Dexter is in the grocery store and sees a grown man talking to Astor. His radar tells him that the guy is a predator, so he jots down his license plate number. He looks him up later and turns out he's a registered sex offender.
At the station, Deb hasn't discovered the identity of her Jane Doe (Teegan). Javier, the pimp who helped her connect Teegan and Freebo, turns up dead with a patch of skin missing -- the same way that Teegan was found. So, everybody's fired up to get Freebo, though Dexter and Miguel know that they're not going to have any luck. Miguel tells Dexter to lead him to Freebo's body so they can divert the station from their current wild goose chase. Dexter begs off this task, insisting that an inexperienced killer like himself would have left evidence on the body. Miguel's brother, Ramon, is really rude to Dexter about Freebo not being "found." Also, Miguel brushes off the statement of the person who could exonerate Chicky Hines.
Deb tries to get more info from Anton about Javier, but he doesn't want to do it. In an attempt to get her off his back, he pulls out a joint in front of her and lights it. She arrests him. Quinn freaks out (making him seem a little suspicious), but Deb insists that she was right and Angel agrees. Then, she lets him out and goes to the club where he plays music in order to patch things up. He sings a song in Spanish that he tells her he wrote for her and it ends up being something about a "skinny mean bitch." Those two are going to fall in love.
Sensing that Dexter was uncomfortable with him, Miguel gave Dexter the shirt that he was wearing the night of Freebo's death. The one with Freebo's blood on it. It incriminates him, so he wants Dexter to have it, so they're in this together. Dexter has a buddy!! Dexter catches the guy from the grocery store taking pictures of Astor at the beach, so he strangles him later at his house. It brings out a very paternal quality in him, so he goes home and lets Rita know that he's down for raising his child.
Previously: Rita is pregnant, but Dexter is unsure about how involved he will be in the child's upbringing. The ADA Miguel Prado's brother, Oscar, was killed (by Dexter, by accident). His murder, as well as the murder of an unidentified (though Dexter knew her -- Teegan) girl, were pinned on Freebo. Teegan was missing a patch of skin on her shoulder when she was found. Debra has been using the help of Anton, an informant referred to her by Quinn. He has warned her not to use Anton too much. Internal Affairs wants Deb to help them monitor Quinn, but she's resisting. Maria knows of information that would exonerate a man prosecuted recently by Miguel. Dexter killed Freebo and Miguel caught him. He told Miguel that it was self-defense and a grateful Prado pledged to keep it their secret.
Dexter is at the grocery store. He VO's that the grocery store is the modern day equivalent of the Serengeti, where the mighty lion goes to hunt. That doesn't say a lot for our hunting skills, does it? Though I'll be damned if I can find everything that's on my list, EVER. And, could you look at me, lady at the register? I'll be out of your hair just as soon as you ring up the third of the fucking items I could find from my list. You can pick up your conversation with the clerk two registers over just as soon as I'm gone. We see a kindly old lady offer Dexter a sample of cheese on a toothpick, which he gladly receives. He continues his VO, saying that his "weaker brethren" reward him with gifts. Do lions do that? Reward the mightier lions? Britannica doesn't say anything about that. I think maybe Dex is just partaking in a half-baked metaphor.Rita sidles up to his cart and points at a display of diapers. She says that they will need a lot of diapers soon. Dex just sort of nods at her blankly and VO's that "the lioness" has her own agenda. Actually, the lioness does most of the hunting. Just saying. Astor and Cody show up and put things in the cart. They're helping Dex complete his grocery list. Seriously, there should be a service. He sends them away for the two items on his list. Mac n' cheese for Cody and mayo for Astor. Rita is stunned that he alphabetizes his grocery list and he responds, "How else would you do it?" Well, Dex, I don't remember things that I need for my pantry in an alphabetical fashion. So, I'd probably just make a list, just like yours, but not alphabetized. Not trying to nitpick, but someone who exhibits an OCD is usually aware that it's out of the ordinary. Just because you have an uncontrollable urge to lick buttons or straighten the tassels on the Persian rug all of time doesn't mean you aren't aware that it's a freak thing to do. His comment effectively ended the conversation, so maybe that was his tactic.
He rounds the corner with his cart to find Astor talking to an adult guy. Dexter VO's that his intuition lets him know when another "predator" is sniffing around his "cubs." They really don't know much about lions, is all I'm saying. Dex approaches and stares the guy down. Astor says that he asked her where the Cheerios are and the guy just looks back at Dex, apparently unaware that he is trying to get himself killed. Dex sends him to aisle 3 and the guy thanks them and leaves. They grab some zucchini and they're out of there. Outside, Dexter writes down (on his grocery list) the license plate number of the guy in the store, "just in case."
