CliqueClackDoes Dexter’s epiphany mean LaGuerta and Matthews are surer prey?
Now that Dexter has come to realize a new “code” for his killings, does this help spell out how this pesky thing with LaGuerta and Matthews will be dealt with?
After Sunday night’s episode of Dexter, Deb and I got to discussing what those final scenes mean for Dexter’s future. My first thought was that by Dexter deciding to kill Hannah’s father (Supernatural’s Jim Beaver!), he will no longer adhere to Harry’s code, killing only those who’ve killed; he’d basically open himself up to kill whomever he felt the need to kill, without having to prove anything to himself first. Deb, on the other hand, thought this was only partly true; it did mean he wasn’t going to follow Harry’s code anymore, but it wouldn’t mean Dexter would kill just anyone he felt like killing — he’d still have some sort of moral compass to follow.
With those thoughts in mind, I wouldn’t say that Dexter is going to simply kill people for the hell of it. Instead, he’s going to kill who he needs to kill, and that just might mean simply anyone who threatens him or gets in his way — including LaGuerta and Matthews.
I believe that Dexter’s new path is not only what could save him from the advancing threat of the law breathing down his neck, but it may very well lead to his downfall. The thing is, this is probably the closest the law has come to having concrete evidence against Dexter since Doakes, and we all know how that ended up. The difference, though, was that Doakes wasn’t exactly an angel. LaGuerta and Matthews, on the other hand, would seriously go against the code of Harry. So, with Dexter’s new outlook on what qualifies as a worthwhile kill, in my eyes it means he may not care about whether or not these are bad people he’s about to kill, just that he has to kill them.
If it winds up that Dexter does resort to killing LaGuerta and/or Matthews — just because they threaten him personally — I don’t think it could be any clearer that the writers intend for Dexter to be brought to justice, not that he lives happily ever after and in safety, whether or not he stops killing.
I’d love to hear other theories on how Dexter’s going to get out of this one. The show has one more season left, and as quickly as LaGuerta and Matthews are narrowing in on Dexter, that’s a whole lot of episodes of him running away from the law. Matthews ended his discussion with LaGuerta, saying he’d talk to Dexter before she “fucks it up;” does anyone else think he’s been onto Dexter’s secret all along, and is moving ahead to throw him some warning and advice? Or will Dexter just have to take everyone out?
4 Comments on “Does Dexter’s epiphany mean LaGuerta and Matthews are surer prey?”
I was quite convinced that Matthews knew all along and that he may want to help Dexter… that is until I remembered it was Matthews who brought up the information on Jimenez.
Matthews already knows. I have this feeling Harry confided in him back in their days on the force. That said, I never thought Matthews on LaGuerta’s side during their investigations. He’s more a mole than Deb ever was, and when he finally has his talk with Dex, it’ll be more of a “What are you going to do about this?” than a “What have you done” conversation.
My prediction: LaGuerta and Quinn are gone by next season (her by Dex, him by Koshkas). Matthews has his revenge. Deb won’t be able to prosecute Hannah, so she’ll take matters in to her own hands. Season 7 wraps up the inverse of Season 6 (Dex catches Deb having just killed Hannah), and sets the stage for Season 8, Dex vs. Deb.
Code broken; It’s time for Dexter to die. I expect Hannah to do it. But I hope it’s Deb.
I think you’re right, Keith. This could be a downward spiral for Dexter, leading to jail or his death at the end of next season.
While Hannah seems to be his perfect match, she also has no code besides self-preservation – she killed Sal, she killed the guidance counselor, I imagine she’d kill Deb if she could, and she would try to kill Dexter if he ever made her feel uncomfortable. So she is not exactly a positive influence on Dexter, who has shown himself to be open and susceptible to other people’s ideas.
Dexter now accepts responsibility for giving in to his urge to kill, which he used to call his Dark Passenger, because he felt that it was something outside his control that was possessing him (semantics!). But Hannah is right – the choices he’s made have always been in his control, he’s just never owned the responsibility. However, the code is still relevant – the purpose of the code was to help him make smart/good choices about when and who to kill. He can’t just start killing anytime he feels like it.
This reminds me so much of Plato’s theory of the soul – Reason must control the Emotions (anger, etc.) and the Appetites (food, sex, or in Dexter’s case, killing). Metaphorically, Plato described Reason as a human, Emotions as a lion, and Appetites as a multi-headed beast. So ideally the human part must tame the lion and, with the lion as an ally, keep the hungry beast under control. This is how I’ve always understood Dexter’s internal struggle. His urge to kill is the beast part of himself. The logical, reasoning part of himself is the human part. And his emotions are the lion that can either help or hinder the human part (they can help – for example, when his feelings for family and friends help him make good choices; they can hinder – for example, when his anger drives him to make foolish choices). The code helps his human part to maintain control over the lion and the beast, but if he throws the code away and loses that control, the lion and the beast will take over.