The Getaway (Dexter)
Encyclopedia
The Getaway is the fourth season
finale of the American television drama series Dexter
, and the 48th overall episode of the series. It originally aired on Showtime on December 13, 2009. In the episode, Dexter
goes to great lengths to stop Arthur
, who now knows Dexter's true identity. Meanwhile, Debra learns the truth about Dexter's mother, the homicide division closes in on the Trinity Killer, and Rita reaffirms her support for Dexter, even as she acknowledges his hidden demons.
The teleplay was written by Wendy West
and Melissa Rosenberg
, based on a story by Rosenberg and Scott Reynolds
. Directed by Steve Shill
, The Getaway marked the conclusion of the Trinity Killer plotline, as well as the final regular appearance of guest star John Lithgow
, who portrayed Arthur Mitchell. The episode also included the death of Rita Morgan, Dexter's wife, who had been portrayed by Julie Benz
, a regular cast member since the beginning of the series. To protect the twist ending of Rita's death, Dexter producers imposed strict security measures, which included the distribution of fake alternate endings and forcing staff members to sign non-disclosure agreements.
The Getaway received generally positive reviews, with several commentators calling the twist ending shocking, unexpected and likely to change the direction of the entire series. According to Nielsen ratings
, the episode was watched by 2.6 million households, making it the most-watched original series episode in Showtime's history.
(John Lithgow
) confronts Dexter
(Michael C. Hall
) at the police station, where nobody else knows Arthur is the Trinity Killer. He warns Dexter to leave him alone from now on. When he leaves, Dexter follows Arthur in his car, and accidentally strikes another car on his way. Dexter follows Arthur to a bank, where he sees Arthur bring a large envelope back to his van. Dexter attacks Arthur, knocking him and dragging him into the van, and Dexter realizes the envelope is filled with cash. Dexter plans to take Arthur's van away and kill Arthur, but he spots the driver of the car he struck earlier talking to police officers next to Dexter's car. Dexter hides the envelope and confronts the driver, who acts very irritable. A frustrated Dexter attacks him and is detained by the police. By the time he is released, Arthur is gone, but Dexter recovers the envelope of money.
Meanwhile, Debra
(Jennifer Carpenter
) continues looking into the mysterious woman who had a secret affair with her and Dexter's father, Harry (James Remar
). An old informant of Harry takes Debra to the woman's house, which Debra recognizes as the house as the home of Brian Moser. Moser was the Ice Truck Killer, the main villain from the first season
who was engaged to Debra, then tried to kill her. The informant reveals the woman's name was Laura Moser (Sage Kirkpatrick), and while researching her, Debra learns Laura was Dexter's mother, and that the Ice Truck Killer was Dexter's brother. The police discovered the real identity of Trinity, and at Arthur's house, Debra confronts Dexter, who feigns surprise and fears Debra is close to realizing his secret life as a serial killer
. Instead, Debra says she believes the Ice Truck Killer used her to get to him, and she reasserts how much she loves her foster brother.
Inspired partially by Debra, and partially by his desire to be a better family man than Arthur, Dexter considers giving up killing people. After convincing his wife Rita (Julie Benz
) to go safely out of town, Dexter searches for Arthur, eventually tracking him down and capturing him. Dexter insists he is not like Arthur, but Arthur insists they are both the same. Dexter kills Arthur with a framing hammer and disposes of the body. When he returns home, he has a message from Rita that she came home from the airport because she forgot her identification. Dexter returns her phone call, only to find that Rita's cell phone and bags are in the house. Dexter hears Harrison crying in the bathroom and finds Rita dead in the bathtub. Harrison sits in a pool of Rita's blood on the bathroom floor, in the same manner that Dexter was left in a pool of his mother's blood during his youth, which gave Dexter his murderous tendencies.
"The Getaway", the Dexter fourth season finale, was directed by Steve Shill
. The teleplay was written by Wendy West and Melissa Rosenberg, based on a story by Rosenberg and Scott Reynolds. It was the final episode helmed by show runner
and executive producer Clyde Phillips
before his departure from the show to spend more time with his family. Filming on "The Getaway" ended on October 13, 2009, and the episode was originally aired on Showtime on December 13. "The Getaway" marked the conclusion of a season-long plotline regarding the Trinity Killer, which featured John Lithgow as a serial killer and the primary antagonist of the fourth season. The episode also included the death of Rita Morgan, who had been a regular character since the beginning of the series. Although her death is off-screen and the killer is not specifically identified, it is strongly suggested she was killed by Arthur Mitchell, which Lithgow himself confirmed to be true in an interview that aired on Showtime immediately after the episode was originally broadcast. Clyde Phillips said the ramifications "The Getaway" would have on the future of the series had not yet been determined, as brainstorming for the fifth season was not set to begin until February 2010.
Rita's death was alluded to by Dexter producers, who told media outlets "The Getaway" included a series-changing twist, leading to widespread speculation about the possibility of a character death, or the possibility of Debra Morgan learning the truth about her brother's homicidal nature. Extra security precautions were taken to prevent the finale's secrets from becoming exposed. Network staff members were forced to sign non-disclosure agreements, and decoy scripts were drafted and disseminated to protect the twist ending. In one of the fake alternate endings, Dexter learned on the news about a child murderer escaping from prison, and the episode would end with Dexter trying to decide whether to join Rita on vacation or go after the escaped killer. Nobody but essential cast and staff were allowed on the set during filming of the episode, and the scripts and DVDs of the episode were watermarked before they were taken off the set.
Phillips claimed the Dexter staff did not know how the finale would conclude until late in the season, but Phillips said Rita's death began to feel inevitable as the story evolved. However, Julie Benz said she had been told John Lithgow knew about it from the beginning of the season. Philips said the staff felt obligated to do more than simply kill the Trinity Killer in the final episode, especially because he felt the death of the third season antagonist (played by Jimmy Smits
) was not handled "as well as we could have". The writers discussed the idea of having Debra find out about Dexter's secret life, but it was decided they could not anticipate how drastically the series would be changed by that revelation. Benz heard rumors from David Zayas that her character would be killed in the episode, but she was not officially notified until late September, when the producers held a meeting with her the day before the season finale script was distributed to the cast. She said, "It was a tough meeting. In a bizarre way, it felt like a scene from Defending Your Life
." Benz was unhappy about the news but she handled it professionally. Benz described the death scene as "very poetic".
Executive Producer Sara Colleton said it was difficult to kill off a long-standing character, but they felt "this is where Dexter needed to be taken". She also felt the motives for Arthur killing Rita were deliberately made to be open to various interpretations, including that Arthur may have killed her "in a bizarre way to trigger Dexter to deal with who he really is". When asked whether Arthur told Rita about Dexter's secret life before killing her, Phillips said the answer had not been determined because the fifth season was not yet planned, but he added, "I would think that he did not tell her". Michael C. Hall called the ending a "really bold stroke" that would reset the stage of the series just as the Dexter Morgan character began to feel he could live with an emotional connection to his wife and family. Hall also said of the ending, "More than anything I felt for the audience. I think this is the kind of thing that's really going to tie people in knots."
Lithgow called Rita's death a "fantastic choice", which he said shed a completely different light on the final scene between Dexter and Arthur, which appears to be somewhat sympathetic before the audience learned what Arthur had done. Lithgow said he knew that Arthur would be killed from the very beginning of the season. He said he particularly enjoyed working with Michael C. Hall in The Getaway, and particularly cited the opening scene in the police station, where he said Hall was "so great at working out the rhythms and finding the real meaning" of the moment where Dexter realizes Arthur has the advantage over him. Lithgow also said he enjoyed their final scene together, including the moment where he realized his daughter had committed suicide: "It's very unusual for a character that despicable to have a moment like that, a moment of such pain."
, making it the most-watched original series episode in the network's history. This rating surpassed the record that had been broken just a week prior by the Dexter episode, Hello, Dexter Morgan, which was seen by 2.1 million households. The pair of Dexter episodes were the most watched Showtime telecast since the October 23, 1999 broadcast of a boxing match between Mike Tyson
and Orlin Norris
. The Getaway was seen by 54 percent more viewers than the third season finale, "Do You Take Dexter Morgan?", which aired on December 14, 2008. The high ratings for The Getaway gave a boost to the third season finale of Californication
, which aired immediately after the Dexter season finale. The Californication episode, Mia Culpa, was seen by 1.1 million households, the highest ever viewership for the series.
television writer Ken Tucker
praised the twist of the episode, which he said "sent the series spinning into a whole new direction for next season". Tucker praised the Dexter writing staff, "for maintaining the suspense while creating a whole new world within the Dexter world: the awful universe of Trinity and his own trapped family." Bill Harris of the Toronto Sun
said the episode was good before the final scene, but that the twist shed a whole different light on several scenes. Harris said of the twist, "It's nice to know TV can still be that impactful, isn't it? But my God, what a stunner."
IGN
reviewer Matt Fowler gave the episode an "Incredible" rating of 9.6/10, saying that: "I'm sure we all loved Dexter's
final moments with Arthur
, down in the toy train bomb shelter
, but now looking back at the scene, knowing the final moments of the episode, it's filled with so many more eerie easter eggs
. Something was definitely up when Arthur said, "It's already over." We all thought so because we've heard him say those words before. We also saw Dexter take a beat after the line, confused about its meaning. We could have chalked it up to the fact that Arthur was accepting his own death, but Dexter's furrowed brow let us know that something more sinister was in play here. Of course, the real bitch here is that Dexter, having dispatched of Trinity officially, now can't go back and do it with the spirit of vengeance. The scene stands quite beautifully on its own, but Dexter would certainly have not given Arthur an empathetic send off if he knew what that monster had done. We can all point fingers at certain missteps that Dexter took throughout the entire season - mistakes that led to Rita's
demise - but when you take it in as a whole it's a rather satisfying and cleverly constructed story that actually made us all buy and believe, by the end, that Dexter truly wanted to be rid of his murderous spirit. His stubborn need to kill Trinity himself wound up circumventing the entire justice system, which would have wound up catching Arthur based solely on Deb's
tenacity and expert detective work." Also, IGN listed Arthur Mitchell as 2nd on a list of Dexter's Top 10 Kills saying that "This was the murder that America was clamoring for. And it was effin' great." In his review of the entire fourth season
, Fowler, giving the season an "Incredible" rating of 9.5, said of the finale that "It all just came off as a ton of creepy, guilty fun. I would bet that when we all saw the final scene of the season finale that we, simply due to the time we've spent the characters over four years, felt a ton of emotions that we might not have even known were there."
E!
writer Kristin Dos Santos called the ending "horrifying", and said of Rita, "This death just might go down as one of the most shocking deaths ever on television." Claire Zulkey said that the twist ending was intense, and the teleplay was woven with feature several moments that had led him to suspect different conclusions. He also praised what he expected to be a "re-set" of the series with Rita's death. Marcia White of The Express-Times
declared Dexter "one of the best cable dramas on TV", and called the final scene between Dexter and Arthur particularly touching. Mark Dawidziak of The Plain Dealer said the episode was shocking and suspenseful, and called Dexter "a series that leaves you guessing as the psychological ambiguities run deeper and darker".
won a Primetime Emmy Award
for Outstanding Directing in a Drama Series
for this episode. Also, Matthew V. Colonna was nominated for Outstanding Single Camera Picture Editing for a Drama Series.
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...
finale of the American television drama 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...
