DEXTER RECAP: 4.6 "IF I HAD A HAMMER"

This week's theme on "Dexter" was honesty. Is honesty really the best policy, especially when you've got not just skeletons in your air conditioner, but buried on the bottom of the ocean, too? But if you're not a little more honest, can you have a real relationship? Shockingly, the major players in this episode made good decisions. As annoying as Rita's harping can be -- especially since we all know there's not a snowball's chance she could ever accept Dexter as he is really is -- she learned a lesson, too. That lesson is, sometimes people just need a padlock. Dexter learned a few things from Trinity, that sometimes hiding in plain sight, and jumping in with two feet, is the way to go; and Deb surprisingly didn't just go with her raw emotions -- to crush and punish Nikki -- but realize that the truth isn't always what you want to hear, but you have to accept it.

Even the marriage counseling wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. Nobody watches "Dexter" for counseling sessions, but it worked because the counselor was a sensible human being and because both Dexter and Rita had lessons to learn. He learned he'd have to put a bit of a crack in his mask if he expected to keep his family, and she learned that she can't change Dexter too much. She's done it before -- thought marrying a guy would change him. And we only really know about two of her marriages, she's got one more she's never told Dexter about, a fact I like because it makes her less Pollyanna-ish.
I didn't want Dexter to give up his apartment, but it was inevitable if he was going to move forward. How weird that he's taking lessons from Trinity, or rather Arthur Mitchell. At first, I thought the fact that Trinity had a family (that he was just like Dexter) was a tad convenient, but they had to throw something into the mix to drag out the confrontation and give it more weight. Now when Dexter brings down Trinity, he's also going to be taking down a family, one who apparently has no idea that dad likes to crack people's heads open with hammers or make women jump off buildings.

Trinity's family must be dense. Even naive Rita has suspected weird things about Dexter, and gotten a tiny sneak peek at the dark passenger. But maybe that's because, as Dexter learned, Trinity isn't hiding as much -- he's got his trophies, the plaques from all his Four Walls kill sites, hanging right in his living room. Still, nobody in his family maybe accidentally bumped into Vera's ashes, not even once?

I was surprised that Dexter poked the bee hive that is Trinity by picking up his sister Vera's urn. He didn't have to do that -- he watched security camera footage of Trinity bludgeoning a guy to death -- and there's really no polite explanation for poking around in somebody's family urn. But maybe he just needed to see Arthur Mitchell's monster. Dexter had to see that monster to convince himself that it was necessary to kill this guy, that Trinity's self-control is pretty terrible.

I was actually afraid that Trinity might become likable. After watching him crack open the coffee clerk's head last week, I didn't want in any way to like this guy. Dexter, yes, Trinity -- who so cruelly made Tarla kill herself -- no. Any chance of really liking him went away when he showed how easily he can snap, and when he took that creepy bath with his wife, Sally.

Dexter is going to have to kill Trinity soon since now Deb is on his scent after discovering that some of Lundy's possessions -- his kill book and tape recorders -- are missing. Poor Deb, she's actually doing the right thing for once, and is on the path to the right killer, but everyone is telling her she's wrong. (It was giving me an ulcer when she at first thought about giving false testimony.) I think Deb actually could accept the truth about Dexter this season because she finally has a good reason for wanting someone dead. And she got the mysterious call from one of Harry's CIs, Valerie Hodges, who apparently knows the truth about dear old dad.

The final duo who learned some hard truths this episode were Laguerta and Batista. I like them together, but their back and forth agonizing has been annoying. Maybe they won't be able to keep apart, but they made a choice -- they realized their jobs are a massive part of their lives and their identities and they can't easily give them up. They also realized that whoever got transferred might end up resenting the other person and it just wouldn't work. Although who wants to guess that they'll end up together again and get busted?

The motivation behind Trinity's killing spree was revealed. For weeks, they've been dropping hints that Trinity has been acting out some family issues when he's busy slashing and smashing. And he'd seemed to be re-enacting experiences he had. He's not just named Trinity because he kills in threes, but because of his family -- sister, mother, father. That was a lot of tragedy for just one family to experience: sister murdered, mom committed suicide, dad also murdered. I hope there's something more to it than just bad luck. Trinity seems pretty crazy about his sister, but maybe he accidentally killed her and that drove mom to suicide? Or the father killed the sister, mom committed suicide, and years later, Trinity killed his father?

The episode ended with Dex letting in his family a little more. "Hey, kids, help dad build his kill shack." That's progress. And Rita gave Dexter a padlock, a sign from her that she's OK with him having some personal space and a few secrets. Plus, as she pointed out, there's "dangerous stuff in there." Hopefully, she never thinks to look underneath the shotgun in the chest.

Recap courtesy of Jennifer Thomas at http://blogs.pioneerlocal.com