‘Dexter’ Recap: Hannah Comes Back & Messes Everything Up
With the prospect of a new protege on the horizon, the LAST thing Dexter needs is an ex-girlfriend to poison her way back into his life. Where the hell did Hannah come from!?
Dexter may have done a little shark-jumping last week when the previously incarcerated Hannah (Yvonne Strahovsky) showed up out of the blue, but that’s the story and we’re sticking to it.
Dexter’s Ex: She’s Married?!
Our hero wakes up by the water with his pants down (only figuratively), having been given the worst dose of ex-girlfriend revenge ever. Seeing as Dexter (Michael C. Hall) chose Debra (Jennifer Carpenter) over Hannah, he knows that he needs to find his ex ASAP. She’s probably pissed.
Hannah’s actually very easy to find (like too easy), and she looks to be living the dream as the hot trophy girlfriend of a guy who lives on a huge yacht (and kind of looks Dexter’s dead dad). It’s hard to tell if Dexter is on the hunt, trying to protect Debra, or just really freaking jealous.
Dexter Takes Zach Hamilton Under His Wing… Sort Of
In other news that I suddenly care about, Dexter and Dr. Vogel’s (Charlotte Rampling) plan to teach Zach Hamilton (Sam Underwood) Harry’s Code is a go. It’s actually sort of sweet to see Dexter and Zach bond. They both clearly see so much of themselves in each other. And watching Dexter impart wisdom on the kid is as cool as a scene between Luke Skywalker and Yoda in The Empire Strikes Back. Unfortunately, Dexter might not be as attentive a life coach as Zach needs him to be.
The two plot lines come crashing together when Dexter calls on Zach to get access into an elite club so he can further spy on Hannah. P.S.: This is what Batman and Robin would look like if they lived in Miami.
At this swanky club Dexter comes face to face with Hannah’s husband (!), Miles Castner, another faint British person who “is the adventurous type.” He actually knows about Dexter’s history with Hannah. Does he know about the rest of Dex’s life?
‘Dexter’: Who’s In Control?
This episode is all about control, and Dexter and Debra don’t seem to have any of it. Hannah poisoned them, but didn’t kill them, to prove that she is the one who holds their lives in her hands. Castner though, the $700-million-man, clearly controls her — he’s just one phone call away from sending her back to prison. And Debra is even less in control than Dexter, told by Vogel to sit on the sidelines and rely on her brother to solve the problem, even if he may be thinking with the wrong head.
Which he is. The real reason Hannah came back was because she wants Dexter to free her from Miles (read: murder him and dump him into the ocean). Hannah drops the L word on Dex and he turns into mush and practically decides right then and there to break his code and murder Miles.
Spurred by a little dust-up from Miles’ goons — and idea that Miles was going to rape or kill Hannah — Dexter finally tries to take control. But he’s too late — Hannah’s already taken it into her hands and slit her beloved husband’s throat.
Can Dexter Keep Zach Hamilton In Check?
While all this was happening, who’d expect that the real problem was Zach Hamilton? Dexter’s poor next door neighbor, the one he tried to date, ends up in the psychopath crossfire after Zach is unable to quell his urges and Dexter’s not around to help. Which is to say she gets bludgeoned to death.
So much for Batman and Robin!
— Andrew Gruttadaro