Previously on Dexter, Season 7 started off with a bang as Deb walks in on Dexter in the middle of his kill of Travis Marshall. Dexter manages to convince her that it was in self defense, but Deb’s intuition got the best of her, discovering her brother and closest friend is the serial killer that Miami Metro had dubbed “The Bay Harbor Butcher”… a title passed to the deceased Sergeant Doakes. What will Deb do with this information? It looks like we’ll get some answers in this episode.
We start off right where we left off, Deb leaving Dexters apartment, running away from him as he tries to explain. He chases after her until she reaches the street, vomiting everywhere. She shoves him away, telling him to stay away, that she’s not okay. Dexter tries to tell her to keep it easy, but true to Deb’s nature she flips out. He explains everything to her, that he’s been doing this for years, that to confirm that he is what he is. He tells her about Harry’s Code, that Harry knew. Dexter begs Deb to come back inside with him, which wordlessly she does. As Dexter explains the Dark Passenger, Deb stares in disbelief as it all unfolds in front of her. She tells him that he is not the victim, the people in the box (referring to the blood slides) are the victims. Dexter explains the people he has killed, which Deb argues that there is a police department for that. Dexter says that killers slip through the cracks, which she responds that she knows it as she’s talking to one right now. She then blames herself for not figuring it out sooner, that now she’s accomplice to Dexter’s crimes. Deb explains that she can’t turn her back on it, that its all wrong. Dexter offers himself to her, asking what she is going to do. In response, she punches him in the face and walks out. Harry appears, to talk to Dexter, that Deb should never have to go through this, which Dexter tells him that he never wanted her to. He stares at the replica hand of from The Ice Truck Killer case, wondering what it is doing there. Dexter then asks Harry if someone else is on to him.
The next day at Police Headquarters, Dexter goes through the evidence boxes of the Ice Truck Killer case, noting that the hand is gone. Misuka comes in, begging Dexter not to tell anyone that the hand is gone. He explains that one of the interns, Ryann, from the previous season had stolen it and sold it, but Louis had tried to track down who had bought it to no conclusion. Dexter than realizes Louis must have sent him the hand, again angered by Louis’ presence in his life. While this is going on, Deb researches addiction and serial killers.
During the briefing, Angel and Quinn tell Deb how they will continue to shut down the strip club where Viktor was employed, waiting for someone to come forward in the death of Mike. Deb then moves forward to the case of Wayne Randal, a man who is sentenced to two life sentences for a murdering spree he and his girlfriend went on while they were teenagers. Wayne decided to come forward about three more deaths that he was the cause of, so he will be let out of prison, heavily guarded, to show where the bodies are. Dexter volunteers to help with the case, but Deb makes it very clear that Dexter will be in the lab and Misuaka will be sent with the team. After the briefing Deb asks Dexter to talk to him outside.
On the pier, Deb tells Dexter how she almost arrested him that morning. She tells him how she has been reading on addiction and serial killers, and that she thinks she can break him of his addiction. Deb hatches a plan with Dexter that he will live with her, and that she will keep an eye on him 24 hours a day, like a rehab. She will cook for him, drive with him to and from work and make sure that he doesn’t kill anymore. Deb hopes that he can get over his addiction, maybe control his urges instead of just channeling them. Dexter asks what will happen if it doesn’t work, which Deb replies “I don’t even want to think of that.” Dexter realizes he doesn’t really have a choice but to go with Deb’s plan, reluctantly agreeing.
Back in headquarters, LaGuerta talks to a private lab about the blood sample she had found on the scene. She is relieved to find that Doakes is either alive, or not the Bay Harbor Butcher, calling the reginal FBI Office. Back on the scene, Angel and Quinn shut down the strip club again. The manager argues with Angel for the club being shut down again, but Angel wins out yet again. Quinn talks to one of the strippers, Nadia about how its unfair that they keep losing the money because of the shut down. Quinn tries to explain that no one will help them catch Kasia’s killer, getting Nadia to tell him about Kasia’s boyfriend Tony. Tony hasn’t been to work in a few days, since Kasia’s murder. Angel thinks its suspicious, and they leave the club.
Dexter moves in with Deb. She tells him to take the bed, putting her right in front of the door so he can’t sneak out at night. Reluctant to let his sister be uncomfortable, Dexter takes the bedroom. The first rule discussed is that Dexter has to be completely honest with Deb, which Dexter refers to as his new code. While Dexter unpacks, he converses with Harry about how maybe he should have suppressed his urges instead of feeding into them. As that goes on, Deb cooks dinner for him, asking him about what goes through his brain when the addiction takes hold. Dexter explains that he sees blood, he sees red, and the only way he can get rid of it is to actually kill something. Deb walks away, disgusted that she is eating spaghetti while he talks about these things with her. She tells him to call her when he sees blood, which Dexter refers to as the second rule. Deb tells him the only reason she is doing this is because he is her brother and that she cannot stand the thought of him being in prison or worse. In the bedroom, Dexter researches on his laptop about Louis’ penthouse to find out what he knows about him. Deb walks in, telling him to go to bed. She curls up in the chair next to the door, telling him she doesn’t want to be alone. She reminds him that she is here for him, walking away.
