Finding Freebo
Updated 2008-10-06 08:50:53
Previously: Rita has a hunch that she's preggies. Angel was promoted to Detective Sergeant. Dexter decided to snuff out this guy Freebo who killed two girls and got off because of procedural mistakes. When he went to kill the guy, someone else was already trying to kill him. Freebo got away, but Dexter ended up killing the other guy. This, oddly, has caused lots of confusion for Dexter. Well, it's not odd considering the Code that he got from Harry. The dead guy ended up being Assistant District Attorney Miguel Prado's brother. What luck! Their other brother is a lieutenant with the local sheriff's department. It just got funner and funner for ole Dex. He's freaked because he never killed anyone who didn't completely deserve it -- but, the guy tried to kill him, so he might not be totally innocent. This girl, Yuki, from Internal Affairs tries to get Deb to give her info on a guy from the station, Joey Quinn. Quinn gives Deb the name of a criminal source who tells her that Miguel's brother was a junkie. Then, she tells everybody in front of Miguel and gets thrown off of the case by Angel. Freebo's girlfriend, Teegan, turns up dead with a weird patch of skin missing from her shoulder. So, Dexter believes Freebo is still in Miami.
Dexter is in a waiting room with lots of little kids. They're all really cute. He VO's that children are supposed to bring hope, but the thought of them is bringing him uncertainty. And germs, which he tells us are another matter. He says he loves kids that he can enjoy then leave, because he doesn't have to worry about what they will become. Valid point there. We see a kid reading a magazine upside down. Stupid illiterate kid. Wait, her mom's reading it with her. Stupid mom. Dexter wonders if his kid might be a Nobel laureate poet, a drunk, the President, or someone like him. Yeah, scary. What's funny is, though Dexter's personal attributes are a little more...peculiar than the general population, aren't we all a little afraid of having children that will inherit the ickiest parts of ourselves? Lord knows I don't want a kid to have my road rage. Seriously. Dexter VO's that he's never been compelled to have children, because he's "not in the business of giving life.
Here's Rita. She looks a little nervous. Maybe that's because she went to a pediatrician's office to get a pregnancy test? It's like going to the Supreme Court to take the bar. Really though, I'm no expert, but are pediatricians and ob/gyn's typically in the same office? I'd think that some ladies wouldn't want to be around kids every time they were at the doctor. Maybe her kids' doctor did the test for her? I don't know. Anyway, she tells Dexter that she was right. She's pregnant.
They're both silent in the elevator. Julie Benz is pretty awesome right here. She's this excellent blend of nervous and lonely and pissed and cautious. She asks Dexter what they should do. He haltingly replies, "I don't know." Nice. You'll be hearing about this for a while. Once they reach the parking garage, Rita suggests that they talk about all of the options. Dex just nods and says that he has to get to work. Then, he pecks her on the cheek and walks away. He VO's that weighing pros and cons is something that he's usually good at. Dexter may be efficient at avoiding punishment for killing tons of people, but I have a sneaking suspicion that he just stepped in it. Of course, Rita has proven to be incredibly understanding about most things, but...we'll see.
At the station, Dexter walks out of the elevator, still dazed. Deb appears at the top of the stairs and says, "What the fuck, asswipe? I was yelling at you to hold the elevator." I'm obsessed with Deb and Jennifer Carpenter's portrayal of her. Just thought I'd drop that in there. I feel like this person exists somewhere. Hopefully without the serial killer brother. But, this weird mixture of obnoxious, vulnerable, defensive, hubristic, and oddly pure -- there's somebody out there like her. And visually? She's perfect. On first glance, I was like, "Meh, pretty girl." But, then you look closer and everything's just a little...off. No offense intended, of course. But, she's not quite delicate. Her face is often contorted with emotion that's almost childlike, but it's not soft. She has fascinated me since the very first episode. I know a lot of people feel differently and I almost feel like it's two sides of the same coin -- the same things that annoy others are the things that intrigue me. Dexter apologizes and says that he's feeling a little off. Deb suggests that he see a doctor. Well, he did, he explains, and it really didn't help.
They see Angel working in front of a picture of Freebo. Deb pouts that they're working on a career-making case. If they find Freebo, they're going to be heroes. Dexter points out that Freebo got off for killing the two girls earlier, but Deb reminds him that now he's gone and "killed" the senior ADA's brother. He'll fry.
