I Had A Dream
Updated 2008-12-08 08:56:41
Previously: Anton was captured and tortured by The Skinner, but rescued by Quinn and Deb. Anton found out that Quinn had kept him off of the books as a CI -- so he punched him. He told Deb that she needed to think about their relationship. Dexter taught Miguel how to kill people. Miguel tried to console Maria about Ellen's death, by making out with her. Rita told Syl that Miguel was having an affair with Maria. She found him at Maria's house where she mentioned that Miguel had been out all night on Thursday (the night that Ellen was killed). Miguel and Dexter are on the outs -- Dexter has decided that he needs to kill him. Meanwhile, Miguel is in cahoots with George "The Skinner" King and tells him that Dexter knows where Freebo is. Before Dex has the chance to get to Miguel, he is kidnapped at his apartment and thrown into the trunk of a car.
Dexter is struggling in the trunk of a car. He VO's with resignation that he'd imagined "the end" many times, but it was never like this, with him bound in the trunk of a car. He manages to get the hood off of his head. Then, he turns onto his stomach and tries to cut the tape off of his wrists. "I am so fucked," he thinks to himself. Harry appears (I have no idea how they both fit in that trunk) and tells him that this must be the way his victims feel-- trapped and hopeless. Dexter doesn't have the time for introspection right now. Harry says that he's there for moral support. Dexter says that Harry was right about Miguel. He thinks that Ramon must be driving the car he's in right now -- he knows that he's the one to blame. Harry says that he doesn't blame Dexter for wanting a friend, which is the saddest thing I've heard all week. Harry says that, to the contrary, he's proud of Dexter for trying -- it was brave. Dexter seems surprised to hear that Harry feels that way. OK, so this is a touch confusing for me. For the most part, I assume that the Harry visions are an instrument of Dexter's subconscious, yes? They are actually moments when Dexter is talking to himself. But, this feels like new information, which would be impossible. Like Harry did some soul-searching and decided he was proud of Dexter. And, that would mean that dead Harry is evolving. Are we going there? Dexter says that he should have killed Miguel when he had the chance and Harry says that he still can -- he shouldn't give up. That gives Dexter the motivation to finally tear the tape off of his hands. The car is stopping. Dexter gets into attack position and waits for someone to open the trunk. Seriously, this is a very large trunk. He's waiting, waiting, the trunk opens...and Dex springs into action and punches Vince in the face.
Yes, Vince. With people already laughing, Dexter asks what's going on. Angel, as he's helping Vince up, says that it's his bachelor party. I must say, knowing Dexter was in that trunk for a week I never thought it was his bachelor party. Vince responds, "Watch the grill, George Foreman!" They're going on a party boat.
And what a party it is! Multiple strippers are providing the attendees with lap dances. There are some fake boobies stripping up in there. No one seems to mind the lack in authenticity. It looks like several of the girls are costumed as sailors. Very patriotic. Vince is nursing his swelling eye with an ice pack that Angel has provided. Dexter apologizes -- he says that he didn't know what to think. Quinn says that it was fucking hilarious and laughs hysterically. I think that was maybe Desmond Harrington's best moment so far on the show. Really though -- he's so full and expressive right there. He seems like a real person -- which just made me fully realize how posey and flat he seems for the most part. I wish he were like this more often. Quinn turns to Dexter and asks, "You were freaked, right?" and keeps laughing heartily. He's so good right there! Angel's got the giggles too.
Vince thinks it's time to change the subject. "Premium alcohol, all-you-can-eat buffet, plus high-class adult entertainment." Can't we just agree that that last part is an oxymoron, yes? Dexter hears the offerings and VO's that someone should kill him now. He tells them that the party is...awesome. He pauses like that. Because he doesn't mean it. And, even though he just VO'd something that contradicts that last statement, we need to see him act like he doesn't really mean it. Because we're all dumb and we just wouldn't get it otherwise. We'd be like, "I understand he just said 'Kill me now' regarding the party, but when he told the guys that the party was awesome, he didn't pause and sort of grimace and overall just indicate really heavily that he didn't mean what he just said. I think I'm confused." Now, I love this show. It's really inventive and imaginative and pretty finely etched (at least originally), but the sledgehammer approach they take to making some of their points? It's like we trapped this show in the trunk of a car and drove it to a bachelor party and were on the frontlines of the "Surprise!" crew when the trunk was opened. Get me some ice. Quinn decides that the party isn't awesome; the dancers on the other side of the bar are AWESOME. Then, he goes after them.
