Previously: Dexter laid FOP out with a cranial blow from a frying pan, and then framed him to turn him from a Father On Parole to a Father In Prison. Rita was ecstatic, of course, to hear the news. Angel got some insight into the Ice Truck Killer fetishism from an amputee hooker he had been with. Tony Tucci told Deb 'n' Doakes that the ITK was a big lozenge fan. Rudy told Deb he loves her after stabbing Angel in the torso and getting a fat lip. It was a pretty loaded episode, and even though Dex didn't kill anyone, he still blasted Paul with a pan, which made it totally worth it.
Dexter seems to be floating down some red corridor in what I'm guessing is a dream sequence. "I've never had much use for the concept of Hell," he VO's. "But if Hell exists, I'm in it." He seems to be arriving at a crime scene where five or six police cruisers have their blue lights spinning. It looks like the parking garage where Angel got stabbed, but I still can't tell if this is a dream or a very stylistic reality. "The same images running through my head, over and over." The boy in blood. The blond woman, Dexter's mother, crying. "I was there. I saw my mother's death." Chainsaw. Screaming. Blood. "A buried memory all these years, it climbed inside me that day, and it's been with me ever since. My dark passenger." Now he's looking at the blood stain on the garage floor, and there's a pair of bloody feet standing to it. He follows the legs up to find Angel standing there, washed in red light, clutching his side where blood is pouring out. "You should be focusing on me," he says, and his voice echoes all over the place. Dexter snaps out of it, and it was all a daydream, but he is at the parking garage where Angel got stabbed, and he's actually staring at Deb, who says, "I seriously want to get the motherfucker that did this to Batista." Well, obviously! He's a great guy, who wants him to get stabbed? Not me. Shut up, Deb. Dexter looks around, getting his thoughts together, and Deb asks him if he's okay. "Yeah, no, I'm okay, I'm just distraught...about Angel. How's he doing, do we know?" he asks Masuka. "Still in surgery." "God, I hate feeling so helpless!" says Deb as Masuka looks at her. "What? No jokes about providing gross sexual comfort in a time of crisis?" "My friend was stabbed, and he might die." Aw, poor Masuka! I hate seeing him all...non-horndog-y. Doakes calls Deb over, and she heads over to him after putting a consoling arm on Masuka's shoulder. "What do you think, Dex?" Masuka asks. Dexter says there was a struggle, and that Angel put up a fight. Dexter stares at the blood pool where Angel lay, and gets quickly distracted. "So much blood," he VOs, and snaps himself out of it again. "What's happening to me?" I don't know, man, but it's almost the season finale, so get cracking with the plot development. Figure out who Rudy is, and why he's fucking with you.
Cuban music blares in the soundtrack, and we see the same amputee hooker from last episode walking down the street. She approaches a man who has his back to the camera, and says, "No way. You're the one I'm supposed to meet?" "In the flesh," says Rudy's voice. Smiling, she says, "I was just talking to someone about you." Rudy touches her back, and escorts her down the street.
A bit later, she's lying on a bed, still smiling. "That tickles! Don't stop." "I wouldn't dream of stopping," says Rudy. We can't see what he's doing yet. "You were so different this time. Gentle. I thought you were going to get all pervy with my stump again." "Actually, your imperfection is what saved you the first time." "Saved me from what?" "True artistry," he says, and we can see that he's drawing perforated lines all over her body, clearly delineating where he's going to cut. He says that the "message" of his "work" isn't really in the product itself, but more in the presentation. "That wrinkled flesh on your radial carpal joint is far from perfect. It's quite unsightly, actually." She calls him an asshole and gets up, but he soothes her. "Shh, no. I'm actually quite thankful for you. You're my escape plan." "Escape from what?" "The police. Because of you, I've had to speed up my project. I need something to distract them, and I've found that a freshly chopped up body always does the trick." Quickly, he has his arm around her neck in a sleeper hold, and she tries to struggle but he tells her it's pointless, because he's compressing her carotid artery, cutting off blood flow to her brain. "In ten seconds, you'll be unconscious." I have a feeling he's about to soothe himself in a most unsavory way. Oh, that wacky Rudy! Once she's out cold, Rudy picks her up and carries her to his freezer room as the phone rings. His machine picks up, and who leaves a message? It's...
Deb, at the hospital. "Okay, I guess you went to bed. Or, you fell asleep on the couch watching Xena reruns, which I still think makes you a dork." She says she misses him, hangs up, and walks past Dexter, who's sitting and also talking on the phone. "He's still in surgery, but I don't know when we'll hear anything." "So, I guess you won't be coming over tonight," says Rita, upset. She says she understands, and then mentions that she hasn't told the kids about FIP. Dexter doesn't seem to really care at all, and Rita senses this, so she lets him go. Dexter thanks her, because Angel is being wheeled out just at that moment. All the cops in the waiting room stand up as LaGuerta comes in after parting with Nina. "Angel sustained severe internal injuries. He lost a lot of blood, but the surgery was successful. It looks like our boy's out of the woods." Well, that's good news! Everyone heaves a collective sigh of relief, included Dexter. Deb 'n' Doakes hug it out, along with everyone else, and Dexter VOs, "I know I should stay, be part of the group hug, but I can't focus. I'm trapped in the clutches of the memory. I need to know what it means." He stands up and walks out, which Doakes notices, so he follows him out. "Morgan," he says. "What the fuck is wrong with you?" "I have someplace I have to be," Dex answers lamely. Doakes gets up in his face. "Yeah, well, we all have someplace to be. But you just found out that somebody who's supposed to be your friend is going to live. Does that make you feel anything? Anything at all?" Doakes has pressed Dex's shoulder against the wall, and Dexter is glaring at him coldly. "Take your fucking hand off me." Doakes does exactly that and says, "Just what I always thought." "Right," Dexter exasps and leaves as Doakes looks on. Okay, now this is exactly what you expect from Doakes. He's obviously a good cop, and he's got enough intuition to be a little sketchy about Dexter, because he is a killer, after all. But he's also an alpha male, so he's assertive and boorish sometimes. But this isn't about him, it's about Deb. Why does she expect so much from Dexter when she never comes to his defense when Doakes is giving him shit? Or anyone else, for that matter? She's such a hypocrite. I'm sorry, I know she doesn't really have anything to do with this scene, but she should if she really wants Dexter to be as strong a presence in her life.
As the camera pans across a white table with body parts wrapped up for Christmas, we hear Rudy singing, "Deck the halls with parts of bodies, fa-la-la-la la..." which is pretty funny, I mean, come on. He looks proudly at his work, and picks up the now-dead hooker's prosthetic hand. He takes off the ring as a buzzer goes off. I'm assuming it's his front door. He looks up at a monitor where we see Deb at the front door, and says, "Shit, just what I need." Dude, she is your girlfriend. You should be more excited to see her! Just kidding, I was thinking the exact same thing. He answers the door and feigns excitement to see her. She nervously says that she knows it's late, but she drove by and saw his car, so blah blah blah. "I can go..." "Get your ass in here," Rudy tells her. "It's about time you see where I live anyway." They hug, and Deb comments on how cold Rudy feels. "Then stay and keep me warm," he cheeses fakely and shuts the door.
Inside, they have some wine and make out a little bit. "This Batista thing has gotten to you, hasn't it?" he asks. "Angel's daughter was there," she replies. "That's got to be rough. A cop's daughter, just like you." Deb says she remembers what that's like, "kissing your father goodbye. You're always afraid that it's for the last time." Whatever, Deb. I'm still pissed at you. Rudy changes the subject and suggests they get out of town for the weekend, "just the two of us. We need to talk." "I'm sitting right here," she says. He says something about the time having to be right, which is obvious because he's clearly planning something big for Dexter. Deb says it'll have to wait until they catch whomever stabbed Batista, and Rudy says that he can be very persistent, blah blah blah. This is boring. Deb mentions that she's "tired from all this shit." "Lucky for you, I have the perfect cure: my loving arms." Oh, Jesus. Layin' it on a bit thick, don't you think, Rude? Anyway, he offers Deb a "little thing" to help her sleep. "That ain't no little thing, Rudy!" she says, clearly thinking about his donger. He meant Valium: "It's one of the perks of working at the hospital." "Wine and Valium? I'll be totally helpless." "You read my mind," he says, and they kiss some more as the scene fades to black.
A bit later, Deb lays in bed as Rudy gets dressed and leaves. Wonder if he's off to play Santa with his newly-chopped body parts.
Dexter's at the station, and he's visiting the file lady! He rings her bell (no, not like that, you perv), and she looks up and exclaims, "Well, as I live and breathe!" He comes in smiling and says, "Did you miss me?" "You and the bear claws you're hiding behind your back!" He presents the bag of said bear claws to her like a gift, and sits down. She mentions that this must be an important visit: "I haven't seen much of you, lately." "No rest for the wicked." Dexter asks after Gene, her apparent husband, and she says he has good days and bad days. It seems he just started radiation therapy. "He's a good guy," says Dexter. "Not much of a bridge player, though!" She laughs and recalls how Harry and Gene used to get mad when she and Doris (stepmother Morgan) would "take them to the cleaners." I guess this woman is an old Morgan family friend as well as a police file clerk. Dexter gets down to business: "I was hoping you could dig up an old case file for me." "Sure thing! Got a date?" "Not exactly. It's the crime scene where Harry found me." The look on her face says that's going to be a problem. "Uh...I wish I could help, but everything from that long ago is boxed up in the basement at City Hall, and, as you can see, I'm up to my you-know-what in year-end reports, so..." Dexter looks disappointed, and his phone rings. "That's my Lieutenant. Camilla [Ah, she does have a name!], is there anything you remember?" "What I remember, Dexter Morgan, is your father caring enough to bring you into his home and give you a loving family." Fair enough, Camilla. Dexter smiles slightly as she says, "I wouldn't keep your Lieutenant waiting."