At the station, Vince is passing out copies of "FQ", Forensics Quarterly. Damn, that journal must have a pretty fast turnaround if he got published that quickly. No one seems enthusiastic about it. Quinn opens it up, as Vince describes the article as "sexy," and reads from the article-- "simultaneous quantification of autosomal and y-chromosomal DNA?" Vince offers to add a personal message to the autograph that he already put on the magazine. Quinn just drops the mag on his desk when Vince walks away.
In the break room, Deb laments not being able to find out Teegan's identity. Also, she says that Freebo hasn't been found. Quinn kind of invades Dexter's space or something at the coffee machine-- the noise he's making annoy Dex and he opens the cabinet, which almost hits Dex in the head. Nothing he's doing is that overtly obnoxious, but maybe Dexter is having some of that intuition that he was talking about earlier. Quinn says to Dex that sugar is much better than artificial sweetener. Then, he asks Dex if he likes milk or cream. Neither. He smiles and says that Dexter isn't the chatty type and Dex agrees that he isn't.
Angel sees Miguel enter the station and he starts self-consciously barking orders about hitting the streets and making phone calls to find Freebo. He's learning from Maria! Miguel starts walking in slow motion and Dex VO's that Miguel is the only living person to have seen him in action. Miguel and Maria hug -- he says that he's still grieving for Oscar and she says that it will get better. He thanks Maria for making Dexter available to him. He says that Dex went to great efforts to make him understand how Oscar's last moments unfolded. Dex hears them talking and wonders via VO why Miguel is trying so hard to be his friend. Miguel suggests to Maria that, since more than 48 hours have passed since Oscar's murder, it is statistically unlikely that they will find Freebo (and realistically unlikely thanks to Dex), so maybe they should call off the investigation. She replies that now is no time to slow down. Nice try, Prado.
Miguel drops by Dexter's desk and invites him to the Viernes Cultural that evening at the beach. He says that he doesn't think that Rita will want to go, but apparently Syl already called her and they're going. Great. When Miguel leaves, Angel asks Maria if Miguel is ever going to question the witness who can exonerate Chicky Hines, which is maybe the best name ever, right? Maria seems pretty evasive and says that she assumed Miguel had already spoken with the witness. Uh huh. "I'm sure he'll get to it," she says and Angel just keeps staring at her. She agrees to have a talk with him.
Deb says that another murder has been reported -- this guy is missing skin like Teegan was. Looks like Freebo struck again. Or not, as Dexter points out in his VO. Miguel watches the update from afar. At the beach, Deb identifies the murder victim as Javier Garza, the guy who led Deb to Freebo via Teegan. He's got an even larger section of missing skin than Teegan had. She puts the lotion on, anyone? Vince says that same sort of knife was used on Javier that was used on Teegan, so it's likely that it's the same killer. Deb is fired up that it's Freebo that did it and Angel agrees. Quinn says it's like the killer is hungry for flesh. Vince asks if perhaps the killer is eating the flesh. What a little weirdo. Everyone just kind of stares at him and he very defensively replies, "There are a lot more cannibals out there than anyone realizes." This dude dates cannibal girls, you know it. Quinn offers that maybe the skin is some sort of trophy. Deb asks Dexter what he thinks and he just says that all of the ideas are good theories. Dex is always really good at not looking suspicious, wouldn't you say? Deb's like, "Way to commit." Angel says that, with this fresh evidence, they have a new chance to catch Freebo. Um. Dexter is really quiet right here. Angel tells all of them not to blow this.
So Deb and Quinn need to gather statements from witnesses. Quinn suggests that Deb talk to the two guys trimming the palm trees nearby (they reported the dead body) while he talks to the two girls in bikinis. What a trooper. Deb asks the tree trimmer if he could come down and talk to her. There's a lingering shot of the tree trimmer before he agrees to come down. Totally the killer. He is all smiley and says that his name is George Washington King. How American! He is so completely and absolutely the killer. I'm sorry -- I'm not giving anything away. They couldn't have made him look like a bad guy any more had they put vampire teeth on him. Not that all vampires are bad. Zombie... eyes? What really makes a zombie a zombie? They're all bad. They couldn't have made him look like a bad guy any more had they given him distinct zombie features. Anyway, the other tree trimmer joins them and he's totally shifty and is all, "I keep my eyes on my work!" He's cute though. Still, if there's not something going on here... I'd be surprised. And living in a parallel universe where reality isn't reality, because he's the killer. Maybe it's like Anton's brother and dad and they're a family of tree-trimming, musician people carvers.
