'Dexter' Recap: Vogel Created Dexter's Code, Deb Kills El Sapo

In the Michael C. Hall-directed episode of Dexter last night, entitled “Every Silver Lining…”, Dexter (Hall) and Dr. Vogel’s (Charlotte Rampling) relationship becomes both clearer and more confusing as Deb (Jennifer Carpenter) continues on her self-destructive downward spiral.

Vogel shows Dexter a videotaped session between her and his late father Harry Morgan (James Remar) from when Dex was just 10. Harry reveals he brought the young Dexter to a crime scene after insistent requests. At the bloody scene, Harry recounts his son looking at the violent display like one does a painting. Furthermore, he discovered that Dex had stolen a shard of glass with the victim’s blood. Vogel respond’s to the concerned father’s revelations, “There’s a place in this world for your son.” After the video feed stops, she tells Dex, “I helped create you.”

After defining her role in Dex’s life as some kind of hybrid of Dr. Frankenstein and mother, she calls in a favor. “The Brain Surgeon” serial killer left the scoop of brain from the first victim on her doorstep. She fears that the killer is one of her former patients and that he might a) kill her or b) get caught and reveal her “unorthodox” and “likely illegal” methods of therapy. She wants Dexter to find out who he is and put him on his table.

Meanwhile, Deb is trying to bluster her way through a meeting with her new boss, Elway (Sean Patrick Flanery), who never sanctioned Deb to go undercover with Briggs. She claims it was all for the sake of the job and getting the jewels, but Elway isn’t so sure after Deb lets slip they were sharing the hotel room he died in. Deb, however, has Brigg’s keys up her sleeve, which comes along with the possibility of recovering the jewels and making them some cash.

Dexter is called to another Brain Surgeon crime scene, and finds the murder weapon – a plastic drawstring bag – tied up nearby. He runs a print found on the bag with Vogel leaning over his shoulder and learns it belongs to a guy named Sussman. Vogel says she doesn’t know the name, and doubts it’s the killer but Dexter decides to go to his home anyway. There, he finds a photograph with Sussman in front of a cabin with a sign indicating the location conveniently in the picture’s background.

Deb, after figuring out the location of Briggs’ storage unit, decides to go to it alone. El Sapo, who’s been tailing her since the night Dexter shot Briggs, muscles the bag of jewels away from Deb in the storage container. After beating her, he holsters his gun and walks off. The next day, Dexter is called to a crime scene that features El Sapo shot dead in the drivers seat of his car. He snaps off a piece of glass from the window – believing it will lead him to whoever might also be out for Deb. When he goes to Deb’s house to make sure she’s safe, he finds her passed out surrounded by empty beer and pill bottles. She rejects his help, saying, “I didn’t want to hate you; I wanted the opposite.”

At Vogel’s bidding, Dexter goes to Sussman’s cabin. Just when he seems convinced that they’ve got their guy, he finds Sussman dead and hanging from a hunting hook outside the cabin. Dexter soon realizes he was wrong about El Sapo’s killer too – the blood on the window wasn’t from anyone after Deb – it’s Deb’s. When Quinn (Desmond Harrington) calls Deb in to ask her what she might know about El Sapo’s murder, she begins to crack, although he’s only asking because he knows she was working a case involving him. Dex pulls the “family emergency” card to pull her out of the room. In a nearby alley, he tells Deb he knows she killed El Sapo. She tells him to switch her gun out of the evidence bag before storming off and telling Dexter the hit man might not be the last person she kills.

In another conversation with Vogel, Dexter observes almost sadly, “You keep talking about me like I’m an alternate species, like I’m not human.” Vogel creepily responds that he’s more than human – an alpha male dutifully tending to population control – and in possession of personality traits like the world’s greatest CEOs and politicians. While gushing about the abilities of serial killers like one does superheroes, she points out that she finds it strange that he felt a need for emotional support after Harry’s death, and no doubt finds his loyalty to Deb out of serial killer character as well.

Next week on Dexter: Vogel questions Dexter about why he didn’t kill Deb when she discovered who he really was. Deb nearly gets a DUI. Dexter continues his search for the Brain Surgeon.

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