At some kind of tropical Christmas village, Doakes is asking a pair of elves who found the body parts. "I did," says the male elf. "They were left under the tree. I thought it was the crew from last night just messin' around, 'til I found the head." "I told him not to touch anything, but he never listens," says the female elf. "God, Patty, you're such a bitch." Deb asks if they saw anything strange before they found the body, and the female elf mentions that she saw a few broken ornaments by the tree. Deb 'n' Doakes thank them for their cooperation, and walk back towards the scene. Dexter shows up, and asks LaGuerta what's up. "Female victim, cut up into pieces." "The Ice Truck Killer? So soon?" "Yup. Can't wait to see how the Captain is going to handle the press on this one." LaGuerta tells Doakes to walk Dexter through the crime scene and complains about the snow machine, which does look annoying. "Your sister can help you out," says Doakes, giving Dexter the Hard-Shouldered Man-Bump of Misplaced Aggression. Deb makes a joke about sexual tension, which isn't funny, because here she is, yet again, not giving a fuck about her brother having beef with someone she has influence over. Not cool, Deb. Anyway, she points out a clock stopped at 1:03, "the same numbers he left at Marina View Hotel." Dexter asks if there are leads on what they mean, and Deb says they've talked to numerologists, mathematicians, and code-breakers, but they all needed more to go on. Dexter spies the body parts, and as the camera pans out to reveal the scene, Dexter VOs, "First he turns my whole world inside out with a carnival of blood." We're flashing back to the blood-soaked Hotel room and Dexter passing out. "Now he leaves me this, a calming oasis in the desert of my confusion. It doesn't make sense." Masuka rolls up and mentions that the crime scene's been wiped clean. "Another hooker?" asks Deb. "Ho-ho-ho, another dead ho," he responds. "Somebody's been naughty." Okay, Vince? Let's leave shitty lines like that for Horatio Caine, m'kay? "Hey, Morgan, you wanna sit on my lap and tell me what you want for Christmas?" asks Masuka. "And, he's back!" says Deb. "No thanks, last thing on my wish list is a burning sensation when I pee." Fair enough. Dexter says that this scene "doesn't seem right. The body parts scattered among the presents. He broke an ornament...it's not his usual meticulous style. It seems rushed, haphazard." "That would explain why we can't find one of the hands," says Masuka, striking some sort of chord with Deb, who looks like she just smelled a fart. Dexter notices something under the torso, and it's a videotape. The label reads "Merry Christmas, Miami."
Mathstor is walking towards the crime scene surrounded by journalists, one of whom is asking why, after all this time, the ITK has struck again. "Any answer at this time would be pure speculation on my part," he says. "Do you think it has anything to do with your handling of the Neil Perry fiasco?" Ooh, burn! He doesn't say anything, he just crosses the police tape taking those champion strides that he does. He meets up with LaGuerta, Deb, Doakes, Masuka, and Dex, who are all huddled around a TV, waiting to see what's on the tape. Someone hits play, and the amputee hooker's face shows up. "You arrested the wrong man," she reads, distressed. "Made the world think I'm a rank amateur. And I'm very, very angry to answer for your mistakes." She begins to cry, and Deb says to pause the tape. "Look at her tears," she observes. "They're rolling up!" It's true, they are. "Bastard's got her upside down," says Masuka. "That's how he bleeds them out: he strings them up like meat," says Dexter, drawing uncomfortable looks from everyone. LaGuerta signals to start the tape up again, and all we see is a body cross in front of the hooker's face, and we hear a sharp, knifey slashing sound, and the woman choking on her own blood. Mathstor demands the tape be turned off, and LaGuerta says she'll have the tape sent to the station for analysis. Mathstor says he wants to Doakes to take point on this, but Doakes says it's LaGuerta's case. "Not anymore. We haven't been able to catch this guy, and now he's rubbing our noses in it. We've got to come up with some fresh ideas." Doakes says it's bullshit after Mathstor's walked away, but LaGuerta doesn't want him to rock the boat. "Do as he says. The commissioner has his ass in a sling. He's up for review. Word is he's getting the boot." "You're just going to sit back and take this?" "If it means being seen as his worthy successor? I'll be at the hospital." Hmm, good call, Lt. LaGuerta. You know, she's grown on me. Yes, she's calculatingly political, but she knows good police work. ["She is, as it happens, my second-favorite character, after Dexter." -- Joe R]
Rita's getting the kids ready for school, and Astor asks about whether FIP is coming for Christmas. "I miss him," she says. "I'm afraid your dad's not going to make it this year for the holidays," says Rita. Astor looks disappointed, and Cody asks, "Where is he?" "Well, he's --" "He's back in jail, isn't he?" asks Astor. Rita tries to explain that he probably wanted to say goodbye, but there wasn't time. "I forgot my math book," says Astor listlessly, and goes back to her room. "It's all your fault," says Cody. Hey! None of that, little man. You don't know shit about shit, yet, pal. Go easy on your mother. She's having a hard enough time as it is. Rita looks very sad.
