Take It! (14 Nov. 2010)

Having identified one of Lumen's attackers, Cole Harmon, Dexter set out to do what he does best. He attends one of Jordan Chase's seminars and the plan is to rent a hotel room next to Cole ... See full summary »

Director:

Romeo Tirone

Writers:

James Manos Jr. (developer), Jeff Lindsay (novel),

Stars:

Michael C. Hall, Jennifer Carpenter, Desmond Harrington

Cast

Episode cast overview, first billed only:
Michael C. Hall	...	Dexter Morgan
Jennifer Carpenter	...	Det. Debra Morgan
Desmond Harrington	...	Det. Joseph 'Joey' Quinn
C.S. Lee	...	Vince Masuka
Lauren Vélez	...	Lt. Maria LaGuerta (as Lauren Velez)
David Zayas	...	Sgt. Angel Batista
James Remar	...	Harry Morgan (credit only)
Julia Stiles	...	Lumen Ann Pierce
Jonny Lee Miller	...	Jordan Chase
Peter Weller	...	Stan Liddy
April L. Hernandez	...	Off. Cira Manzon (as April Hernandez Castillo)
Chris Vance	...	Cole Harmon
David Paetkau	...	Owen
Liza Colón-Zayas	...	Paloma Aragon
Brad Grunberg	...	Heavyset Man

Storyline

Having identified one of Lumen's attackers, Cole Harmon, Dexter set out to do what he does best. He attends one of Jordan Chase's seminars and the plan is to rent a hotel room next to Cole Harmon, who is Chase's head of security, and eliminate him there. He shows Lumen how to prepare a killing room but events don't quite unfold as planned. In the end, Dexter gets a vital clue that identifies another of the men who attacked her. Lumen also has to deal with her ex-fiancé who suddenly shows up in Miami. At the station, the fallout from the shootings at the night club begins to take its toll. It's pretty obvious that Lt. Laguerta isn't going to take the rap for the botched operation. Debra sees the writing on the wall when Angel Batista tells her he hasn't written his report yet and is still going over what happened. She feels betrayed by an unexpected source but also gets support where she least expects it.

---

Plot Keywords:

motivational speaker | identifying a dead body | fender bender | sleeper hold | corvette | 

---

Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

---

Certificate:

TV-MA

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

14 November 2010 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Long Beach, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

John Goldwyn Productions, Colleton Company, The, 801

Technical Specs

Runtime:

52 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Despite being credited, James Remar doesn't appear in this episode.

---

Goofs

Lumen states while speaking to her ex-fiancé that they used to make Sunday beer runs from Minneapolis to Madison, which is more than a 500 mile, 9 hour round trip. Madison, Wisconsin is closer to Illinois than it is to Minnesota.

---

Quotes

[first lines]
Jordan Chase: [v.o. violent animal imagery in black and white] We are born primal. Conceived with the impulse to fight for what we desire. It's written in our genes. It's engraved in our souls. But we've traded the wilderness for pavement, trees for skyscrapers. We've lost touch with our instincts, with what we are. We have fallen from nature's grace.
Jordan Chase: [on stage, to crowd] But we shall be delivered!
[audience cheers]
Jordan Chase: [amplified over crowd] It's time to tap into your primal selves and seize the power ...
[...]

---

Connections

References Donald's Nephews (1938)

---

Soundtracks

"Mars, The Bringer Of War"
(uncredited)
Written by Gustav Holst
Performed by Gustav Holst

User Reviews

Charismatic women, award winning acting, fascinating "Debxter", inspiring Lumen & Dex, smart dialogs, beautiful monsters, expressive direction

Dexter is a pantheon to itself. The Mount Olympus of all TV shows. Climbing it has always been a challenge for the mind. Indeed you can't switch off your brain to access its realm, beyond good and evil. When I thought the dream team behind the show could never outclass masterpieces like Lost Boys, they did it again. Take It! was so overwhelming that it could have been a finale. I still can't believe how smart and well executed it was. One week to dream about it, one week to remind its numerous bright ideas.

The first thing I enjoyed about this eight installment was the respectful and accurate representation of women's power in our society. Actresses like Linda Hamilton and Sigourney Weaver have already portrayed charismatic female characters in films and now I'm convinced that Julia Stiles and Jennifer Carpenter play in the same league as these almighty ladies, even if Lumen and Deb are not as physically strong as Sarah Connor and Ellen Ripley. We had already waited long enough after the writers for them to finally give Carpenter the part her divine talent deserved. From her acting to the dual dialogs I've never been so fascinated by Deb's fate. Lost Boys nearly pictured her and Dex as twins and their relationship developed in the most empathic and ambivalent way. Their conversation in the kitchen was pivotal and should give you a few tips about what the upcoming seasons should be about. Se7en ? That would be the perfect number ! Their wicked connection actually reminded me of Jack Shephard and John Locke. What are the differences between them ? Are serial killers and cops similar in a twisted way ?

Moreover Jordan Chase and his partner in security blurred the lines even more. They always find a room for the guests to shine like John Lithgow did in season 4. Wouldn't it be great if they pulled an American Psycho from their magic hat ? I don't expect them to top Christian Bale's psycho character but I'm now convinced that they have a tremendous potential. In fact it's inevitable considering how useful they were to better comprehend her beloved monster ! The beginning should also move you because even if gorgeous Jessica Camacho was only featured as Yasmin for two episodes witnessing her floral life so brutally shattered was heartbreaking. Of course it was anecdotic compared to Christine Hill devastating act in season 4 but still the impact it had on the characters was undeniable. Even the "BastiGuerta" incident is over now and what used to be a sarcastic pun has now revealed its meaning and made the season even more rewatchable.

If you add the close-ups that felt like televisual paintings, specially the interactive one between Lumen & Dex, the intriguing cliffhanger and inspiring references to cult episodes like The Getaway well missing Dexter would be almost like not living. To sum things up I can't help wondering how they have accomplished such an extraordinary job. Instead of caging the creativity and skills of their team mates it seems the little big heads behind Dexter have chosen to let them express their mind blowing talent. Get it ? Watch it !