Previously on ‘Dexter,’ Dexter deals with the constant fighting of Deb and Hannah while Quinn shoots and kills George in the club. LaGuerta is closing in quickly on Dexter, but Tom tries to hold her off. Will Tom keep LaGuerta off ‘ tail? Will Dexter be forced to chose between Deb and Hannah?
It’s Christmas time in Miami and Dexter is beginning to look to the future with Hannah. He even thinks of Harrison as a teenager as he daydreams. His daydreams are broken by a phone call from the Department of Corrections that the final killer of his mother, Hector Estrada, has been released from prison. Estrada was also the leader – he gave the order. Hannah tells Dexter that it’s possibly the universe giving him a Christmas present. He goes to the hearing and Estrada is released.
At the headquarters, Angel finds Arlene Schram for Deb, which last week, if you recall, Hannah’s father had left the tip for Deb to find her as a witness to one of Hannah’s murders. Angel tells Deb that he feels like they should tell Dexter about the investigation but Deb tells him no.
Dexter goes to see Tom, who questions him about Doakes and his boat. Tom also informs him that LaGuerta believes that it is Dexter who is the Bay Harbour Butcher. Dexter fakes a story about Doakes having a boat in his marina, which is why he moved his boat so suddenly. Dexter apologizes for never coming forward with his thoughts about Doakes, but Tom believes him and tells him that he will get LaGuerta off his back. Dexter thinks of ways to plant a boat to keep the lie going.
Deb goes to see Arlene, who is happy to be back with her kids. Deb is very forceful in her interrogation with her about Hannah’s murder of the counselor. Arlene tells her she will think about it and Deb allows it. Without Deb knowing, Arlene goes to see Hannah and tells her she never told anyone about it. Hannah says she will take care of the situation.
While waiting in line for Santa, Dexter and Deb talk about LaGuerta. Dexter tells Deb to stay out of it, that he will take care of it. Before they can talk much more, they get pulled into the picture with Harrison. While that is going on, Tom goes to see LaGuerta. Tom tells her that she is blind to her guilt of Doakes but she thinks Tom is blind to Dexter by personal feelings as well. Tom tells her that he would have kept a boat a secret, and walks away. Dexter buys a boat and boat house under Doake’s name.
Hannah and Dexter take a tree into her house, where they set it up and talk about the future. Dexter tells her that he doesn’t need a Christmas present. While they talk, Deb watches LaGuerta’s home, while taking another Xanex. She comes back home to find Hannah waiting for her, wanting to talk things out. Hannah makes the argument that Dexter is happy, talking about the future, and it would really be helpful if the two of them could get along. Naturally, Deb disagrees and throws Hannah out.
The next day, Dexter watches as Hector leaves the jail while Quinn goes to the club to find Nadia. Nadia has left for Las Vegas, leaving a note for him. The note tells him that she is sorry but she needed a new start. LaGuerta and Tom go through Doake’s garage and finds a deep sea tackle box with the key to the boat and boathouse hidden inside. They investigate the boathouse finding plastic and knives with Doakes fingerprints on it. LaGuerta still doesn’t believe that Doakes did it, but Tom tells her that he is done, that she is wishing for something that isn’t there. LaGuerta argues that Dexter is a forensics expert but Tom still walks away.
Dexter goes to see Tom the next day, bringing him a gift for Christmas. He apologizes for not coming forward about Doakes and Tom apologizes to him for falling for LaGuerta’s theory. Tom tells Dexter that they found the boathouse which makes Dexter smile. They bid farewell, as Dexter calls Deb and lets her know the good news. Then Dexter sets the trap for Hector, acting as a dealer to lure him away in the middle of the night. The trap is set, and Dexter receives another phone call. Deb has been in an accident.
At the hospital, Angel tells Dexter about Arlene. The doctors say that Deb had overdosed on her Xanex, although it might have been an accident. As Deb wakes up, she automatically blames Hannah for poisoning her, but Dexter automatically defends his girl. The words stick with him, though, and he goes to search Deb’s house. He finds a strand of blond hair, which makes him more suspicious. He then searches Deb’s car , which has a used water bottle in it that he gets analyzed by the lab.
That night, Dexter comes home to a happy Christmas Eve dinner with Jamie, Harrison and Hannah. Dexter wonders if she could poison the rest of his family, could ever really fully trust her. Hannah gives him a gift – a picture of the two of them smiling. After, Hannah and Dexter leave, Dexter decides to talk to Hannah about Deb. This causes them to fight and Hannah tells him that he has trust issues. She tells him that he needs to figure out what he wants. Dexter leaves and goes to the shipping yard where he meets Hector who takes him into the shipping container where Dexter was found in years ago. Hector wakes up in the plastic, realizes who Dexter is, and tells him that LaGuerta is the one who sprung him free. Dexter realizes it’s a trap and as LaGuerta closes in on the container, escapes out the back. Hector swims to freedom as Dexter sneaks away.
The next morning, Dexter leaves gifts for Harrison in his stocking and under the tree. He gets a phone call from the lab saying that the water was mostly Xanax, making Dexter realize that Hannah had dissolved the pills in the water making Deb blackout. Dexter picks up Deb from the hospital and gives her a Christmas present: The pen that Sal Price was chewing that Hannah had poisoned. The pen has traces of poison and Hannah’s prints. Dexter then goes to see Hannah, who smiles, thinking that Dexter had come to tell her they’ll be together. He kisses her under the mistletoe. Deb approaches and tells Hannah that she is under arrest. She looks at Dexter telling him that he should have killed her. Dexter says that he is sorry. He thinks about how he should know better than to count on the future; all you can ever believe in is now.
I honestly thought that Dexter should have known that Hector was a set up. It was almost too obvious to me. The previews for next week show even more investigation into Dexter and…Doakes? Make sure you check out my recap next week, as it is the season finale!
What did you think of this week’s ‘Dexter?’
