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Episode four is the second part of a story that began in episode three. Ray Speltzer continues to be a bad man doing bad things to essentially nice people. Our protagonist is using the serial killing Minotaur as a lesson for Deb. Dexter needs her to understand why he does what he does, and that he’s the same loving brother he’s always been. This week, we learned why Viktor meant so much to Isaak, that there’s a difference between splatter and spatter, that Quinn may be even dirtier than he looks, and that Vince Masuka has a popular Twitter account. I do not Tweet; but I kind of want to sign up just to see what Masuka Tweets about.

Debra’s dream sequence was creepy for a number of reasons. Deb was placed like the victim in the bathtub murders. This conjures images of Trinity—and by extension, Lundy and Rita. Dexter in a tuxedo just looks unnatural. The dream also revisits Deb’s big realization from last season. She’s in love with Dexter. That’s probably why she’s letting him get away with murder. But is it that simple? The episode explores this in more detail.

Dexter maintains that he’s the same person he’s always been, and that nothing needs to be different. Deb believes that everything has changed, and will never be as it was. She suspects her brother of lying all the time now, about everything—going so far as to ask him if he murdered Rita, or if he ever even loved her. Debra simply isn’t able to trust her instincts any longer. That’s gotta be crippling for any cop.

I’d been wondering since episode two why Isaak was so especially angry about Viktor’s disappearance and murder. Whatever the reason was, none of the other Russians seemed to know about it. Novikov didn’t think it was a problem to assert that Viktor brought about his own death. After he said it though, the look in Sirko’s face suggested otherwise.

I suspected that Viktor and Isaak were either brothers or lovers. Men don’t tend to hide vacation photos of themselves with their brothers. After Sirko’s wistful trip to Viktor’s place, we know why Isaak is so unhappy, why he’s swearing revenge, and why no one seems to know about this deep connection between the two of them. Kudos to Showtime, since I really didn’t think they’d go there. Not since Caprica have I seen such a tough homosexual gangster. I know I say this every week, but I just can’t help mentioning that Ray Stevenson is really, really ridiculously good looking.

By the halfway point of the episode, Deb starts asking all the questions Dexter been asking himself ever since Cody beat up that kid who said he snuck away from the camp out. There wasn’t anything Deb could say to make Dexter more aware of the dangers. Still, he did relent and send Harrison to be with his siblings, way out of town. Happily, Jaime also decided to get out of town for a few days to see what trouble she could get in to. Good for her! With Louis dead, I imagine Jaime’s troubles are largely behind her.

The scene with Sirko, Novikov and the patsy bartender was a rough one. It’s another scene which suggests stark differences between Russian and American culture. This poor bartender would have lamented his choice had he chosen his own life over financial security for his whole family. He and others may have seen him as a selfish coward. But the stereotypically correct American view is that life is always worth more than money. Well—depending on how fervently one believes in capitalism, I guess. I felt bad for the bartender, but will get over it so long as Isaak Sirko makes good on his word.

Speltzer’s story took a few twists and turns like the mazes he loves so well. Batista and Deb set him up and knocked him down with a fantastic interrogation that ended in a confession. But the masterfully obtained admission is thrown out due to a vague nod being taken as a statement of assent. Miranda Rights Fail. Speltzer’s lawyer also claimed that the cops used excessive force. Having seen the same footage you all did, their level of force seemed wholly appropriate to me. It’s also worth mentioning that if Speltzer didn’t have a crazy MO that necessitated reenacting the Maze and the Minotaur, Dexter would have been dead.

Batista demonstrated all the reasons we love him in episode four. His part in getting Speltzer’s confession was sublime. Later, he stood by Deb and pulled her away from the killer at the victim’s funeral; and then he called Dexter to make sure Deb was okay. Batista sniffed out the patsy in Mike Anderson’s murder; and he didn’t take Quinn up on his offer to hook him up with a sexy Russian stripp—I mean, dancer. Angel seemed overwhelmed with the unending murders and the senseless violence he sees every day. Methinks we should spend as much time with Angel Batista as possible while he’s still with us. His departure, one way or another, seems imminent.

My favorite line of the night had to be, “I don’t run. I make people run.” It was scary, and funny—much like Dexter’s weird freak out where he yells and rages like Speltzer. It both supports and rejects Deb’s theory that Dexter loves killing. He does. We knew that already. We just don’t mind as much as she does. We like watching him kill bad people. Plus, Speltzer in full Minotaur gear chasing Dexter through the maze? That shit was terrifying! Minotaur axe-having guy should have had his own horror franchise.

Oh, and Hannah is clearly one of those chicks who likes to watch men murder people. As such, she seems to have an eye for lizard-brained types like Wayne Randall, and Dexter. I predict more on this next week.

The most revealing and potentially deadly line tonight was Dexter’s declaration that “Everything is in my control!” This is, of course, untrue. Dexter should already know that he can’t control everything. He’s lived through proof after proof of that. The dichotomy here is that Deb is coming to understand why The Code exists, and why Harry and Dexter believe(d) in it. But Dexter is forgetting so much of what he’s learned along the way. Making peace with a mistake is not the same as deciding it’s okay to repeat it. If Dexter continues to believe he has total control, it will lead him toward taking more foolish risks. With the stakes higher than ever this season, let’s hope he comes to his senses.

By the episode’s end, both Dexter and Harrison have gone through their toys and gotten rid of those that they’ve grown out of. For Harrison, this means Lamby, and a few of those wooden puzzles with knobs on all the pieces. For Dexter, it meant getting rid of The Box once and for all.

The episode ended with a question about the nature of humanity. Deb sees that Dexter has killed Speltzer, and is not entirely pleased to realize that she feels good about it. Most people agree that enjoying murder is inhuman. But knowing who Speltzer is and what he’s done, it also seems perfectly human to want him dead. