Let's go in reverse order of importance: Deb's investigation of Nikki reveals that she's deeply in debt, but she advises Masuka still to give Nikki a chance. He screws it all up, though, when he lets on that he checked into her, which zzzzz. Elway tells Deb he wants to investigate his sister "Susan"'s scumbag cheater boyfriend, and to do so, he'd like him and Deb to pose as a couple. When that doesn't work, she offers to bait the guy, but it goes a little too well for Elway and he jealously ends up decking the dude. Deb finally realizes he liiiiikes her but doesn't know what to do about it, which we can probably all relate to.
Dexter goes out with Cassie, who seems a little put off by how boring he seems to be, and when Dexter turns up to Jamie's beach birthday party, Cassie's there with another guy, and Dexter seems almost to care?
Matthews tells Batista to get on with picking a Sergeant already and not to try to use him as the bad guy if he picks Angie. Batista does, in fact, go that route, and Quinn and Jamie both are livid.
Finally, Dexter catches Harrison in a lie, and when he confronts him, Harrison points out that Dexter lies too as he produces his bloody stuffed animal from the season premiere, saying that Dexter told him the thing was lost, but he saw him throwing it out. Rather than shatter his son, Dexter lets him keep the thing despite it having blood on it linking him to a murder, so that could turn out really well for him.
Okay, now the big stuff. Having sensed his bloodlust and witnessed his penchant for photographing grisly death scenes, Dexter vets "Zack" Hamilton – and discovers he's a patient of Vogel's. Dexter confronts Vogel about it, but she's unwilling to abandon her treatment of the boy, and she asks Dexter to come to her first should he find any conclusive proof that Zack is a killer. At another murder scene, Dexter observes Zack taking more pictures, so he invites him behind the police tape and gives him a little blood-spatter intro in an effort to gain his trust. This results in Zack inviting Dexter over to his photography studio, where Dexter sees more evidence of how much Zack is into blood and death.
Meanwhile, Quinn, hoping to try to reverse Batista's decision, decides to tail Zack 24/7 to try to solve the Rivera case, and Dexter gets wind of that and decides to tag along for a bit so he can at least keep an eye on Quinn. He's not too thrilled when Quinn brings up the issues Deb and Dexter obviously had and the fact that Deb confessed to killing LaGuerta, but the ride is worth it when he realizes Zack is checking out a particular woman in an outdoor yoga class – the same one Dexter saw a photo of in Zack's lab, making her his likely victim. Realizing that Zack probably takes "after" photos of his victims as well, Dexter breaks into his studio and finds the proof he's been looking for, and he brings the photos to Vogel – only to learn she already knew Zack murdered Rivera.
She proposes that the two of them teach Zack the Code, but Dexter hates the idea and resolves to kill Zack anyway. He tracks Zack to the boy's attempt, whereupon he sees that the potential victim is fooling around with Zack's father – but instead of pursuing the girl, Zack moves to kill his dad. Dexter and his needle prevent that, and on Dexter's table, Zack confesses that his father's affairs are destroying his mother, so he killed to protect her – but also because he has a need, just like Dexter. When Dexter realizes how much he and the kid share, he opts for Vogel's plan, so suddenly we've got a third generation of the family. Can't wait for him to meet Aunt Deb.
Oh, and speaking of people who have survived Dexter's table, HANNAH RETURNS, even putting something in Deb's tea for old time's sake. I'm assuming she survives, BUT STILL.
We get right into it this week, as our first shots are close-ups of the aftermath of a brutal motorcycle accident. Zack Hamilton, the son whose given name we did not learn last week, is nearby snapping photo after photo with an actual camera as Dexter watches from his car and DVO notes that Zack seems obsessed with blood, just like him. He goes on that he's been vetting Zack for a week and as yet still lacks proof that he killed Rivera, but he's sure if he keeps at it the truth will become clear. However, he then tails Zack's Porsche to Vogel's door, and in deference to Vogel's heritage I'll note that we've suddenly got a spanner in the works.
