Hello, Dexter Morgan
Encyclopedia
"Hello, Dexter Morgan" is the 11th and penultimate episode of the fourth season
of Showtime TV series, Dexter
, which aired on December 6, 2009. The police team attempt to get Christine Hill to talk while Dexter
frames another man in order to get Arthur Mitchell, the Trinity Killer, all to himself.
. Angel asks her about her parents and tries to get her to give him a name, which spurs Dexter
to think about framing someone as a decoy to the police, giving him time to kill Mitchell. Mitchell sees the news of the return of the boy he abducted and realizes that Dexter had not told the police about him. He phones Dexter and asks what he wants; Dexter, improvising, tells him that he wants $50,000, or he will tell the police that Mitchell is pedophile. Dexter tells him that he has 24 hours to get him the money. Mitchell takes out a phonebook and researches the various Kyle Butlers of Miami and tells Dexter that he will be in touch.
Back at the station, Debra
tries to get Quinn
to start thinking properly and see that Christine isn't who she told him she was. Dexter leaves the station, which Quinn reacts suspiciously, asking him where he's really going, after Dexter tells him he's going to see Rita
for lunch. Captain Matthews informs LaGuerta
and Batista to meet him in his office. He shows them a video of the two kissing, which proves they were lying in their affidavit
s; he tells them that they have committed perjury
, and are going to need to find new jobs. Dexter goes through possible victim files to decide which one he should frame for Trinity's murders. Meanwhile, Mitchell gets caught trying to break into a house by a man named Kyle Butler who tells him that he will call the police. Mitchell proceeds to kill him. Dexter arrives for an appointment with Rita for marriage counseling, but gets called to a crime scene as soon as he arrives. Rita then confesses that she and Elliot kissed.
Dexter arrives at his crime scene, which turns out to be Kyle Butler, and this makes Dexter realize that Mitchell is after him. Meanwhile, Batista and Debra search Christine's apartment and find a collection of postcards among her shoe boxes, from her father. Dexter goes to another Kyle Butler and renders him unconscious via injection, in order to catch the Trinity Killer. But, as soon as Mitchell comes through the door, he realizes that it is not Dexter and leaves before Dexter can grab him. Batista, having returned to the station, shows Christine the postcards and after pressuring, she requests her lawyer. This makes Quinn realize that she was using him to get close to the case. Debra tells him not to beat himself up, telling him that she knows what it feels like, having been similarly manipulated by Ice Truck Killer. Dexter arrives at the home of Stan Beaudry and finds that he has taken a trip to Jacksonville
. Dexter thinks about driving there, but his mental vision of Harry
tells him that he has a wife that he needs to return to. Dexter goes home and talks with Rita, forgiving her offhandedly for kissing Elliot, as if it did not matter; for her part, Rita is concerned that Dexter may not appear to care that she nearly cheated on him.
Dexter is called into the station and Debra attempts to get Christine to talk. She tells Christine about her own issues with her father, Harry, but Christine reveals nothing. Dexter arrives at the station and acts as witness to LaGuerta and Batista's marriage. He rushes off soon afterwards to kill Stan Beaudry. After a phone call from Mitchell, he catches up with Beaudry and kills him rapidly and plants Arthur's DNA
and a picture of Christine in his truck and goes back to his home and plants a hammer there. Dexter returns home and punches Elliot in the face for kissing Rita; she witnesses it and prepares some ice for his hand, telling him that she is glad that he cared. LaGuerta and Batista inform Matthews of their marriage, telling him that a perjury charge wouldn't stand up in court. Christine calls Mitchell to tell him that she's in trouble, and he angrily tells her to never call him again and that he was sorry she had ever been born. Meanwhile, the team finds all the evidence Dexter planted. Debra is informed that Christine wishes to talk to her and she and Quinn rush to Christine's apartment, believing that she wishes to confess. She tells Debra that she shot her and killed Lundy, and asks Debra to forgive her. When Deb refuses, Christine pulls a gun from under a cushion and commits suicide
.
After hearing a phone call from Mitchell, Dexter goes to the arcade game area to hunt for him, unaware that Mitchell is in fact following him back to the station. Mitchell infiltrates the station by stealing a visitor's badge and wanders around the station, looking at his work. Debra tells Dexter that she is afraid to erase Lundy's name from the board because then it will all be over. Debra wipes it off after some thought and Dexter goes to his office. To his horror, he sees Mitchell headed toward his office and goes to meet him. Mitchell looks at Dexter's ID badge and says "Hello... Dexter Morgan".
IGN
gave the episode a "Great" rating of 8.8/10 and said of it that: "We all know that Lithgow's been amazing this season, but I wanted to once again call out Jennifer Carpenter
's performance as well. She was given a strong storyline that truly fit with her character's manic energy and she's nailed every scene like a conquering hero. Her hesitance to erase Lundy's name from the case board at the end was great, and so was her realization that focusing on work didn't wind up filling the void in her life; that solving the case didn't bring her any closure. "I knew finding his killer wouldn't bring him back," Deb lamented. "But I thought it would bring something." I'd also like to take the time to bring up Courtney Ford
's Christine Hill. Let's face it. Ford is fairly flat as an actress, but her best work definitely came in these past two episodes when she had much more difficult scenes to work through. Who knew that she would wind up being worlds better during moments of heartache and anxiety than she would just saying rudimentary lines like "My name is Christine and I'm a reporter"?"
for Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Comedy or Drama Series. The nominees were James P. Clark, Elmo Ponsdomenech, Kevin Roache and Jeremy Balko.