, and the 48th overall episode of the series. It originally aired on Showtime on December 13, 2009. In the episode, 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...
goes to great lengths to stop Arthur
Trinity Killer
Arthur Mitchell, often referred to as the "Trinity Killer", is a fictional character in the Showtime TV Series Dexter. The character is portrayed by John Lithgow, who won a Golden Globe and an Emmy for his performance...
, who now knows Dexter's true identity. Meanwhile, Debra learns the truth about Dexter's mother, the homicide division closes in on the Trinity Killer, and Rita reaffirms her support for Dexter, even as she acknowledges his hidden demons.
The teleplay was written by Wendy West
Wendy West
Wendy West is an American television producer and writer. She has worked on the Showtime drama Dexter as a writer and producer and has been nominated for a Writers Guild of America Award for her work on the series.-Biography:...
and Melissa Rosenberg
Melissa Rosenberg
Melissa Anne Rosenberg is an American screenwriter. She has worked in both film and television and has been nominated for two Emmy Awards, and two Writers Guild of America Awards. She won a Peabody Award...
, based on a story by Rosenberg and Scott Reynolds
Scott Reynolds (writer)
Scott Reynolds is a television writer. He has written for the Showtime series Dexter and the Bruckheimer television series E-Ring.-Career:...
. Directed by Steve Shill
Steve Shill
Steve Shill is a British television and film director, actor, screenwriter, and television producer.-Career:He attended Keswick Grammar School in Keswick,Cumbria,England in the 70's....
, The Getaway marked the conclusion of the Trinity Killer plotline, as well as the final regular appearance of guest star John Lithgow
John Lithgow
John Arthur Lithgow is an American actor, musician, and author. Presently, he is involved with a wide range of media projects, including stage, television, film, and radio...
, who portrayed Arthur Mitchell. The episode also included the death of Rita Morgan, Dexter's wife, who had been portrayed by Julie Benz
Julie Benz
Julie M. Benz is an American actress, best known for her roles as Darla on Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel and as Rita Bennett on Dexter, for which she won the 2006 Satellite Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television...
, a regular cast member since the beginning of the series. To protect the twist ending of Rita's death, Dexter producers imposed strict security measures, which included the distribution of fake alternate endings and forcing staff members to sign non-disclosure agreements.
The Getaway received generally positive reviews, with several commentators calling the twist ending shocking, unexpected and likely to change the direction of the entire series. According to Nielsen ratings
Nielsen Ratings
Nielsen ratings are the audience measurement systems developed by Nielsen Media Research, in an effort to determine the audience size and composition of television programming in the United States...
, the episode was watched by 2.6 million households, making it the most-watched original series episode in Showtime's history.
Plot
Having learned the truth about Dexter's identity, ArthurTrinity Killer
Arthur Mitchell, often referred to as the "Trinity Killer", is a fictional character in the Showtime TV Series Dexter. The character is portrayed by John Lithgow, who won a Golden Globe and an Emmy for his performance...
(John Lithgow
John Lithgow
John Arthur Lithgow is an American actor, musician, and author. Presently, he is involved with a wide range of media projects, including stage, television, film, and radio...
) confronts 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...
(Michael C. Hall
Michael C. Hall
Michael Carlyle Hall is an American actor whose television roles include David Fisher on the HBO drama series Six Feet Under and Dexter Morgan on the Showtime series Dexter. In 2009, Hall won a Golden Globe award and a Screen Actors Guild Award for his role in Dexter.-Early life:Hall was born in...
) at the police station, where nobody else knows Arthur is the Trinity Killer. He warns Dexter to leave him alone from now on. When he leaves, Dexter follows Arthur in his car, and accidentally strikes another car on his way. Dexter follows Arthur to a bank, where he sees Arthur bring a large envelope back to his van. Dexter attacks Arthur, knocking him and dragging him into the van, and Dexter realizes the envelope is filled with cash. Dexter plans to take Arthur's van away and kill Arthur, but he spots the driver of the car he struck earlier talking to police officers next to Dexter's car. Dexter hides the envelope and confronts the driver, who acts very irritable. A frustrated Dexter attacks him and is detained by the police. By the time he is released, Arthur is gone, but Dexter recovers the envelope of money.