Quinn shows up with coffee for everyone. They really share food a lot at the station. I like that. I wonder what this guy Quinn's deal is. Drug dealer? He chats up Deb as Dexter walks away somberly and reminds us via VO that Freebo didn't kill Oscar, he did. However, Oscar wouldn't be dead if it weren't for Freebo. And, he's seen Dexter's face, so he really needs to find Freebo before the police do.
Deb points out Quinn's swank watch and asks him if it's a knock off. He says, "Me? No way. Real thing only. I sold a kidney to get it. I'll show you the scar some time." There was something equal parts clunky and compelling about his delivery just then. Like, it seemed wrong, but maybe Quinn's actually a robot. Deb tells him that she'll give him a kidney to not show her the scar.
Angel asks Dexter to go over the Prado blood evidence one more time, in case he missed something. How could he miss something? He put it there in the first place. Deb grabs Dex before he leaves and shows him her file of Teegan, still known as "Jane Doe" to the police. She wants him to take a look at the file and see if he can find anything. He tells her that he already looked but she asks him to look again. She says she can't afford to have an unsolved with this case. But, nothing is standing out so far-- she was full of drugs and found near the waterfront. However, the patch of skin missing from her shoulder? It was originally thought to be a tattoo (perhaps someone would be removing a identifying mark) but the coroner says it wasn't. Dexter pauses and Deb waves the file like a pendulum, "You're getting interested." Dexter says he's getting sleepy and takes the file. As he walks away, he VO's that it's nice that he's not the only one who is confused. He could let them know that Teegan's and Freebo's cases are linked -- that she was Freebo's girlfriend and he killed her, but he needs a head start finding Freebo before he does that.
Dexter walks into the lab and finds a shrine. Vince, who is meditating in a corner, tells him not to touch the incense that is burning. He reminds Dex that this is America and he has freedom of religion. Dex says that he didn't realize that Vince was Buddhist and aren't most Japanese people Shinto? He's not sure, he bought all of this stuff from his manicurist. He says that he needs all the luck he can get -- Forensics Quarterly is deciding whether or not to publish his article. Jesus, how many submissions do they get? I can't imagine the competition is going to be that out of control. When he walks away, Dex says that he could have used some of those good luck charms at the doctor's office this morning.
In Laguerta's office, Miguel is ranting. He says that he and his brother Ramon can put pressure on other agencies in order to solve Oscar's case. She tries to calm him down by ensuring him that the best in her department are working on his case. He freaks out a little bit and reminds her that this is the same team that shared a roof with the Bay Harbor Butcher. Touché. Not only that, but he was responsible for the death of another person on the team, but of course they don't know that. His insult stuns Maria and he apologizes. He says his fuse is short these days, even with his wife, Sylvia ("Syl"). Maria says, "I doubt that." I see we're reliving old times, Maria. She really has a problem with pursuing men who are taken, yes? "She knows what she's got." Gross. She decides to break it down -- she was too personally involved to see the Bay Harbor Butcher situation clearly. That is why she has distanced herself from the other people in the department. She suggests that he do the same with Oscar's case? I wonder if she's suggesting that they may discover that Oscar wasn't at Freebo's for pure reasons. He says that she's right and she says that some things never change. Oh cute, flirting. Then, he grabs her hand, which seems to startle her a little bit. He says that they aren't as close as they used to be, but he's glad that he has her as a colleague and she's the person overseeing the case.
Dexter sees Miguel leave Maria's office and he closes the blinds of the lab so he won't see him. He VO's that he has already seen too much of Miguel and he can't comfort the grieving. Maria locks eyes with Angel as Miguel is walking away and says sternly and with much feeling, "You got this?" Angel says, "Actually, I was thinking of totally fucking up this case as it's my first as Sergeant. Sorry that it's such an important one, but I really just have to fuck this one up." Not really. He says, "I got this." Because that's the only thing one could say. When Angel turns away though, he reveals in his face that he's not sure he's got this.