Deb catches up with Dexter and asks him if he wants to got for a drink and talk about her Jane Doe. He can't because he has "stuff going on." What stuff? Let's see, well, Rita's pregnant. Deb is stunned and asks him if he's lying. "A mutherfucking, roly-poly, chubby-cheeked shit machine?" If policing doesn't work out, she should really try out the Iowa Writer's Workshop. Dexter says he'd never heard fatherhood described in those words, but... yes, he's having a kid. She's seriously thrilled and says that she's very happy for him and Rita. I love Jennifer Carpenter.
Later, Dexter is playing with an action figure while Rita is getting ready. She kind of pauses for a second because she's not feeling well (morning sickness, in the afternoon) and Dex asks her if she wants to stay home. She says that she wants to see Syl and she knows how much he enjoys hanging out with Miguel. He VO's that Miguel is his "new bestest friend." Rita tells Dexter that she was at the doctor and filled out an extensive questionnaire about her medical background. She told the doctor that Dex was adopted, and he says he doesn't really know anything about the medical history of his biological parents. He VO's regarding his history, "My mother was killed by a chainsaw. My brother was killed by -- well, me." Rita seems disappointed. He agrees to go the doctor and have himself checked out if that will make her more comfortable. Poor sad Rita seems thrilled by this. She says that she's glad that they are in this together and that he'll make a great father...if he wants to. Seriously, how sad must it be to have morning sickness and be trying to convince the daddy to be a daddy? But, no pressure!
At the beach, we see dancing girls who are a party of Viernes Cultural. Syl offers Rita what appears to be some fried food and says that it will settle her stomach. She says that she's excited about the baby, but Dexter is still overwhelmed. Syl replies that men are babies that need to be carried kicking and screaming into fatherhood. Didn't she just say in the last episode that Miguel kept pressuring her to start a family before he ran for DA? Doesn't sound like he's being dragged to me. Of course, maybe she's just being a good girlfriend and trying to make her feel better. She adds that men are afraid of losing their freedom and this sort of strikes a nerve with Rita.
Miguel introduces Dexter to his other brother Ramon. Ramon asks Dex how it feels to be a part of the team that can't catch his brother's killer. I'm predicting death for Ramon. He can't seem to calm himself. Dex and Miguel walk away and one of the vendors at the festival gives them free beer. Miguel says it's because people know he's on their side. I'm on the side of people and I never get free beer. Not just on the street like that. Miguel asks Dexter how he feels about being a father and Dexter answers that he's having mixed emotions. Miguel says that Dexter will see his way through it. Then, he asks Dex if Freebo is really dead, since Javier's murder is being attributed to him. Dex assures him that he's dead. Miguel asks Dex if he's unsettled and Dex VO's that Miguel is looking for some sort of sign that he's normal. So, he says that he hasn't been sleeping well lately, since he killed Freebo. That was easy. Miguel says that Dexter did the right thing and it will not be forgotten.
Later that night, Dexter researches the guy from the grocery store. His name is Nathan Marten. And, Dexter's instincts were correct -- he's a registered sex offender. He spent four years and jail. There's a knock on Dexter's door. It's Miguel. He can't get rid of this guy. He sounds like he has been drinking. He says that Ramon's rudeness to Dexter has been nagging him and he wanted to come and apologize. He brought a bottle of rum. So, they go out on the landing. I love how Dexter's too OCD to let him come into his home. Later, after it seems that Miguel has had a few, he tells a story about how as a barely teenager, his father caught him drinking his rum and hit him with the bottle. Gave him eight stitches. That's crazy. He probably spilled the rest of the booze. Way to punish someone for drinking your stuff -- by spilling the rest of it? Stupid dad. Jimmy Smits is very good at playing drunk. His voice is higher and a little childlike and it just seems really appropriate to me. He says that his father was a college professor in Cuba and he was five when they came to America. His father was angry for the rest of his life about what Castro stole from him. Miguel says his father thought he was a failure and Dexter (who is only fake drinking) says that his own father was disgusted with him and neither Rita nor Deb know that. Miguel says his father was an idiot. He also says that his own father wasn't around for Oscar. Dexter replies, "Sorry," and via VO, "that I killed him." They "drink" to Oscar.
