Dexter's analysis of Zack's studio yields signs of a struggle – and some DNA evidence Zack planted, no doubt for Dexter to find. The DNA yields a familial match to Vogel, and when Dexter confronts her, she tells him she had two sons – until her older one "Daniel" killed her younger one and revealed himself as a psychopath, which is what brought her into her field. Unfortunately, she couldn't help her son, so she institutionalized him at age fourteen; three years later, he and several of the other children died in a fire. Dexter thinks the DNA evidence can only mean Daniel faked his death, and using age-projection software and a photo of the young Daniel, Dexter comes up with TBS – Oliver. He eventually confirms this result via a DNA sample from Oliver -- but when he takes it to Vogel, she begs Dexter not to kill him. Let's come back to that, shall we?
Hey, remember Hannah's trashy friend Arlene Schram? Turns out Hannah's been sending her money to hold for her to the tune of half a million bucks, and now she wants to collect. However, Elway brings in a U.S. Marshal on the Hannah case, and the guy goes straight to Dexter, thinking he might be a target for Hannah. Knowing that the marshal might catch her if she goes to see Arlene, Dexter takes her himself, and sure enough, the marshal shows up just moments after them -- so Dexter plays like Arlene's his main squeeze. This gets them out of their temporary jam, but Dexter tells Hannah that given the unis watching his apartment, there's only one private place he can think of to hole her up in – Deb's. Cue the Odd Couple theme song! Deb reluctantly lets Hannah stay, but everyone knows this is a stopgap solution, and eventually Hannah advances the idea of Argentina for real, and Dexter surprisingly agrees almost without hesitation.
Feeling unable to pursue him by himself (and he doesn't know the half of it), Quinn asks Deb to look into Zack for him, and Deb is chagrined to recall she just met him in Dexter and Hannah's company. She gets the story from Dexter, which only makes her bitterly realize there's no way she can return to the force while Dexter is there. Somehow, she ends up talking to Jamie about the Cassie case on Quinn's behalf, and Jamie lets some things about Oliver be known that raise red flags for Deb. She and Quinn go to ask him some more questions under the guise of trying to catch the killer, and he's actually not too great at fielding Deb's inquiries. When Deb mentions to Dexter that she's on to him, though, he begs her to give him a wide berth, but even though she agrees, obviously Deb is aware enough of Oliver as a killer that that has to come into play. And speaking of which, let's finish what we started…
…which is that Dexter indulges Vogel while secretly still planning to kill Oliver, and the two of them conspire to draw Oliver out. The plan as far as Vogel knows is for her to meet Oliver at a diner that holds meaning from his past, but Dexter drugs her and goes to the place himself. Of course, Dexter underestimates the guy by a power of one million, and he escapes. Dexter then goes to Vogel, but she tells him she can never trust him again – which should really cut both ways, given that she's reconciled with her son. As was said in several different contexts this episode, this can't end well.
Dexter and Hannah are in bed, apparently having managed to secure the same hotel room despite the fact that Hannah surely checked out. Well, I suppose they didn't really need maid service. Dexter laments the fact that he has to go, whereupon Hannah tells him she's so sorry about Zack. Me too! If nothing else, he represented an age group not actually seen too often on this show. On the subject of his dead protégé, Dexter says he has to go see Vogel so they can figure out their move before telling Hannah to remain indoors and out of sight. Hannah, however, has an errand she can't ignore: she's got to go see Arlene, who's holding some money Hannah sent her. It's money she's going to need now that Maggie Castner's bank accounts are closed to her. Dexter agrees and starts to say something else, but Hannah tells him she knows – be careful. Dexter: "Actually, I was gonna say 'I love you'." I only, like, seventy percent believe him, but still, Dexter FTW! Maggie returns the sentiment, and he buries his face in her neck…
…and then we cut to Vogel sighing her sympathy over Zack's fate and her realization that she'll have to figure out some way to let the family know. However you phrase it, Vogel, I doubt this is going to help the mother's drinking problem any. A wider shot reveals that they're in Zack's studio, and Dexter asks for a little time before she starts the process that will bring in MM. He then plays the song (which is a new method for me in scoring the episode title) but while Vogel tells him she's been listening to it for ages, she can't ascribe any significance to it other than supposing some of her patients might have heard her playing it over the years.