Deb is questioning what appears to be a couple of she-males of the night. I'm assuming they're talking about police stuff and not the upcoming election. I'm right, they're looking at a picture of Teegan. One of the ladies says that she really likes Teegan's hairstreaks and where did she get them done? Deb snarls, "Christophe of Beverly fucking Hills." She doesn't get it and asks Deb if she has his number. The other prostie says, "Petunia, you're the dumbest whore on the stroll." Then, she says that they don't have a name for Deb (psst, it's Teegan). So, she walks away. And, look who is here. It's Yuki, from Internal Affairs. She has been watching. Her hair is straightened. She must spend a lot of time on her hair. There's a lot of it. She asks if the she-males gave her any leads. Deb says, "That's Officer Morgan to you." I don't think she was calling you a she-male, Deb. But, it allows Yuki to remind Deb that she's not a detective yet and an unsolved murder case is not going to get her any closer to a shield. Deb, without anger, says that she's not sure why Yuki picked her but -- Yuki cuts her off and says, "Because Detective Quinn likes the ladies." Wrong move, Yukes. "Well, then, you don't need a snitch. You need a fuckin' slut. So, why don't you go talk to Petunia over there." Rad.
Yuki tells Deb that she can get her a Detective's shield the next day, because she's a Sergeant. I like how she's subtly letting her know her rank and how, maybe, she shouldn't talk to her like that. Deb wonders why she would get a shield for being a rat. Yuki corrects her -- she would be getting a shield for being an honest cop...like her father. Another move not designed to calm Deb. She's all, you are not starting with my daddy right now. Yuki says that she's not being a prick -- people in Internal Affairs talk about Harry like he was a brother. Well, Deb would like to know, did they talk about how unhelpful his honesty made him? Yuki smirks -- being popular is really important to Deb, isn't it? Her "cop friends." It seems to Yuki that without the whole cop thing, she doesn't have anything in her life. "Except your, uh, treadmill." That's gonna leave a mark. Deb responds, "Kind of a cunt, aren't you?" Yuki laughs and says, "Good one." As she walks away, she facetiously recommends that Deb pick up a hobby like gardening or scrap booking. OK, so we're only 1 and ¼ episodes into the season, but that was my favorite scene so far. Two badass girls. Nice.
Dexter is doing research on Teegan in the station. He knows, from having seen it at Freebo's place I presume, that she drove a Volkswagen Rabbit. He enters her first name and the car into a search engine and gets an address. He wonders how many parents give their kid a name like "Teegan." The answer is 4. He finally spots our dead Teegan's license and sees that she had an address on Sorority Row. He says he guesses he knows what he'll be doing that evening. First though, he wants to think about names. He doesn't like Teegan, though Megan and Mary strike him as nice names. For boys, he's thinking Charles, Philip, Richard, or...Dexter Jr. We enter a dream sequence with Dexter standing outside of a hospital nursery. Harry is holding a baby and a combination rattler and syringe. He looks at Dex and says, "He reminds me of you, Dex." He VO's that Harry is the last person he'd go to for advice on raising children.
He doesn't want to think about Harry though, he needs to focus on killing Freebo. Miguel sees him in the parking lot and calls to him. He VO's that he was hoping to rifle through Teegan's apartment instead of talking to Miguel. He thanks Dex for coming to Oscar's wake. He invites Dexter and Rita to his house for dinner. Seriously, he can kill enough people to populate a city the size of a suburb of St. Louis, but he can't get out of dinner plans?
That night, Deb goes to a club where people are dancing to Latin music. She sits at the bar and is soon joined by Quinn's informant, Anton, from the last episode. She tells him that she needs help with her Jane Doe case. He seems kind of annoyed that she's coming to him and reminds her that his debt is with Quinn, not her. She corrects him -- his debt is with the department. Wrong again -- he says he's not an "information ATM." Then, he walks away. She calls out after him -- she 's desperate. "I got a steaming heap of crap all on this case. I've gone through every scum-sucking ball sack of a pimp I know, every whacked out hooker. You are my last ditch ass-fucked effort." He comes back and says, "Damn, you got a mouth on you, woman." And, that folks, is the beginning of love. I predict big things for these two. She shows him the picture of Teegan -- he doesn't recognize her from the neighborhood, but says that, from the way she looks, he doubts she paid for her habit. She was a "strawberry," a girl who gets drugs in exchange for sex. And, a "mango" is someone that uses the same technique to get free magazines. I'm not proud of it, but I have an addiction. So, he's got nothing and Deb's just sort of staring at him. These two really have neat sweaty chemistry. I like it. He tells her that he'll ask around for her. She said she appreciates his help and he tells her to work out some of her tension on the dance floor. She says it smells like armpits in there and she has a lot of work to do. He reminds her that there's more to life than policing and she responds, "So I've heard." I really wanted to see them dance.
