Shrink Wrap
Updated 2008-04-18 19:17:04
Previously: Neil Perry was the Ice Truck Killer! Or maybe he wasn't. He confessed to the crimes, but didn't know who Dexter was. So, how did he know all the ins and outs of the murders? Paul Bennett, "father on parole" (or FOP, henceforth), returned to Rita's life, and Rita wasn't thrilled. Neither was Dexter. Rita at least got FOP to sign the divorce papers. Dexter's instincts about Jeremy Downs were "dead on," according to Doakes, who smells something fishy all around our leading man. He's watching, hopefully not too closely.
Angel and Dexter are in a dark room, playing "guess the shape" with blood spatter patterns on the wall that they're illuminating with their flashlights. Angel offers "a couple of circus clowns, dancing," but Dexter insists that he sees a lobster. "Why do blood stains always look like crustaceans to you?" asks Angel. "I like seafood." "Rorschach would say you have a hard time relating to others." Little do you know, Angel. One of the flashlights lands on the corpse, a young lady lying in a bathtub with blood all over her mouth. There's a gun by her hand, making it seem like a suicide, at least to Angel. After Angel bitches about the "power outages," Dexter expresses his skepticism towards a suicide in this case. "Most firearm suicides are committed by men. Most women tend to slash their wrists, take pills...something more ladylike." Angel reminds him that they saw a couple of cases just like this last year, and the lights come back on. Now able to see the scene in full light, the pair are a bit taken aback by all the blood. Apparently, she was a "big-time prosecutor" who supported her househusband, an aspiring artist. One of the husband's "pieces," a sculpture, rests right on the edge of the tub, showing us how "promising" he is. "Those other suicides we closed, those were high-powered women, too, right?" asks Dex. "I don't know. I think so." "Note to self," remarks Dexter, internally.
"I don't care what it looks like. Somebody killed her," says Mr. Gayle, the decedent's husband. "We're checking out all the possibilities, Mr. Gayle," says Doakes. He continues to ask if she was dealing with any emotional issues, and Gayle responds that she had job stress, but was working through it in therapy. Gayle is convinced that since "criminals fake suicides all the time, it was probably one of the guys she put away." That does seem like a probability, if she was prosecutor. Doakes collects Gayle's blood-soaked clothes, and we head outside...
...where it's pouring rain, and Rudy the Prosthesis Doctor and Deb are just pulling up to...well, we don't know yet, but they're in his Beamer, and they start making out pretty fiercely once he's got the thing in park. "I gotta go, there's a dead body in that house," says Deb, leading me to believe they're at the crime scene. "There's a hot body in here," say ProDoc hornily. Deb expresses her desire to "maul" him, and he expresses his desire to let her. "Call me when you're done, okay?" "I'll bring handcuffs." Oh, barf. I mean, "good for them." A couple more smooches, and Deb books.
"Morgan! What took you so long?" Doakes bitches as Deb reaches the front porch. "Playing hide-the-salami with Mr. Prosthetics?" adds Masuka. "I don't fucking tell!" Since when? "Since when?" says Doakes. "Can we go inside? I'm kind of wet." Masuka: "..." "Don't!" Heh. Actually, Doakes would rather she canvas the neighborhood to learn about the married couple's relationship. "It's always the husband, right?" asks Deb. "Well, it looks like a suicide, but you never can tell." "I'm on it," says Deb, and Doakes goes back inside. Dexter, who just arrived for the tail end of the conversation, asks, "Doakes is sending you away from a crime scene in the pouring rain, and you're not putting up a fight?" "I'm a team player!" "You are?" "Fuck you!" she says, already back out in the rain. I guess ProDoc has been working wonders on her demeanor. She seems happy for a change.
FOP opens the door at Rita's place to find Dexter closing his umbrella. "Oh, hey Dex, come on in." Huh? What the fuck is he doing there? Maybe it's one of the supervised visits he and Rita worked out last episode. It seems that the FOP has forgotten last week's exchange with Dexter, because his attitude now is downright friendly. Dexter enters, carrying a tray of what is probably hot cocoa and wearing a confused face. He asks where Rita is. "Stuck in traffic. Power's out in half the city. I love the extra kid time, but the court supervisor?" He points back to a lady playing solitaire. "Not so much." Dexter looks slightly relieved at her presence, but still on guard. FOP tells Dex that he's really sorry about what happened the last time they saw each other, but "what are you supposed to say to the guy who's effin' your wife while you're in jail?" I don't know, how 'bout not saying anything at all, dickhead? Dexter looks annoyed, but Rita makes a timely entrance, apologizing for her lateness. The court chaperone leaves right away, because she has kids of her own to look after, leaving the dysfunctional family to themselves. After a pregnant pause, Dexter announces that he brought hot chocolate, but Cody tells him that "Dad already made us some, with extra marshmallows!" Dexter immediately grabs his knife kit and slashes FOP's throat. Actually, he doesn't. Astor does. What? No, I'm kidding. Rita, showing solidarity with Dexter, takes one of the cocoas that Dexter brought. "Take two, looks like he's got extra," brags FOP pathetically while he wrestles with a sugar-hyped Cody. Dexter beams hatred at him, and then Cody begs Rita for FOP to stay and tuck them in to bed. Rita says that's why Dexter's there, but in the interest of peace-keeping, Dex says he doesn't mind. "Only a song, and no story. It's way past your bedtime," says Rita. "All right, bedbugs. Let's leave these two alone," says Paul. "It's not like they need a chaperone." Good one, asshole. Way to wear your jealousy like a badge.
"Meghan Dowd, Carolyn Jillian and now Vanessa Gayle," VOs Dex as he looks at pictures of the three apparent suicides. "All three powerful women. All three shot themselves in the past two years. They've got to have more in common than career ambition and a fondness for firearms." LaGuerta is now right up behind Dexter, and she whispers sultrily, "Why the sudden interest in suicides?" "Morbid curiosity," he responds. "What can I do for you?" "So many things," she says. Ew, dude. Knock it off. You're foul. She actually needs the blood spatter report for Vanessa Gayle, which Dexter says is inconclusive except that it proves she was shot at close range. "I wish there was more I could do for you." "Mmm, me too." Jesus! Inappropriate! Astor pokes his head in, and tells LaGuerta the DA wants the paperwork for the ITK. "When did you see the DA?" Astor says he had dinner with the mayor last night to celebrate the arrest, and takes off. LaGuerta says, "Hijo de puta," and bitches to Dexter that she should be having dinner with the mayor, seeing as it was she who coerced the confession from Perry. Dexter tells her not to worry, "Matthews will be the one with egg on his face, soon enough." Ah, interesting point. I'm glad you brought that up, Dexter. Turns out the guy I've been referring to as "Captain Astor" is indeed now "Captain Matthews," for no good reason other than there were two Astors on the show. IMDb still lists him as "Captain Tom Astor," but he's the Matthews they keep referring to. Just thought I'd clarify that (good eye, Joe R). "You still believe we've got the wrong guy?" He responds that he thinks Perry is "just a pretender to the throne. The real king is still out there." "Or, the Ice Truck Killer will use Perry as a get-out-of-jail-free card." "You really think that might happen?" LaGuerta: "If Perry's the wrong guy, and I let him take the fall? Definitely." She thanks him for the report and leaves Dexter looking worried. "What if LaGuerta's right?" he VOs. "What if the Ice Truck Killer does disappear?" He opens a drawer and pulls out the doll head from his fridge door. "No. He's got unfinished business with me. Still, I can't just sit on my hands, waiting for something to happen. I need a distraction." A most unsavory one, I hope! He gets back to the paperwork on the alleged suicides, saying aloud, "Talk to me, ladies! What do you have in common? Same sorority? Pilates instructor?" His finger lands on the therapist line. Dr. Emmett Meridian, let's see what light you can shed.
Outside, on the deck, Dexter is still doing research on this guy. "So far, he comes up squeaky clean. No malpractice suits, no disgruntled patients. I thought I was a master at damage control. Perhaps I should schedule a session with the good doctor and try out a little reverse psychology." I think that's a great idea, Dexter. I really do.
"Come on in, Sean. Have a seat," says Dr. Meridian. He's talking to Dexter, who has obviously assumed the name Sean so as not to have any trail leading back to him. The doctor is played by Tony Goldwyn, who most you will remember as Carl Bruner in Ghost , although he's been in a ton of movies. Dexter thanks Dr. Meridian for seeing him on such short notice. "Hey, I expect the police to show up when I call, right?" he says, a little too down-to-earth-ly. "The least I can do is clear my lunch for a cop in need. So, what brought you here?" "A friend of mine died," Dexter lies. "She killed herself. I need to understand why." "How come?" asks Meridian. "She had everything going for her. It doesn't make sense." Meridian says, "To some people, death makes perfect sense. Life? Now that's the puzzle." Meridian then calls Dex out on his bullshit, telling him he thinks he's "using the suicide tale as an excuse to come see me." "You're absolutely right," says Dex, smiling. I'm curious to see where this goes. "How could you tell?" "I'm sensing you do it a lot to keep the world at an arm's length." "What are my real intentions?" asks Dexter, and I'm not sure whether he's really asking, or if he's putting the question in Meridian's mouth, or both. After a knock at the door, Meridian says, "After I pay for my lunch, you're going to tell me that." "Judging from what I've seen so far," Dex VOs, "I probably will. This guy's good. So, why do his patients keep dying?" Dexter sneaks over to Meridian's desk calendar. "Vanessa's estimated time of death was Monday at 7 PM. Meridian was in session with Scott Soloman. I wonder if Mr. Soloman kept his appointment that night." Dexter hears Meridian returning and runs back to the couch.
