The Getaway (Dexter)
"The Getaway" received critical acclaim, with several commentators calling the twist ending shocking, unexpected and likely to change the direction of the entire series.
Dexter plans to kidnap and kill Arthur, but he spots the driver of the car he struck earlier talking to police officers.
The informant reveals the woman's name was Laura Moser, and while researching her, Debra learns she was the biological mother of both Dexter and Brian.
Dexter hears Harrison crying in the bathroom and finds Rita dead in the bathtub, having been killed by Arthur, with Harrison sitting 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 childhood.
[5] 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.
[6][7] 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.
[9][11] Network staff members were forced to sign non-disclosure agreements, and decoy scripts were drafted and disseminated to protect the twist ending.
[12] 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.
[12] 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.
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".
[15] 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".
[12] 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.
[17] 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.
[5][7][8][10][18] Entertainment Weekly 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".
"[19] IGN reviewer Matt Fowler gave the episode an "Incredible" rating of 9.6/10,[20] 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.
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.
"[8] Claire Zulkey said that the twist ending was intense, and the teleplay was woven to feature several moments that had led her to suspect different conclusions.
[18] 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".
[10] The director of "The Getaway", Steve Shill, won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series for this episode.