Meanwhile, 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...
(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:...
) continues looking into the mysterious woman who had a secret affair with her and Dexter's father, Harry (James Remar
James Remar
James Remar is an American actor and voice artist. He has appeared in movies, video games, and TV shows. He is perhaps best known as Richard, the on-off tycoon boyfriend of Kim Cattrall's character in Sex and the City, as Ajax in The Warriors, as the homicidal maniac Albert Ganz in the 1982...
). An old informant of Harry takes Debra to the woman's house, which Debra recognizes as the house as the home of Brian Moser. Moser was the Ice Truck Killer, the main villain from the first season
Dexter (season 1)
The first season of Dexter is an adaptation of Jeff Lindsay's first novel in the Dexter series, Darkly Dreaming Dexter. Subsequent seasons have featured original storylines. This season aired from October 1, 2006 to December 17, 2006, and follows Dexter's investigation of "The Ice Truck Killer"...
who was engaged to Debra, then tried to kill her. The informant reveals the woman's name was Laura Moser (Sage Kirkpatrick), and while researching her, Debra learns Laura was Dexter's mother, and that the Ice Truck Killer was Dexter's brother. The police discovered the real identity of Trinity, and at Arthur's house, Debra confronts Dexter, who feigns surprise and fears Debra is close to realizing his secret life as a serial killer
Serial killer
A serial killer, as typically defined, is an individual who has murdered three or more people over a period of more than a month, with down time between the murders, and whose motivation for killing is usually based on psychological gratification...
. Instead, Debra says she believes the Ice Truck Killer used her to get to him, and she reasserts how much she loves her foster brother.
Inspired partially by Debra, and partially by his desire to be a better family man than Arthur, Dexter considers giving up killing people. After convincing his wife Rita (Julie Benz
Julie Benz
Julie M. Benz is an American actress, best known for her roles as Darla on Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel and as Rita Bennett on Dexter, for which she won the 2006 Satellite Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television...
) to go safely out of town, Dexter searches for Arthur, eventually tracking him down and capturing him. Dexter insists he is not like Arthur, but Arthur insists they are both the same. Dexter kills Arthur with a framing hammer and disposes of the body. When he returns home, he has a message from Rita that she came home from the airport because she forgot her identification. Dexter returns her phone call, only to find that Rita's cell phone and bags are in the house. Dexter hears Harrison crying in the bathroom and finds Rita dead in the bathtub. Harrison sits in a pool of Rita's blood on the bathroom floor, in the same manner that Dexter was left in a pool of his mother's blood during his youth, which gave Dexter his murderous tendencies.
Production
Steve Shill
Steve Shill is a British television and film director, actor, screenwriter, and television producer.-Career:He attended Keswick Grammar School in Keswick,Cumbria,England in the 70's....
. The teleplay was written by Wendy West and Melissa Rosenberg, based on a story by Rosenberg and Scott Reynolds. It was the final episode helmed by show runner
Show runner
Showrunner is a term of art originating in the United States and Canadian television industry referring to the person who is responsible for the day-to-day operation of a television seriesalthough such persons generally are credited as an executive producer...
and executive producer Clyde Phillips
Clyde Phillips
Clyde B. Phillips is a writer and producer for television and film. He has written for the shows Dexter, Shout About Movies, Suddenly Susan, Parker Lewis Can't Lose, Midas Valley, and Trapper John, M.D....
before his departure from the show to spend more time with his family. Filming on "The Getaway" ended on October 13, 2009, and the episode was originally aired on Showtime on December 13. "The Getaway" marked the conclusion of a season-long plotline regarding the Trinity Killer, which featured John Lithgow as a serial killer and the primary antagonist of the fourth season. The episode also included the death of Rita Morgan, who had been a regular character since the beginning of the series. Although her death is off-screen and the killer is not specifically identified, it is strongly suggested she was killed by Arthur Mitchell, which Lithgow himself confirmed to be true in an interview that aired on Showtime immediately after the episode was originally broadcast. Clyde Phillips said the ramifications "The Getaway" would have on the future of the series had not yet been determined, as brainstorming for the fifth season was not set to begin until February 2010.