Vince and Angel join Quinn, while Dexter looks to the dock. Oh, look who is driving up. It's Miguel, driven by Ramon. Dexter wonders if Ramon is his designated driver (that's like asking John Goodman to be your calorie counter) or bodyguard. He says that he will find out later. I wonder how he'll find that out? Right now, he VO's that it's time for him to put on his party face, which he does. He sits in the middle of a room while the guys around him are getting lap dances and he drinks champagne in slow motion. He VO's that he's heard that bachelor parties aren't really about the groom, rather it's about all of the other guys. As he and Miguel look at each other with awkwardness, Dex VO's that he is planning for his own big day, the day he kills Miguel. One of the things I found interesting was that, when Dexter decides that he's killing Miguel, he looked like he was driven by a sense of duty. Now, I know he's got his Code and all that, but the Code is there to control his natural impulses to just kill lots of people, right? So, don't you think he would have been a little more like "I get to kill Miguel!" rather than "Miguel needs to die?" Just a thought there.
Miguel calls for the music to be turned down. He's going to give a toast and he tells the partygoers to "put those packages away." That's possibly simultaneously the dorkiest and grossest way you could express that wish. Maybe he means boobs. Miguel says that he's going to say a few words about Dexter, but will keep them G-rated, as he is running for office. Dexter suggests via VO that Miguel "run fast." Miguel says that Dex is a tough guy to get to know and, while smart, sometimes doesn't have the "good sense God gave little chickens." Dexter laughs affably with the rest of the crowd. He makes fun of the fact that Dexter brings donuts to work to make friends. He says he's actually giving them diabetes and clogged arteries and might as well "stab a pal in the ventricle." He makes a taunting stabbing motion into his chest when he says that last part. Then, he says a few words about friendship. He says friends are always honest with each other. They can look past the differences that they have. When they have a conflict, friends forgive each other -- a true friend knows when to bury the hatchet. Friendship is a sacred bond built on trust. All the while he's saying this, he's moving closer to Dexter. There seems to be a lot of tension in the room. Then, he tells Dexter that he has learned so much from him...about trust. Heh, he keeps doing that! It's cheers to Dexter and everybody goes back to partying. Dexter raises his bottle of champagne to Miguel with a smile on his face that, were Miguel a little more self-aware, should have scared the shit out of him.
The next morning, Dex gets home 45 minutes before he is supposed to be at work. He tries to take a power nap but Rita arrives, fucking with the nap like her storyline has with this season. She brought bagels, to soak up the alcohol, she says. She asks him how the party was and he says that he survived. Then, he says that, if she's wondering if he did anything stupid, he didn't. From the look on her face, that was exactly why she came over. She's relieved. She says that she heard that Syl kicked Miguel out of the house (which should do more damage to his campaign for DA than a dirty bachelor party speech) and she asks how he's doing. Dexter says that Miguel feels betrayed, and Rita points out that Miguel brought his problems on himself. She asks rhetorically who throws their marriage vows out the window and Dexter says it's someone without a Code. She agrees and asks if she really wants someone like Miguel to be his best man. No, he doesn't, but he thought he would play nice until after the wedding. Rita suggests that he consider ditching him. He asks her what she's working on and she shows him this intense spreadsheet that she has created as a to-do list for the wedding. She says that the less left to chance, the better. He asks her if they can talk about wedding stuff later (NEVER!), because he's got to shower and get to work. Rita asks him if he wants company, which he says he does, but he is in too much of a hurry.