The doctor comes back in with some Chinese food, and gets back to it. "Let's start with the basics. You married?" "No." "Girlfriend?" "...Yes." "Sex life?" Hmm. "It's personal." "This is therapy, where we share personal things." Dexter looks as though he doesn't know what to say, and after a moment, he says, "Maybe it would help me to open up if you tell me something about yourself. Why'd you become a psychiatrist?" Again, Meridian calls him out. "See what you just did, trying to take control like that? You probably get away with it most of the time, too, right? That's a way of preventing other people from getting close to you." Damn, he is good! "Let me ask you something, Sean. Have you ever been close to anybody?" The camera zooms in on his face as the American Beauty piano comes in. "My foster father," Dex responds, looking very vulnerable. "He's the only one who ever really knew me." Meridian wants to know more about Harry. "What did you two do together?" "You know, normal father-son stuff." What's that smell? I think it's a flashback!
Yup! It's the middle of the night, and Harry's at the fridge, the light from which is the only light around. He grabs a glass pitcher, and suddenly what seems like a robber has a fabric rope around his neck, choking him and making him drop and shatter the glass. He gasps for air, and reaches around to signal to Dexter that he's been had, and would he please let him go. Teen Dex pulls off his black mask, and smilingly asks if he's all right. "I'm fine...I'm fine," Harry says, still getting his breath back. "Nice ambush. That was the perfect point of attack." "I can't believe I finally got you! I won." Uh-uh, not cool. "This isn't a game, Dexter. It's not supposed to be fun." "Yeah, no, I know, I..." "You think I want to teach you these things? This is the only way I know to keep you out of an electric chair! This is about survival, Dex, nothing else." Teen Dex looks ashamed, but I think he's learned his lesson. "Got it?" asks Harry, and we're whisked back to Dr. Meridian's office, where Dexter takes another bite of his pork-fried rice.
LaGuerta's been combing through Perry's case, and she's visiting him now to talk with him about it. "Just wanted to make sure I have my facts straight on the notorious Ice Truck Killer," she goads. "I confessed. What more do you need?" Perry asks. LaGuerta informs him that not all the evidence matches up, and that they haven't been able to match his prints with the partial from the lozenge wrapper they found at Angel of Mercy. He tells her that he used liquid nitrogen to freeze the bodies, but that it also burned off his fingerprints, which he shows her. "Or, you knew your prints wouldn't match, so you purposely burned your fingertips to hide it." He asks what she's getting at, and she tells him she's just covering her bases. "We both want the same thing," she tells him. "To see you convicted." "What's in it for me, if I help you do your job." "How about immortality?" she says. LaGuerta explains that he can go down in history as either the pathetic guy who killed his mom, or the most notorious killer in Floridian history, and it's his choice. He says he wants a reporter to memorialize him on the front page of the paper, but LaGuerta says he can't talk to press before his trial. Perry's sure she can work it out, if she wants his assistance badly enough.
"Meridian had one thing right: I do crave control," Dexter VOs as he taps away on his laptop's keyboard. "The longer the Ice Truck Killer maintains radio silence, the less control I have." He's on Craig's List , "desperate, I know, but apropos. Personal ads are filled with desperation: 'Tyler from Key West,' 'Speedos tanning on the beach,' 'Touched your tits on Friday night.' At least these folks aren't just standing by, waiting for something to happen. Neither am I." He posts an ad that reads:
Dear Ken,
I'm in pieces. Why the cold shoulder?
Love,
Barbie
Now going for a jog, Dexter sees Scott Soloman bringing some groceries in from his car. A casaba melon rolls off the top of one of his bags onto the ground, and it looks like it'd be a hassle for him to pick it up with his arms full. "I got it," yells Dexter, and he helps him out. "Hey, I know you," he continues, acting surprised. "Monday night at Meridian's. You're always leaving your seven o'clock when I'm arriving for my eight. You missed last week, right?" "No, no, I was there. I don't remember ever seeing you, though," he replies, clearly happy with what he sees standing in front of him. David Fisher replies, "How do you like him?" "Best thing that's ever happened to me...so far," if you catch his drift, and he's really hoping Dexter does. "How 'bout you? You finding him helpful?" "Nah, I'm a sociopath. Not much he can do for me." Soloman giggles at this. "Cute and funny. Let me guess -- taken?" "Girlfriend," Dav-- er, Dexter replies. Disappointed, Scott instantly becomes frosty and thanks Dexter for his help with the melon. Dex continues his jog and his VO: "So Meridian has an alibi for the time of death. My sexual hang-ups and control issues aside, I need a follow-up appointment...to dig a little deeper. Isn't that what therapy's all about?" Yes, but I have a feeling you're twisting that a little bit.