"You could at least pretend you want to be here," Deb says to Dexter. They're eating lunch outside at a restaurant on the water. It looks nice. "You're the one who had an urgent need for tacos," says Dex. Deb wants to talk about Rudy, and I'm sure this is going to turn into another unbearable fucking me-fest. Ugh. She says he's been acting weird lately, and that "last night he said we need to talk." "Well, that's never good," says Dex. "Well, thanks. I feel a lot better. I've only been obsessing about this all day." Oh, my God! You suck! To top it off (and if this doesn't point to her blind narcissism, I don't know what does), she says, "Think you could talk to him for me?" and motions with her head to behind Dexter, where Rudy appears. "Oh, look, it's Rudy," says Dex, nonplussed. "I sort of called him." Yeah, no shit. Rudy comes and sits down just as Deb gets a "call" from "work," even though her phone doesn't make a sound. She kisses Rudy, stands up, gives Dexter the "call me" face, and takes off. What a little asshole! What is this, middle school? Gah! After she's gone, Dexter comments on Rudy's lip, which is still split where Angel head-butted his face. Rudy says it happened "this morning" in his workshop. "Doesn't look like it happened this morning. It's already starting to close up!" says Dexter. "Did I say this morning? I meant yesterday. I think I'm working too hard. Anyway, I'm pretty sure my lip isn't why Deb arranged this little chit-chat." Dexter says that Deb thinks there may be "trouble in paradise." Rudy starts talking about the big picture, and says that Deb is someone he can picture spending the rest of his life with, "you know?" "Mmm, no, I don't know," says Dex. "But I do know that Deb's fallin' for you. Hard. You hurt her --" "...And you'll hurt me." "Something like that." They both chuckle a little, and tuck into their burritos.
Angel's laying in bed as Nina and LaGuerta chat about how strong he is. Weakly, and with his eyes still closed, Angel says, "I'm getting tired of hearing you two hyenas cluck." The two women smile, relieved to see him awake. "Hey, you," says Nina, warmly. "You had us so worried." "If I had known this would get you back in the same room with me, I would have gotten stabbed sooner." Aw, he loves her, you guys. Nina says she's going to go get the doctor, and leaves. Angel tries to sit up a little, and LaGuerta tells him not to. "The doctor says you're lucky to be alive and still have a liver." "That's why I got two, right?" Aw, he's joking! Who's our favorite little alive buddy? Is it you? "Tell me you caught the cocksucker that ruined one of my best shirts." LaGuerta says they don't have any leads. "Did you see anything?" "No, he was behind me. I just felt the blade go in." He asks how long Nina has been there, and Maria tells him she was the first to arrive. "Yo no sé porque, pero..."
Examining Angel's shirt at the lab, Dexter VOs, "My mother was murdered before my eyes. It makes sense I choose a life where I search for meaning in blood, when the sole memory I have of her is covered in it. I need to know more details." LaGuerta arrives, and Dexter smiles at her. "I hope that look means you found something on Batista's shirt," she says. "You should see this," he replies. He shows her a small blood drop on the inside of the collar of the shirt. "This is what I drove all the way back from the hospital for?" "This drop of blood doesn't match the wound pattern or the spatter from the rest of Batista's shirt. And, look where it is." "You think it's the attacker's blood?" "We know Batista fought back..." LaGuerta tells him to send a sample to DNA, which he's already done. "Sorry to hear Matthews took you off the case." "Last gasp of a desperate man," she says, looking into the room to see what Doakes is up to. "Things are going to change around here. I won't forget your help." They share a genuinely nice and smiley moment, and she takes her leave.
In the room, Deb and Doakes and a bunch of other people are re-watching the tape. Deb is having trouble watching it again, but Doakes tell her to hold on. After the hooker's throat is cut, the camera jolts up and shows two large vents. "That, my friends, is a monster refrigeration unit." Masuka mentions that it was probably a custom build, judging by the height of the ceilings. "So we should focus our search on commercial districts?" asks another cop. "No, residential," says Deb. "You think he built this in his own place?" asks Doakes, incredulously. "He picks up hookers, right? I worked vice. The smart girls know not to go near a factory or a warehouse unless you never want to be seen again." The random extra cop asks if maybe the ITK knocked out his victims and then dragged them to a warehouse. "None of the other victims showed any signs of head injury, or narcotics," says Deb. "Besides, what better way to trap your victim than to get them to walk into your own home!" Deb maps out where the escort service said the hooker met her client, and where her body was found. Doakes elaborates that they might just get lucky if they can find any residences that are drawing inordinate amounts of power from the grid. "If we catch a break, we'll catch this son of a bitch!"