At the station, Dexter greets everyone as they file in all hung over (and one person with a cold bottle of water on his eye) and in slow motion. He VO's that, after the party, everyone thinks that they share a secret. However, Miguel is the only person who really knows his secret. He could tell the others, but then he'd have to kill them. Oh, it's that easy? Well, then why have you waited all damn season to off Prado. It's odd to think that Dexter needed a reality-check regarding the limitations of friendship to end up here.
Vince sits beside Dex without speaking and lets out a sigh of pain. Then, Deb comes up and punches him in the arm. He calls out in pain and asks if he is the Morgan Family Punching Bag. That's totally on my Amazon.com wish list. Deb is pissed that she wasn't invited to the bachelor party, but Vince says that, because it was a bachelor party, "thongs and dongs" were required. Oddly, that was the same requirement for a voice class I took in college. You live, you learn. Vince says she could have maybe gotten an invite if she'd wanted to be talent, but she reminds him that he's gross and Dex is her brother. Vince thinks that the fact that they're not blood related is a loophole. Oh, that matters.
Angel flips the lights for which Quinn's head is grateful. Angel tells Quinn's head that it should be in the Ellen Wolfe case right now. Quinn, with an assist from his head, runs the view accompanied by an overhead projector. Toby Edwards, bartender and booty call, spotted a black SUV outside of Ellen's apartment around the time that she was killed. Dex reminds us via VO that the SUV belonged to Miguel. Deb says that there are no intersection surveillance cameras between Ellen's place and the cemetery where her body was dumped. Dex contemplates killing Miguel in his car, because it has a big backseat. Angel says that they need to recanvas -- someone had to have seen something and he says they're going to catch them.
The next order of business is The Skinner. There's a picture of George King on the projection. Angel says that the Nicaraguan Embassy is giving him the runaround. That seems odd to me. I would think a serial killer who was a natural citizen of their country would rank high on their priority list, seeing as having an embassy in another country is an attempt at diplomacy in the first place. You're not really doing much for your mission when you don't help with the apprehension of a crazy killer from your country who is wreaking havoc in the country where the embassy is stationed. Right? Like, I could maybe understand some lack of urgency if I contacted the Nicaraguan Embassy in US about a Nicaraguan citizen killing people in, let's say, Iceland. Maybe they'd be like, um, this isn't our beat. Angel tells Ramos to go to the Embassy in person. He says that, until they know King's true identity, there's not much to go on. You mean his name is not George Washington King? The shocks keep coming.
Angel turns off the projector and says that Anton will be coming to the station that day to go over his statement. "Today?" asks Deb. "What? Did you forget your lip gloss?" replies Quinn. Douchey, no? He knows that she never told anyone about not putting Anton on the books. And, granted, it's poor form to become involved with a witness. However, it seems like there's enough evidence stacked against King that her sleeping with a guy whose back was skinned is pretty inconsequential (I mean, they already knew it was King before Anton was abducted), while Quinn's fuck-up is still a pretty huge deal with lots of possible consequences. Angel tells Quinn to stay away from Anton when he's there -- he doesn't want anymore fighting. He adds that, though Anton is Deb's informant, he wants to cover his visit. He wants to get himself up to speed with the case. More likely, he read the surveillance report and is trying to separate the two. That's probably not a bad idea. Angel ends the meeting and Deb says to Quinn, "Fuck you, lip gloss." He looks at her like, "What's the problem?" That's annoying.
Maria is in her office watching the tape of her interview with Toby Edwards. She watches the part where he says that he saw a black SUV with halogen beams. She thinks really hard about that, then she opens a file with Miguel's picture on the front of it. There's a copy of his driver's license inside. His birth date is July 9, 1955. He's definitely moody and overemotional like your typical Cancer. A little more murderous than most. She checks his automobile registration. It's an SUV. She thinks a little more then calls Miguel. She says that, given the scene that occurred with Syl, she thinks they should talk.