Rita's death was alluded to by Dexter producers, who told media outlets "The Getaway" included a series-changing twist, leading to widespread speculation about the possibility of a character death, or the possibility of Debra Morgan learning the truth about her brother's homicidal nature. Extra security precautions were taken to prevent the finale's secrets from becoming exposed. Network staff members were forced to sign non-disclosure agreements, and decoy scripts were drafted and disseminated to protect the twist ending. In one of the fake alternate endings, Dexter learned on the news about a child murderer escaping from prison, and the episode would end with Dexter trying to decide whether to join Rita on vacation or go after the escaped killer. Nobody but essential cast and staff were allowed on the set during filming of the episode, and the scripts and DVDs of the episode were watermarked before they were taken off the set.
Phillips claimed the Dexter staff did not know how the finale would conclude until late in the season, but Phillips said Rita's death began to feel inevitable as the story evolved. However, Julie Benz said she had been told John Lithgow knew about it from the beginning of the season. Philips said the staff felt obligated to do more than simply kill the Trinity Killer in the final episode, especially because he felt the death of the third season antagonist (played by Jimmy Smits
Jimmy Smits
Jimmy Smits is an American actor. Smits is perhaps best known for his roles as attorney Victor Sifuentes on the 1980s legal drama L.A. Law, as NYPD Detective Bobby Simone on the 1990s police drama NYPD Blue, and as Congressman Matt Santos on The West Wing...
) was not handled "as well as we could have". The writers discussed the idea of having Debra find out about Dexter's secret life, but it was decided they could not anticipate how drastically the series would be changed by that revelation. Benz heard rumors from David Zayas that her character would be killed in the episode, but she was not officially notified until late September, when the producers held a meeting with her the day before the season finale script was distributed to the cast. She said, "It was a tough meeting. In a bizarre way, it felt like a scene from Defending Your Life
Defending Your Life
Defending Your Life is a 1991 romantic comedy/fantasy film about a man who must justify his lifelong fears and insecurities after he dies and arrives in the afterlife. The film was written, directed by, and stars Albert Brooks. It also stars Meryl Streep, Rip Torn and Lee Grant.The movie was filmed...
." Benz was unhappy about the news but she handled it professionally. Benz described the death scene as "very poetic".
Executive Producer Sara Colleton said it was difficult to kill off a long-standing character, but they felt "this is where Dexter needed to be taken". She also felt the motives for Arthur killing Rita were deliberately made to be open to various interpretations, including that Arthur may have killed her "in a bizarre way to trigger Dexter to deal with who he really is". When asked whether Arthur told Rita about Dexter's secret life before killing her, Phillips said the answer had not been determined because the fifth season was not yet planned, but he added, "I would think that he did not tell her". Michael C. Hall called the ending a "really bold stroke" that would reset the stage of the series just as the Dexter Morgan character began to feel he could live with an emotional connection to his wife and family. Hall also said of the ending, "More than anything I felt for the audience. I think this is the kind of thing that's really going to tie people in knots."
Lithgow called Rita's death a "fantastic choice", which he said shed a completely different light on the final scene between Dexter and Arthur, which appears to be somewhat sympathetic before the audience learned what Arthur had done. Lithgow said he knew that Arthur would be killed from the very beginning of the season. He said he particularly enjoyed working with Michael C. Hall in The Getaway, and particularly cited the opening scene in the police station, where he said Hall was "so great at working out the rhythms and finding the real meaning" of the moment where Dexter realizes Arthur has the advantage over him. Lithgow also said he enjoyed their final scene together, including the moment where he realized his daughter had committed suicide: "It's very unusual for a character that despicable to have a moment like that, a moment of such pain."