Out in the hallway, Deb tracks down Dexter, asking him why he didn't call her after his lunch with Rudy. She shows him a text message he sent her. "'Cum sail away with me this weekend.' He misspelled 'come,'" says Dex. Deb starts flipping out about what they talked about. "Actually, don't tell me. What if it's a surprise. Unless I should know. Should I know? Okay, tell me. You know, no, don't. 'We need to talk'? Who says that unless you're getting dumped?" "I don't think that's what this is about," says Dex, calmly. "He wants me out on the water in case I make a scene. You know what? I always do this. I put myself out there, I set myself up to get hurt --" "He wants to be a part of the family." "What? Wait, like...propose?" "I have to go to the library before it closes, but we'll talk about this later, okay?" Deb freaks out and starts giggling and doing her toothy dweeb thing in the hallway. Eventually, she gets a grip and stops bouncing around like an idiot.
Dexter is poring over microfiche at the library, trying to find out what happened to his younger self. "I was never one to dwell on my past, always content to leave it a mystery. No details, just a blur of images rushing by." "Mob Hit Kills Two," reads a headline. "My friend out there wants to bring those memories into focus. So do I." A woman comes in and brings Dexter some more files. Dexter writes down dates, and scratches them off as he finds out they're not right. Finally, he finds a headline dated October 3, 1973 (Hmm, 10/3) that reads, "Shipping Yard Massacre: Authorities Discover Grisly Bloodbath." "Ten three," he VOs. "Same as the hotel, same as Santa's Cottage. This is what he wanted me to find all along." He scrolls the page to the side for shots of the victims, and he sees a familiar face. "Laura Moser," he says aloud. "My mother. No wonder I've felt so disconnected my entire life. If I did have emotions, I'd have to feel...this."
Dexter's at Camilla's house, now. She's watering some plants outside when he gets out of his car and says, "October 3, 1973. Laura Moser and three others found chopped up with a chainsaw. Apparently a drug dealer didn't appreciate Laura and her boyfriend stealing his cocaine. First officer on scene was Harry Morgan." He half-yells this last part to get her attention. "You've been busy," she says, and takes a drag of her cigarette. "A crime that big and yet there's no record of the case at City Hall? That seems a bit odd, don't you think?" "Long time ago." "What is in that report that Harry didn't want me to see?" Dex yells. "Why was there no mention in any of the newspapers about a three-year-old boy at the crime scene? Camilla! Dammit, I need to know. I need that file." Camilla tells Dexter that she can't give it to him, because she destroyed it the day his adoption went through. Dexter asks why she did that, and she mentions a promise she made to Harry. "To protect him?" asks Dexter. "To protect you," she says. Dexter says Harry's code would prevent him from wanting evidence destroyed. "Your father was a decent man and an honest cop, but what he saw in that cargo container changed him. You were left there for days, starving, in blood two inches thick." Yeah, he knows. Dexter's phone rings, and he answers it agitatedly. It's Rita, and apparently Cody's run away. He tells her to call the police and that he'll be right over. After he hangs up, he faces Camilla. "I need to know the truth." "Kid, just leave this one alone."
Rita's freaking out and feels like she should be out looking for Cody. Dexter tells her that she needs to stay home in case Cody comes back, and that the police are looking for him. "One squad car for all of Miami? What if some crazy person picked him up off the street?" "It's all my fault," says Astor. "I should have heard Cody get out of bed. I'm his big sister." Rita comforts her and tells her it's not her fault, and then tells her to get Dexter some water. Rita says she should have seen all this coming: "They were so upset when I told them Paul was back in jail." "Paul," says Dex. "Today's Thursday, right?" "Yeah." "I think I know where Cody might be."
Lo and behold, there Cody is at the playground, fully expecting the FIP to come pick him up and take him to the circus or some shit. He's swinging pretty unenthusiastically on a swing as Rita, Astor, and Dexter all approach. "Need a push?" asks Rita. No answer. "Today's the day you meet Daddy in the park, huh?" "He'll be here." Rita tells him that no, in fact, he won't. As Dexter watches, he VOs, "After all the lies Harry left me to uncover, I'd love to run away, too." Rita comes up to Dexter and says, "He won't even talk me. I'm not the one in jail, and yet I'm still the bad guy." "Well, you didn't tell them the truth about their father." "I told them Paul was back in jail." "Right, you told them where he is, but you didn't tell them who he is. He's still the same drug-using, wife-beating redneck he always was. They should hear that." Amen, brother. You can't protect them forever. Rita looks a little pissed. "You're not a parent." Ouch. "You don't understand. You'd do anything to protect your kids." "Rita, wake up. You're not protecting them, you're protecting Paul." "I gotta get them home," she says, all pissy. No, Rita. Come on. Where's the trust? Dexter watches on as Rita leaves with the kids.