Angel talks to a cop about bringing Anton into the station. Then, Barbara arrives and he kisses her. She has lunch for him. She says they are Italian hangover remedies -- saffron lemon risotto, white pizza, and cayenne tea. Seriously, Angel, marry that woman right now. He says that the food sounds great, but he's not hung over. He "behaved" himself at the party. "I'm a plus 1 now, remember?" She says that a man still has his needs, but he says that his needs are covered. I'm predicting stormy weather for these two, but I'm not sure exactly what the problem will be.
Dexter is in the lab looking at the spreadsheet that Rita made. Suddenly, a fuzzy vision of Harry is behind him asking him if he is having cold feet. He replies that he isn't -- Rita is great. That's not what Harry is talking about, which Dexter should probably already know since he's imagining this whole thing. He says that marrying is easy, because all he has to do is show up. However, killing Miguel? He plops down this large book with bright red binding with large block letters reading "KILL PLAN FOR MIGUEL PRADO." Killing Miguel will require some finesse, Harry says, because he's a public figure. He's also well connected. Dexter knows that people will be looking for Miguel when he disappears -- but Harry says that he can't just disappear. Dexter says that he will pin it on someone else and we see him eye a picture of George King that is posted on the wall in the station. Harry asks him about his timeline and he says that he will do it after the wedding -- any earlier would be crazy. I mean, he's got so much to do right now, he just can't fit another thing on his plate. His alibi will be the wedding night, because Rita will likely be exhausted seeing as she's with child. Harry says that's not a good idea. Rita waking up with him not there is not how he wants her to remember their wedding night.
Harry disappears as Deb walks into the room. She closes the blinds and Dexter asks if she's hiding. She is -- Anton is about to show up and she doesn't want to see him. She looks really nervous right now. She knows it's immature, but if she sees Anton, she'll miss him. Dexter doesn't understand, why doesn't she tell Anton? She says that she can't because she needs to be with someone who has his shit together. Someone with a real job and strong morals, like her dad. Dexter says that Harry wasn't perfect and she counters that he wasn't a drug user or a CI. Dexter points out that Anton isn't a CI either. Either way, Deb thinks that Harry wouldn't approve of Anton. "You'd be surprised," he replies. She asks him what that is supposed to mean and he says that he didn't mean anything. She says that Dexter has had a bug up his ass about their dad for months now. She wants to know what he did. He says she doesn't want to know, which of course makes her want to know even more. She says that he wasn't on the take and he didn't break any laws and he didn't cheat on their mom. Well... Dexter stares at her after that last bit and she stops. She understands what his look means and she says, "Bullshit." He says that she's right, but now she's upset. "Bullshit! Who?" He tells her that it was a CI and he almost looks like he feels bad for making her upset. "You always wanted to be like dad," he offers. Yeah, that's going to help. She's kind of crying now. "Seriously?" she asks.
Angel comes into the room and tells Deb that Anton is there. She needs to talk to him, because she's the only one he trusts. Still choked up, she says that it is indeed difficult to find people who you can trust. Dexter calls out to her as she leaves the room, but she tells him to blow her. Angel tells Dexter that his sister never says that. After he's gone, Dex sits for a moment, then whispers, "Oops."
Anton is an interview room and we can see through the window in the door that Deb is hesitating before entering. She finally walks in, slowly, with downcast eyes. She has his file. She smiles weakly. He says that requesting her was a bad idea -- send in Angel. He can tell she doesn't want to be there. She is really shaken up -- she says that it's not about him. She says that something else just happened. He asks her if she's OK and she says no, so he asks her if he can help. She says that he can look at his statement to see if any corrections need to be made. He tries to touch her hand and says the case is not why he's there right now. She, barely fighting tears, pulls away her hand and says she really needs this to be about work right now.
He reviews that statement and lets out a little laugh. Deb asks if something is incorrect. Nothing's wrong -- the words just don't really explain what happened to him. She asks him what he means -- he means that he could hear the sound of his flesh being cut. He could also hear the sound of himself screaming like it was coming from someone else, and he thought to himself that the guy he was hearing was going to die. That's such an evocative little speech. Not that I ever really wanted to know what it was like, but I do now. Deb wants to take his hand, but she grabs the side of the table instead. But, then Anton says that King stopped to go through his pockets. He even took his change. "How fucked up is that?" he asks, breaking the hand-taking barrier. Deb finally takes his hand. Come on! Shouldn't these two be together?