Whoa! Somebody's having a good old-fashioned skin session! It's Deb and Rudy, and Deb seems to be coming uncontrollably, which is awesome! They're both doused in sweat and rolling around. Good times. After what seems like an eon of their love-making, Rudy comments on how much he loves her body. "I love your legs. I love your arms. I couldn't have made 'em better myself." I get it. Because of the prosthetics. Good one, broheem. Deb is crying, and ProDoc wants to know what's up. "I don't know," Deb replies. "I'm sure this is really hot, crying after sex." Hey, I'm sure there's an entire Japanese fetish site devoted to it somewhere. She goes on: "Every time I've ever been naked with someone, we just fuck." "But not this time?" "It's different. I hate saying this...it feels so cheesy." "It feels like making love." Ew. "Ew." Hee! "Yes. Promise me you won't say that again?" Yeah, yeah, okay, great. We get it. You guys aRe boning and all psyched aboUt each other, but this is just the honeymoon phase. One of you is bounD to eventuallY go all crazy on the other one, and It's juSt going To end in a mess witH onE of you dead. Mark my words, people. As much as I don't love thIs scene, iT's there for a reason, oKay? Figure it out.
Dude, here's FOP again, at the playground, greeting Cody as a "rock star." Rita looks around for the supervisor, and doesn't see her. "She called on my cell and had to cancel," FOP explains, and then asks, "Who wants to play monster tag?" The kids, of course, totally want to and start running around the playground. "Paul, you know you can't be with the kids unsupervised," says Rita. Am I the only one who wants -- nay, needs -- this situation to be resolved already? I feel like it's kind of going around in circles. FOP, predictably, manipulates Rita into agreeing that it would be okay, just this once, if they hang out with the kids together. Rita says she'll cancel her lunch date with Dexter, and FOP says, "It's official. I'm nominating you for mom of the year!" What an asshole. Rita watches as FOP plays with the kids, and looks guarded.
"Despite what Dr. Meridian thinks, I don't always keep people at a distance," Dexter VOs as he checks his Craig's List responses. The one he sees says, "Hey, Barbie. How'd you like to suck my cock?" "Clearly, nobody here is my missing partner in crime." Masuka comes in, and Dexter switches to a screen saver. "You were looking for me?" "What did forensics come back with on Vanessa Gayle?" asks Dex. "Gunpowder on her hand, none on her husband's. High-angle trajectory, drugs in the tox screen. All points to suicide." "No chance it was murder?" "Too bad, huh? I had the husband pegged, too. Was hoping he could help me score my own sugar mama." Dexter suggests Craig's List. "Already did," says Masuka. "Nothin' but cat ladies and saggy tits." Hmm, wow. Dexter VOs that he's still not convinced it was a suicide. "Maybe my new therapist can shed some light on my doubts."
Back with Meridian, who comments that Dex...er, "Sean" looks "on edge today." "I'm not getting what I came here for," says Dexter. "What'd you come here for? We established in our last visit that it wasn't to talk about suicide." "Or feelings." "Heaven forbid! So what do you want to talk about?" "Fakes. People who pass themselves off as something they're not." "Like a pre-owned car salesman?" "Brave politician." "Jew for Jesus?" "A wolf in sheep's clothing," says Dex, looking intensely at Meridian, who asks Dex if that's how he feels. "Like you're hiding a dark secret?" After spying a hidden camera in one of Meridian's plants, Dexter says he's not referring to himself, but rather to Meridian himself. "That's a common first-time reaction to therapy. You think I can't care about you, that I'm only pretending to care because I have another motive." "Bingo," Dexter replies pointedly. Meridian says that just because he gets paid to be a therapist doesn't mean he can't care for his patients, or enjoy his job, and asks, "How are things at your job?" Dexter confesses that things are frustrating. "Most people can't stand blood," Meridian offers. "I hate it," says Dexter. "Then, categorizing and analyzing it must be very soothing for you." "It is, actually," says Dexter, kicking back and smiling for a change. "How are things with your girlfriend?" "She cancelled lunch with me to be with her ex-husband." "Ouch." Yeah, really. "Sounds like a lot of things are out of your control right now. No wonder you cut yourself off from your emotions. That way, you never have to feel powerless." "So, then, what should I do?" asks Dexter earnestly. "Accept that certain things are out of your hands. Let go."