With that seemingly a dead end, Dexter, having concluded from the positioning of the furniture that a struggle took place, does a quick analysis but concludes that the killer cleaned up after himself. Vogel desperately says that TBS must be trying to send her a message rather than merely scaring her to death, and I'm not sure I completely follow that logic, not that Dexter cares either way: TBS killed Zack and then dumped his body in his house. "What if Harrison had been home?" I'm guessing he would have ended up with more bloody stuffed animals. Dexter declares his intention to kill TBS, and then further investigation bears fruit -- on the underside of one of Zack's desks -- where he finds a few hairs and some blood. It's hard to tell but he might have stuck them to some adhesive, maybe even gum? Whatever the case, it looks evident that Zack managed to leave a DNA sample of his killer as his last act. Vogel admires how calm and rational he obviously summoned the wherewithal to stay, an emotional evenness she's not sure Dexter's matching.
She wonders if his desire for revenge is being fueled by having to say goodbye to Hannah, but Dexter confesses that he didn't: "We're going to make a life together." I hope that doesn't mean Hannah's pregnant already. Taken aback, Vogel gathers her thoughts for a moment before telling Dexter she's come to realize he isn't, as she once thought, the perfect psychopath – he has a depth of emotion she wouldn't have believed. Dexter, looking kind of happy to realize it, agrees – he'll kill TBS, but after that, he thinks he can focus on Hannah. Vogel, however, uncomfortably tells him he's missing her point – straddling two worlds is dangerous. "Killers cannot have a full emotional life." Dexter seems slightly offended as he tells her she's underestimating him, so maybe he's planning to laugh and cry when he claims his victim?
Elway is in his office with a U.S. Deputy Marshal (played by Kenny Johnson of The Shield and Saving Grace), who's not too impressed with Elway's sketchy evidence nor with his request to "be part of the team on this one." I guess he thinks Deb will be impressed if he gets his hands dirty bringing in her mortal enemy? Please, Elway, give it up already. To paraphrase a baby on The Simpsons, "This demeans us both. The marshal does, however, assure Elway that if he finds Hannah, Elway will get the reward money. Not surprisingly, Elway's spirits seem to lift a bit in response.
At the station's food truck, Deb's getting a coffee when Batista approaches and gives her a hug before wondering if she's there to see him, obviously hoping their little exchange about her returning to the force took hold. She tells him, however, that she's there for Quinn before going on about how Matthews would never go for her coming back, given how annoyed he was that she left so abruptly. Batista's undeterred, but when Quinn appears he leaves them alone, whereupon Quinn hands Deb his Zack folder and asks her to check him out as Cassie's killer. When Deb sees the photo, she obviously recognizes Zack from their little run-in at the motel but does a passable job of hiding it as she agrees to get right on it. She then tells Quinn she's going to say hello to Dexter…
…who's busy trying to get a match for that DNA. Deb heads toward his door but is accosted by Nikki, who tells her she can't go in there and gets a "Who the fuck are you?" for her trouble. Objectively, that's probably uncalled for. So it's surely not going to make me look great by telling you if I enjoyed that. Masuka comes running up and is like, "We've got enough blood around here already before introducing the two of them", and Nikki nosily asks why Deb left the Department, which results in an eye-roll that manages to cover both father and daughter. That's some solid impatience!
Deb then goes in to see her brother and is like, boy, you really can pick 'em as she hands over the folder and tells him Quinn thinks Zack killed Cassie. Dexter replies that he did too, at first, but he checked it out, and also Zack's dead? Deb seriously looks like she's going to upchuck for a moment before kind of scientifically musing to Dexter she was giving some serious thought to coming back to the force, "but that'll just lead me into another fucked-up situation, won't it?" She doesn't add, "As long as you're here," but after she leaves, the look on Dexter's face suggests he heard it anyway.
