- Air Date: 11/18/2012
- Directed By: Romeo Tirone
- Starring: Michael C. Hall, Jennifer Carpenter, C.S. Lee, Lauren Velez, Desmond Harrington, David Zayas, James Remar
- Guest Stars: Ray Stevenson, Aimee Garcia, Jason Gedrick, Yvonne Strahovski, Katia Winter, Preston Bailey, Christina Robinson
- Author: Arika Lisanne Mittman
At the end of last week’s episode Deb called Dex and gave him a hit: “do what you do,” she said, in reference to one Hannah McKay. Of course, as she says this, Hannah is sleeping beside Dexter. Uh oh. The pair wake up the next day and continue their awkward interactions, with Dexter as a man of few words and Hannah clearly smitten. The two are hitting it off in their own way, but the option to leave and never see her again is still on the table.
Dexter goes to Deb’s, and Deb repeats what she said last night: kill Hannah McKay. Clearly, Dexter had hoped she hadn’t meant it, but Deb doesn’t joke around. Dexter says he can’t do it, that he won’t do it, and he says so because Deb would always regret it, and that he doesn’t want to bring her in deeper. As he says, it’s true, but it doesn’t make it any less of a lie.
Meanwhile, Sirko shakes his police trail and rains bullets down upon Dexter at a donut shop. Dexter narrowly escapes, unscathed. But it’s clear he isn’t safe, and this realization comes on the heels of news that Aster and Cody’s grandpa is having an emergency surgery, so they have to come to Miami for a spell. How awesome a dad is Dexter? Fantastic timing, and while it’s forced, everything with Dexter’s kids tend to be, and it’s good to see that they’re actually alive (and it’s lame that Dexter is always let off the hook with them). Aster and Cody have certainly grown up since we last saw them (though they’re still annoying); Aster’s even gotten into narcotics! Dexter has some, albeit heavy handed subtext laden, moments with Aster to help resolve it (if he wasn’t the world’s most absent father, he’d be a decent one). As always, Jamie is a stud, and she better be getting paid a ton.
Dexter struggles with killing Sirko, or finding a way to do so, and actually talks his issues out with Hannah, in a great scene that really highlights why she may be the most perfect match for Dexter yet. Dexter and Sirko share a fantastic, tender conversation at a local gay bar that puts everything into a different light (though I thought it was obvious; one of the few times I’ve been a step ahead of Dexter), while briefly putting a pause button on their cat and mouse game (it won’t last long, and my guess is that Sirko will end up killing Hannah, to trade lost loves).
This is another stellar hour, because along with the previous two highlights, we get some movement on Batista’s new restaurant Papa’s (yay!), more Quinn and George Novikov developments (groan) and LaGuerta starts to eye one name in her reopening of the Bay Harbor Butcher case: Dexter Morgan. The only missed opportunity in this episode was actually showing Deb read Dr. Seuss to the kids, which would’ve been one of the best things I’ve ever seen, but was merely mentioned and happened offstage. There are some massive, embarrassing developments between Deb and Dexter, and while it’s uncomfortable, I can’t deny I’m intrigued to see where they go with everything next.