Flashback time. Dexter gets picked on by some bully, who slaps his milk out of his hand and tells him he can't believe that "out of two million sperm, you were the fastest swimmer." Later, Dexter tells Harry that he wanted to kill the guy, but he obviously did not. Harry says, "That must have tough for you to walk away from, Dex. I'm proud of you." "Don't be, because I still want to kill him. When's that gonna go away?"
The reporter is just finishing up with Perry, who asks when the story is going to run. "They're saving space for you tomorrow, front page. I just gotta get back and write." The journalist reaches out his hand for a shake, but Perry's hand can only go so far with the shackles on. LaGuerta comes in as the reporter leaves, and asks how the interview went. "It was fine," says Perry. "Good. You ready to talk about the case?" "Sure, as soon as I get to talk to a reporter." Seems that Neil is wise to LaGuerta's game, and he threatens to invoke his Miranda rights, but LaGuerta calls him out on his shit: "If you wanted a lawyer, you'd have one by now." True! "I see. You think I'm a fraud, and you're trying to prove it, but the truth is, you're the fraud." Neil goes on to tell her that he found out how she got promoted to lieutenant in the first place. Apparently, she and Doakes, who used to be partners, were working a big coke bust. LaGuerta got lucky by being in the right place at the right time, and got all the glory as a result. "You got the headline grab," says Perry. "And so the legend began. I wonder if Doakes would have made a good lieutenant." LaGuerta asserts that she deserved her promotion. "Of course you did! It was a big bust! Not as big as me, of course, but let's face it: you didn't catch me. Your captain did." Would that be Astor or Matthews? Oh, right, same guy. Weak. LaGuerta's outtie-5000.
It's nighttime now, and Dexter's at Meridian's office, about to break in for some snoopin'. "My therapist wants me to accept the things that are out of my hands. Tragically for him, he's not out of my hands. Not if I can find proof that the death of at least three women under his care was not a coincidence." Rita texts Dexter, wondering where he is. "Breaking and entering," he says aloud, and puts his phone back in his pocket. Now inspecting the camera plant, he says, "I hope you got my good side." Duhr! Dex keeps sniffing around, looking for the end result of whatever the good doctor is "recording for posterity's sake." Finally, he reaches Meridian's desk, where there's a laptop that's not an Apple, which is unusual for this show. Naturally, he's able to find the folders containing the video from all three victims as well as Sean Ellis (another nod to American Psycho ), his therapeutic alter ego. After deleting his own folder, he says, "Hello ladies," and opens up one of Vanessa Gayle's videos. She's begging Meridian for a refill on her prescription, and he refuses. "We talked about this," he says. "The anti-depressants are a temporary crutch so that you can start taking steps on your own." Dexter opens another video, presumably another one of the alleged suicides. This woman, who has short blonde hair, is crying and talking about how difficult it is to just get out of bed in the morning. "I just -- I want to die," she says, helplessly. "Look at me," says Meridian. "I understand the appeal of death, okay? No more pain. All the career pressure, the hopelessness...gone." Dexter opens another video, with yet another woman. "In many cultures, there's no stigma attached to taking one's own life," Meridian preaches. "Suicide's respected , even revered, as a matter of personal conscience." The woman asks how most people do it. "The most courageous at heart use guns," he responds. Bingo, Dexter. Do your thing, buddy! "You took women who trusted you at their weakest possible moment," Dexter VOs, "but rather than help them you suggested they end it all. God, you even gave them permission to use a gun. You're a mean one, Mr. Shrink. Create their drug addiction, then pull them off and fill their addled heads with noble thoughts of suicide. I think I've had a breakthrough in therapy!" Rita texts him again: "IDK MY BFF ROSE LOL OMFG ROTFL!!!!1!!!ONE" Actually, it reads, "Come over. I need you!" Seems he's got his man pegged, so he takes off.