Miguel suggest that they dump Freebo's body somewhere and they'll make sure that Ramon hears about it -- case closed. Dexter says that the body is gone, but Miguel persists and says that he can just show him where it is. This is getting stressful. Dexter says that he will take him to the burial place the day. Miguel leaves and Dexter dumps the drink he wasn't drinking anyway.
Deb finds Anton at a restaurant. He hasn't been answering her phone calls and she had to track him down. She wants information about Javier. He leaves the table and goes to the restroom. He's trying to get away from her -- he says that a conversation with her (like the one she had with Javier) could get you killed. She won't leave him alone, so he pulls out a joint. He doesn't believe that she'll arrest him, but he doesn't think she'd want to be around while he's smoking an illegal drug. He was wrong -- she arrests him. These two are really hot together.
At the hospital, Dex is getting an MRI. There's a sort of ham-fisted analogy between him being a killer and paying some one so that he can be "virtually dissected." He has a vision where he imagines Harry comparing his brain scan to others. He shows a brain with a small right hemisphere -- that person can't process emotion; and one scan with a lot of activity in the sub-cortex -- that person has feelings of aggression and violence. Then, he shows Dexter that his own brain scan matches those exactly.
Later, Dexter and Miguel are in a cemetery. Prado is drinking from a bottle of water and looks as though he's nursing a hangover. Dex says that fresh graves are dug a day before a funeral, then they lay a tarp on top. He lies that he put Freebo in one of the graves and covered it with a little dirt, so that it was covered with a casket the day. Great, so Miguel says he'll just have a judge order that the body be exhumed so they can find Freebo's corpse. Dexter fake freaks out and says that he bets his physical evidence is all over the body and they can't exhume it. Miguel agrees, but he says he can't have the homicide department focusing on Freebo when there's another killer on the loose. They need to steer the police in the right direction. Seriously, this is very tense.
Rita and Dexter are on the beach and Astor and Cody are playing at a distance. Rita asks him what he thinks about cowboys. "Rugged American heroes." Not what she meant -- she is thinking of using them for the baby's room. I guess she's planning on a boy? She seems disappointed by his answer. He asks her if she's ready for the yoga class -- that's gonna be good. When they get up to leave, we see a camera frame clicking pics of Astor. It's Nathan, and Dexter sees him. "As the sun sets, the lowly scavengers reveal themselves." Lots of nature metaphors in this episode. Astor recognizes Nathan and Rita asks who he is. Nothing to worry about, he responds. "The lion never fears the jackal," he VO's. Unless you're a cub -- sometimes jackals eat lion cubs. Just adding that.
Believe it or not, here are Rita and Dex in a yoga class. As he's trying to be a "strong warrior" he VO's that this is "absolutely, without a doubt the worst moment of my life." Then, the teacher gets right in his face and talks some yoga mumbo-jumbo to him and he decides that, no, this is the worst moment. He contemplates killing the teacher, says no one would even know what happened. She tells all of the fathers to place their hands on the belly's of the moms and to send positive intentions to the unborn baby. Dexter is afraid of hurting her and she has to pull his hand to her stomach.
At the courthouse, Chicky Hines was sentenced. Outside the courtroom, Miguel tells reporters that he's happy with the sentencing. Maria is waiting for him and asks him why he didn't interview Angel's witness. He says the witness is "probably" just a low-life trying to stay out of jail. He tells Maria to trust him then walks away. Chicky's attorney, played by Anne Ramsey from Mad About You, says that Prado is despicable and should be ashamed of himself for sending an innocent man to prison for 20 years.
Back at the station, Deb jokes to Dex that she's thinking of putting Teegan on a milk carton. This gives Dex an idea. Then, Quinn comes up super-pissed and asks why Deb locked up his CI. She says it's not "his" CI, unless there's something he needs to tell. She's starting to sound like Yuki. She's gonna be with Internal Affairs very soon, I think. Quinn complains to Angel and Deb explains that Anton became hostile, produced and joint, and smoked it. He wouldn't respect her anymore if she didn't arrest him. Angel sides with Deb, then whispers that she needs to cut him loose.
At some marina restaurant, Nathan is sitting alone with his giant camera on the table. Dex sits down with him. He doesn't recognize Dexter and he reminds him about the grocery store. He feigns recognition and Dex cuts him off with, "Shut the fuck up, Nathan. Stay away from my kids." He says that he's a photographer, that's all. But, Dex says he knows who he is. The guy says he made one mistake and he has paid for it. Dexter says that change is impossible. "We are what we are." Not to sound high-falutin, but I wonder if that could be part of Dexter's journey. What if he started to believe that people could change?
