The Bay Harbor Butcher: Scourge of the city or avenging force for good?
As news of the connection between the BHB’s victims comes to light, the question was bound to become a talking point. How much should the city of Miami fret about a killer who’s cleaning up the streets more effectively than the Miami Metro homicide department? (If people knew that the BHB came from inside the department, they’d understand just how effective their policing really is.) It will be interesting to see how the public’s reaction to these revelations feeds into Dexter’s self-image. He’s not someone who ultimately sees himself as a hero, but it’s definitely something he’s fantasized about before, like in that Season One dream sequence with the cheering crowds and the ticker-tape raining down on him.
Of course, the public’s ambivalence towards the BHB mirrors our own; the only difference is that we’ve known about his exploits a little longer. It was funny to see Dexter pumping up his self-image at the same time he was reassuring Rita’s little boy that he has nothing to worry about. The BHB, he says, only goes after people who do bad things and he stays away from children. Kind of heartwarming, isn’t it? No wonder the boy dresses up as “The Butcher” for Halloween. If Dexter is to be believed, he’s like a real-life superhero. (Except, you know, not quite so noble.)
After the impressive character work in last week’s episode, “See-Through” downshifts into more of a storyline-juggler, dividing its time more equally to other characters and subplots that have taken a backseat and dealing with revelations in the BHB investigation. The question of whether Dexter would sabotage the investigation in order to save his own ass gets an answer: Hell to the yes. (What is Harry’s Code if not a recipe for self-preservation? Appearing “normal” and fitting in allows Dexter to go about his dirty business in an inconspicuous way so he won’t get caught. And here he is again, doing his best not to get caught.) Dexter busting the refrigeration unit in the Morgue tent spoils those well-preserved bodies and causes a marine biologist to lose his lunch. (The latter had Dexter and Masuka cracking up like fifth graders.) But the telltale algae, which Masuka believes will help determine which harbor the BHB docks his boat, survives and Dexter leaves the episode seriously worried about being found out.
On the romantic front, things are more or less back to normal with Rita, who’s still threatened by Dexter’s hot sponsor Lila (and for good reason), but seems pleased by her role in helping him overcome his “addiction.” Unfortunately for Dexter, you’ll have to add Rita’s no-nonsense mother Gail (JoBeth Williams) to the shortlist of people who feel something’s amiss with our hero. (She’s the new Doakes!) Irony of ironies, she voices her approval of the BHB’s exploits even as she tells her daughter that Dexter is an “actor” and that he’s hiding something. The question is: How much will Rita listen to her mother and how much does she trust Dexter? Will her mom’s blind accusations on top of her late husband’s—and possibly on top of Dexter’s relationship with another woman—turn her against him? Seems likely. Whatever the case, I think Williams is a nice choice for the role, an old character actor (not unlike Keith Carradine) who brings gravitas to a sometimes shaky cast.