Ratings
The Getaway broke several records for the Showtime cable network. The finale episode was seen by 2.6 million households, according to Nielsen ratingsNielsen Ratings
Nielsen ratings are the audience measurement systems developed by Nielsen Media Research, in an effort to determine the audience size and composition of television programming in the United States...
, making it the most-watched original series episode in the network's history. This rating surpassed the record that had been broken just a week prior by the Dexter episode, Hello, Dexter Morgan, which was seen by 2.1 million households. The pair of Dexter episodes were the most watched Showtime telecast since the October 23, 1999 broadcast of a boxing match between Mike Tyson
Mike Tyson
Michael Gerard "Mike" Tyson is a retired American boxer. Tyson is a former undisputed heavyweight champion of the world and holds the record as the youngest boxer to win the WBC, WBA and IBF world heavyweight titles, he was 20 years, 4 months and 22 days old...
and Orlin Norris
Orlin Norris
Orlin Levance Norris, born October 4, 1965 in Lubbock, TX, is an American boxer who held the WBA cruiserweight title and fought in several noteworthy boxing matches in the 1980s and 1990s...
. The Getaway was seen by 54 percent more viewers than the third season finale, "Do You Take Dexter Morgan?", which aired on December 14, 2008. The high ratings for The Getaway gave a boost to the third season finale of Californication
Californication (TV series)
Californication is an American comedy-drama that premiered on Showtime on August 13, 2007. The show was created by Tom Kapinos. The protagonist, Hank Moody , is a troubled novelist whose move to California, coupled with his writer's block, complicates his relationships with his longtime girlfriend...
, which aired immediately after the Dexter season finale. The Californication episode, Mia Culpa, was seen by 1.1 million households, the highest ever viewership for the series.
Critical Reaction
The episode received generally positive reviews, with several commentators calling the twist ending shocking, unexpected and likely to change the direction of the entire series. Entertainment WeeklyEntertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
television writer Ken Tucker
Ken Tucker
Ken Tucker was an English footballer who played as a left winger....
praised the twist of the episode, which he said "sent the series spinning into a whole new direction for next season". Tucker praised the Dexter writing staff, "for maintaining the suspense while creating a whole new world within the Dexter world: the awful universe of Trinity and his own trapped family." Bill Harris of the Toronto Sun
Toronto Sun
The Toronto Sun is an English-language daily tabloid newspaper published in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is known for its daily Sunshine Girl feature and for what it sees as a populist conservative editorial stance.-History:...
said the episode was good before the final scene, but that the twist shed a whole different light on several scenes. Harris said of the twist, "It's nice to know TV can still be that impactful, isn't it? But my God, what a stunner."
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...
reviewer Matt Fowler gave the episode an "Incredible" rating of 9.6/10, saying that: "I'm sure we all loved Dexter's
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...
final moments with Arthur
Arthur Mitchell
Arthur Mitchell may refer to:*Arthur Mitchell antiquary, commissioner of Lunacy*Arthur Mitchell , former England Test cricketer*Arthur Mitchell , African-American dancer and choreographer...
, down in the toy train bomb shelter
Bomb shelter
A bomb shelter is any kind of a civil defense structure designed to provide protection against the effects of a bomb.-Types of shelter:Different kinds of bomb shelters are configured to protect against different kinds of attack and strengths of hostile explosives. For example, an Air-raid shelter...
, but now looking back at the scene, knowing the final moments of the episode, it's filled with so many more eerie easter eggs
Easter egg (media)
Image:Carl Oswald Rostosky - Zwei Kaninchen und ein Igel 1861.jpg|250px|thumb|right|Example of Easter egg hidden within imagerect 467 383 539 434 desc none...
