Dexter - "Our Father" (Episode 301)

If you haven't watched this incredible show yet, check out the archives here to catch up, as Showtime gave viewers a lenghty recap of last season before the loyal viewers (like myself) got to catch up with our favorite serial-killing do-gooder. So, after dispatching of Lila, Dexter has found himself going back to his old routine, that of "regular dental hygiene" (he has to maintain his normal life, right? I would think Dex might actually enjoy visiting the dentist, wouldn't you agree?) As opposed to our lame, school kid "What I Did Last Summer" essays, Dex told his dentist that he spent his summer break at the carnival, where he won "a prize" - some random scuz who deserved to meet his maker, we're sure. He also said that he "met some new people," at least some new blood samples for his slide collection - which seems to again be filling up nicely after the late Doakes confiscated his old collection. Dex still has his boat - it's the only place where he can still "let things go." Dex says that he's been able to fit himself into a "nice, normal world," which includes regular sex with his girlfriend Rita "the scaafolding which holds that world in place. According to Dex, "life is good." You know this isn't going to last for very long.

Rita's son asks Dexter to come for "Dad's Day" at his school. Awww. Rita tells Dex that she's so happy that everyting's falling into place for her in the first time in her life. Despite his happy suburban life with Rita and the kids, Dexter is still feeling the need to be a vigilante - striking those for whom society has "dropped the ball." His latest target is Fred "Freebo" Bowman, who killed two college girls and escaped on a legal technicality, which Dex attributes to "Florida's catch and release program." Freebo fell off the state's radar after getting away with murder, but he didn't fall off Dexter's radar. Dex is "giving" Freebo to his late stepfather Harry as a "birthday present."

Back at the police station, Dex is back to being "Dexter, the donut guy," delivering fried dough deliciousness to Angel (a bear claw kinda guy) and Vince (a lemon custard, which he, of course says is "better than sex...no, it's not.") Dex's sis Deb has shorter hair and has apparently been kicking ass and taking names at the department (and has gotten herself a hot co-worker admirer named Quinn.) She told her brother that she's given up "men, liquor and smokes" - for the last 27 days. You don't get a chip for that, lady! Talk to me after 30 days. LaGuerta isn't honoring her promise to stay out of her officers' personal lives, as she interrogates Angel after she couldn't get in touch with him the night before and notes that he was wearing the back-up shirt he kept in his locker. Angel tells her he had a great tome the night before and asked her why she cared all of a sudden. She brought him into the middle of the room and announced that he had been promoted to Detective Seargant Batista. She's so putting a move on him (especially since Doakes is now out of the picture.) Deb is excited because she thinks Angel's promotion opens the door for her detective shield.  

Dexter starts spying on his latest victim, Freebo, who has taken up residence in a less-than-subdued pink house. Dex attempts his best junkie impersonation (by grabbing his arm and eating Oreos) as he tries to get past Freebo's street "security" to get his "fix." The young boy guarding Freebo's place isn't sure about Dex, but eventually buzzes him into the house. Freebo was inside, playing bowling on Wii and said he usually didn't take new clients, but since he was having a bad "third quarter," was glad to relieve Dexter of his money. Before he can get his "fix," Freebo has a squabble with a female junkie acquaintance, who leaves when she can't get a toot from him. He overtly hints to Dexter that the girl won't be needing his drugs ever again. Fortunately for Dex, the DEA had recently raided Freebo's place, so his regular clients wouldn't be around for a while. This gives Dex enough time to line the windows with plastic wrap and set up for his next killing.