He doesn't have time to dwell on it, though, as his DNA analyzer finally spits out its report – the killer is a blood relation of Vogel's. So at this point, the last piece falls into place -- Vogel must have had a child, which is what the references to her being married were about. Damn, I was so close -- I just needed to go one step further and suppose that Creepy Oliver and The Brain Surgeon, my two suspects for Cassie's murder, could actually be the same person. Ah, well, at least the clues actually added up. Dexter looks flabbergasted…
…and then he's back at Vogel's telling her what he learned. Vogel is stunned, as she has no family , at least "not anymore." You see, she had two sons, "Daniel" and "Richard," but, she continues haltingly, one day she found Richard dead at the bottom of their swimming pool, and although she of course first thought it was an accident, she came to realize Daniel was the culprit. She goes on that he was highly intelligent but was devoid of empathy, fear, or any sense of right and wrong – a psychopath. She went into her field to try to help her remaining son, but he proved beyond anything she could do for him. She produces a photo of Daniel as a boy as she tells Dexter she was so determined to help him because she wanted to atone for her failing her son before going on that she and her husband covered up Daniel's involvement in Richard's death and put the fourteen-year-old into a mental hospital. No disrespect to the tragedies she endured but I'd think the latter would get in the way of the former?
It's, perhaps, with that in mind that she sent him to a facility back in England. But the dark side of free healthcare appeared three years later when a fire broke out in Daniel's wing and he and several other children were killed. Given that he faked his death, as we'll learn, I wonder if he set the fire? Dexter warily asks if she actually saw the body, and Vogel tells him no; her husband did, but it was badly burned. Dexter's like, "Yeeeeah", but Vogel finds it hard to believe Daniel could have faked his death. Not to mention the fact that she doesn't know why he'd be doing these terrible things after all this time.
Presumably trying to get at that, Dexter asks if the brain pieces mean anything in light of this new information, and Vogel struggles a bit before admitting that even as a child, Daniel was aware of his lack of empathy and that Vogel saw it as a flaw. "It's possible he boxed some up and left it at my door." If that's so, the joke's on him, because Zack didn't have any empathy! Face, Brain Surgeon!
Speaking of faces, Dexter runs Daniel's photo through a projection program and figures it out: "Oliver Saxon" is Daniel Vogel. He checks a UK death record for the name "Oliver Saxon" to be sure, although frankly I can't imagine there aren't a million and one people by that name in England, and then someone sniffs that this doesn't proves he's TBS. Well, someone, you saw the part where the killer is related to Vogel? And where Oliver is Daniel? Exactly how much more proof do you need? Dexter, however, seems to agree with someone as he resolves to get a sample of Oliver's DNA. Sure, dick around a while longer, Dexter. It's not like TBS has killed anyone you care about!
Batista then comes in with the marshal, "Clayton," in tow to "inform" Dexter about Hannah's return, and Dexter does a good job playing off his irritation with the interruption as shock over the "news." Clayton tells Dexter that the way things ended with Hannah makes him a target, but Dexter counters that Hannah is way too smart to risk coming back to Miami. I wonder what Hannah would say if she heard this, given that, you know, that's exactly what she did. Clayton admits that he has no hard information that Hannah's around, but Batista thinks they should put unis on Dexter regardless.
DVO quickly weighs the hassle of that with regard to Hannah against the potential usefulness given that TBS knows where he lives. So he bargains for the cops just to watch his place and Harrison when he goes to school. Batista agrees, whereupon Clayton tells Dexter he's putting Hannah's photo out to the local media and gives him his card in case she contacts him. Dexter's like, "Absolutely, I totally want her behind bars", and it seems like a bit much to us, but I suppose from their point of view he does have some credibility behind that statement. When they're gone, Dexter calls Hannah, who's just about ready to leave, and urgently tells her not to go. But she tells him Arlene's got half a million bucks for her, so he's like, "Hey, for that price I'll drive you myself!" We then get like ten seconds of Hannah sitting down looking worried, and I guess it's not a problem I'll have to witness much longer, but a super-cut of all the filler shots on this show would literally never end.
In the car, Hannah is talking about what a game-changer the appearance of the marshal is. I don't disagree that it ups their urgency but they can't really have been planning to stay in Miami regardless, can they? Being a hot blonde certainly comes with some benefits, I'm guessing, but she's notorious in this town and easily recognizable. Dexter thinks they should focus on getting the money, which certainly has a level of wisdom to it. Hopefully he realizes that speeding is likely to be counterproductive here.
