RECAP:
- Episode begins with the Miami Metro’s examination of Cassie’s death. Dexter is distracted by his thoughts of Hannah, but he’s still clear-headed enough to notice some important details about Cassie’s murder. Specifically that she’s been bludgeoned to death, and there is blood underneath her nails, which could very well be from her attacker. He’s still wondering if Zack, his wayward protege, could have killed Cassie. Deb arrives to briefly ask Dexter about the Hannah situation is going, but Dexter downplays her concerns, telling her that it’s under control. While she’s there, Deb starts giving recommendations to the homicide squad on how they can pursue leads, but then recants, realizing that she has no place to do so. Angel disagrees, saying that she’s welcome to come back and take her old job anytime she wants.
The next morning, Dexter checks up on Hannah to make sure that she’s okay. They decide that Hannah must leave Miami as soon as possible, and Dexter says he knows “a guy” who can make a new passport for her. There’s obviously still plenty of sexual tension between the two.- Dexter discovers that the blood underneath Cassie’s nails was indeed from Zack. Knowing that Zack could roll over on him, he keeps this fact away from the rest of the Miami Metro staff. After work, Dexter meets with Dr. Vogel about Zack, and they agree it looks like he did kill Cassie. Vogel is very disheartened, because she saw potential in Zack.
- At his apartment, Dexter tracks Zack’s movements and discovers that he’s hiding in a motel in The Keys. Deb arrives and again confronts Dexter about Hannah. Dexter tells her a bit about why Hannah is back in town, but he doesn’t tell Debra that Hannah’s husband is already dead. Debra says that the fact that Dexter believes Hannah’s story shows that he’s still lying to himself. She reminds him that Hannah cannot be trusted. After she leaves, Dexter talks with Jaime, who’s still hurting and shaken by Cassie’s murder. Jaime arranges to take care of Harrison away from the apartment, and Dexter agrees, since he’s already going to be out of town hunting Zack.
- After taking some photos for Hannah’s new passport, Dexter invites her to come with him to the Keys so they can hunt down Zack together. He claims that it’s because he’s worried about Hannah’s safety. Hannah says yes to the idea and arranges for her crew to take the yacht to another location.
- Deb goes to Elway and entices him with the idea of catching Hannah McKay for the sizable reward that’s been posted for her. Deb claims that Hannah is back in Miami, but she doesn’t say how she knows this. Much to Debra’s displeasure, when they arrive to the Marina, the boat is long gone. Elway notes that Debra is particularly determined to get Hannah, and advises her to not get so personal and take things a bit easier.
- Deb later checks on her bug on Dexter’s car and sees that he’s on the highway heading out of town. She gets him on the phone and tries to call him on his bluff that he’s still in town, but he brushes her off. Deb then gets in her own car to try and track him down. In Dexter’s car, Dexter explains the backstory behind both Dr. Vogel and Zack. Hannah acknowledges that Zack is another problem that Dexter needs to solve, just like she was. However, Dexter counters that he never tried to track her down because he liked the idea that she was alive somewhere out in the world. Meanwhile, Deb is talking with Elway over the phone as he’s investigating Hannah’s alias as Maggie Castner. They quickly find out that Mr. Castner never left for New York the way Hannah claimed, and that the boat is headed for another island.
The next morning, Dexter and Hannah find Zack’s hotel room and they discover that he’s covered it in plastic just the way Dexter sets up his own kill room. He’s also gotten a set of knives just like Dexter’s set. When he returns, Dexter angrily confronts him over Cassie’s death, but Zack explains that he didn’t kill her. He’s been stalking an old classmate as a target, and much to Dexter’s surprise, he’s already started to follow the code by choosing someone he knows for a fact is a killer. However, his attempt went wrong and the target is already dead. Dexter helps Zack dispose of the body while Hannah takes care of all the plastic wrap.- Once Hannah throws it all away, she finds Deb in the hotel room waiting for her. Deb is there to arrest Hannah, but Hannah refuses to put on the handcuffs. Hannah refuses to accept Deb’s “citizen’s arrest,” and briefly threatens to expose Dexter. The two of them share a brief chat about how people are forced to do bad things in extreme circumstances.
- Dexter has one of his mental chats with Harry. He’s come a long way since he first staring killing, and his life is very different know. Harry offers the suggestion that Dexter’s devotion to Hannah is a sign that Dexter now has a stronger urge than the urge to kill.
Back in the hotel room, Hannah explains that she didn’t kill Debra because she doesn’t want to hurt Dexter by proxy. Dexter returns right at that moment, and Deb resolves to leave Hannah as Dexter’s problem. Everyone returns back to Miami.- They return to Dr. Vogel’s home, and Vogel insists that all three of them stay for dinner. During the course of the conversation, Hannah asks why Vogel became interested in the study of neurology. Vogel mentions an incident that happened when she was younger, but doesn’t mention anything else on that topic. She also claims that Dexter and Hannah make both a good and a bad couple. Vogel asks why Dexter’s so quiet, and he remarks that he’s still thinking about Cassie’s murder. After dinner, the group put their heads together over the case, and they come to realize that someone framed Zack for Cassie’s murder.
- When Deb returns to the private investigation firm that night, she wonders if she’s cut out for the P.I job. Elway advises her against quitting the firm and returning to being a cop, which it sounds like she’s wanting to do. Elway also seems to be much more interested in catching Hannah now, since the reward money is so substantial. Deb goes back to her home, and she brings her old police blues out of the closet. It seems that she is actually going to be returning to the force after all.
- Dexter takes Hannah to her hotel room, and they try to awkwardly say goodbye before she leaves Miami forever, but one thing leads to another and they end up having sex one last time.
Dexter returns to his apartment, but he finds Zack dead in his chair, with his cut open and part of his brain removed. Vogel has been given another brain portion. It appears that AJ Yates was NOT the Brain Surgeon after all.- Dexter goes to the plane before Hannah flies out, and he asks her to stay with him in Miami. They begin kissing, and it looks like she isn’t going to be leaving Miami.
ANALYSIS
Before seeing this episode, I’d had it described to me as “average, but with a heck of a plot twist.” I can see why it was described that way, but I enjoyed it more than that phrase implies.
This episode really was playing with the idea of Dexter’s little “family of killers.” Zack was his young son, Hannah his wife, and Vogel was his mother figure. It’s never more apparent than during the amusing dinner scene back at Vogel’s apartment. Vogel was like the mother taking the time to survey her son’s girlfriend, and I did like that dynamic a great deal. Vogel’s grandmotherly lines towards Zack were amusing enough to make me smile. Dexter was also serving as a father teaching Zack what to and not to do on a kill.
However, I do feel like the writing was very weak for this episode. It didn’t seem to make sense to me that Dexter would ask Hannah to stay in Miami, especially not after he learns that the Brain Surgeon is alive and well. If anything it just gets more dangerous for her. This really could have and should have been a good ending for Hannah’s part in Dexter’s story, but judging from the previews for next episode, we’ll have to wait at least one more for it to wrap up.
The plot twist was very surprising, and I’m glad to see that the Brain Surgeon’s story isn’t over. I also like that we still don’t know who it is. This gives it a very “big” feel to the villain. Maybe he will end up being one of Dexter’s greatest adversaries after all. In fact, I’ll admit that this twist did actually enhance my overall opinion of the episode.
On a side note, I really don’t like Dora Madison Burge’s acting. She’s felt very false and wooden over the past few episodes since her debut, and she’s hasn’t grown on me very much at all. The character seems interesting, but her portrayal really doesn’t add anything.