Later, Dexter sees Zack get back in his car and take off, whereupon he marches straight into Vogel's place and asks without preamble if Zack is now a client of hers. Vogel gives the obligatory amused "nice to see you too" before explaining that Zack's father contacted her – as I mentioned, it seemed very likely last episode that he knew what his son had done to Rivera – because of her work with psychopaths, although she only says Hamilton was concerned with his son's "propensity for violence." If I were Dexter, I'd wonder what violent behavior Hamilton was referring to if not the Rivera murder, but I suppose that won't affect Dexter's process – as he tells Vogel, if he can find solid proof of Zack being a murderer, he'll kill him.
Vogel somewhat blithely notes that they have a conflict of interest, to which Dexter expresses his disbelief that Vogel's going to continue her work with killers after the Yates fiasco. Rather than point out that she had a recent win with Deb, Vogel informs Dexter that ethics preclude her discussing Zack any further, and although they have a good laugh about that, Vogel says this is her work – she treats dangerous people, and besides, he doesn't have any proof about Zack. Dexter replies that he will, so Vogel asks him to come to her before killing Zack should he succeed in his search. Probably will want to bill for a double session before the end, I'd guess. Dexter gruffly says he'll think about it, but he's not going to deny her. She's the Psychopath Whisperer, remember?
Oh no, there's a familiar-looking but unidentified building! How will I fight the panic of not knowing where we are for the two seconds before the actual scene starts? Now that I think about it, though, I wonder if the show gets a tax incentive for including a certain percentage of filmed-in-Florida footage. (You all know the bulk of it is filmed in Long Beach, just south of LA, right?) Anyway, Masuka is getting the results of Deb's check into his daughter, and she's in debt up to her ears, with a credit score so low it would have sounded made up pre-George W. It's so bad that collection agencies are involved, but Deb still thinks it's not definite that Nikki's after Masuka for money, although Masuka does tell her that "oops I forgot my purse" move she pulled last episode has become habitual. Ick. Deb, however, gives the practical advice that if Masuka likes having Nikki in his life, he should wait it out until things become clear one way or the other, and Masuka agrees before giving Deb a hug I find endearing in spite of myself. Deb seems to feel the same way, but soon Elway's calling her into his office for a new case – involving his sister. You see, she's dating a, to use a term I first heard from Malory Archer, notorious poonhound, one who keeps a hotel suite solely to service all the tail he pulls, and since "Susan" hasn't listened to his warnings, he wants to catch the guy in the act. He adds that the job will be "a lot less conspicuous if we work this as a couple," which is an odd choice of phrase – it sounds like he's saying he wants them to pose as a couple, but since it becomes clear later that he and the boyfriend have met, that doesn't seem like a possible approach. Maybe it's just for the benefit of others who might ask questions, and not that it's worth spending that much time on anyway, so let's just say Deb isn't thrilled about getting involved in another family's business but agrees. How does Elway make any money, seriously?