Deb went to a local coffee shop and encountered one Seargeant Yakimoto from Internal Affairs. The IA gal asked Deb to "get close to" Quinn, one of her supervisors. Deb refuses to work with them and Yuki says it was nice to have "finally" met her. When Deb asks why she said that, Yuki said she couldn't blow her off and then ask questions. Ouch. Under cover of darkness, Dexter returned to Freebo's, presumably to right his latest wrong. Dex arrived to find another man doing his work. Dex ended up stabbing the other guy, an act which he had never done before. He said it "was inside the moment and outside the code." He's worried that soneone was going to call this homicide (where he, very un-Dexter-like, left the body at the scene) in, and when his phone rings, it's a very horny Rita. Dexter answers the call and the two get to it - complete with a "9 1/2 Weeks"-esque scene in front of an open fridge (Rita said that after God made pudding, "then he rested.") Dex finally got a call, which he tried to pass off as a telemarketing call (at 3am. And she believed him. Sheesh.) He told Rita he had to make tracks. She asked him to stick around until she passed out. He found the cops at Frebo's house and, when Angel called him to show up, he said he could be ther in 20 to 30 minutes. When he "officially" gets to the scene, he's greeted by his sister, who says that this case could get her a badge. He wants to know who the guy he stabbed really was and Deb tells him it was a cop, Oscar Prado, who wanted to clean the scum from the streets of Miami. Oops. He and LaGuerta go "way back." Double oops. His brother Miguel (Jimmy Smits!) was recently named "the top prosecutor of the state" for the third year in a row and his other brother, Ramon , works for the sheriff's department. Apparently, Ramon's baby brother was there at the wrong place, at the wrong time. (To which Dex muttered "Tell me about it.") Vince doesn't have much to go on and Dexter "helps out" by finding a piece of chewed-up gum by the window and tucking it into his plastic glove. Miguel came over to his brother's body and said that he wishes he were dead. Dexter's code is slightly out of whack, as he's trying to find a reason to justify the killing of Oscar. He runs into Angel, who tells him that LaGuerta and Miguel hooked up back in the day and he admitted that she always viewed him as "the one that got away."

Angel led the briefing to find Oscar's killer. Vince said that whoever killed him knew his way around a knife. The knife was nowhere to be found. Everyone thinks Freebo is the killer and set out to find him. Ramon had a press conference and Dexter tries to dig a little dirt on Oscar so he could feel justified in killing him. He did have a few tickets, but not much else. Deb tells Quinn that she's having problems getting any of Freebo's neighbors to talk and Quinn tells her she needs to give them an incentive. He gives her the number of an old informant from his days in the narcotics division who may be able to help her. The guy, Anton, said he knew Freebo from the TV. He wasn't much help - but he did know Oscar. Dexter went to Rita's kids' school for career day, where he bored the little tykes with a very detailed, scientific description of his job. Rita's son Cody was just happy to have a dad there. Rita was happy Dexter was there too. Dex notes that with all of his troubles with Rita's ex-husband, Cody was able to move on and enjoy life. Dexter gets a call from Miguel requesting a meeting. He meets Miguel at the crime scene and told him "the story" of the killing, from what he could surmise. Miguel then asked Dexter why he was digging around for infomation about Oscar. Dexter said he just wanted to know more about Oscar as his death really got to him. Miguel asks Dexter if he's ever lost someone close to him and Dexter tells him about Harry. Dexter refuses to believe that Harry's soul or "lifeforce" is still with him. Miguel tells Dexter that if he really wants to know more about Oscar that he should come to his wake.

Dexter delivered his blood splatter reports - all of the blood on the scene belonged to Oscar. Freebo is still the prime subject, but there's been no luck in locating him. Deb said that Anton told her that Oscar wasn't the hero everyone was making him out to be. He owed Freebo a lot of money and Deb announced that he was "an f--ing junkie" - just as Miguel and LaGuerta come into the room. Awk-ward! Dexter tells his sister she needs to think before she speaks. LaGuerta talks to Angel and wants her off of the case because of her lack of tact. She thinks the case is too big for her. Angel's afraid Deb will hate her if he takes her off the case. Dexter went to the wake and Deb went to a bar, waiting for Desxter to meet her (I believe it's the anniversary of their father's death.) Miguel said he wasn't mad at Deb for what she said about Oscar and said he didn't suffer from the "tragedy of perfection." Angel goes to the bar and meets up with Deb. He tells her she's off the case. She's pissed. Dexter says he needs to follow Cody's lead and move on.

Deb was mad that Dexter didn't show up. He told her he was working through some personal stuff and she told him that she was off the Prado case. They were at another crime scene, where a woman was strangled. She was missing a square patch of skin on her shoulder. It was Freebo's girlfriend. LaGuerta was proud of Angel for the way he dealt with Deb. She was still annoyed about Angel's promotion, but not upset enough to go out with the boys for a "mojito or ten." The officer from internal affairs ran into Deb when she was out and said enigmatically "ssshhh....ssshh...that's the sound of your shield calling for help." (Huh?) Dexter has moved on from Harry but still needs the code - but he has to make it his own. Rita has finally figured out why she's got a craving for chocolate pudding. She's pregnant. Wow.