Dexter (season 4)
On October 21, 2008, Showtime commissioned a fourth and fifth season of Dexter, each consisting of 12 episodes. The show's writers convened during February and March 2009 to brainstorm ideas for the fourth season, and filming was scheduled to begin in June 2009...
of Showtime TV series, Dexter
Dexter (TV series)
Dexter is an American television drama series, which debuted on Showtime on October 1, 2006. The sixth season premiered on October 2, 2011. The series centers on Dexter Morgan , a bloodstain pattern analyst for the Miami Metro Police Department who moonlights as a serial killer...
, which aired on December 6, 2009. The police team attempt to get Christine Hill to talk while Dexter
Dexter Morgan
Dexter Morgan is a fictional character in a series of novels by Jeff Lindsay, including Darkly Dreaming Dexter , Dearly Devoted Dexter , Dexter in the Dark , Dexter by Design , Dexter is Delicious and Double Dexter...
frames another man in order to get Arthur Mitchell, the Trinity Killer, all to himself.
Plot
The episode begins with Christine Hill under interrogation by Angel BatistaAngel Batista
Detective Sergeant Ángel Juan Marcos Batista is a fictional character in the Showtime television series Dexter and the novels by Jeff Lindsay upon which it is based.-Character biography:...
. Angel asks her about her parents and tries to get her to give him a name, which spurs Dexter
Dexter Morgan
Dexter Morgan is a fictional character in a series of novels by Jeff Lindsay, including Darkly Dreaming Dexter , Dearly Devoted Dexter , Dexter in the Dark , Dexter by Design , Dexter is Delicious and Double Dexter...
to think about framing someone as a decoy to the police, giving him time to kill Mitchell. Mitchell sees the news of the return of the boy he abducted and realizes that Dexter had not told the police about him. He phones Dexter and asks what he wants; Dexter, improvising, tells him that he wants $50,000, or he will tell the police that Mitchell is pedophile. Dexter tells him that he has 24 hours to get him the money. Mitchell takes out a phonebook and researches the various Kyle Butlers of Miami and tells Dexter that he will be in touch.
Back at the station, Debra
Debra Morgan
Debra Morgan is a fictional character created by Jeff Lindsay for his Dexter book series. She also appears in the television series, based on Lindsay's books, portrayed by Jennifer Carpenter. In Lindsay's novels, she first appeared in Darkly Dreaming Dexter, and has featured in every novel...
tries to get Quinn
Joey Quinn
Joseph "Joey" Quinn is a fictional character in the Showtime television series Dexter, portrayed by Desmond Harrington. Quinn is a cop who transferred to the Homicide division after being in narcotics before season three.-Character history:...
to start thinking properly and see that Christine isn't who she told him she was. Dexter leaves the station, which Quinn reacts suspiciously, asking him where he's really going, after Dexter tells him he's going to see Rita
Rita Bennett
Rita Bennett is a fictional character created by Jeff Lindsay for his book series about a vigilante serial killer named Dexter Morgan. She also appeared in the television series Dexter, based on Lindsay's books. She was the girlfriend and later, wife of Dexter in both media...
for lunch. Captain Matthews informs LaGuerta
Maria LaGuerta
Captain María Esperanza del Alma LaGuerta , known in the books as Migdia LaGuerta, is a fictional character in the Showtime television series Dexter and the novels by Jeff Lindsay upon which it is based. She is portrayed by Lauren Vélez in the television series...
and Batista to meet him in his office. He shows them a video of the two kissing, which proves they were lying in their affidavit
Affidavit
An affidavit is a written sworn statement of fact voluntarily made by an affiant or deponent under an oath or affirmation administered by a person authorized to do so by law. Such statement is witnessed as to the authenticity of the affiant's signature by a taker of oaths, such as a notary public...
s; he tells them that they have committed perjury
Perjury
Perjury, also known as forswearing, is the willful act of swearing a false oath or affirmation to tell the truth, whether spoken or in writing, concerning matters material to a judicial proceeding. That is, the witness falsely promises to tell the truth about matters which affect the outcome of the...
, and are going to need to find new jobs. Dexter goes through possible victim files to decide which one he should frame for Trinity's murders. Meanwhile, Mitchell gets caught trying to break into a house by a man named Kyle Butler who tells him that he will call the police. Mitchell proceeds to kill him. Dexter arrives for an appointment with Rita for marriage counseling, but gets called to a crime scene as soon as he arrives. Rita then confesses that she and Elliot kissed.