Dexter's watching Harrison put together a jigsaw puzzle when Jamie walks in with a basket of laundry and reminds him that her birthday party is in "a few days" (not a thing anyone would ever say; give him the exact day if you want him to remember) on the beach outside Papa's, and he should bring Harrison. Dexter agrees, and then Jamie brings up Cassie, smiling that she hears he's got a date with her today. Dexter equivocates about calling it a date, and after Jamie whatevers that, she tells him the TV remote has been missing since the day and she thinks "somebody" hid it. Dexter asks said somebody if he took it or knows where it is, but Harrison tells him no, and at age four he's already a better liar than a lot of people I've seen on this show. Guess he is his father's son. Dexter then gets a text about a homicide, so he tells Harrison he'll have to finish the puzzle on his own, to which Harrison replies, "I'm doing all the work anyway!" Young man! When did you start to get awesome? Dexter's unfazed by the passive aggression and heads on out the door…
…and then he's arriving at the scene of the crime, the exterior of which makes it look like it might be some kind of educational institution. Dexter sees the victim, a young woman, lying face up on the ground, her head against the wall and surrounded by copious amounts of blood. Batista tells the group they've already got the woman's boyfriend in custody – a witness saw him fleeing the scene, "and he forgot to change his bloody socks." He'll never hear the end of that one in the pen. Dexter then sees Zack is once again on the scene and figures this is an opportunity…
…and then sometime later, Dexter's the last of the MM personnel left. He sees Zack possibly getting ready to go as well, so he approaches and greets him by name. Zack recalls that Dexter was at his house and asks if they figured out who killed Rivera, but Dexter tells him it's a dead end before noting that Zack obviously likes to shoot crime scenes. Zack tells Dexter he's got a police scanner on his phone, and his tone is breezy enough, but when Dexter invites him behind the police tape to get a closer look, Zack looks like he just found the psycho version of a Golden Ticket.
Zack approaches the grisly scene with eerie reverence as DVO recalls feeling the same way when he was younger and how it only fed his urge to kill. Zack asks if he can take some pictures, and Dexter tells him it's normally against protocol, but after a quick look around to make sure the coast is clear, he tells Zack to go for it. As he does, Zack asks some questions about the murder in front of them, and DVO realizes offering information is likely to be reciprocated, so Dexter gives him an analysis of the spatter, and Zack is duly impressed. Zack then brings up the murderer, asking how they caught him, and Dexter tells him about his sloppiness; when he mentions the guy was seen driving away, Zack asks what kind of car he had, and DVO is all over the idea that Zack is asking because he heard about his Porsche being spotted, so he tells Zack no one noticed. Zack suggests the killer should have worn gloves and long sleeves to cover himself up, and while it sounds like this was an unplanned crime of passion, that's not really the point – the relevant thing is that Zack is learning the tools to up his game. Having seen enough, Zack thanks Dexter and turns to go, but Dexter chases after him with his card and asks Zack to give him a call after he prints the photos up so he can take a look. Zack, possibly wondering if he's being asked out, appears momentarily wary but agrees…
…and then it's actual date time for Dexter. They're eating at a food truck, as apparently Cassie owns one and as such feels the need to scope out the competition. Dexter says he wouldn't have missed the peanut-butter-and-Nutella fries, and I'm having difficulty with the fact that the whole scene is not spent on that subject, but Cassie moves on to asking Dexter what he likes to do for fun, is passionate about, etc., and Dexter seriously cannot come up with anything – he even makes his boat sound boring. Cassie actually kind of disbelievingly laughs at how little Dexter seems to have going on in his life before suggesting that they get some alcohol, and that scene was uncomfortable enough to watch that it's hard to argue the suggestion.
Speaking of booze, in a hotel bar, the sleaze in question sits on a stool and does some low-level leering as, from a safe distance, a hipster-straw-fedora-wearing Elway watches and seethes. Deb wonders if things between him and his sister are strained, so he tells her that he has no problem, but he left home when Susan was just a kid and was bad about keeping in touch after, so he's not her favorite person. Deb expresses sympathy, and then they note that the guy appears to be calling it a night, so Deb suggests she set him up. Elway's not thrilled about the idea, but when Deb points out that she did a lot worse than that when she worked Vice – and, they do not note, while working for him as well – he agrees, saying he only needs a couple shots of the guy hitting on her. Deb makes a joke about popping out a couple of babies with him, but with Jennifer Carpenter's rail-thin body I can only imagine "popping out" would be as far from her actual childbirth experience as possible.