LaGuerta grabs a Snickers bar out of the cabinet in the break room, and smiles. "Somebody's in a good mood," comments Doakes. "The commissioner and the review board did not look happy this morning. They've been in Matthews' office for two hours," she says. "You think his ass is about three shades of red right now?" "I don't care what color it is, as long as it's on its way out the door!" Oh, snap! Their giggling doesn't last long, because right then Mathstor walks by with the commissioner and the review board, and they're all sharing a chuckle, too. Looks like things didn't go so bad for Mathstor, after all. LaGuerta is not psyched about this development: "They're probably planning a fucking tee time." "Maria, watch your back," Doakes says. "He's going to be gunning for you now more than ever." "Let him try," she says confidently.
Angel's being visited by a cop who's got a bag of fast food, and Nina walks in. "That'd better be a bag of applesauce," she says, pissed. "Okay, Juan, at this point, you should go save yourself. Go on," says Angel. Juan does as he's told, and Nina looks in the bag. "Oh, you've got to be kidding me! Two double-meats?" "A man's gotta eat," Angel says. Nina tosses the bag aside, and sits on the bed. "You're so cute when you're annoyed. Your mouth makes those little O's." "Goddammit, Angel, does it look like I'm being fuckin' cute with you?" "Well, not now, you don't, no." She tells him he always makes light of things that matter. He tells her he's sorry, and that when he comes home he'll eat anything she wants, "no jokes, no complaining, I promise." "When you come home?" she says. Angel was under the impression that their relationship was on the mend and that she'd forgiven him. She says, "Of course I forgive you. I forgave you a long time ago." "Okay, so let's fix this." She explains to him that him cheating only opened their eyes to the fact that they were both miserable for a long time before that even happened. "Do you really want to survive this and go right back to being unhappy?" "What if I do?" She says that she'll always be there for him, but that the marriage is over. He looks sad, poor guy.
Mathstor walks right into LaGuerta's office without knocking. "Yes, by all means, Tom, come right on in." He wants to have a chat. Maria congratulates him mockingly for having such a stellar review. "Let me get right to the point," he says. "All our mishaps these past few months: failure to bring in the Ice Truck Killer, mishandling of Tony Tucci, even Neil Perry --" "Neil Perry was your fuck-up, not mine." "They're all the result of a bad command structure, and that's my failure." "Well, I'm glad to hear you say that. It takes a big man to admit his own mistakes." Mathstor tells LaGuerta that the commissioner gave him permission to restructure the department. "Effective immediately, you will no longer serve as my Lieutenant." Damn, that's harsh. Maria tries to raise a stink, but Mathstor barrels through: "Your replacement has already been selected. Her name is Esmé Pascal, a transfer from Ft. Lauderdale, a real up-and-comer." "Pascal, the Haitian-American? The one who got shot last year in the line of duty?" "Mmm, turns out she's an actual hero." Wow, Tom. That was cold as ice, son! Also, true. "If you think I'm going to stay quiet through this, you're out of your mind," says LaGuerta. "I did warn you, Maria. I'm going to need you to clean out this office tonight." Maria rails at him, telling him to expect to hear from her union rep (they have union reps when they're that high up?) and her lawyer, and that "this is far from fucking over, Tom!" Coolly, he leaves the office after telling her "there's always a place for you in the bullpen," and she tosses a bunch of shit off of her desk. She is not pleased.
Rita's visiting FIP, and as soon as he sees her enter, he says, "Ah, you gotta be kidding me." Who'd you expect, dude? Your legion of fans? She asks how he's doing. "How the hell do I look? I can barely remember how I got here." "There's something we need to discuss." "If you came here for an apology, you wasted a tank of gas," he says, rising. "Sit, I'm not finished." "Fuck you." She tells him that the kids are in the other room, and it gets his attention. She continues to tell him that she wants him to explain to them why he's in there, no matter how difficult it is for him. He says he has no idea why he's there, which is actually true, for a change. "Fine, you want to be in denial? Go ahead. You will never see your kids again." She gets up to leave, and he tells her to wait. FIP tells her that he worked so hard to get the kids back on his side that for them to see him in jail would crush everything. "Paul, if you want to have any kind of real relationship with them, it has to be with the father they have, not the father they wish they had." She mentions that she's endured all of his bullshit so that Astor and Cody wouldn't have to, and now's his chance to make it all right. "I wouldn't know what to say," he whispers. "Tell them you're paying for your mistakes. It's a valuable lesson. It's one you never got. So, what's it going to be?" He nods his head solemnly, and Rita lets the kids in. They're super-amped to see him, and his face lights up. As they embrace, Paul looks like he actually understands what it's all about for once in his life. Instead of using his kids a tool for spite and malice, he looks like he might actually take the opportunity to get to know them before he gets a shank to the liver like Angel did. He actually looks like he might cry. He's not off the hook just yet, but I do feel some sympathy for the guy.
