By Couch Baron
Okay, we're back on track this episode after last week's misstep. Christmas is coming, and in light of his newfound love with Hannah, Dexter's thinking about the rest of his life. Before then, however, Dexter learns that Hector Estrada, the ringleader and only survivor of the gang that killed his mother, has a parole hearing he's expected to pass based on the fact that he's apparently dying. When he does, Dexter wants to kill him, which he sees as the closing of a chapter too long open; his resolve is only strengthened by his deduction that Estrada was faking his health problems. However, before he can commit to that, Dexter goes to see Captain Jack, who tells him LaGuerta's convinced that the BHB is still at large, and she thinks it might be Dexter. Realizing that Captain Jack is interrogating him, Dexter feeds him a line about Doakes having had a boat, too – even claiming that that's why he moved marinas suddenly -- which Captain Jack seems to buy, but Dexter knows he has to move quickly to give them something to corroborate his story. He tells Deb what's up, and Deb of course throws herself on yet another grenade by planting some choice evidence in LaGuerta's garage, which leads LaGuerta and Captain Jack to a warehouse Dexter had fixed up nice and good with all kinds of Doakes-is-guilty evidence. LaGuerta still thinks Dexter might have planted it, but Captain Jack won't take it any further. This leaves Dexter free to go after Estrada, but, only after he's got him on his table and has revealed his identity, Estrada lets him know that he only made parole due to a big push from – this is awesome – LaGuerta. With LaGuerta only minutes behind him thanks to the tail she put on Estrada, Dexter desperately drags Estrada out of there, but Estrada manages to escape into the river. So while Dexter gets away as well, now he's got a killer who knows his identity after him in addition to an unshakable cop.Batista tracks down Arlene Schram, who's a trashy former drug addict, and Deb offers her immunity from any involvement she might have had if she'll come forward about Hannah, also threatening her if she doesn't, to which Schram asks for some time to consider. Even in the face of Deb's threats, Schram goes to Hannah and lets her know what's up, and we learn that the counselor who abused Hannah did the same to Arlene, so she's had good reason to protect Hannah's secret. Hannah promises she'll figure out what to do about Deb; she tries talking to Deb first, trying to make her see that Dexter is happy for the first time in a long time because of her, but Deb is like, "It's because I love him that I'm going to take your ass down." Following this, Deb gets in a car accident, and even though a blood test reveals higher-than-safe levels of antidepressants, Deb tells Dexter that she barely had taken any. He doesn't let on to Deb, but the seeds of doubt have been planted, and soon, he's asking Hannah if she's responsible. She convincingly denies it, acting terribly hurt in the process, but when Dexter gets the lab results from the water Deb was drinking in the car, it turns out it was loaded with an anti-anxiety drug. So either Deb set herself up, which seems like it would have been far too risky (and also possibly unnecessary, since she had every reason to believe that she'd be able to break Schram), or Hannah really did poison her. Obviously concluding the latter, in response, Dexter turns over Sal Price's pen – the one Hannah dipped in aconite and still has her prints on it – to Deb. Dexter then goes to see Hannah, and kisses her under the mistletoe before saying he's sorry – just as Deb and the rest of MM comes to take her away. Her last words to him are a whispered "You should have killed me." Merry Christmas!