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Road Kill is the eight episode of twelve episodes in Season Four and the Forthy-fourth episode in the DEXTER television series. The episode aired on November 15, 2009. In this episode, Dexter travels to Tampa with Arthur "The Trinity Killer" and plans to kill him there.
Plot
---Episode plot needs to be finished, and reference links need to be added---
Following the death of Jonathan Farrow, Dexter obsesses over killing someone who didn't fit the Code. He feels "uncomfortable," an unusual feeling after his ritual. To make matters worse, since Farrow's assistant, Timothy Brand, was arrested after confessing to the murders Dexter killed Farrow for, the department now considers Brand a person of interest in Farrow's disappearance.
While presenting the case in front of the rest of homicide, Debra finds that she accidentally left in a slide from a previous case, revealing to LaGuerta that she is still investigating Trinity. LaGuerta forces Debra to explain the entire investigation, including her theory that it was Trinity who shot her and Frank Lundy in order to escape detection. Dexter sarcastically (and privately) hopes that this sounds insane so that Debra will be forced to end her investigation.
Debra explains that there has been a pattern, "a trinity of victims" every year for approximately 30 years, each time in a different city across the United States. All three victims are killed in the same way and in the same order: exsanguinated in a bathtub, forced to jump from a building, and beaten to death with a blunt object. "Bathtub, jumper, bludgeon," as Debra puts it. This, she explains, is why Agent Lundy dubbed this serial killer the "Trinity Killer." When LaGuerta asks if it was an FBI case, Debra says the FBI never accepted this as proof of one killer. She then goes on to say that Lundy came to Miami in order to hunt Trinity, but that she thinks he got to close, so they were both shot by the killer. To Dexter's frustration and Debra's delight, LaGuerta seems to believe the theory. He congratulates her then leaves while Quinn attempts small talk, commenting to himself that he needs to "stab something."
Elsewhere, Arthur Mitchell kneels and prays over a freshly-made coffin.
Dexter visits Arthur at his home, asking Jonah how his car is doing. When Dexter (still going by the alias Kyle Butler) begins talking to Arthur, the latter turns to his son as he is waxing the car, softly chastising him for not waxing it correctly. Dexter notes the appearance of "small cracks in the perfect family." Arthur's wife comes outside and lets him know that his clothes are ready to be packed, as it turns out he is going to Tampa for a Four Walls build (possibly to begin the victim cycle again, sooner than normal, as Dexter notices). Another "crack" appears when Arthur chastises his daughter, Becca, for not watering the flowers properly. Dexter asks when he plans to leave, which turns out to be after work the next day. Dexter takes his leave, beginning to plan how to manage that time off in order to kill Arthur.
Back at the department, Dexter looks up events in Tampa related to his job to use as an excuse on short notice to be out of town. Debra interrupts him, furious because LaGuerta took her off the Trinity case due to her being a self-reported victim of the killer. It appears that LaGuerta doesn't want Debra's emotions clouding the investigation. Dexter tries to comfort her, saying that this will free her up to "help the department in so many ways." Debra shoots back, explaining that she went from bringing in the biggest case in the MPD's history to being freed up in one day. Dexter awkwardly exits out of his search for Tampa conferences and stumbles across the perfect answer for how to be there: the East Coast Meteorological Conference.
He is instantly able to make the connection to how weather patterns such as barometric pressure and humidity can affect the integrity of blood spatter, painting this conference as a roundabout way of becoming a more efficient analyst, and therefore more valuable to the department. LaGuerta says he can go just to get him to stop explaining how the conference would help him. Rita is happy to see him both excited about the conference and dedicated to his job and family when he brings up that it could help him get a raise at work, thus making it easier to send Harrison to college later. She suggests that, in exchange for taking care of the kids while he's in Tampa, he can take care of them when she goes to yoga on Tuesday nights. He agrees, noting privately that it might be challenging to arrange his "activities around her downward-facing dog."
Later, in the shed, Dexter packs light for the trip, making sure to bring the hammer Arthur gave him. This is contrasted with a scene of Arthur packing the last of his sister's ashes in a small glass vial.
Cast
Regulars
- Michael C. Hall: Dexter Morgan
- Julie Benz: Rita Bennett
- Jennifer Carpenter: Debra Morgan
- Desmond Harrington: Joey Quinn
- C.S. Lee: Vince Masuka
- Lauren Velez: Maria LaGuerta
- David Zayas: Angel Batista
- James Remar: Harry Morgan (credit only)[1]
Guest starring
- John Lithgow : Arthur Mitchell
- Courtney Ford : Christine Hill
- Julia Campbell : Sally Mitchell
- Brando Eaton : Jonah Mitchell
- Vanessa Marano : Rebecca Mitchell
Co-starring
- Christina Robinson : Astor Bennett
- Preston Bailey : Cody Bennett
- Rick Peters : Elliott
- Andrew Thacher : Bob Moore[2]
- Greg Joung Paik : Mr. Lee
- Esther Paik : Mrs. Lee[3]
- Alex Lewis : Marty
- Bo Kane : Sonny Skyes
- Harrison Thacher : Spencer Moore
- Steve Ritzi : Volunteer #1
- Kortney Manns : Volunteer #2[4]
Uncredited
- Heidi Brook Myers : Nancy Moore
- Keith Carradine : Frank Lundy (archived photo)
Reference
- ↑ [1]Internet Movie Database Website, ordered by opening credit
- ↑ [2] Moore family, include Bob Moore(dad), Nancy Moore(mom) ,Spencer Moore(son) and unnamed daughter, are the family that Arthur talks to in restaurant
- ↑ [3] Along with Mr. Lee, are a couple that lives in Arthur's former house.
- ↑ [4] Along with #1, are people who help Arthur from falling of the building
| Extra Information |
| Title Meaning: |
| Road kill - it isn't a killing on the road, it a "Road" that leads to "Kill"ing, as Dexter plan to do with Arthur, although he's fail. It may also refers to Arthur's "Road" of "Kill"ing as Trinity Killer, that seems to end when he tries to commit suicide, but Dexter saved him. |
| Trivia |
| Lila from season 2 is mention in this episode. Harry disappears again in this episode. He seems to disappear back and forth. As he emerges a lot in Episode 5, vanishes in 6, emerges again in 7 and vanishes again in 8, this episode. Althought a word "Kill" is in a title, nobody died or injured in this episode. |
| Quotes |
| "Born in blood, both of us." - Dexter, think about himself and Trinity "Guilt, remorse, it’s what separate us from the animals. Your conscience is eating away at you but you’re gonna feel better. Confession is good for the soul." - Arthur ,to Dexter. "All the more proof I don’t have a soul." - Dexter, think to himself about what Arthur said. “I killed an innocent man and saved a guilty one. I won’t make that mistake again" - Dexter, to himself. "It should have been Arthur Mitchell on my table. Trinity, shooter of my sister. I should have… No, no should haves – that’s not me. I just need to stop thinking about it." - Dexter, to himseld about killing a innocent people. A changed man at peace with himself. Maybe only monsters feel no regret. If erring is human, than remorse must be too. Wait – does that make me human? Huh! - - Dexter, to himself. "This is his solution to remorse – suicide. That’s why he could unburden himself. He knew this was next. Will it be my only solution someday?" - Dexter, to himself about Arthur's suicide. |