Deb has apparently given Quinn the information that Zack was at that motel in the Keys. Although she surely stopped short of informing him that he should really, really not waste his time looking for the kid. With Zack exonerated for Cassie's murder, Quinn sighs that he really wants to solve this one for Jamie, especially since he hasn't been there emotionally for her lately. After the two of them have a good laugh about Quinn providing that kind of solace to anyone, Quinn confesses that Jamie routinely accuses him of comparing her to Deb. But this -- understandably enough -- is a bit too awkward of territory for Deb to cover, so she shifts gears and suggests Quinn question Jamie again, given how close to Cassie she was. Quinn, however, admits that it's tough for him to play both cop and boyfriend in this particular situation. So Deb offers to do it for him, and if she was wary of giving him advice about Jamie I can't imagine how she thinks subbing for him in questioning Jamie is going to be comfortable for anyone. But no one ever accused Deb of being the most logical person on this show. Also, it's not like he's kissed her.
Dexter and Hannah arrive at Arlene's, and the place is far from the crack trailer you'd expect, so apparently Arlene's had some interest in Hannah's money beyond playing safe-deposit box. When Arlene (better dressed but sporting the same cheap rinse as before) opens up, she's like, "Hey asshole that turned Hannah in." But she has them enter anyway and asks with mild curiosity how their reconciliation is going to work. With all the obstacles in their path, it's impossible to conceive of a short answer that remotely begins to address the question, so Dexter's reply of "We're figuring it out" seems pretty much like his only play.
Arlene leads them into the bedroom and pulls a suitcase out of the closet while explaining she told the kids there are snakes in it so they wouldn't disturb it. While I kind of admire her casual willingness to scar her children, I still wonder if this is the most secure arrangement Hannah could have come up with. No time to wonder about that now, though, as Dexter looks out the window and sees that Clayton has arrived. Thinking quickly, he tells Hannah to hide and Arlene to act like she's got nothing to hide. Sure, ask the former (?) junkie who's afraid of losing her kids to play it cool, calm, and collected. No problem!
Dexter takes a seat at the dining room table, and then Arlene opens up and agrees to let Clayton in. Clayton is like, "Whoa, Dexter Morgan!" and Dexter quickly advances the idea that Arlene is a "friend" (mm-hmm) and they "met through Hannah" (mm-HMM). Dexter goes on that he came to warn Arlene about Hannah, but Clayton isn't particularly impressed as he grills Arlene about her low-paying job and wonders how she could afford even a mailbox in her current neighborhood. So Dexter steps forward and puts her arm around Arlene like she's his trailer-trash love bunny, and it truly is a shame that we don't get a reaction shot of Hannah under the bed or wherever she may be. Clayton sniffs that Dexter sure can pick 'em, which is maybe a bit rude but remember that Lila is a thing that happened. After the standard "Call me if you hear anything" (and the less common disparaging sneer), he's out of there.
Deb stops by Dexter's, and Jamie's perfectly polite (it is nice to see her not blaming Deb for Quinn's obsession) but tells her Dexter isn't there. Deb says she just wanted to see "the little man," but after Harrison gives her a cursory greeting, Deb asks how Jamie's doing, and admits she's been better. Deb eases her way into some questions, but when Jamie brings up Oliver, Deb latches on and starts her inquiry in earnest. Jamie tells Deb that they'd only been together for a couple weeks, but it was love at first sight…"at least for him." Deb manages to keep her interest sounding casual even though this revelation must be setting all kinds of alarm bells off in her mind, and Jamie goes on that she actually thinks Cassie was going to break it off.
But then Oliver proposed they go to the Bahamas for a week and wouldn't take no for an answer. Deb picks up on the fact that Jamie doesn't sound like a fan, and Jamie admits that she found him clingy, but then she smiles: "We should all have someone who worships us like that, right?" It's not said in a passive-aggressive manner, but it's still hard for Deb not to look a little uncomfortable at that one. Nonetheless, she asks when the Bahamas trip was supposed to happen, and Jamie says she thinks it was in the current week…
…and when she leaves, passing a muni on the access balcony, she leaves a message for Quinn saying they should revisit Oliver as a suspect. I understand it was hard for Jamie to open up, but it sounds like Cassie had a lot of other friends. Couldn't MM have interviewed them to get a line on Oliver? Has "Lieutenant" Batista been too busy making the department's Costco runs to pursue this murder investigation?