Speaking of Angel, Dexter's visiting with him now, but it's not a social call. Dexter tells Angel about the blood drop on his shirt that wasn't his, and that he just wants to check the back of his head. Angel's fine with it (it's not like he has anywhere else to be, or a wife to go home to), and he asks how he and Rita are doing. "Not so good, actually. We kind of...had words. I think I really upset her." "That's rough, man." "Maybe I'm not the right person for her," he says as he starts looking through Angel's hair. "Some people are meant to be alone, right?" "Dex, alone sucks -- hijo de puta!" Dexter found some teeth marks on the back of Angel's head. "You definitely wounded this guy," Dexter tells him. "Good. I hope I broke his fucking nose. Or at least gave him a fat lip." At this, the camera zooms in on Dexter as an enlightened look dawns on his face and a whooshing sound overwhelms the soundtrack. In a semi-daze, Dex asks Angel if he ever met Deb's boyfriend. "Yeah, I went by his office a couple days ago," Angel replies. "Nice guy. Why?"
Dexter's walking down the hospital corridor as a song that sounds suspiciously like the Prison Break theme plays in the score. The camera angle is all askew, and Dexter looks half-happy, half-barfy. "At lunch, Rudy said he'd hurt his lip that morning. He was lying, and I was too distracted to care. But he's got my full attention, now."
Dexter arrives at the station, and once he exits the elevator he starts looking around frantically. Finally, he finds Deb. "You here tonight?" he asks. "Yeah, we're tits deep in the Ice Truck Killer. We might be on to something. It's gonna be an all-nighter." Dex asks her if the boat journey with Rudy is off, and she says that, unfortunately, it is until they finish their work on the ITK. "Good," says Dexter. "Good? I'm working on the theory that Rudy's going to propose, and now he can't. Why is that good?" Dexter fumbles and says that he meant it's good that they're making progress on the killer. "At least I know my sister is safe tonight," he VOs, "which gives me time to check out my own theory on Rudy."
Back with Deb, who has "defined an area for the residential search," at least that's what she's telling Doakes. "Good," says Doakes. "Well start canvassing tonight, you --" He's cut off by Deb's phone ringing. "That him?" Doakes asks. "Yeah, how'd you know?" "'Cause you got that stupid-ass grin on your face, again." He tells her to take the call, and she does. "Hey, super-cop, what's the word?" Rudy asks. She tells him that she's in the middle of something important. "Got it," he says. "I'll be quick. You never answered my text. Do I have the pleasure of your company this weekend?" Deb sighs: "Yeah, about that..." "Oh, come on, Deb, it's only two days." She tells him about the break in the ITK case, and she assures him that "as soon as we catch this douchebag, you and I are going to spend a whole week together in bed. You are not going to be able to get rid of me." He says that's fine, but he hopes she'll at least join him for dinner tonight. "You gotta eat, right? So, why not eat dinner with me...on this yacht I'm on." Ooh, I hope he has some proper tunes for his voyage! "Where the hell'd you get a yacht?" asks Deb. "I rented it. I thought we'd have a nice couple days together, but we could still have a nice night. And there is that thing we need to talk about..." Deb says she can give him an hour. "A real hour, not one of your let's-stretch-this-out-til-2-AM-might-as-well-stay-and-have-sex hours." Doakes clears his throat obviously, reminding Deb that she's still at work and shit is kind of urgent. Rudy says he understands, and they hang up. Oh, boy. Dexter is not going to be happy with this development.
Speaking of Dexter, he's at Rudy's crib now, about to break in. "Thinking Rudy attacked Batista doesn't make any sense. He's a loving boyfriend, he spends his life helping people in need...he brought me steaks. Now that's just rude." He looks at Rudy's front door and wonders, "Now, why would Rudy need an industrial grade lock?" Then, looking up, "...and a security camera? How do I get his DNA, now?" He goes around back and starts rooting through the industrial trash bin. "At times like this, I wish the truth was more easily accessible, and less...ripe." Heh, word. That shit looks gross. He finds a bag of Rudy's and starts flipping through discarded pre-approved credit card applications and other junk mail. "Harry taught me to trust my gut. 'People lie all the time,' he said, 'but your instinct will never fail you.'" He finds a cotton swab with blood on it, "from a cut lip, perhaps?" He pockets the swab.
Deb arrives at the marina, where Rudy and his rose- and christmas-light-adorned yacht are sitting. Poor Deb. She's been so blinded by this guy's romantic game and his manipulation of her low self-esteem. I know she's annoying, but she doesn't deserve this. If she lives through this, she's is going to be severely mind-fucked. "Fuck me!" she says, ecstatic. Rudy smiles, holding a white rose, and says, "I believe your rules prohibit such action." Yeah, hardy-har. Stepping aboard, Deb asks, "Did you do all this?" In fact, he did. Deb tells him that she has to go pretty much immediately: "I hit traffic. It took me thirty minutes to get here, so now I have to turn around and go right back." Without a word, Rudy gets down on one knee with a jewelry box in his hand. Deb, predictably, starts giggling like a school-girl. "Hold on, hold on, wait --" she stammers. "Well, you're sort of forcing my hand, here. I wanted to wait until we were out on the water, but...here goes," he says, holding up the ring that he took off of the dead hooker's prosthetic arm. "I know this seems fast, but I feel that I've waited my whole entire life for you, and now that you're here, I don't want you leave." He then asks her to marry him, and she says, "I knew it! I fucking knew it!" "Is that your version of a yes?" She says it is, but she wants to savor it, and be with him to enjoy it. "I get it," he says. "You do?" "No, not really, but I can work with it." "Oh my God. I can still wear the ring, right?" He says yes, but "there's a condition." Uh-oh. Conditions are no good. He tells her it would be cruel for her to leave her fiancé "on a yacht with a cold meal and an unopened bottle of champagne." Deb agrees to one glass of champagne, and kisses Rudy really hard on the lips.