There's a knock at Zack's photo studio door, and whatever apprehension he may have felt before is gone as he enthusiastically thanks Dexter for coming and for the doughnuts he's brought. Well, it's not bad for a last meal. Dexter looks at all the photos meticulously arranged on the wall as DVO notes that Zack "treats the blood like a swimsuit model." Hee. Dexter looks like some real admiration is mixing in with the usual fakery as he decrees them "very colorful," and Zack confides that while a lot of photographers like to tone down their reds, he likes to "ride the saturation." He eagerly offers to make Dexter some prints, but Dexter tells him he's got plenty of his own, which reminds Zack that this all started at a crime scene. "I keep thinking that dead chick spilled all that blood just for me." Dexter, how much more proof do you need? That statement alone is enough to set bail! Dexter then sees a photo to Zack's keyboard of a pretty Latina woman and wonders who it is, and as he crumples it up and tosses it in the trash Zack's like, er, no one! Just a lens test! He's not bad, but Dexter will still want to practice lying with him later. Zack then gets a phone call and steps a few paces away to take it, leaving Dexter to eye the garbage and get a better look at the girl's face. Zack tensely asks whoever's on the line if (s)he is still on a bender from the night before telling Dexter he has to go. He's obviously upset as he keeps staring at the phone, so he doesn't notice Dexter's mwa-ha-ha face as DVO declares he'll have to find another way to get to him.
At Muskogee Metro, Batista stares into the middle distance before beckoning Quinn in and telling him he's going with Angie. Quinn is stunned and then angry, given that Batista is the one who basically dragged him kicking and screaming onto this track and made him want it, and Batista brings up a bunch of reasons why Quinn isn't Sergeant material, but I have to point out that none of them took place after Batista started pushing Quinn for the position (such as the whole Nadia fiasco). Quinn doesn't even bother, instead insincerely saying Batista did what he thought was right and stalking out…
…straight over to Dexter to ask him for anything he's got that points to Zack as the Rivera killer. Dexter tells him there's nothing forensically, so Quinn resolves to tail the kid 24/7, which of course is a problem for Dexter and his vetting process. As a stopgap solution, he asks Quinn if he can tag along, and Quinn's obviously surprised, but I guess these two have been thrown together quite a bit over the last several months, and when Dexter tells him things are slow for him right now, Quinn easily agrees…
…and we cut to Quinn and Dexter watching Zack watch a group of women taking a yoga class in a park. Quinn tells Dexter they've all got their secrets, and he's sure Angie's no exception. Dexter agrees, and Quinn goes on that some people get away with their secrets before confiding he's worried Jamie's going to dump him when she hears he didn't get the promotion. He then brings up Deb, asking if she and Dexter worked out whatever their issue was since it was obvious their relationship was strained for a while, and Dexter is of course not happy to hear someone's been keeping an eye on his business. Dexter assures him it's no big deal, but when Quinn goes on about how weird Deb's confession about killing LaGuerta was, DVO sighs that he should have stayed in his office. He changes his mind about that, though, when among the yoga participants he sees the woman from the photo Zack hastily tried to dispose of. Quinn babbles on obliviously, but the class then wraps up and Zack similarly starts getting going, so Dexter takes note of the woman's license plate before the two of them head out.
Elway's back at the hotel bar waiting when Deb, wearing a skirt and sleeveless top, rejoins him, and when he's kind of tongue-tied about how hot she looks, she tells him not to act so surprised. Heh. He points out that she hasn't left a lot of room for the wiring setup, but she's like, let me show you how a pro gets things done as she straps the transmitter around her leg like a garter and sticks the mic into her bra. Awesome. After she gives a test line reading ("you blush like a little girl"), he tells her to get the dude alone and he'll take care of the rest…
…and then we cut to Deb sitting at the bar with the guy. He's as oily as advertised, but Deb plays it interested without completely overdoing it, whereupon he suggests that they "migrate" (speeyack) to his suite. Deb agrees, so they head to the elevator bank, and the guy can't even wait until they get upstairs to start macking on her – whereupon Elway decks him while telling him to keep his "fucking hands" off her. Obviously, he hates the guy, but there's just as plainly something more here than mere concern for his sister, so after Elway tells "Kevin Wyman" (just recording his name for posterity here) that he'd better break up with Susan or he'll send her video of this whole encounter and Wyman makes himself scarce, Deb's like, um, DUDE? Elway tries to babble an apology, but Deb still looks weirded out as she goes to the bar to deal with the drink she spilled on herself in the commotion. And it's way too late to pull a Dexter and make him think you're too boring to date, too.