Dexter -- money suitcase in hand-- and Hannah head to the car, and I guess they're sure that Clayton isn't smart enough to, say, only pretend to have driven off. That's probably a trick only the full Marshals know. Dexter babbles about finding a safe place for Hannah to stay, and Hannah's like, "Why am I so sure I'm not going to like this?" Well, because Dexter wants Hannah to stay with Deb! I guess he's not long on people he can trust, but with TBS targeting him and surely knowing about Deb, wouldn't she be safer in some no-tell motel? And is it worth my time asking such questions when the show clearly wants to get Deb and Hannah together come hell or high water?
Deb and Quinn are over talking to Oliver, and I wonder about the protocol given that Deb can't be there in any official capacity. But regardless, Oliver's like, "I'm completely devastated and also crazy busy at work with all those Miami buildings that need inspecting, so can we wrap this up before it's even started?" Quinn asks if that's what he was doing at the time of Cassie's death, and after Oliver says yes and confirms that the place was close by, Deb's like, "It's interesting that you're so busy, given that you were supposed to be going to the Bahamas for like a whole week?" Still got it, Deb!
You could get that badge back today as long as you remember to answer "no" when they ask if you've murdered anyone lately! Oliver's all, "Right, that was silly of me, but Cassie was so into going to the Bahamas and it was totally her idea!" Deb, continuing to wear her cat-that-ate-the-canary face, suggests such a trip would have been a little fast anyway. But Oliver sniffs that it may have been hard for people to understand, but they had something special. He's clearly putting on an act, so I wonder why he's choosing one that screams "jealous boyfriend killer"? He obviously planned to kill Cassie before he even started dating her, so I'm not sure why he's drawing this kind of attention to himself now. And as long as we're on the subject of things I don't understand, why did they cast an Icelandic actor (Darri Ingolfsson) in this role? I can hear his accent on certain words, and it's distracting. They've cast like ten British actors this season…they're not that hard to come by. Anyway, Oliver looks at his watch for like the twenty-fifth time this scene and says he's really got to cut this short, so Quinn and Deb leave…
…and outside, Quinn shows us yet more evidence that Batista made the correct decision as he doesn't think there's anything suspicious about Oliver even after Deb tells him the Bahamas trip was his idea, not Cassie's. You really are a bonehead, Quinn, and not just because you choose this moment to lean in and kiss Deb. Deb's like "…," so Quinn somewhat sheepishly apologizes and says he doesn't know why he did that. If that's true, Quinn, I think anyone in the viewing audience could help you out with ten reasons were they not so busy rolling their eyes.
Speaking of, Deb comes home to find Dexter and Hannah waiting for her, and her "WTF" has to be among the least gratuitous ever to escape her lips. Hannah is like, PLEASE won't you two talk alone, so Deb reluctantly follows Dexter out onto the patio, where he begs Deb to take her for a couple nights, citing the marshal that's after her as his reason. Even if Deb grants that Hannah won't try to kill her, Dexter's asking her to commit a felony for the woman he loves and she hates/is jealous of, but it might be for precisely these reasons that Deb seems to have lost the will to fight, so she quietly gives in. Dexter breathes a thanks of genuine relief, but Deb tells him while he's up he might also want to thank her for pointing Quinn away from Zack and toward Oliver.
Of course, Dexter perks up when he hears Oliver's name, and when he hears she thinks he's a good suspect, he asks her to stay away from him. Even though he doesn't tell her why, it's probably better that he's asking her directly instead of coming up with some faux-casual convoluted manipulation, not that Deb really sees it that way. She does, however, tell Dexter that Oliver's all his, and then the two of them head back inside. Deb glares her way past Hannah, so after Dexter tells her she'll be okay there, Hannah's response is both warranted and appreciated: "Sure. We'll just hang." Hee.