When she leaves the interview room, Quinn meets her outside. He asks her if she got anything, but she says that it's nothing she can use. He suggests taking another look at the crime scene to see if they missed anything. Deb replies that she'll do whatever it takes to catch the guy that did this to her boo.
In the lab, Angel enters as Vince is leaning into an open refrigerator. Angel asks that Vince assure him that he's not freezing sperm. Way to encourage him. He informs Angel that, in order to freeze sperm, the specimen must be stored at minus 200 degrees Centigrade, while the fridge there only falls to minus 40. Minus 200? I guess I have to throw all of that stuff out now. Great. Angel looks at him like he's a freak for knowing that information and he responds, "What? I'm a donor. It's my way of giving back." He was grabbing a popsicle to put on his eye. Angel asks God to help the little Vinces that might be walking around. Vince asks if the server is down -- he wants to run a background check on Tammy Okama, the party planner girl. Angel looks at him with a smile and deduces that Vince slept with her. He replies that Vince Masuka does not kiss and tell. Here I was just thinking that he never kissed. He waits a second, then says, "OK, fine, I banged her." He tells Angel that they stayed up all night talking. This raises questions for all of us, including Vince. He thinks something must be wrong with her if she likes him. Angel says that he will let Vince know when the server is back up.
Dexter is in his car watching Miguel. He VO's that, if home is where the heart is and you have no heart, home is a 5-star hotel. Dexter is watching him to learn his new routine now that Syl has kicked him out of the house. We see Ramon driving Miguel's SUV. They both get out of the car and hug. Ramon leaves and a valet takes the car away as Miguel goes inside the hotel. After Ramon is gone, Miguel comes back outside and asks the valet for his keys -- he says that he forgot something. Dexter VO's that ditching Ramon was stupid and he gets ready to follow Miguel.
Quinn and Deb are at the shack under the highway where King was holding Anton. Stuff is clearly weighing on her mind, so Deb asks Quinn if he's close to his father. He laughs and says that, no, his father was deadbeat trailer trash and that's why he became a cop. Deb asks him if he has a rich mother and he says his mom died when he was 5 (which I guess is a no). He asks her why she asked about the last part and she points out that it's hard to afford a fancy car and a watch like Quinn has on a cop's salary -- she thought maybe he had a trust fund or was a day trader or something. No, he had an uncle in Boston who left him a building when he died and it was a total surprise. Deb says that families are full of surprises and Quinn says that Dexter's wedding will bring out the best and worst. Deb replies that weddings aren't as fun when you're single. He asks about Anton and she says that they aren't involved. In that case, he suggests that they consider "carpooling" to the wedding. She looks at him funny and he laughs and says that he's just considering high gas prices. "Are you hitting on me?" she asks sternly as her cell phone rings. He apologizes and backs away as she takes the call. It's Angel on the phone, but the reception is really bad. Quinn says that they need to give him a status update, so Deb asks for some change to use the pay phone that she saw up the street. As Quinn gives her change, a light bulb goes off over her head. She runs outside and says, "Holy Jesus on a stick!" That's why King wanted Anton's change! To use the pay phone because there was no cell reception. They're going to get the records from that phone!
At Maria's place, she's cooking dinner with Miguel. He says that he is surprised that she called, but glad. He says that he has been thinking of her since way before the Ellen Wolf stuff, which really has nothing to do with the two of them, does it? I guess he went over there that night to comfort her about Ellen, but it seems more like the writers' way of letting Maria react. Kind of clunky. She says that they were different when they knew each other in the old days. He leans down to kiss her, but she stops him because the water is boiling on the stove. She says that she bought some beer for him, but she left it in her car. Miguel offers to get it, but she says that she will. She grabs Miguel's keys on her way outside. As Dexter watches from his car, Maria wraps tape around her hand and gets a sample from the back of Miguel's SUV. Dex VO's that Miguel probably thinks he's getting lucky tonight, when, in fact, he's getting screwed. Maria puts the sample in her car and goes back inside.