Later, Rita and Dexter pull up to Miguel's big house. Rita says that, if they were living in a place that large, it would make sense to have another child. Dexter says that the house is on a valuable lot, which is...not the same subject. She replies that the lawn is lush and great for kids. Dexter knows the name of the variety of grass and says that it thrives in warm weather. Still not on the same page as her. She stops him -- she's been trying to talk about the pregnancy the whole car drive. He says she should be less subtle. Yeah, that was the problem. She says that she was trying not to pressure him, but they have to make a decision before one is made for them.
Miguel's lovely wife Syl answers the door. Dexter tells them that their house is a great place for kids. That must annoy Rita. Miguel and Dexter go to one room together and Dex sees a photo of the Prado brothers and remarks on the family resemblance. Miguel says that their father was a bastard and a drunk, but he had a strong chin. And, he says that some people just shouldn't have children. Which is maybe the moral of this episode? He says Oscar got the worst and best parts of their dad.
In the other room, Syl offers Rita a drink. She says she shouldn't and Syl asks her if she's pregnant. Rita, being as guarded as Saran Wrap, gives it away and Syl congratulates her. She can see that Rita is not thrilled and tells her that Miguel wants to start a family before he runs for the DA's office, but she's happy with the way things currently are. Rita says that she doesn't want to pressure Dexter, because that's what she did with the ex. Well, that and he was a sociopath. That last part was probably the most important element of why things didn't work out.
Back to the dudes, Miguel says that he wanted to talk to someone involved with his brother's case. He wants to know if Dexter thinks that Freebo will be found. He's very sure. So, Miguel will get his chance in court with the guy? Mmm, not so sure about that part. Miguel says he doesn't want to wait anymore. He's ADA and his brother is sheriff -- they've got resources. In fact, they have a lead on finding Freebo's whereabouts. He confides that Ramon "borrowed" a cell phone that belonged to Freebo's mother. So, when he calls his mom, they'll be able to track him. Do drug dealers who kill girls still have relationships with their moms? Mommas, don't let your babies grow up to be drug dealing girl killers. This news wigs Dex a bit. He VO's that he needs to check Teegan's place as soon as he gets out of dinner.
Which he does. He VO's that his vision is much sharper through his shadow self, when he's on the hunt. He wishes that he could see the baby situation that clearly. He told Rita he would be home in an hour. He finds himself at a kegger on a college campus. Everyone's drunk and there are some people playing strip ping-pong? Anyway, a girl with really amazing tits is losing.
Dex makes his way upstairs and two really blonde, really drunk girls are blocking a doorway and tell him that they have to give a password to get past them. He says that he's looking for "My girl Teegan." They say that Teegan is a ho, several times. They really think that Teegan is a ho. She doesn't live on campus anymore -- she lives at her "ho pad." Dexter asks for the address of said pad. Then, they ask for "party favors" and tell him they put out. Who is the ho? There's a very thin line, ladies. It's like those girls walked out the front door and Teegan walked out the back. Dex tells them that he'll trade them drugs for Teegan's address, so one of the girls whips out her Blackberry and tells him. He tells them that he's going to grab his stash and ditches them. On the way out, we see a jock-strapped dude who is also losing at ping-pong. He's not losing at the cute hiney contest though. Dexter says, "Their parents must be proud. How much worse could my child turn out? Do I even want to know the answer to that question?"
The next morning, Dexter starts a pro and con list to weigh baby options. "Can't we just talk?" asks Rita, but Dex says that lists are easier for him sometimes. Astor and Cody enter and start playing with a soccer ball. Rita relents and asks for his pros. They're cute. Rita tells the kids not to play in the house. Dexter asks Rita for cons. "Noise, time, money, stretch marks, saggy boobs, less personal freedom." Ouch. Then, the kids break a vase with the ball. Rita sends them to their room until time to leave for school. She seems emotional and starts to clean up and cuts herself. "What am I even thinking?" she says as Dex is quiet (per usual).