Rita answers the door wearing a sexy little number, and there are lit candles all around. Dexter comes in saying, "I got your text, is everything --" but is cut off with a big, slobbery smooch. Now we're talkin'! Rita pulls away, and Dex finishes: "...Okay?" "Now it is. I just wanted to see you." She was worried that she gave him the wrong idea, ditching their lunch date to be with Paul and the kids. He's cool with it...and quietly plotting her demise! Just kidding. Dexter asks how it went, and Rita replies, "Really well, and scary. For the first time I saw how easy it would be for me to fall back into my old life." "Why's that scary?" "Because, I like my new life!" Rita answers. She's amped to feel so in control of things, a feeling she was never used to with Paul. She smooches Dexter again, and straddles him in full-on make-out mode. "This is a disaster," he VOs. "I chose Rita because she was damaged. If she gets better, I'll lose her for sure." Rita looks him in the eyes intensely, and I think she wants to bone. "I'm ready, Dexter." Yes! Nailed it! She takes off her nightie, and she's extra big-ass naked under there. I'm not complaining, just sayin'. "I want you to spend the night, for real," she says. Dude, awesome! Sex rules! Do it, dude! I think she's into you. Dexter, being Dexter, pushes her away a little, and tells her it's not a good night because he's in the middle of a case and he's way too distracted. Okay, red flag, Rita. Nobody in their right mind would turn you down, sweetie. "Now? But it's so late..." says Rita. "All the more reason to get back to work. I'll call you tomorrow," replies Dex, already covering her up with her nightie and getting up to leave. Rita looks dispirited. Oh, and hot. Really hot. Dexter's fucking crazy. I guess we knew that already. Standing out front now, Dexter VOs, "I can't have sex with Rita. Every time I sleep with a woman, she sees me for what I really am: empty. And then she's gone." That sucks, man. You should probably figure out a way to make that not happen this time.
Out at his car, the VO continues: "I don't want Rita to go, which means I have to deal with this." Just talk to your therapist! Oh, yeah, you might not trust him anymore. "I can't kill Meridian yet! I need another therapy session." Ha! Okay, that's pretty funny, you have to admit.
Hey, it's Rudy! He's polishing some prosthetic foot or something, and Deb comes in wearing a "cool" shirt. Shut up, Deb. I don't know what's with my animosity towards her recently. Sorry if it seems unjust. It is what it is. "Careful, I'm armed!" puns Rudy lamely, holding up the fake arm. Deb at least gets points for calling him out on using bad puns. They smooch, because they're in lurve. "You said you needed a favor. What's up?" Deb asks. "Take off your pants." Hmm, wow. No, it's not that kind of favor, you pervs! Rudy has a patient who lost both of her legs in a car accident (like his mother), and he wants to "do something special for her." At first, Deb protests, but ProDoc yanks off her pants and tells her to "stop being such a chick," and she obeys. He starts slathering her legs in Vaseline, which the Foley guys had a field day with, and Deb seems to enjoy the attention. She asks if she can make a prosthetic out of his cock. "That'd be a hell of a story to tell the bullpen, huh?" "The bullpen"? Really? Who says that? Anyway, Deb mentions that she hasn't told anyone about their seeing each other yet, he asks why, she says something about not wanting to lose him, blah blah blah. It's really boring and lame, and if the show didn't spend so much time on them, I probably wouldn't think that he's the...you know what? Never mind.
Doakes spots Deb coming out of the elevator at the station, and asks her where she's been. "With my boyfriend!" "Your boyfriend?" "Yeah. We just fucked in his office!" she says loudly enough for everyone to hear. "And tonight, we're going out for dinner." Yeah, because we're all so scandalized by people eating food. Shut up, Deb! God. She's really annoying me.
In LaGuerta's office, Doakes wants to know if she wanted to see him. "Yeah. Shut the door. Did you tell anyone about our bust? The one that got me promoted?" "No." "Nobody in the press?" "Maria, we talked about this when it happened. It would fuck up your rep and make me look like a whiny bitch, which is bad for both of us." Maria asks if the only way to gain access to that information is through reading the police report, and Doakes says yes. "We need to have our firewall checked."
Dexter's in therapy with Meridian. "She was sitting on top of me, basically naked, asking me to spend the night. I didn't know what to do." Meridian tells him not to beat himself up about it. "Your girlfriend really means something to you, I know that." "Why'd I run away from her?" asks Dexter. Meridian thinks it's for the same reasons he shuts himself off from everyone else. "You're afraid of what they might see." "I think you're right," says Dexter, before asking how he can change that. Meridian suggests that he has to acknowledge that "we all have a big, bad wolf hiding inside of us. A darkness we don't want anyone else to see." "Do you?" "Of course I do." "How do you deal with your wolf?" "First I acknowledge that it's there. Then I let it out for a big meal every once in a while." "At least three times that we know about," Dex VOs. Hee. Dexter wants to get back to the whole "sex thing." Meridian mentions that it's all about sex, in that it's Dexter's fear of real intimacy, not just the act itself, that is indicative of his reluctance to relinquish control. "The minute you start to accept who you are, you might just feel free enough to share that intimacy together." Meridian wants to try a deep relaxation technique to get to the root of some of Dexter's control issues, so he turns off the lights, and tells Dexter to focus on his breathing and think back to a time when he felt completely powerless. As Dexter closes his eyes, he VOs, "This is ridiculous. I could be killing him right now." Heh. Slowly, however, he starts to sink into his memories.