In headquarters, Quinn interviews Tony about his former girlfriend Kasia. Angel interrupts, saying the security tapes backs up his story, that he was at the club working the night that she was killed. Tony had quit the day after she had died, which felt suspicious to Angel and Quinn. They figure he is lying, but confesses that Kasia was with Viktor the night that she died. While that is going on, Dexter goes to talk to Misuka about the Wayne Randal case. Misuka tells Dexter to clear it with Deb, which she clears it, saying that she will drive. Quinn and Angel intercept her though, saying that they found the break in the Mike case with Viktor. Dexter tells Deb that he will be fine, he will be surrounded by federal marshals. At the scene, Wayne fights with the marshals about where the bodies are. Dexter talks to him about how the place used to be very pretty, but now its just mini malls. He’s happy to see that the Frosty Swirl is still there. Dexter asks him why he had a change of heart, why he wanted to show where the bodies were. Wayne says that he surrendered to his conscience. Dexter breaks away at lunch to get into Louis’ penthouse to look around. He doesn’t understand his obsession with toys. He hacks into his laptop, finding all of Dexter’s charge card numbers, finding out that Louis is the one who cancelled his credit cards. On the laptop he finds a bunch of video files labeled as rants. He does eventually find one that relates to Dexter, that he is upset with him for something, mentioning the name Bob Henley. Bob was Louis’ boss in his old job, which is how Louis took control of his software company, planting child pornography on his hard drive. Louis comes home, making Dexter sneak off into a corner. Before he leave though, he violently takes control of the situation, shoving Louis up against the wall and telling him to back off of his life. Louis cries that it was because Dexter had so violently rejected his game, making Dexter ever more upset. He tells Louis to stay out of his life, his home and away from him. Back at the scene, Deb gets upset with Dexter for disappearing on lunch. Dexter tries to explain that he was just running an errand, but Deb doesn’t want to hear it. The agreement is that she always knows where he is, which he apologizes. Laughing, Wayne asks what has happened that she’s like this. Changing the subject, Dexter asks him about what he meant when he said he surrendered. Wayne explains that he just accepted his situation and once he stopped fighting it, the anger fell away, leaving him open and wanting to make things right.
Back at the strip club, Angel continues to shake down the management. He threatens to bring in a portable polygraph test to try and get people to talk. After they leave, George goes to the back room to find the mob boss, Issac, that he called last week sitting in his office. He tells him that Viktor never made his flight, and never returned home. The manager is relieved when Issac tells him that he believes him that he has no idea what happened to Viktor, but the boss will be doing his own investigations as to where he went. At headquarters, Quinn receives a phone call from Nadia, claiming her car won’t start and she needs a ride home. LaGuerta closes up her office, opening a box of Doakes’ items and evidence. She holds back tears and she holds up the picture of Doakes, then opens the box of slides with the blood on them. She compares one of the slides with the one from Travis Marshall.
Dexter and Deb visit Harrison, who is living full time with Jamie. Louis is there, showing up obviously to taunt Dexter even with his threats. Smiling at him, Louis pats Harrison’s head and tells Dexter he will see him at work. Internally, Dexter says that Louis is not scared of him and he won’t quit until he stops him. Quinn picks up Nadia, hoping that she will tell him more about Kasia. He is disappointed to find that she doesn’t want to give him more than that, but she offers to pay him for the ride home. They flirt a little on the ride home, her whispering to him that the car will be in the shop for a few weeks, kissing him on the cheek and thanking him for the ride home.
Deb cooks a steak for Dexter, which while her back is turned Dexter drugs Debs steak. While she is passed out Dexter goes to Louis’ apartment, knocking him out with a drug. He says he is finishing what Louis has started. Seeing the blood, he puts the passed out Louis in the back of his car. Realizing he had promised Deb, he calls her while she is passed out on the couch. She goes to see him in the park, where he is sitting on his car. He assures her that he hasn’t done anything. Deb looks at him with new light, seeing that he is breaking down and calling instead of killing that maybe he’ll be okay. Dexter tells her that she should arrest him, but she tells him that he was in control enough to call her. She assures him that what happened tonight was a good thing and that she’s not going to give up. She doesn’t want him to give up. He wants to be alone for a few minutes, telling her that nothing is going to happen as Deb drives home. After she drives away, Dexter unloads Louis on a park bench to teach him a lesson, to try and keep him out of his life. Just not taking his life.
Tony is working on his motorcycle when Issac appears in his garage. He tells him that he needs his exit interview. Tony tells Issac that he left because it was time to move on. Tony slips up, saying that he talked to the police, but that he didn’t say anything. Issac assumes that Tony was in love with Kasia, that its nothing to be ashamed of. That it is terrible to lose someone you love. Before Tony can react further, Issac shoves a screwdriver in his eye, causing instant death. Issac’s bodyguard wipes the fingerprints as they walk away.
Deb and Dexter talk about the previous night while at the dig site again. Dexter tells her that he is thinking more about wanting a Frosty Swirl then that, which Deb takes as a good sign that maybe he’ll be normal. Dexter corrects her, telling her that he will never be normal, but Deb shrugs it off, going to get ice cream for the two of them. Dexter continues his conversation with Wayne, which he tells him there is only one last person he needs to kill. Before anyone realizes it, Wayne walks in front of a truck, instantly ending his life. Dexter realizes there was no bodies, he just wanted a few days in the sun and a couple of Frosty Swirls before his life was over. Dexter questions if surrendering is really the way to go.
Another powerful episode from Dexter, as we delve into the world of addiction and if it is something that is curable. Coming from a family of psychologists and addictions counselors I find the subject fascinating and I am hoping they really dig deep into Dexters psyche about the matter. How do you feel about this years theme? What do you think of how Dexter is handling his situation with Louis? How do you think Deb is coping with her brother the serial killer?