Angel and Quinn knock on a door and guard themselves. Some stoner dude answers and they tell him that they need to ask some questions about Freebo. The guy, Zach, tries to act like he doesn't know who they're talking about and they remind him that he got busted with Freebo with drugs 2 years earlier. Now he remembers. This guy could not do more to seem more suspicious. He's used every tactic. They push their way into his house, because he's a parolee and they don't need a warrant.
Back at the station, Deb is looking through files of people who have been arrested. Dex arrives and says that he didn't get anything new on Deb's Jane Doe. She says her case is going backwards -- now she doesn't think her girl was a hooker. She says that now she's looking for the girl's dealer. Then, she asks, "What the fuck is scrap booking?" Heh. Dex gives a surprisingly thorough definition touching on the keepsake and journaling aspects of the hobby and Deb replies that she doesn't even want to know how he learned that stuff. Dexter is about to ask her if she knows Jane Doe's dealer, when she gets a phone call. The call was a lead on her ID -- she's outta there. Dex VO's that he needs to quicken his hunt, in order to stay ahead of his sister. He says that the department is becoming annoyingly effective.
Back at Zach's, they ask him if anyone else is there. Nope. Then, there's a noise. They go to check it out and Zach (By the way, this actor is shit. He's like Screech grown up to play Ratso Rizzo) says it's just a cat. But it's not, it's his girlfriend flushing narcotics down the toilet. Before they get carted off to jail, Zach offers up information about a guy named Chicky Hines. Back at the station, Angel tells Maria that Chicky is about to be sentenced for a carjacking. But, he didn't do it and Zach has his alibi. Maria says she knows about the case -- it was a big one for the prosecution and ADA Miguel Prado. Poo. She's undermining his conviction. She tells Angel to vet this completely before she goes to Prado.
In the bathroom, Dex asks Angel how the case is going. Angel looks stressed. He says that Dex can't imagine the pressure, but he tells him that Rita's pregnant. He congratulates Dex, though he was telling him in order to commiserate regarding the stress. He tells Dex that his little girl is the best thing that he ever did. He thanks Dexter for making him feel better, then leaves.
We see a fantasy of Dexter on a playground playing with a son and Cody and Astor. The kid's the same age as the other two. In fact, he's older than Cody. Harry reminds Dexter of this. He says, "I like them this age." He tells Harry that they're better off without him. Dexter says that Harry never pictured this sort of life for him, but there's no reason why it couldn't happen. He breathes deeply in what looks like an attempt to believe what he's saying. Then, we see Cody and Rita calling for Astor. Then, we find Dex, Jr. holding a wire in a murderous sort of way. Rita runs up and says, "What have you done?" Yeah, that's certainly the worst case scenario.
Deb is outside of a building and is called in by Anton. She asks him where he's been and he says that, if someone sees him with her, he won't be an informant any longer. He refers him to Javier, a pimp who specializes in white girls. Chances are, he tried to recruit Teegan. He starts to follow Deb and she stops him and reminds him that he can't be seen with her. He's worried though, because Javier likes white girls. But, she's got a gun. Well, he says he'll be there if anything goes "sideways." That's kind of cute.
Deb approaches an apartment in the building. This little guy answers the door. He's gross. She says that he's a little young to be running his own business and he slimes, "I'm the wonder kid." There's a drugged out girl on the couch. She shows a picture of Teegan and asks him if he recognizes it. He tells her that she'd make much more money as a whore than a cop, which probably says more about the paltry salaries of a lot of police officers. She tells him she's heard that before. She tells the "Little One" that if he helps her with her case, she won't bust him for being a piece of shit. He says he doesn't recognize her -- but he says he could get a thousand bucks a night for Deb. He goes to touch her hair and she twists his arm around his back. The picture of Teegan goes flying and the drugged out girl on the couch sees it. She tells Javier that he fucked her. Uh-oh. When Deb reminds Javier that he had sex with a girl who is now dead and he's lying about it and that doesn't look good, he says that he passed her to a friend. A white guy named...you guessed it, Freebo. Deb is outta there.