At first we see the same bully from before, picking on Dexter. "Hey, Morgan, still fucking your sister?" Next, we see Teen Dex holding a knife and walking towards a lone figure on an outdoor basketball court, before being grabbed and reprimanded by Harry. "I told you to walk away. Dammit, Dexter! There are consequences to everything you do in life!" The scenes start flashing around quickly. "I found the grave, son," Harry says to young Dex. Teen Dex: "Are you saying I'll be like this forever?" Chopped-up body parts. No blood. Tucci's hand. Baby screams. Dexter, on the couch, is breathing heavily. There's a toddler, a boy, covered in blood and screaming, tears pouring down his face. Dexter opens his eyes. "I have to get out of here," he says, and bolts before Meridian can stop him. Whoa, dude. What was with the kid covered in blood? That was new.
There's a heavy knocking on Rita's door, and I'm going to assume it's FOPpy McGee. Rita, who's wearing an oversized white t-shirt, opens the door warily. "Oh my god," she says, seeing who it is through the cracked door. "Are you okay?" She opens up to reveal Dexter, who looks dejected. He silently walks towards her, and kisses her passionately. Things get heavy quickly, and Dexter reaches down and removes her panties. Face to face, they fuck against a wall in the dark, and it looks like a lot of fun, despite the serious Now We Are Fucking faces they're both wearing. At one point, Dexter puts a weird, vacant face on, and Rita implores him to stay with her, which...seriously, dude. It's the first time you guys are boinking. Pay attention. He throws her down on the bed, and they're both really sweaty. It's pretty hot.
As Rita takes a post-coital nap, Dexter sits up and puts his watch on. Rita stirs behind him and says, "You're sweet." "I am?" "Next time we'll figure out what to tell the kids, so you don't have to sneak out like this." "You want there to be a next time?" he asks sheepishly. "And a time after that," Rita responds, smiling. "Don't you?" "No...I mean, yeah! I mean...I didn't freak you out?" "Dexter," she says, "there's nothing you could ever do that would scare me away." I wouldn't speak so soon, lady. Dexter looks relieved, but confused. You did it, Dex! We're all so proud of you! She really does like you!
Neil Perry again, and I gotta say, this is also getting old. Can we please just get to the part where we find out somehow that he's not the Ice Truck Killer? Because, really. Enough. LaGuerta walks in with a large blue cooler. "I really hope you came to apologize," says Perry, like a douche. "Nope, I came for a consult," says LaGuerta. "And you brought beverages?" This guy's too dweeby to be a serial killer. Apparently, what's in the cooler is from the morgue, and LaGuerta needs an "expert opinion," specifically Perry's. She puts on a pair of rubber gloves, and pulls a head out of the cooler. "We couldn't figure out exactly how the killer cut off this head. Can you?" Perry looks pretty grossed out. "No," he says queasily. "Really? I think you can. I mean, you chop people up, don't you? Maybe you need a closer look." At this, she shoves the head into Perry's face, and he freaks out. "No! Keep it away!" See, dude? I knew it wasn't him. LaGuerta, now satisfied, tells Perry that the medical examiner said that he didn't cut his mother up until she had already died. "Even then, you were too squeamish to cut off her head. Not exactly the same as stuffing roadkill, is it?" "Fuck you!" LaGuerta's got him. "You're not the first groupie to take credit for someone else's work." He tries to bring up how he knew everything about the case, and LaGuerta throws it back in his face by telling him she traced the security breach with IT. "You read all of our reports. You even went out and got a wood-panelled station wagon last month!" Busted, Perry. Sorry, dude. You're a big ol' faker. He admits it.
LaGuerta's meeting with Captain Ast-- er, uh, Matthews and some other dude about Perry, and tells them both that he "recanted his confession this morning." Mathstor wants to know what the hell she's talking about. "I was going over some details with him at county, and he admitted that he gave us a false confession. He's a wannabe, Tom. Just wanted his fifteen minutes, that's all." "How do know which time he was lying?" Mathstor asks. Silence. "All due respect, Maria, if we dropped charges every time someone recanted his confession, our jails would be empty. We're going to trial." LaGuerta tells him it's not up to him, but to the DA, and she looks at the other dude, whom I assume works for the DA. "I understand your frustration, Maria, but I reviewed the DA worksheets. The evidence is compelling. We'll move forward with the trial as planned." After a long pause in which Mathstor gives LaGuerta a big snooty I Told You So face, LaGuerta says, "Fair enough. If that's what you two want, I'm fully behind it." Of course you are. Anything to get your seat at the lunch table back, you spineless loser.