. Something was definitely up when Arthur said, "It's already over." We all thought so because we've heard him say those words before. We also saw Dexter take a beat after the line, confused about its meaning. We could have chalked it up to the fact that Arthur was accepting his own death, but Dexter's furrowed brow let us know that something more sinister was in play here. Of course, the real bitch here is that Dexter, having dispatched of Trinity officially, now can't go back and do it with the spirit of vengeance. The scene stands quite beautifully on its own, but Dexter would certainly have not given Arthur an empathetic send off if he knew what that monster had done. We can all point fingers at certain missteps that Dexter took throughout the entire season - mistakes that led to Rita's
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...
demise - but when you take it in as a whole it's a rather satisfying and cleverly constructed story that actually made us all buy and believe, by the end, that Dexter truly wanted to be rid of his murderous spirit. His stubborn need to kill Trinity himself wound up circumventing the entire justice system, which would have wound up catching Arthur based solely on Deb's
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...
tenacity and expert detective work." Also, IGN listed Arthur Mitchell as 2nd on a list of Dexter's Top 10 Kills saying that "This was the murder that America was clamoring for. And it was effin' great." In his review of the entire fourth season
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...
, Fowler, giving the season an "Incredible" rating of 9.5, said of the finale that "It all just came off as a ton of creepy, guilty fun. I would bet that when we all saw the final scene of the season finale that we, simply due to the time we've spent the characters over four years, felt a ton of emotions that we might not have even known were there."
E!
E!
E! Entertainment Television is an American basic cable and satellite television network, owned by NBCUniversal. It features entertainment-related programming, reality television, feature films and occasionally series and specials unrelated to the entertainment industry.E! has an audience reach of...
writer Kristin Dos Santos called the ending "horrifying", and said of Rita, "This death just might go down as one of the most shocking deaths ever on television." Claire Zulkey said that the twist ending was intense, and the teleplay was woven with feature several moments that had led him to suspect different conclusions. He also praised what he expected to be a "re-set" of the series with Rita's death. Marcia White of The Express-Times
The Express-Times
The Express-Times is a daily newspaper published in Easton, Pennsylvania, with an emphasis on local news. It has won awards in both New Jersey and Pennsylvania.-Ownership:...
declared Dexter "one of the best cable dramas on TV", and called the final scene between Dexter and Arthur particularly touching. Mark Dawidziak of The Plain Dealer said the episode was shocking and suspenseful, and called Dexter "a series that leaves you guessing as the psychological ambiguities run deeper and darker".
Awards
The Getaway episode director Steve ShillSteve Shill
Steve Shill is a British television and film director, actor, screenwriter, and television producer.-Career:He attended Keswick Grammar School in Keswick,Cumbria,England in the 70's....
won a Primetime Emmy Award
Primetime 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 Directing in a Drama Series
Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series
The Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series is an Emmy presented to the best directing of a television drama series.-Best Direction of a Single Program of a Drama Series:*1959: Jack Smight – Alcoa-Goodyear Theatre ...
for this episode. Also, Matthew V. Colonna was nominated for Outstanding Single Camera Picture Editing for a Drama Series.
| Award | Category | Nominee | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Primetime Emmy Awards | Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series | Michael C. Hall Michael C. Hall Michael Carlyle Hall is an American actor whose television roles include David Fisher on the HBO drama series Six Feet Under and Dexter Morgan on the Showtime series Dexter. In 2009, Hall won a Golden Globe award and a Screen Actors Guild Award for his role in Dexter.-Early life:Hall was born in... |
|
| Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Directing in a Drama Series Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series The Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series is an Emmy presented to the best directing of a television drama series.-Best Direction of a Single Program of a Drama Series:*1959: Jack Smight – Alcoa-Goodyear Theatre ... |
Steve Shill Steve Shill Steve Shill is a British television and film director, actor, screenwriter, and television producer.-Career:He attended Keswick Grammar School in Keswick,Cumbria,England in the 70's.... |
|
| Outstanding Single Camera Picture Editing for a Drama Series | Matthew V. Colonna | ||
External links
- "The Getaway" at Showtime (official site)