At home, Dexter checks out the license plate and discovers it belongs to "Sofia Fuentes," an employee of the Cypress Harbor Yacht Club – which is owned by Zack's family. He then comes up with the notion that if Zack's in the habit of taking photos of his victims before he kills them, maybe he has some "After" ones from the Rivera killing as well. Those would be the ones with the blood, after all…
…so let's cut to him breaking into Zack's studio. After looking around a bit, he sees one of Zack's smaller cameras and plays a hunch, disassembling it and finding a small flash drive inside. He plugs it into the computer (which by the way has a screen saver of the dead girl from earlier with an image of police tape superimposed over it, and THAT'S a production detail I'll tip my hat to) and hits pay dirt – several photos of Rivera taken moments after she died, and the growing pool of blood from image to image is the tipoff there – including one that shows a reflection of Zack with the murder weapon in his hand. He prints copies of them out…
…and then he's showing them to Vogel, who's like, yeah, I knew the whole time – he told me in his first session! Dexter's like, well thanks for letting me go to all that time-wasting and felonious trouble, but Vogel replies the reason she didn't tell him had nothing to do with ethics – well, at least you admit it – but was that she sees potential in Zack. A little philosophical discussion about what Dexter would have been without the Code gives way to Vogel suggesting they teach it to Zack – she never thought to try it with anyone else after she no longer had Harry to manage the practical aspects, but with Dexter's help, they could give it a go. Dexter, obviously not a fan of the idea, asks why she thinks Zack would be a fit for the Code, but she simply tells him she sees something in him. She's got her vetting process, Dexter, just like you've got yours. Dexter, however, flatly tells Vogel that Zack killed an innocent and is preparing to repeat the process, and as such he needs to die…
…but not, apparently, before Jamie's beach birthday blowout. As they approach, DVO talks about how Harrison is the thing in his life that seems most right, which seems a little out of left field but will contrast with his feeling later. Harrison eagerly rushes up to Jamie and gives her their present before running off to play with the other kids, whereupon Dexter notices Cassie chatting with a rather attractive guy. Jamie awkwardly offers that she's not sure if it's a date or what, but either way, men like Cassie, so if he wants a chance he'd better get in there. Unlike Jamie, though, Dexter has firsthand knowledge of what a spectacular bomb his date with Cassie was, so he decides to get a beer before doing anything else. Once again, it's hard to blame him.
Elsewhere, Masuka and Nikki are chatting, and his presence even seems like a stretch for Jamie's party, but it's not like they're going to be there long. They goofily talk about how they like hanging out, but then Masuka gives her a check for five grand and tells her he knows she needs it, and she figures out that he checked into her and gets offended, saying that her debts are going to be paid without his help, thanks so much. A crestfallen Masuka apologizes, but Nikki's worked up a head of steam about how it was difficult for her to make the decision to find him but she thought it would be worth it to get to know him, but now she's not so sure. She returns the check and heads off just as Batista announces a toast to Jamie, and then the birthday girl talks about how special it is to have them all together, which is nice of her considering that she probably doesn't know half the people there, if Nikki is any indication.