Dexter, wearing his Vigilante Brown shirt, returns to Oliver's place and finds his stuff already gone. His errand isn't completely wasted, though, as he goes through Oliver's trash and finds a can he presumably drank from. He resolves to test it against the DNA he found at Zack's studio…
…and then the morning, Harrison asks Dexter if he's going to see Hannah because he heard on TV that people are looking for her. I've pointed out on numerous occasions just how much less smart and informed Dexter is than he seems to think he is, but getting news about Hannah's predicament from his four-year-old is a new low. How about a Google alert on her name, Dexter? You could justify that one even to the marshal. Dexter stammers that Hannah is fine, "just popular," and even Harrison looks like he smells bullshit on that one, which is another new low for Dexter the practiced liar. Harrison then tells Dexter that he wishes Hannah could be his mother, and Dexter doesn't actually say "Funny you should mention that," but his sly smile does it for him. His email then pings, and when he checks it, he finds that the DNA indicates that Oliver is indeed Vogel's son…
…a fact he has brought her in the scene, along with his current photo. Vogel's stunned, of course, but not so much that she doesn't think to ask Dexter what he's going to do when he finds Oliver. Dexter's retort is literally "What do you think?" and when Vogel somewhat weakly replies that she's not sure how she feels about that. Dexter sternly reminds her he's killed four innocent people …plus Zack. Vogel wisely doesn't try to spin Oliver killing Zack as evidence that he's following the Code. Instead, she stammers that she could try putting him back into a facility. Sounding firmer, she goes on that she won't let Dexter kill him -- her younger son is gone-- but possibly she'll have a second chance with Daniel/Oliver. DVO realizes that his best play for both their safety is to go along and tell her what she wants to hear, so he agrees before asking if she can think of a way to reach out to him.
Vogel racks her brain for a minute before recalling that she associates the Mama Cass song with one of her few happy memories with Daniel: when he was a boy, she used to take him to the "Kings Bay Café" in the marina, it had a jukebox, and Daniel would always play that song. Wow. I mean, I'm sure a lot of people aren't thrilled with Oliver as TBS, given that we didn't have much investment in him. I'm actually fine with it, but a lot of other stuff about this episode bothers me, starting with this: Vogel didn't see fit to mention she had an empathy-hating killer son before now? And the association with this song didn't come to mind earlier? I realize she thought he was dead, but have a little imagination or at least watch a nighttime soap, my God.
Dexter wonders if the song is an invitation, and that's got to be lazy writing/plotting too, because: (a) Oliver sure wasn't in a hurry to make sure she heard it, and (b) why not just give her a call? I don't know if they're going to address this in future episodes, but his plan was ridiculously byzantine if all he wanted was for her to contact him. Was he going to kill people and remove their brains ad infinitum until she took a trip to the diner? This is the unsatisfying part for me -- not TBS's identity, but his motivations.
Anyway, based on Oliver's knowledge of Zack, Dexter comes to the conclusion that Oliver's been monitoring Vogel's laptop, and it's annoying that he's going to be proven right given that Dexter seems to have conveniently forgotten that Oliver saw Zack with him. He tells Vogel to write an entry in her journal about going to the Kings Bay the morning, and as she gets to work, DVO admits he doesn't like deceiving her but says he's got to get to Oliver. She would have understood back when she thought you were a perfect psycho, Dexter!
At Deb's, Hannah and Dexter are sitting lazily on the couch, because they certainly don't have anything to take care of at the moment. Dexter can't believe Vogel thinks Oliver can be helped, but Hannah's like, "Yeah, you totally don't know anyone who went to extreme lengths to protect his killer son, do you?" Dexter concedes the point but declares his intention to kill Oliver regardless, and Hannah then changes the subject to their future, suggesting that "we all" (she means herself, Dexter, and Harrison, although it'd be hilarious if Deb came along for the ride) could have a life in Argentina.
Dexter reflexively starts worrying about Harrison but then tells Hannah, "Yes". It's a good thing Harrison loves Hannah so much that he wouldn't be offended by how quickly his father caved here. Dexter spins a quick cover story and breathes that only Deb will know the truth, and if I may predict her reaction in language she'd use, she's just going to be super fucking thrilled!
