress. Dexter has a family crisis when Harrison has a burst appendix. Back in the lab, Masuka finally learns what Ryan has been up to.Trivia: The woman with the wings could be representative of several parts of Revelation, but most likely is the woman in the wilderness who was attacked by the red dragon - "But the two wings of the great eagle were given to the woman, so that she could fly into the wilderness to her place, where she was nourished for a time and times and half a time, from the presence of the serpent. - Rev 12:14"

The count down in the tableaus of the victims is a count down to the 1,260 days of the two witnesses, spoke of in Revelations Chapter 11: "And I will give power to my two witnesses, and they will be clothed in burlap and will prophesy during those 1,260 days. - Rev 11:3"

Best Quote:

Dexter: Some people think that religion began as a way for primitive cultures to explain natural phenomenon - the fire, the wind, the rain. They created a God for each one. You'd think science would have made religion obsolete. But it hasn't.

Review: I love Dexter with all my heart - I mean, let's face it, there's not another show like this one on TV. But this season is touching on a theme I don't like to see much of when I look for Sunday night entertainment: religion. Too much of it and it can make me really hate it. I'm not one to say what should and should not be shown on television, but religion is one of those topics that shouldn't be forced down people's throats. And when you see a scientist who's also a killer go down this path, you start to wonder why are people trying to change a winning combination.

Most of the episode has been focused on this theme, from Harrison's ruptured appendix to discovering the clues left by what's now called the Doomsday killer, who people now believe is James Gellar. What it missed was Dexter's weekly victim and that's another thing I'm not very happy about.
It didn't take long for Miami Metro to deduce that Gellar was involved - and it didn't take Dexter more than a short glance to understand that Travis Marshall is also a part of it. It's not uncommon for killers to go back to a crime scene and admire their work.
Gellar and Marshall's tableaus are the one thing I actually admire when it comes to all this religious killing. The snake one was just the beginning - and not a very complex one, but putting together mannequin and human parts and strapping them on horses, not to mention the waitress being given wings and technically killed by the police were almost art works. There's definitely something interesting, to say the least, in a murderer who puts that much work into sending a message.
A lot of this week's episode was spent inside the hospital where Harrison was undergoing surgery for his ruptured appendix. As much as I love to see Dexter with his son, this was an unnecessary turn of events - he's a good father, we already know that; there's no need to prove it over and over again when there are a lot more entertaining things for him to do. But what really made me yawn was brother Sam's involvement (why develop background characters who don't really play a part in the actual events?), his story and Dexter's almost praying. I don't want my serial killer to become a religious guy, there are enough of those already. I would have been more interested to see how Dexter keeps his focus after losing the order of his blood slides, the things that kept a sense of stability and logic in his life.
A big focus this season is on Deb's character growth. Handling her first press conference was a challenge and even more so when you count LaGuerta's involvement. That woman is the devil! But apparently Miami likes a Lieutenant with a foul mouth and no bullshit.
Other stuff: Ryan disappointed me - I was hoping she would be some kind of morbid stuff collector, but instead she just needed rent money. Meh... Why bother with these plots? Also, the new detective is a bit to stiff for Miami; wearing a black suit with all that heat? Not a good idea! Also, I hope they won't make him a love interest for Deb.Dexter 6x03: Smokey and the Bandit Back to Season 6