Once everyone raises a glass, Jamie turns to privately toast "Sergeant Quinn," and Batista's aghast that Quinn didn't come clean to Jamie, but he explains he didn't want to ruin her birthday. Wasn't that a great idea, Batista? He's such a clod, seriously. As soon as Jamie processes what Quinn is saying, she whirls and tells off her brother before storming off, whereupon Dexter sees Cassie now standing alone and heads over to join her. She at least doesn't act awkward, although her declaration that it's a "nice party" might not hold up to scrutiny given the back-to-back scenes we just witnessed, but Dexter is no better at talking to her now than he was on their date, so it's just as well when her date "Oliver" returns with a beer for her and Dexter heads off to check on Harrison. Dexter, at this point there are almost enough people who know you're a killer for you to have a reasonable social life. Tell a few more people and stick to them!
Elway's in his conference room looking a bit forlorn when Deb joins him and asks what the result of their whole operation was, and Elway tells her Wyman broke up with Susan as promised, but now she's heartbroken and of the opinion that she wasn't good enough for him. Drop the "good" and you've got it, hon. Deb tries to point out that she would have caught him eventually and achieved the same result, but Elway counters that at least he wouldn't have been directly responsible for her heartache. Deb tells him it's hard to mind your own business when someone you care about is involved, and when Elway takes the opportunity to ask playfully if she cares about him, she matches his tone as she tells him no, not past the point where he pays her. Sorry, Elway, but you were kind of asking for that one.
Dexter picks out a bedtime story (Wee Monkeys) for Harrison, but before he starts, he hesitantly informs his son about Jamie finding the remote. After a pause, Harrison explains that breaking the remote was an accident, and Dexter tells him that part's okay, but they should never lie to each other. After another silence, though, Harrison turns: "But Daddy, you lie!" This has to be a stomach-dropping moment for Dexter as he wonders the ungodly possibilities to which Harrison could be referring. Harrison opens one of the drawers built into his bed and produces that white stuffed dog from the season premiere – the one from which Dexter couldn't get Briggs' blood out.. Harrison, cradling "Doggie," says that Dexter told him he got lost, but he witnessed Dexter throwing him in the trash and rescued him. Dexter trades in an outright lie for a half-truth instead as he says Doggie "got dirty" and he couldn't clean him, so he threw him away. He apologizes, and Harrison tells him it's okay – but he wants to keep Doggie. DVO notes that the blood on the thing links him to a murder, so he tells Harrison it's okay "but maybe he should live under the bed." Heh. Harrison agrees and happily listens to the story, but DVO wonders how long it'll be before Harrison sees through his lies. They grow up so fast!
Sometime later, Dexter tells Jamie he won't be too long before apologizing for keeping her late on her birthday, and that is pretty rude, but Jamie sighs that it'll probably be the highlight of her day. Dexter does not pursue the obvious line of inquiry, which is not going to help his already shaky case that he's boyfriend material.
Dexter drives by the studio's parking garage and sees Zack's Porsche, but when he breaks in (first knocking in case he's inside), he's nowhere to be found. Inside, he finds a receipt for a piece-of-shit car and realized Zack's remedying his error from the Rivera murder of driving his conspicuous ride to the crime. Thinking quickly, he calls the yacht club and asks if Fuentes is working, and the guy oh-so-helpfully tells him she's getting off in a few minutes. He heads out…
…to the club, in the parking lot of which he spies Zack waiting in his "new" car. He pulls in and turns the lights off, whereupon he catches sight of Quinn in the place's restaurant. Kind of an expensive place to stake out on your salary, Quinn. Dexter gives the situation some thought before calling Jamie and relaying Quinn's fear that Jamie's going to dump him, and of course Jamie thinks that's asinine, but Dexter suggests she call him and invite him over. Jamie thanks him for calling, which is hilarious, and no sooner have they hung up than Quinn's phone is ringing and he's heading out. If Quinn were as good a cop as he's trying to prove, he might note that Zack sitting in his car for this long is awfully suspicious, but we have bigger things to worry about at the moment, as Fuentes appears nearby – followed by Hamilton. The two of them make out, and if this is indicative of the club's sexual-conduct standards I guess it's not shocking that the dude on the phone was so free with employee location information.