Later, Dexter is flipping through the radio stations, searching for some marching music, when Maria walks Miguel outside. Dex VO's that they make a cute couple, but both of them are lying through their teeth. After Maria has gone inside, Miguel starts his car and prepares to leave. Then, he gets out -- because THE BACK DOOR OF HIS SUV IS STILL OPEN. Maria didn't close it properly. As he closes it, he stares blankly ahead and Dex sees and intuitively VO's that Miguel looks like he knows something is up with Maria. He can't let him do anything bad to another innocent person.
The next morning, Dex arrives at work and VO's that on his to-do list for today is finding a "non-blowback" way to dispose of Miguel's body. Suddenly, Maria arrives with the sample she got last night. She asks Dexter to run the sample for matches with victims from the last 10 days. He reminds her that he's the "blood guy," but she says he also runs forensics and she can trust him to keep the results off the records. He agrees that keeping secrets is one of his strong suits, however, she ripped him a new a-hole the last time he did work off the grid. She says that this is different -- she has a voice nagging her. She hopes that she's wrong, but if she isn't and anyone finds out that she was investigating, a "shit hurricane" would be brought down on the entire department. Now, think about that for a moment. Literally. A shit hurricane sounds like the most horrible thing ever. If she's right, she says it will be the same hurricane, different landfall. Either way, Dexter will need a raincoat. I wish I got to talk like that without joking. She says that she doesn't want Dexter to get into any trouble, but he tells her that he's fine with giving her something under the table (he acknowledges that the statement sounds a little odd). He tells her that he'll get the results for her ASAP. Dexter sits down and enters into a computer system the request. It requires an authorization code, so Maria enters hers. The request is approved (Maybe he was reserving space in the lab?) and Maria tells him that he's the best and leaves. He says to himself that he has to be the best as he looks at a screen listing the victims from the past 10 days.
Miguel is getting out of the shower in his hotel room when there's a beep from his computer. He checks it -- he apparently gets an alert every time someone looks into Ellen's case. He sees that Maria is doing that. Not good.
At the station, Deb tells Quinn that she has checked the phone records and it looks like King was using that pay phone as an office. Quinn doesn't understand the relevance, but she says that she checked one of the numbers and King was apparently re-hired to landscape the local summer home of a lady who lives in New Jersey. Quinn's all duh, but Deb says that this means that the house is empty. They go to check it out.
Angel finds Vince and tells him that the server is back up, so he ran a check on Tammy. It's bad news -- she has a rap sheet. She apparently rammed her car into another car over a parking space. She paid a big fine and had to take anger management classes. Vince realizes this means that Tammy has issues. "So, she's not out of my league." Angel says that he is happy to have helped and hands the background check to Vince.
Dexter checks the sample that Maria gave him against Ellen's hair. They match, which is no surprise. He wonders whether he should let Maria in on the truth. He figures that he shouldn't stir up trouble, since Miguel will be getting justice soon enough. Vince excitedly enters and asks Dex if it's too late for him to bring a guest to the wedding. It isn't, Rita is still collecting RSVP's. Also, Tammy could just eat Miguel's plate. I doubt he's coming. Vince asks Dex what he's working on and he says that he found a gray hair and was curious. Vince replies that he's totally done that before, but Dex points out that Vince is bald. Um, he found one down there. Awesome and traumatic, all in one little joke.
