Hey, Dexter Buffs! Click the EasyEdit button to take a stab at the wikiguide to Dexter! (Don't see the EasyEdit button above? Sign in or sign up.) | | EPISODE 8: "Shrink Wrap"
Episode summary: The suicide of a wealthy and powerful businesswoman leads Dexter to suspect that her psychologist may have killed her. But Dexter gets a surprise of his own when he pays a visit to the suspect, Dr. Emmett Meridian, a visit which forces Dexter to open up dark secrets from his past. Elsewhere, as Rita becomes warmer to her ex-husband Paul, who claims to be a changed man, she also wants to move forward into intimacy with Dexter, who is afraid of physically consummating their relationship. Meanwhile, Lt. Laguerta's visits to Neil Perry makes her become more ever more skeptical to his claims of being the Ice Truck Killer. Also, Debra's romance with prosthetic specialist Rudy begins to heat up.
Original air date: 11/19/2006
Written by: Lauren Gussis
Directed by: Tony Goldwyn
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 Description of crime: Apparent suicide
Victim(s): Vanessa Gayle
Assigned officer(s): Sgt. Doakes, Angel Batista
Crime scene: Woman shot in bathtub: bloody walls, bloody water, gun
Suspect(s): Initially her husband, but then it is ruled as a suicide
Clue(s): All forensics indicate suicide. From shot trajectory to gun powder residue at the scene.
 Blood spatter evidence suggests: Suicide, although there seems to be no apparent reason for this high-profile woman to kill herself
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 Description of crime: Continued Ice Truck Killer Questioning
Assigned officer(s): Currently Lt. LaGuerta
Conclusion: When LaGuerta confronts Neil with a frozen, severed head and informs him that she knows the Miami PD firewall was breached, Neil Perry tearfully confesses that he is not the Ice Truck Killer. Dexter's intuition was right: the ITK is still out there.
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 Victim Name: Dr. Emmett Meridian (played by Tony Goldwyn)
Age/Occupation: Psychotherapist
Where/how Dexter stalks victim: Goes to therapy to talk about his "friend's" suicide under the alias "Sean". Ends up making a major psychological breakthrough with Dr. Meridian, and even confesses that he's a serial killer before offing him.
Why victim deserves it: He got female clients addicted to anti-depressants. When their prescriptions ran out, he refused to renew them and instead suggested suicide. Three of his high-profile female clients have killed themselves because of his brainwashing.
Dexter's kill methods and rituals: Rubber sheets, surgical saw, shrink wrap, duct tape. He subdued Meridian by choking him out from behind as he was trying to leave his office.
Victim's last words: "This session's over"
Location of killing: Dr. Meridian's office
Close calls/slip-ups: Apart from the fact that the killing took place in Meridian's office, on a scheduled visit with "Sean", then none.
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FLASHBACKS
- Dexter sneaking up on his father and gagging him at night while he is at the fridge. Dexter is excited at finally having caught his father off-guard, and boasts as he won a game. Harry lets Dexter know that he doesn't like teaching him these things, and that he does this for Dexter's survival.
- Dexter being teased by a kid at school then telling his father he felt like killing him. Harry says he's proud of Dexter for walking away. Dexter asks if the feeling will ever go away.
- Dexter once again has a flashback about the kid at school teasing him. He goes back up to school presumably after Harry talked to him. The kid is playing basketball while Dexter is walking up from behind with a knife or box cutter of some sort. Harry pulls Dexter away to stop him, and hammers into Dex's head that all his actions will have consequences.
| CLUES TO DEXTER'S PAST
- While Meridian leads Dexter through a hypnosis session, Dexter has a vision of a little boy crying in a pool of blood. He doesn't know who it is at this point, but it disturbs him.
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DEXTER'S RELATIONSHIPS
Developments with Rita:
- Because Rita feels in control with Paul, she decides she is ready to sleep with Dexter. Dexter makes an excuse to get out of it.
- After an emotional hypnosis session with Dr. Meridian, Dexter visits Rita and finally spends the night with her.
- In the morning, Rita tells Dexter that nothing he could do would scare her away.
| Interactions with others:
- Dexter and Angel bond over a game where they find different pictures in a woman's blood spatter.
- Paul apologizes to Dexter about "going all alpha male" on him.
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SIGNIFICANCE OF EPISODE TITLE
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| Shrink Wrap is the air tight plastic wrap that most things are wrapped in when they leave their respective factory of origin. In this episode however, Dexter visits a psychiatrist, commonly referred to as a "shrink", and kills him at the end of the episode. |
EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS
Best Moments:
- Dexter is totally relieved when he admits he's a serial killer to Dr. Meridian (who at first thinks he is joking).
- Debra Morgan sleeps with her new boyfriend for the first time.
- The Ice Truck Killer is revealed to be Deb's new boyfriend, the prosthesis doctor.
| Best Lines:
- "The three suicide sisters all shared the same therapist- Dr. Emmett Meridian. He must be terrible at his job" (Dexter, to himself).
- "I can't have sex with Rita. Everytime I sleep with a woman she sees me for what I really am. Empty. And then she's gone. But I don't want Rita to go. Which means I have deal with this. I can't kill Meridian; I need another therapy session!" (Dexter, to himself).
- "This is ridiculous. I could be killing him right now" (Dexter, to himself).
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EPISODE TRIVIA
- Dexter used frozenbarbie@hotmail.com as an email address for a web site. (See goofs)
- The alias Dexter gives the shrink is Sean Ellis, the first name of Patrick Bateman's younger brother as mentioned in American Psycho and main character of The Rules of Attraction. The last name is that of the author of both original works, Brett Easton Ellis.
- Dexter strangles Dr. Meridian with a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu move known as "Lion Killer."
- The song that Deb is singing and dancing to is "Make Me Lose Control" by Eric Carmen.
- This episode marks the end of the storyline, La Guerta makes sexual advances on Dexter.
Goofs: - Crew or equipment visible: The camera crew is reflected in the side of the minivan when Dexter goes to help the guy pick up his dropped cantaloupe.
- While removing blood from Dr. Meridian's cheek, the level of blood inside the pipette changes. When collecting the blood he barely fills the tip and then removes it from his face. When placing it on the slide the pipette is nearly full.
- Dexter's email address on the Frozen Barbie ad says "frozenbarbie@hotmail.web." When Brian clicks on "reply," he replies to "frozenbarbie@hotmail.com."
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ORIGINAL VERSUS NETWORK BROADCAST
This one is for the superfans, tell the newbie fans what they're missin' out on!
 IN THE SHOWTIME SERIES | |  IN THE CBS BROADCAST | | - We see Rudy at work in his freezer room at the very end of the episode.
| | | - The screen fades out before we are able to see Rudy mess around with all those body parts.
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