"I was really worried about you. You sure you're all right?" Meridian asks Dex, who's on the couch for another session. "I kept calling your house, but the number you gave me didn't work." Dexter explains that he was at his girlfriend's house, and is met with a stunned expression on Meridian's face. Dexter's smiling widely. "I spent the night. Face to face." "Sean, that's very good!" "It's all good, Doctor! I've even stopped worrying about that friend of mine who's been out of touch. You can't control other people, you know?" Dude, this is hilarious. "This is a real breakthrough. You should be proud of yourself," says the good doctor. Dexter says that he is proud, and that he never really expected to make any progress in therapy. Meridian replies that if that were true, he never would have come in the first place. Little does he know... "What do you want to focus on today?" he asks. "I'm glad you asked that," replies Dexter with a sly smirk. He stands up and walks behind the couch, figuring out how he's going to say what he's going to say. "I've gotta tell you something that I've never told anyone before." "Okay." After a deep breath: "I'm a serial killer." Dexter lets out a huge groan, and seems genuinely relieved to have that off of his chest. "Oh, God! That feels... so good to say out loud!" "Well, you must be letting go, because I've never heard you make a joke before!" says Dr. Meridian, not understanding what he's already involved in. "I'm not joking. I kill people. Hoo! There it is again!" Dexter's all smiles, but Meridian's not amused anymore. "You should try it," Dexter suggests. "I know your big, bad wolf has racked up a tidy little death toll." He waves at the camera in the plant. Meridian looks pretty freaked. "I'm just kidding, I disabled the camera. And I copied the files." Meridian: "I don't know what you're talking about." "Focus on your breathing, maybe you'll remember. Meghan? Carolyn? Vanessa?" "Those sessions are confidential!" "I'm a control freak, I know. But I watched your home movies. Some amazing stuff: drugs, guns, and a crazy psychiatrist. No wonder you're so well-versed in control issues; you've got quite the God complex." Meridian stands up and says, "This session's over," and moves to walk out. Dexter's too quick for him, however, and soon has him in a sleeper hold. "Not so fast, Doc."
Meridian wakes up a bit later, wrapped up in plastic. Dexter's sitting next to him, waiting. "You're awake," he says, surprising him. "Shall we analyze your dreams? Oh, that's right. You've already told me everything I need to know. Except, why powerful women? You took powerful women and made them powerless, leaving behind families, children." Dexter stands up and slices Meridian's face, collecting his blood sample for his collection. "I have to confess, I'm a little conflicted. You've helped me make a major self-discovery. The fact that I'm a killer...that's something I can't control." Dexter sits back down, and looks at the new slide. "You helped me to accept what I really am. I'm grateful for that. But I was raised with a certain set of principles. I'm sorry, doc. Actions have consequences, and this is yours. I'm going to have to let you go." And so he does. See ya, Meridian, wouldn't wanna be ya. "Make Me Lose Control" by Eric Carmen (ooh, topical!) comes up on the soundtrack, and we're treated to the sight of...
...Deb, who's dancing around, singing along. Looks like the music editor took a page out of The Miller's Crossing Guide To Turning Source Music Into Score And Back Again . Yeah, that's right. I'm a nerd. Wanna step to me? Didn't think so. Seriously, I'm huge. I'll fuck you up. Anyway, Deb is using a trophy as a mock-rophone and shirtlessly singing into the mirror as the chorus blares. "Turn the radio up for that sweet sound / Hold me close, never let me go." Awesome. I love yacht rock. Deb's phone rings, and she answers. "Hello?" "Is that Eric Carmen?" asks ProDoc. Hilariously, Deb bolts up and turns off the stereo. "No, what's up?" she covers. He tells her he's running late because of housework, and if he doesn't get it done, it's going to drive him crazy. "I never knew you were so anal!" "And I'm a neat freak." "You're just full of surprises, huh?" I guess you could say that. "Heh, you have no idea. I'll be there as soon as I can, okay?" "'Kay," she says, and hangs up. Rudy hangs up his phone, and sits down to check his email. Sitting next to his computer is the rest of the chopped-up doll that belongs to the head that Dexter now keeps on his keychain. Rudy clicks to reply to Dex's Craig's List ad, and types:
Barbie, Be patient. One day we'll share a cold one.
When he's done, he stands up and walks through his kitchen to a walk-in freezer, where he has a rack holding buckets of blood, and a table with newly wrapped body parts sitting on it. He fires up a power saw, and starts slicing an arm that's propped up on a metal stand.
Ah, Rudy, if that is his real name. I'm still curious to see what his connection to Dexter is, and Deb is in for an emotional mind-fuck, that's for sure. ...Great episode, I think. I was happy to see Dex and Rita boink, finally. I'm glad that it was right for both of them. They'd have some nice-looking kids, those two.