Deb and Quinn arrive at the empty vacation house. It's really gorgeous and, I have to say, King does excellent work. The lawn is plush like carpet. And the shrubs? They're like statues. You'd think that he would just stick to this, instead of loaning money to frat boy drug dealers slash murderers then killing lots of people in an attempt to get the money back. Deb knocks on the door and, of course, no one answers. They start to walk around to the back of the house and Deb wonders if they should call for backup. Quinn suggests that they see what they've got first. In the back, there is tons of tropical vegetation. Deb says that someone must have taken the Jungle Cruise at Magic Kingdom. Suddenly, a giant parrot/parakeet (I'm not a bird guy) caws super loud and Deb and Quinn point their guns at it. Suddenly, Quinn realizes that the back door is open. Also, THERE'S KING. Quinn runs after him through the house as Deb calls for backup. King makes it out the front door, but Quinn tackles him on the lawn. So, King, a man true to his style, pulls out a knife and slashes Quinn across the face. And, he gets away. Quinn's such a pussy. Deb arrives and asks Quinn if he's OK -- he is, but bleeding. Deb asks for an ambulance and air surveillance of the area.
At the station, Maria calls Dex into her office. She got the hair analysis results from his office without him being there. Dex looks tense -- but I don't think we're supposed to know if he changed the results or not. Not yet at least. He didn't change the results, but it looks like he did it on purpose. Maria tells him that she found the sample in the back of Miguel's SUV and he acts stunned. Maria says that she's going to go to a judge for a warrant, which Dex VO's will put her in Miguel's crosshairs (Dude, she's already there). He asks her if she thinks a judge will issue a warrant for a popular ADA, and she says that she doesn't know but she can't be inactive after the results from Dex's test. He suggests that she sit on the evidence until she has built a strong case and she replies that she has some serious soul searching to do.
As Dex is leaving Maria's office, he says that, while Maria is soul searching, he will eliminate her problem. He's going to use George King's tactics. They will think it was King and won't even look for another suspect. He sees Quinn and asks him what happened. Quinn has a bandage on his forehead. He tells Dex it was King and Deb says she's tried to get Quinn to go home, but he's trying to prove that he has "cajones of steel." Angel walks up and asks Quinn if he's OK. He says that it was a superficial wound and they should keep moving. Angel says that the top brass is going to have a lot of questions for them. They had air surveillance and 50 cops looking for King, but it's like he is a ghost. Dex walks away and VO's that he's thankful they didn't catch King. He needs him on the loose so that he can be blamed for Miguel's murder.
Deb catches up with him and asks Dex how long he's known about Harry and his CI. He says a couple of weeks. Camilla told him right before she died. He wasn't sure if he should tell her. She assures him that when there's huge mind fuck news like this, he should tell his fucking sister. He apologizes as he gets a text message. He tells her that Rita wants to know if she's bringing Anton to the wedding. No, she isn't. She says that Quinn asked her if she'd go as his date, but, while it would be sad to go stag to her own brother's wedding, going with Quinn would be even more depressing. Dex offers that Quinn seems OK and she agrees -- he's good on paper, like Harry. But, of course, she doesn't know Harry as well as she thought she did. She says that it turns out she's as big a fuck-up as he was. Dex, and I don't think I've ever really seen him act like this, insists that she's not a fuck-up. She's the hardest working person he knows. He says that she's loyal to a fault and, in all of the years that he's known her, she has never let him down. Then, he gets an idea. She should be his best man. She reminds him that Miguel is his best man, but he says that Miguel isn't even a good man. He should have asked her in the first place. "So why didn't you?" she asks. He says he thought the best man was supposed to be a man. Dex, that doesn't sound like you. You don't exactly fit everyone's idea of a serial killer. You shouldn't label. He tells her that he trusts her more than anyone, but she wants to make sure that he's not just doing this because he feels guilty. He asks her again to stand up for him and she replies, "Abso-fucking-lutely." A girl of few words and many syllables.
Deb goes downstairs to archives. The lady working there apparently knows her and asks her where she's been. Too busy with Anton to shoot the shit with her? Word travels fast, but Deb says that it doesn't travel fast enough, for she and Anton are no longer together. "Fuck him, his loss," the lady replies. I like this actress. Deb asks for a favor -- she needs all of the files on her dad's CIs. The lady seems perplexed that Deb would be looking up something on her dad (presumably because he has such a saintly reputation). Deb says that she knows it's a big dig, but she really only needs the female Cis -- probably just the pretty ones. Hey, you already found out that you don't know your dad as well as you thought you did. Might as well just get all of the files. The lady asks Deb if someone has told her something about Harry and one of his CIs. She says it wouldn't be the first time a cop has stepped out on his wife. Deb replies that she knows it's a big request, but the lady cuts her off. Her dad cheated on her mom and she would have cut off his dick if she could have. This actually shocks Deb. More than the violence, I'm just thinking, that means you'd have to touch your dad's dick. Not cool. She says she'll put a rush on Deb's request.