Dexter urgently walks up to a lab technician who's rocking out to her iPod, and asks her for a blood comparison. Her music's too loud, so he rips out her earbuds. "Hey, these two, tested against each other, right now." She's on it without a word. Hilarious.
Out in the hall, Dexter's calling Deb, but it goes straight to voicemail (her outgoing message is, "It's Deb. Do it," which I kind of love. Is that wrong? Didn't think so. Don't email me). Dex leaves her an urgent message, telling her to call back as soon as she can.
Deb and Rudy are in the cabin on the yacht, and Deb is commenting on how amazing it is. "I didn't know you went for stuff like this," she says. Rudy says she has a lot to learn about him, and boy, that's the truth, huh? He asks Deb if it was her phone heard ringing, and she says it was Dexter, but she let it go to voicemail. "Good," Rudy says as he brings two champagne flutes over to her. "I want you all to myself." They toast to "what comes ," and Deb notices that Rudy's not drinking. He was too busy popping a lozenge (!) into his mouth. He kisses her, and she says, "You taste like menthol, which, as it turns out, is not that sexy." She picks up the lozenge wrapper on the table as an orchestral rush in the score tells us that maybe a realization is dawning on her. "What's the matter?" asks Rudy, noticing the shift in her demeanor. "Nothing, just bad memories," she says. "Oh, that's right," Rudy says, embracing her from behind. "That was the one clue the Ice Truck Killer left behind, right?" "How'd you know that?" "I don't often make mistakes, but when I do, they haunt me." Okay, so I guess this is the beginning of the end. Jesus, I would be pissing myself. "Your champagne's getting warm," says Deb, now getting disturbed. Rudy says there's something he's been meaning to ask her: "How did you not know who I was? You're a cop." "This isn't funny," she says. "I think a real cop," Rudy continues, "would at least have a sense that she was in the presence of the person she was hunting." He begins strangling her, while rubbing in how easy it was for him to fool her, because she was "so desperate to fall in love." After about ten seconds of struggle and Deb's one last gasp of "Stop," he succeeds in cutting off enough oxygen to her brain to make her pass out.
Dexter checks his phone again, and he has no missed calls. Watched pot, dude. Well, it doesn't really matter whether you watch it or not: she ain't callin' back, homey. Masuka walks up, and he has the report on the ITK's latest victim. He explains that one arm was shorter than the other because the victim was an amputee. "He cut off the extra piece of wrist so that we wouldn't see the stump!" Dexter looks at the report. "That night Batista was stabbed?" Masuka continues. "He was following up on a lead he got from a one-handed call girl. Guess what the lead was about?" "The Ice Truck Killer?" "Booyah." I love Masuka. Dexter races down to the DNA lab.
"Are you sure?" Dexter asks the iPod girl. "Positive," she answers. "The samples you gave me were a match." More askew camera angles of Dexter's face reveal his full understanding of the gravity of the situation, and he looks sweaty and fucked up. "Hey, are you alright?" asks iPod. He doesn't answer, he just heads back to the office in a rush. Can't blame him. Although, what has Deb done for him, lately? Nothing, that's what.
Dexter asks that random cop from the earlier briefing where Deb is, and the guy says she went to dinner about an hour ago. "She's supposed to be here." Dexter grabs a radio, and asks dispatch to raise Debra Morgan. Dispatch says she's been out of range for a half-hour. Dexter books it out of there.
Outside, he leaves Deb another message: "Where the fuck are you? I'm here at work, and you're not. I need to talk to you. Do not see Rudy until you find me." Damn, this is getting hectic, son!
Rudy, now steering the yacht alone, hears a beep. He looks down and sees that Deb has missed another call from Dexter. He serenely tosses the phone into the water. The camera pans down and we see a bound and unconscious Deb lying on the floor below.
So, that was some pretty intense action near the end, there. Obviously, the missing details of October 3, 1973 are going to reveal whatever connection Rudy and Dexter share. How is this going to end? How is Dexter going to handle this without revealing himself? And what about LaGuerta's replacement? Is she going to be awesome or totally botch everything? LaGuerta's character has really grown on me as we've learned more about what motivates her. Also, there's FIP. Is he going to remember what actually happened? How will Dexter explain it if he does? That's probably the least of his worries right now. Guess we'll just have to wait and see!