The concluding episode of Dexter’s season four had a great deal to work through. There were substantial loose ends floating around and as one would have hoped, “The Getaway” took care of most of them with enough time to toss in one of the most unexpected endings to any season in recent memory.

The Trinity Killer’s still running around all willy-nilly after having confronted Dexter at his place of business – which is how last week’s episode concluded and this week’s show begins. It seems as if the jig is up, as it were. Arthur has proven a pretty worthy nemesis despite the fact that it’s clear that Dexter reveres him in some odd way even as the internal dialogues focus on how awful the elder killer appears to be.

Much in the same way that the first season of Dexter pit the show’s namesake against another murderer, who happened to be his long lost brother (a fact that Deb finally figures out), this fourth season juxtaposes murderers. Dexter maintains that he has a stated purpose for his killings. He’s a vigilante even if he’s been necessitated to channel his urges into something that’s perceived to be a step up from random killings. Of course, Dexter’s take on his life style and the choices he makes are all to mitigate the fact that he kills for gratification – as does Arthur.

But as Arthur high tails it outta the station, Dex is necessitated to follow him. After hitting a car on the way to nabbing the elder murderer and stashing him in the back of his own van, Dex gets wrangled by the cops for a hit and run. Needless to say Rita is none too pleased. The problematic situation results in Dex sending the kids off to a Disney theme park and Rita to a vacation spot in order to keep them out of Arthur’s reach.

And while the Trinity Killer is off assembling cash and a vehicle to make his getaway, the police force is finally figuring it all out thanks to the help of a ten year old boy. The pervasive inclusion of children in these plots link back to Dex’s childhood and how his adopted family eventually came to know him.

“Born in blood” is a phrase that gets repeated during “The Getaway” a few times, which not only makes it foreboding, but contemplative. Dex has always worked to keep his family out of the way of that thing inside of him, but over this last season, Rita’s been privy to a few hard to explain situations. She’s not onto him yet, but maybe soon.

Eventually, as we all should have guessed, Dex chases down the Trinity Killer on the side of the road. And while Arthur’s car overheating isn’t aptly explained – nor where Dexter jumped out from – the killing of a killer was a foregone conclusion. There was no way that the season could end with Arthur on the loose. And looking back at each subsequent year, that’s what the finale seemed to always be for. The last scene in “The Getaway,” which has everything to do with Arthur’s actions, is gonna result in a drastically different show next season. Find out…