That night, Dexter finds Miguel and Ramon pounding drinks in the hotel bar. This lets Dexter know that they will be there for a while. He calls the hotel switchboard and asks for Miguel. Then, he starts walking through the hall (all of them?) until he hears the phone ringing from outside. He tips a maid down the hall and asks for turndown service. Without any questions, she opens the door and begins to get to work. It's great that this works so easily for him. Dex acts like he's on a phone call that he's required to take and asks the maid to leave. He looks out the window and decides that he could park there and enter undetected. Then, he sees a life vest on the floor. Miguel has been kill shopping. He looks on Miguel's computer and sees the same alert about Maria. He deduces that he's getting Ramon drunk so that he can claim Miguel was with him the whole night. "Tonight's the night."
Later, Miguel approaches Maria's darkened house. He finds a key under a flowerpot that he must have known was there and enters the house. No one is there, however, he sees a message on her answering machine and decides to answer it. He doesn't even seem sad that he's going to kill her! Anyway, the message is from Dexter. He tells Maria to meet her, regarding Miguel and Ellen, at a nearby diner. Miguel opens the door to leave and is greeted by Dexter and his needle in Miguel's neck. He passes out immediately.
When Miguel wakes up bound in classic kill room style, he exclaims, "Jesus!" Dexter says, "Finally." He's been waiting for this show to begin. Dexter turns a swivel chair to reveal his array of knives that he has placed on it. Miguel starts freaking out. He turns his head and sees photos of Ellen and Maria that he has placed behind candles. He says that he knows he crossed the line, but it doesn't have to come to this. Dexter disagrees, of course. He says that he had higher hopes for Miguel, but he has realized that he will always be alone. Miguel says that's not true, but Dexter isn't taking his truth from Miguel these days. The friendship that Miguel offered Dexter was bullshit, which Miguel tries to protest until Dex mutes him with his hand. Miguel says that he tried to crack Dexter's armor. He can still see the possibilities in their relationship. So, this is Dexter's fault for being a "shutdown?" Miguel whines that he just wants Dexter to let him in! Gross. Dexter asks why he would do that and Miguel says it's because he knows Dexter better than anyone. Not true. Dexter says that there have been many people who have known Dexter as they lay on a table wrapped in plastic. They were all unchecked versions of himself -- what he would have become without the Code. Miguel says that he's not like them, but Dexter disagrees. Miguel says that he's like Dexter, and Dexter smacks his face a little in protest. "No. I know I'm a monster." Miguel says that he accepts Dex. He accepts him like a brother. Oh really? Well, Dexter killed his brother. And, he adds, he killed Miguel's. Slam-dunk! He tells him it wasn't planned, but Miguel freaks out. Now Dexter is having a good time. He reminds Miguel of his bachelor party speech where he said that friends are always honest. Miguel adds that he said, "Friends forgive. Friends forgive!" He's so pitiful right now. "But, I don't forgive you," replies Dexter. He moves away and grabs some wire while Miguel screams, "You little freak! You think I'm done with you? You think this ends here! It doesn't!" That's crazy. Dexter calmly says, while wrapping the wire around Miguel's neck, "It does for you." End of Miguel. We see that Miguel's hand had begun to rip through the saran wrap that he was encased in. The lighting turns to gray as Dexter VO's, "Adios, Amigo." Wow. Thanks for the memories, Smits. You were a badass.
Jeff Long believes in forgiveness. He can be reached at jeff.long75@gmail.com.
Visit the Dexter forums , and stroll down psychopath lane!