Spoilers if you haven't seen tonight's episode of Dexter, titled ""Dress Code"!
Are Dexter and Zach a match made in heaven, or is this mentor/apprentice match-up a recipe for disaster? I've been leaning toward the latter since Dexter cut the plastic wrap off of Zach and tonight's episode did nothing to reverse my theory that Zach's too far gone to be mentored. And then there's Hannah, who surprised us during the final moments of last week's episode by drugging Deb and Dexter and showing up just as Dexter began to fade.
Of course, Hannah didn't kill Deb or Dexter. Drugging their food was just her way of letting them know she's in town. Cute, right? While she left Deb passed out at home, she dragged Dexter off to the other side of town and left him to wake up on his own, bewildered and wondering why she did that. Hannah's little "hello" turned out to be a cry for help. She's now going by the name of Maggie, an identity her possessive new husband helped her get. The wealthy Miles Castner knows all about Hannah's past, and he may have been generous enough to give Hannah a new life, but he's far less generous when it comes to Hannah's attention. The moment he realized Hannah and Dexter were in contact with one another, he had Dexter beat up and he essentially told Hannah she was going to be held captive on his boat going forward. So Hannah killed him. I think with her hands. There was a lot of blood around Miles' body, but did anyone see an actual weapon?
Dexter and Hannah dumped Miles' body in another intimate moonlit boat ride. If there's one thing this season's brought to light, it's that Dexter has a number of living accomplices these days. The body dump used to be sort of a private thing, no? Did he ever include Lila or Prado on that ritual? Regardless, it's worth noting that he has a handful of people in his life that are fully aware of what he is, when considering Deb, Dr. Vogel, Zach and Hannah. Lumen's out there too, but I like to think she's moved on with her life and is not going to return.
Let's get back to Zach Hamilton. He spent the bulk of tonight's episode itching for his next kill. Dexter pointed out to Vogel that nine years passed from when Harry told him what he was to the day he made his first kill. He grew up learning the code and didn't kill until he had the basics down. But Zach has already made his first kill, so is there any way for Dexter to force Zach to change the addiction that's already begun to develop? And as Dexter pointed out, is he even the right guy to do it? Harry was a good man. He was guided by his own moral compass. Dexter is a serial killer who has his own personal motivations. Take tonight's Hannah situation as a perfect example. Early in the episode, Dexter chastised Zach for trying to see him while he was being tailed. But the moment he needed Zach's help, when he was stalking Hannah and needed a way into a fancy club, he called on Zach and let him accompany him into the venue in full view of anyone who might notice them. Red flags will definitely be raised if people see that Dexter and Zach Hamilton - person of interest and borderline suspect in a murder investigation - are hanging out. But Dexter put that aside when it served his own needs. That's a problem.
I maintain that Zach stands a very high chance of being Dexter's undoing one way or the other. But I'm going to theorize that he didn't kill Cassie. Yes, he spent the episode being impatient to kill someone again, and yes, the last time we saw Cassie alive, Zach was banging on Dexter's door and frustrated at being blown off. But I think Zach's too obvious for that kill. I'm calling Oliver as the murderer of Cassie. He was there at the crime scene looking devastated over Cassie's death, as he would be if he really was into her, which may be the case. But let's say that Oliver has his own violent tendencies, just for argument's sake. If he killed Cassie, then maybe Oliver will turn out to be Zach's first official Code-kill. Or Zach killed Cassie and this is just one major indication that he's not capable of handling the code.
In other news
Masuka's daughter is paying off her debt working at a topless sports bar. Are breastaurants an actual thing? I'm aware of places like Hooters and of the tiny outfits the Toby Keith (I love this Bar & Grill) waitresses wear, but I've never heard of a sports bar where women serve food and drinks completely topless. Regardless, there was something in the way Niki told Masuka about her job that made me think something was up with it, and sure enough, Masuka showed up at the bar to set his eyes on "daughter boobs." He quickly averted his eyes but played it cool for the most part. And later, he offered her a part time job at Miami Metro, which she politely turned down. The money for serving wings with a side of breasts is apparently better than whatever assistant duties she might be performing for her father. But she did call him dad. And I'm still a little bit wary of her, as I expect we're supposed to be.
Jamie is getting caught in between Batista and Quinn's issues. Earlier in the episode, Jamie was contemplating finding a new place and having to sign a lease, which she used as an opportunity to discuss her future living situation with Quinn. Seems like it's too soon for them to move in together, and Quinn seemed a bit thrown off by the topic, but he awkwardly and vaguely agreed that down the line they could end up living together. Someday, whenever, not tomorrow. That seemed to be the end of it, but then Zach Hamilton showed up at Miami Metro with a lawyer and some photos of Quinn tailing him, a task Quinn had taken on himself due in part to his own suspicions of Hamilton and his determination to prove himself to be good enough for Sergeant. We know the Hamiltons have strong ties with Miami Metro, and Matthews was quick to squash any additional investigations anyone was trying to do on the Hamiltons. Batista took it further by ordering Quinn to back down. Quinn's response to that was to tell Batista he's moving in with Jamie. Given his earlier reaction to the subject, it seems like the only reason he said he's doing this is to get under Batista's skin. Between not making him Sergeant and now pulling rank on him, Quinn appears to be lashing out, and something tells me Jamie's the one who will end up hurt over this.
And finally, there's weirdness for Elway and Deb, which could present a problem as Elway seems to have a little bit of a temper. Last week, he threw down with the guy that was making a move on Deb (and cheating on his sister), and tonight he got nasty with Deb when she essentially called him out for having a crush on her and for nosing into her business, which she was handling at his business. Deb was snooping into Hannah's background when Elway walked in and got curious enough to look at what she was checking out. Maybe Deb should be a little bit more careful about what she's doing while at work, as it's obvious Elway has taken an interest in her. She knows he's developed a thing for her and she's treating that a little bit carelessly. Granted, she told him to back off, but she wasn't very sensitive about it and though it seemed like everything was smoothed over by the end of the episode, I can't help but see this turning into a bigger complication as things move forward. Elway strikes me as the kind of guy who would be a really useful friend but a very troublesome enemy.
There are just five more episodes left for Dexter going forward! It's looking like this situation with Zach will play a big part in wherever the series is headed as it reaches its conclusion.