Toluca Lake Metro. Matthews finds Batista and tells him Zack Hamilton's parents haven't heard from him in days, and they just filed a missing-persons report, so if he turns up he wants to be the first to know. Batista's like, "Sure, that sounds like a good use of my time and rank." Then he heads into his office and offers Deb her shield and job back, although as a detective and not a Lieutenant, obvs. I'm not sure when Deb actually applied for the job, but it seems apparent that she did. However, although she'd apparently worked through her feelings of hypocrisy surrounding LaGuerta's murder, the fact that she's now harboring a murderer in her house apparently gives her pause, so she asks Batista for some time. Boy, if she waits until she can live with herself before coming back to the force, she's going to be the oldest detective not on CBS.
Batista is momentarily thrown but generously tells her to take all the time she needs, even giving her the shield to hold on to in the meantime. Deb's thrilled and touched, but her smile fades when she exits the office and runs into Quinn, who gingerly offers what news he has about Oliver before sincerely thanking her for her help. She tells him he's welcome before marching out of there with a spring in her step…
…and then she's arriving home to find Hannah making dinner, having cleaned the place to boot. Deb gruffly tells her she hopes she can still find her stuff, and when Hannah asks if she's hungry, Deb, albeit not without humor, is like, "You're serious?" Hannah agrees that that's fair but promises she's going to eat too before asking, with a look at the badge, if Deb's going back. But Deb's like, "Sure, with my involvement with Dexter and now you, I can't think of a better idea!" There's not much venom behind the words, though, and Deb then sighs that it was a stupid idea. Hannah expresses sympathy, and Deb consents to eat, although she does opt for the plate Hannah serves herself rather than the one set in front of her. It's no Princess Bride, but it's still funny.
Hannah goes on that she could never take no for an answer before wondering if that's something they share, and Deb reluctantly concedes that "maybe that's the one thing we have in common." Heh. Also funnily, Deb stares at her first forkful of food for a long moment before consenting to put it in her mouth and then cracks up that she could possibly be eating food prepared by Hannah, but Hannah smirks that it's good, though, right? Deb tells her it is, in fact, and that's easily the most enjoyable scene in the episode, which throws a bit of unexpected light into an offering that's pretty dreary in more than one sense.
In the morning, Dexter tells Harrison it's almost time to go for swimming lessons before apologizing for all the police business. But Jamie's like, "I'm not complaining." Clayton then turns up, and I'd love to see the look on Jamie's face if she were to hear that Dexter's apparently dating Arlene Schram. But no, Clayton's just there to tell him it seems the Hannah McKay threat has died down, so he thinks they should pull off the protective detail. I'm not sure what he's basing this conclusion on, but he could be playing a game here. Either way, Dexter can't really complain without bringing up TBS, which isn't going to happen. Clayton then sees Harrison working on a crayon drawing of himself, Dexter, and a blonde woman, and Dexter holds his breath when Clayton asks who "the pretty lady" is, but after a long moment, Harrison tells him, "That's my mom." Someone's getting double dessert tonight. Dexter, having survived that mini-coronary, sends Harrison off to get his swimming stuff before showing Clayton out, after which he takes a breath, probably hoping Argentina's as stress-free as it's been made out to be.
Elway comes into Deb's office for a closed-door meeting and is like, so your brother dated Hannah McKay and you never mentioned it? He's got a point, but everything he's said for the last few episodes has been in that hurt-but-acting-macho voice that manages to be both vaguely offensive and extremely pathetic. I think they're pretty much past the point where they can do anything interesting with Elway, which given that they've had a whole season to try is pretty poor. Although, since he is a supporting character, it's expected. Elway asks Deb if she saw Hannah in the Keys, and although she denies it fairly convincingly, he doesn't believe her. He also wonders how she can keep him from the reward he'd get for bringing Hannah in. He then petulantly tells her to decide if this is the right job for her, and if not to "get the fuck out." Professional!
Cup of tea in hand, Vogel answers the door for Dexter. She offers him his own cup, and when he accepts, she goes to make it, putting down her own in the process… whereupon Dexter pulls out a small bottle of liquid and drops a bit in. Rude, Dexter. Vogel nervously reiterates the plan: she'll meet Daniel and lead him out of the diner, where Dexter will sedate him and they'll take him to a facility. Dexter nods uncomfortably as he ponders how wide a definition of "facility" is acceptable here.
