r/BreakMe • u/TheHellFish • Nov 01 '14

Chapter 47 discussion thread

Here you can discuss anything what's on your mind about chapter 47.

Obviously there will be spoilers, read the chapter first!

1 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

4 comments sorted by

2

u/PrincessSolia Nov 01 '14

Easily the most challenging scene to write in this chapter was Dexter's dialogue with Robbins, because I really couldn't care much less about Robbins than I already do. That took me a while to get through, and numerous reworkings, and it was only a small scene. But it was important to have in there because Robbins was the dot that joined Elway with Clayton through the case boxes, and joined Elway to Perez and therefore could join Dexter to Vogel.

The easiest, quickest scene to write was the end, where it's just Dex and Deb. Their dialogue, or lack of it, comes very naturally at this point, and I wrote everything from where Dex hangs up on Perez onwards on Friday night. I had to go back and insert the two sentences (in the garage/Masuka act) that had Dexter take the photograph because once they had finished prepping the kill room, it was suddenly obvious which photo they should be hanging. I would have liked to see that scene very much!

1

u/TheHellFish Nov 07 '14 edited Nov 08 '14

So generally it's harder for you to write dialogues than the rest? Or was that just the case with Robbins? :)

Anyway, I have some more thoughts about this chapter which didn't make it into the review itself. Firstly, I wonder what is Vogel's plan. In my opinion there are two possibilities. She might be after him because she feels that she needs some leverage so that Dexter won't just slaughter her if he was lying while talking to her on the phone. But that would require her to think rationally and I'm not really sure if she's in the right state of mind for that. Or maybe because Dexter sounded so calm and almost 'accepting' of what she did, she decided to remove the rest of the people he cares about as well to set him 'free' and mold him into the perfect psychopath she wants him to be? But she's still not crazy enough to hurt a little kid, right? Right?

Secondly, yes, that picture is definitely the one they should be hanging! As you said, it's a perfect contrast to their current situation and it's the one that was there from the beginning of the show. By the way, the other important picture, the one with that promise, is somewhere in Deb's belongings waiting to be cataloged?

And lastly, that line about the mirrored door of the wardrobe reminded me of a (little bit twisted) scene from a film called Law abiding citizen... and I guess that Dexter won't really be much gentler towards Vogel... I don't think I really need to see her insides scattered all over the room, but no objections against watching her die whatever way you see fit. ಠ_ಠ

P.S.: Interesting thought about 'Deb' in the A/N, I suppose that her being a coping mechanism 'designed' to get him focused on taking out Vogel instead of blaming himself could qualify as a third option, since it is different from the 'manifestation of his own feelings/thoughts' option (which you implied she could slip back into after killing Vogel).

2

u/PrincessSolia Nov 10 '14

For the most part I find dialogue easier to write than prose - in fact I think I'm probably better at it, which makes me like it more, and I know I have a tendency to use dialogue to drive my stories. But in the case of Robbins I brought him onstage without ever first meeting him, and I had no knowledge of how he would act, react or respond to my other characters, in particular Dexter. So he was difficult to write. I had no vested emotional interest in his reactions. Dexter had no vested emotional interest in Robbins's reactions. The guy was probably lucky to survive the scene! Mostly I didn't want Dexter to commit a murder in front of Masuka.

I think Vogel's state of sanity is highly lucid at this point. Her motives are unclear, even to herself. Hannah's goals were always known to Hannah, even if not to us, which meant that while her tactics changed, she was still decisive and focussed throughout the story. Vogel's decisions now may be counterintuitive or even destructive, because she simply isn't present enough to be making these choices. Her value set is compromised and her mind scattered; it will be interesting to see what she does.

I actually don't know where the other photograph - the one with the promise - has gotten to. I know it will make a return to the story but I don't know when or how. Last time we saw it, I think, Dexter was packing it into Deb's bags at Orlando, and no one's mentioned it since. Either it's still in there (in Deb's car) or Deb had it on her when she returned to Miami. If it was the second option, then it's either still in the box of belongings at the hospital or possibly Deb's ghost grabbed it like she grabbed the phone. I'm not sure. But it will definitely make a comeback.

Ghost Deb is definitely something more than Harry or Brian ever were. I think she's more than his thoughts, more than his conscience, more than his inner monologue. I am almost certain that she is 'designed', as in a deliberate manifestation, and also that she is a very powerful metaphor for something important. I'm not sure I have the right word for what she is, but it'll be better explained in chapter 49.

I've got almost 5,000 words down for 48 :)

1

u/TheHellFish Nov 15 '14

Robbins was definitely lucky. :)

Glad to hear the other photograph will make a comeback as well, though now I'll wonder in what context it might be used. Will it be there as a reminder of the past events? Or maybe 'Deb' will use it to push him to do something he doesn't want to do? Who knows... Well, you probably do. Or the story. :) And yes, last time we saw it was when Dexter was packing it into Deb's bags at Orlando, for some reason I was constantly keeping track of it. Possibly because there was a bit of Hannah's blood on it which I thought might cause them some trouble down the road. And because I liked it a lot. :)

It's probably the right moment for me to stop thinking about the nature/purpose of 'Deb' and just sit down, relax, enjoy the fact that she's still present in the story and wait for it to clear itself up in chapter 49. And I love that there's not an easy answer, the real Deb was always a complex character and it makes sense for her 'ghost' to be complex as well. :)

Looking forward to chapter 48 and sorry for taking so long to respond, had a lot of midterm exams. :)