Episode Report Card Jeff Long: B+ | 2 USERS: A- YOU GRADE IT Meeting Miguel
By Jeff Long | Season 3 | Episode 9 | Aired on 11.23.2008
In a hurry? Read the recaplet for a nutshell description! Finished? Click here to close.We pick up the day after Dexter and Miguel killed Billy Fleeter. Before he leaves for work, Syl shows up at his house asking if he'd been out with Miguel the night before. He had -- only Miguel had gotten home just an hour earlier, while Dexter got home around midnight. Dexter catches up with Miguel to see where he was and he says that he went to a bar to unwind (until 5am), only Dexter happened to have nabbed a guy at that bar last year and knows that it closes at 2 am. So, he's already suspecting him of lying. He gets to the station and hears that Maria has been trying to reach Ellen unsuccessfully and knows that something is up.
Practically the whole department descends upon Anton's apartment to try to figure out what happened to him. It looks like he was kidnapped while taking out the trash. We see that George Washington King is indeed The Skinner and is killing people connected to Freebo. He owed him money but now it's more of a respect thing. Anton, of course, knows nothing about Freebo's whereabouts so he loses a fair amount of skin on his back before King leaves for work. He gets picked up by Quinn and Deb and brought in for questioning. Dexter sees him and tells Deb that he's sure that he's The Skinner.
Dexter breaks into Ellen's home and finds traces of blood on the floor. All the while, his vision of Harry is all "I Told You So." He reckons that Miguel would try to dispose of a body in a freshly dug grave (that's how he told him he got rid of Freebo), so he goes to the graveyard to check -- and he finds Ellen. He confronts Miguel and says that he isn't supposed to be taking on any solo missions -- and that they'd decided Ellen was innocent. Miguel responds that they have a different idea of what an innocent person is. Dex explains how he only killed Ellen for standing in his way and Miguel tells him that he's a very wise person. Later, Miguel bumps into Rita on his way to apologize to Syl. She tells him that he is being an idiot for the way he is treating Syl and he tells her that she's a very wise person. She repeats this to Dexter and he starts to realize that Miguel is a total bullshitter.
Deb goes completely ape shit on King, who won't say anything. Quinn pulls her back several times -- including once when she throws the dude on the ground and looks like she's about to spit in his mouth. Mario, his assistant tree trimmer, is too frightened to say anything about King. Even Miguel tries to get some info out of him (he turns the video camera off in the interview room) to no avail, so they have to set King loose. Deb has the trees trimmed at Mario's house and drops him off. When he sees the trimmed trees, he freaks out and says that Deb must have told King that he ratted on him. He says that King works at a building under the highway that he rents with cash, so she and Quinn speed there. King runs off before getting caught, but they find Anton!
Knowing that he's a liar, Dexter decides to check the blood on the shirt that Miguel gave him as collateral for his knowledge about Freebo. It's not Freebo's blood. It's cow blood. He has a vision where he freaks the fuck OUT. Then, he says that Miguel was just responsible for his first real feeling. And, it's still murderous. This is getting good. And, practically zero wedding talk!! Except they're going with a hazelnut chocolate cake.
Want more? The full recap starts right below!I hope that everyone had a great Thanksgiving! I for one am very thankful that we get to spend this wholesome holiday together analyzing everyone's favorite mass murderer. Previously: Miguel and Dexter killed a bad guy together. Deb's research leads her to believe that The Skinner is monitoring his victims while trimming trees. Dexter refused to kill Ellen Wolf, causing Miguel's temper to flair. Anton is missing and Deb believes that The Skinner has him.
Dexter is waking up and VO'ing through his morning routine. He kisses Rita, makes lunch for the kids, showers and dresses, and puts on his pretense. Is that the new David Beckham cologne? He continues, VO'ing that there was no pretense between him and Miguel last night, when they killed Billy Fleeter. He's psyched. Someone knows his "truth." He's not alone. At least, it seems like he's happy about that.
There's a knock at the door -- it's Syl, and she doesn't look happy. She says that she needs to see Dexter's face as she asks him a question -- was he with Miguel last night? Dexter confirms that they were indeed together -- they were out late and Dexter didn't get home until midnight. That's funny, because it's real light outside and Miguel just got home AN HOUR ago. Rita comforts Syl as she starts crying and saying that Miguel is having an affair. Rita tells her that she can't be sure of that -- which is nice of her, I guess. Except Rita has had experience with shitty partners and lying about our whereabouts is definitely a bad sign and you'd think she'd want to spare someone the same pain that she has gone through. But, we know that Rita likes to work through stuff, so this probably makes sense. Syl says that, when you have been married as long as she and Miguel have been, you know when the other is lying. Dex VO's that that's something to look forward to. Um, I think you're safe with Rita. In fact, she asks Dexter if he knows where Miguel went. He doesn't -- which makes Syl feel worse. He tries to make the situation feel better by clumsily adding that he knows that Miguel had a case that he needed to work on, at the office. No one believes him. Syl says that this isn't their problem and she gets up to go, but Rita stops her. She says that Syl will stay there as long as she needs to be there. Dexter says that he's going to leave for work and he does.
Outside, Dexter's face gets really steely and he VO's that he will be making a detour before work. He arrives at Miguel's house, just as Miguel is leaving. He's dressed for work and whistling "Camptown Races." He sees Dexter and is all smiles. He hugs Dex and asks him if he's OK. He is. Miguel says that there was an imbalance in the world and they fixed it, with their own hands. He adds that he feels "real," maybe for the first time in his life. Well, if he wants to continue their "extracurricular activities" (he does), Miguel will need to work on his alibi. He tells him that Syl dropped by their house wondering where he'd been. Miguel is immediately contrite and says that he's a moron -- he needed to unwind after the killing and went to Jack's Hideaway, a bar. The next think he knew, the sun was coming up. He says that he will take care of Syl -- now he's got to get to work for a motion hearing that he doesn't want to miss. Before he drives away, he tells Dexter that he will get better at this with Dexter's help. Then, he's gone. Dexter VO's that he nabbed a wife-killer at Jack's Hideaway last year, right at closing time, which was 2 AM. Syl said that Miguel got home just an hour ago, so now he's wondering if Miguel just lied to him.