Dexter arrives at his crime scene, which turns out to be Kyle Butler, and this makes Dexter realize that Mitchell is after him. Meanwhile, Batista and Debra search Christine's apartment and find a collection of postcards among her shoe boxes, from her father. Dexter goes to another Kyle Butler and renders him unconscious via injection, in order to catch the Trinity Killer. But, as soon as Mitchell comes through the door, he realizes that it is not Dexter and leaves before Dexter can grab him. Batista, having returned to the station, shows Christine the postcards and after pressuring, she requests her lawyer. This makes Quinn realize that she was using him to get close to the case. Debra tells him not to beat himself up, telling him that she knows what it feels like, having been similarly manipulated by Ice Truck Killer. Dexter arrives at the home of Stan Beaudry and finds that he has taken a trip to Jacksonville
Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Florida in terms of both population and land area, and the largest city by area in the contiguous United States. It is the county seat of Duval County, with which the city government consolidated in 1968...
. Dexter thinks about driving there, but his mental vision of Harry
Harry Morgan
Harry Morgan is an American actor. Morgan is well-known for his roles as Colonel Sherman T. Potter on M*A*S*H , Pete Porter on both Pete and Gladys and December Bride , Detective Bill Gannon on Dragnet , and Amos Coogan on Hec Ramsey...
tells him that he has a wife that he needs to return to. Dexter goes home and talks with Rita, forgiving her offhandedly for kissing Elliot, as if it did not matter; for her part, Rita is concerned that Dexter may not appear to care that she nearly cheated on him.
Dexter is called into the station and Debra attempts to get Christine to talk. She tells Christine about her own issues with her father, Harry, but Christine reveals nothing. Dexter arrives at the station and acts as witness to LaGuerta and Batista's marriage. He rushes off soon afterwards to kill Stan Beaudry. After a phone call from Mitchell, he catches up with Beaudry and kills him rapidly and plants Arthur's DNA
DNA
Deoxyribonucleic acid is a nucleic acid that contains the genetic instructions used in the development and functioning of all known living organisms . The DNA segments that carry this genetic information are called genes, but other DNA sequences have structural purposes, or are involved in...
and a picture of Christine in his truck and goes back to his home and plants a hammer there. Dexter returns home and punches Elliot in the face for kissing Rita; she witnesses it and prepares some ice for his hand, telling him that she is glad that he cared. LaGuerta and Batista inform Matthews of their marriage, telling him that a perjury charge wouldn't stand up in court. Christine calls Mitchell to tell him that she's in trouble, and he angrily tells her to never call him again and that he was sorry she had ever been born. Meanwhile, the team finds all the evidence Dexter planted. Debra is informed that Christine wishes to talk to her and she and Quinn rush to Christine's apartment, believing that she wishes to confess. She tells Debra that she shot her and killed Lundy, and asks Debra to forgive her. When Deb refuses, Christine pulls a gun from under a cushion and commits suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
.
After hearing a phone call from Mitchell, Dexter goes to the arcade game area to hunt for him, unaware that Mitchell is in fact following him back to the station. Mitchell infiltrates the station by stealing a visitor's badge and wanders around the station, looking at his work. Debra tells Dexter that she is afraid to erase Lundy's name from the board because then it will all be over. Debra wipes it off after some thought and Dexter goes to his office. To his horror, he sees Mitchell headed toward his office and goes to meet him. Mitchell looks at Dexter's ID badge and says "Hello... Dexter Morgan".
Critical Reaction
The reception of the episode was generally positive.IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
gave the episode a "Great" rating of 8.8/10 and said of it that: "We all know that Lithgow's been amazing this season, but I wanted to once again call out Jennifer Carpenter
Jennifer Carpenter
Jennifer Leann Carpenter is an American actress, known for her portrayal of Emily Rose in The Exorcism of Emily Rose, Debra Morgan on Dexter, and the lead role in the 2008 horror movie Quarantine.-Early life:...
's performance as well. She was given a strong storyline that truly fit with her character's manic energy and she's nailed every scene like a conquering hero. Her hesitance to erase Lundy's name from the case board at the end was great, and so was her realization that focusing on work didn't wind up filling the void in her life; that solving the case didn't bring her any closure. "I knew finding his killer wouldn't bring him back," Deb lamented. "But I thought it would bring something." I'd also like to take the time to bring up Courtney Ford
Courtney Ford
Courtney Braden Ford is an American actress. She was born in Orange County, California, and moved to Los Angeles to pursue an acting career.- Career :...
's Christine Hill. Let's face it. Ford is fairly flat as an actress, but her best work definitely came in these past two episodes when she had much more difficult scenes to work through. Who knew that she would wind up being worlds better during moments of heartache and anxiety than she would just saying rudimentary lines like "My name is Christine and I'm a reporter"?"
Awards
"Hello, Dexter Morgan" was nominated for a Primetime Emmy AwardPrimetime Emmy Award
The Primetime Emmy Awards are awards presented by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences in recognition of excellence in American primetime television programming...
for Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Comedy or Drama Series. The nominees were James P. Clark, Elmo Ponsdomenech, Kevin Roache and Jeremy Balko.