Dexter is in the lab. He VO's how many things have gone wrong because his first attempt to kill Freebo didn't go correctly. Angel comes in and says that Deb called him and says she has a big lead. This, of course, freaks Dex out. Then Vince enters and says that he's getting published. "The shrine worked," says Dexter. "Totally," he replies and dumps his Buddha in the garbage. Fair-weather Buddhist.
At the beach, Miguel and Ramon are having an argument. He says that Freebo called his mother's cell and they will have the call traced by that evening. Ramon says that his department should handle it afterwards, but Miguel tells him that he's done enough. They are about to have a larger argument when Maria arrives. Ramon asks her what they've got on Freebo -- she says they're working on different leads and he says that means they've got shit. Miguel tells Ramon to leave and he does in a huff. She breaks it to Miguel about Chicky Hines. She says she is sorry. Miguel says that he hates his job right now, but she should never hold back information from him. He says that he wants to get together when all of this is over. All 3 of them. Ick.
That night, Dexter goes on the hunt. He passes Deb's desk and it looks like she's getting closer to identifying Teegan. Maria has to merge the Freebo and Jane Doe cases, making Deb very happy. After everyone leaves, Quinn angrily tells her that Anton is his source and she shouldn't wear him out. She says that she knows how to work with an informant and he should relax. Angel tells her that her work was solid and that is how she'll earn her shield.
Dexter cases Teegan's ho pad. He breaks in and finds Freebo. This was easier than he thought. So, Freebo really wins the cute hiney contest. Just saying. He's sitting around in the buff and drinking beer. Dexter doesn't have any of his killing stuff though. So, he runs out to his apartment to get stuff to set up a kill room in the garage detached from the house. He retrieves the knife that Oscar had (the one that he was killed with). It looks like some sort of heirloom and Dexter feels like it's only appropriate that it be used to kill Freebo. Then, there's a knock on his door. It's Rita. GET OUT OF HERE, RITA!! She says that she's been thinking about the pros and cons. Yeah, yeah, naked guy waiting to get killed. And, she's decided that there are only cons. Dexter says he's been thinking the same thing. She says she's keeping it, which I find a tiny bit manipulative. Like, she was saying it to see if he'd say he wants it or not. She says that her kids were never a mistake. She's OK being a single parent if that's what she has to do. She tells him that his involvement with the child is up to him. Well, that's pretty not manipulative.
On the way back to Teegan's, he wonders if he should take Rita's way out. After all, he kills people. So, Freebo put on boxer shorts. Dexter jumps him in the kitchen and says, "Long time, no see." He wakes strapped down. He has set up pictures of his first two victims, as well as a pic of Teegan. Oh and, look at that, MIGUEL is sitting in his car in the rain. Looks like tracing that call worked out.
Freebo says, "I didn't-" right when Dexter cuts his face. Miguel enters the house with a gun drawn. Dexter says that he drained Teegan of her self-respect and hope, then, last Sunday, he strangled her. Freebo haltingly says that last Sunday he was getting high with some girl from a sorority, but Dexter doesn't have time for it and stuffs something in his mouth. He gets right in Freebo's face and says, "You seem uncertain. It's uncomfortable isn't it? Just when you think you've answered all the questions, another one smacks you in the face. Life, life, life. Life is just like that." That's nice, isn't it? He looks at a picture of Oscar Prado that he has also pinned up and says, "Which is why I prefer death." Then, he stabs Freebo in the neck.
Miguel finds his way outside, where it's raining. Dexter hears noise. He grabs the knife and walks outside. Miguel recognizes him. Dexter looks really uncertain. He asks Dex if he's in the garage. He is. And he's dead. Miguel sees the knife in Dexter's hand and he says it was self-defense. He says he found a forensics lead and he was checking it out without bothering anyone. He didn't expect anyone to be there. Miguel says the knife was his father's, from Vietnam. Miguel embraces him and cries and says he wasn't sure he could kill Freebo, but he's glad Dexter did. He says they'll get rid of the evidence but Dex tells him to get out of there, because Dexter has plausible deniability regarding the crime. Miguel doesn't have that. Miguel tells Dexter thank you and we see that, during their embrace, some of Freebo's blood got on Miguel's shirt. What A SCENE!
Jeff Long wants to visit Miami. He can be reached at jeff.long75@gmail.com
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