That night (Dexter describes night as "good for the hunter, bad for the hunted), he pulls up to Nathan's house. He looks in and sees Nathan unpacking groceries. His house is pretty nice too. Recently released sex offenders are finding better jobs than they used to. Dexter says that Nathan doesn't fit the code, because he hasn't killed anyone. He goes home and pulls a picture of Teegan up and prints it out. Prado calls his cell phone but he doesn't answer. That guy needs to give a brother a little space.
The day, Dexter VO's that Deb is a good cop because she's like a dog with a bone. So, he's leading her to the bone. They meet for lunch and she gives him a yellow onesie with a police badge on the cover. Nice neutral color there. Then, she says that, for a girl, Debra might be a good name. Haven't heard that one before. He says he's not sure if he's going to be around for the baby and she hits him on his arm and calls him a moron. How could he say that? Where would he be without Harry? He says he doesn't want to screw the kid up and she hits him again. He will make a great father, but it's not about him -- it's about the kid. Then, she sees a picture of Teegan on a bulletin board (Dexter put it there). She tells Dex he's the best brother in the world and everything's going to be fine -- then she's out of there.
At the station, Deb and Angel return from having gone to Teegan's apartment. Freebo had been there. Phone records indicate that he called a girl four hours before Teegan was killed and the girl says they were in bed together the day. He also called Teegan's cell phone several times after she was killed, effectively eliminating him as a suspect in her death. Maria is pissed now, because this means they have no trace of Freebo.
Vince sees Quinn's copy of FQ in the garbage with gum on it. He says that it is an insult to him and his people. Quinn tries to apologize, but he calls him asswipe and walks away. Quinn wants to know, "Who the fuck are his people?" Angel says, "Little scientists, I guess." Laughs all around. Angel says that they are starting from square one -- and there are two cases again. He assigns Quinn and Deb to the case of the skinner. And, since he's connected, she needs to make up with Anton.
In the parking lot Deb marvels at her luck with finding Teegan's picture. Dex tells her that you make your own luck, or I guess your brother could make it for you. As Dexter is getting into his car, he gets a call from Miguel. He says to meet him under a bridge. I know it's not in the code, but I'd have to kill Miguel for just making me so nervous all of the time. Miguel is waiting for him. He has good news. He says he's impressed that Dexter got police to not focus on Freebo as the culprit in the extra murders. He says notices that Dexter always has his guard up. He wants Dex to trust him, so he gives him the shirt with Freebo's blood on it. Wow, that's not what I expected to happen with that shirt. It incriminates him, and he wants Dex to trust him, so it's his for safe-keeping. Why? He likes Dex -- he likes working with him. He tells Dex that he is a good man and says Dex has a lot of potential is the only one who doesn't know that. After he's gone, Dexter wonders if he has a friend with who he can share his dark spaces. He certainly has a friend. I don't know about all of the sharing the dark places stuff, but he knows that he can at least trust Miguel.
Deb visits Anton at a music club and apologizes by saying that she feels "not good" about what happened. He says that he's been working on a song about her and she can't hide that she's thrilled.
Meanwhile, Deb is driving and gets a call from Rita. They need milk for the kids' breakfast.
Anton starts playing his song and Deb is totally psyched. It's in Spanish and she tells some girls beside her that the song is about her. One girl says to another girl about Deb, "She's the skinny mean bitch!" Some people have pointed this out on the forums and I think it's a very good point. She's a cop living in Miami who worked undercover in vice... seems like she would know some Spanish. Not that vice is all about Spanish-speaking folks, but your dealing with people on the streets and need their help and, since there are so many Spanish-speaking people in Miami, it would just seem that you would know some of their language. She gets that she's been had and just looks at Anton with a smirk.
Dexter breaks into Nathan's house.
Deb starts dancing to the music and gives Anton a sarcastic thumbs up. I love these two. Awesome chemistry.
Dexter VO's that there is a new code -- Nathan has stepped uninvited into his world. He looks over Nathan's shoulder to find pictures of Astor on his computer, so he strangles him angrily. He says crazily mid-strangle, "I am not like you." After it's over, he says, "Nobody hurts my children." As he drags Nathan through kitchen, he looks in the fridge and grabs milk.
Dexter goes home to Rita with milk. He grabs her stomach like he didn't in yoga. He says he's sending his positive intentions to their baby. She gets it. He says he's going to be a father and raise his child. What any man would do. "It's a jungle out there."
Jeff Long needs milk and also toilet paper. Must remember to get those. He can be reached at jeff.long75@gmail.com
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