Then the two of them sit and get to some tea-drinking as Vogel happily babbles about her "little boy" and how she's going to get to see him. Dexter's like, "It's good I'm dating an experienced poisoner because I'm only going to have to listen to about five more seconds of this." Sure enough, Vogel presently keels over onto a soft surface, and Dexter arranges her into a comfortable-looking position as DVO intones that Vogel now will never have to face what her son has become. Well, I can't really see that, unless he's referring to the fact that he's soon to become fish food.
OMG, this scene. Dexter is standing, in broad daylight about twenty feet from the diner entrance and hiding behind a tree with about as much subtlety as you'd find in one of your less sophisticated Looney Tunes offerings. Oliver enters and takes a seat at the counter. After he's ordered some coffee, he flips through the mini-jukebox beside him and finds the song he wants.
You guys, all the other cards are actual jukebox ones, with the thick font and the record label listed. But the props department obviously couldn't find one for "Make Your Own Kind Of Music" so they typed one up themselves and it looks so anemic and out of place. Couldn't they have made the few other cards we saw in the same font? I mean, it seems like a weird thing to complain about, but unlike on most entertainment offerings people actually are getting paid well on this show. If you're interested (obsessive?), though, the companion song on the fake card is "East of Ginger Trees" by Seals and Crofts.
Oliver plays homage to Mama Cass yet again as Dexter watches, and in one shot over Oliver's shoulder you can see Dexter -- who I must point out again Oliver KNOWS BY SIGHT-- standing outside as plain as day. If this isn't the worst stakeout he's ever perpetrated it's got to be in the bottom five. It's really great that he's losing his urge to kill given how terrible he's become at it. After over an hour (and several replays of the song) has passed, Oliver gets up to go. Dexter STILL DOESN'T ATTEMPT TO CONCEAL HIMSELF, and on top of that could he have chosen a more eye-drawing color than turquoise? Oliver exits the place and there are people EVERYWHERE as Dexter follows him to the parking lot. Like, how he thought this could work out I cannot imagine, and then he watches Oliver get into his vehicle…and drive away. Great plan, Einstein!
Actually, Oliver fixes Dexter with a look as he leaves, and when Dexter goes to his car, the front driver's side tire has been slashed. SO FUCKING DUMB. If his plan -- as DVO said -- was to follow Oliver to a secluded place, why didn't he just stay in his car staking out Oliver's truck instead of standing out in plain sight practically wearing an "I'm gonna kill you – ask me how!" sign? Someone points out the obvious, that being that Oliver must have spotted Dexter. Dexter breathes, "He's good at this," and while that might be the case, all he showed here is that he's better at it than you WHICH ISN'T SAYING MUCH. Dexter and someone realize Oliver's likely to think Vogel betrayed him, and Dexter frantically tries to call her but only gets her voicemail…
…and then he's knocking on Vogel's door, having lost whatever time it took to change his tire, I'm guessing. Vogel is like, "Oh, hi, Mr. DRUGGER", and Dexter apologizes before telling her Daniel/Oliver got away. Vogel tells him she appreciates everything he's done, but she'll handle this herself from here on out, as it's a family matter. This slaps Dexter in the face a bit given that he explicitly referred to her as family earlier in the season. He pauses before reminding her she herself said she was his spiritual mother.
Vogel's like, "That may be, but after this morning I hardly trust you." Dexter continues to look hurt but tells her he's going to take care of Oliver, and then he's leaving with Hannah. Some genuine concern breaks through Vogel's newly constructed façade as she warns Dexter that won't end well. But Dexter's like, "Yeah, you and your psycho son should talk." And speaking of which, after Dexter stomps off, Vogel stands with Oliver, who says he believes her now: she didn't send Dexter after him. She offers him some breakfast, and he accepts, calling her "Mom" in the process. She takes his hand…and that's it. On top of everything else wrong with this episode, I knew Vogel's moral compass was screwy, but it's incredibly disappointing.
After the psychological torture he inflicted on her, that she'd just accept him into her life with such abandon. Loving him is one thing, but to treat the decision so casually after everything he's done is another. I kind of want to drop these two and just make the end about Dexter, Hannah, and Deb, but that sure doesn't seem likely. With only three episodes left, though, we're all pretty much pot-committed, so I'll 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.