Now, of course, Zack's motive is becoming clearer, as after Hamilton and Fuentes head off in different directions, Dexter steels himself to come to Fuentes' aid – only Zack, knife in hand, heads off in his father's direction instead. It doesn't fit with him having taken all those photos of Fuentes, but I could believe he changed his mind at the last minute. Hamilton walks along the water's edge, and Zack moves in for the kill behind him, but Dexter appears and incapacitates Zack, who gasps, causing his father to turn around – too late to see anyone. Dexter drags Zack around the corner and drops him out of sight behind a little shed – whereupon Quinn pulls up and tells him he knows what he's doing. Dexter's like, heeeey, Quinn, but Quinn is under the impression that Dexter's staking Zack out just like he was, and tells him to keep an eye on the kid while he goes to see Jamie. Given what's about to happen with Zack, given Quinn's obsession with him it seems likely that he's going to be a meaningful part of the show's endgame, which could be interesting, particularly given Deb's attachment to him. So let's not waste time getting to it…
…as Dexter enters his kill room and asks a terrified Zack why he was going to kill his father. Zack initially denies it, but Dexter holds a knife to the boy's neck and tells him his lie will be his last, so Zack says he had to – because his father is killing his mother, who's drinking herself to death because of his philandering. So that must have been who upset Zack on the phone earlier. Zack tells Dexter the affairs have been going on for years with no discretion, and he thought killing Rivera would help, but two days later his father got into Fuentes, so to speak. Can't imagine Rivera's too happy about that wherever she is now. Dexter notes that Zack's genuinely concerned for his mother, but that doesn't explain all the photos taken at crime scenes and the obsession with blood.
Sounding like Svengali himself, Dexter says that Zack kills because he wants to. "To take a living person, and make them [sic] dead. Imagining that you can actually hear the moment when their heart stops beating. Smell the blood as it pools across the floor." He's using an awfully sexy voice for this subject matter, but I guess that's the point. Zack admits that he can't help it – something evil built up inside him for many years, but Rivera was the first person he ever killed. Dexter asks what that did for him, and Zack confesses it was like he released the darkness inside him. Zack then tells Dexter he should go ahead and kill him, because if he doesn't he'll kill again; he doesn't want to be this way, but he doesn't have a choice – he's a freak. Dexter breathes that he's a monster before noting that Zack never told anyone but Vogel about this – he never had a Harry. Zack doesn't know what that means, so Dexter explains it's someone to talk to; someone to teach him. Dexter suddenly looks excited for the possibilities as DVO says there are parts of him he can never share with his true son, but he could be a "spiritual father" (I like him appropriating Vogel's terminology there) to Zack. Making his decision, he takes his knife and slashes the tape binding the boy, and I can't help recall what happened the last time he freed someone from his table. That'd be spiritual incest in this case, though.
At Deb's, over breakfast, she tells Dexter how Elway likes her but doesn't know a thing about her. Dexter can obviously relate, adding there's not much of a likely future with Cassie, but he's feeling optimistic – he's even thinking of taking on "a kind of intern." Hee. Deb, starting to look a bit off the more coffee she drinks, guesses that that's a big step, but presently, she passes out – whereupon HANNAH, bathed in angelic soft light and wearing all white, appears in the doorway. Dexter's eyes go as wide as they get as Hannah slowly enters and cinematically greets him: "Hello, Dexter. Remember me?" I think I speak for everyone when I say YES, FONDLY. See you week.
John Ramos is a writer and film producer living in Los Angeles. His new film, a documentary on online privacy and the exploitation of personal data called Terms And Conditions May Apply, a New York Times Critics' Pick, is currently in theaters as of July. You can get news on it from the film's Twitter accountor website, or check out trackoff.us to learn how to protect your privacy. Also, you can email John at couchbaron@gmail.com, follow him on Twitter at https://twitter.com/couchbaron, or check out his blog, "Pull Up A Chair," which he'd just love for you to stop by.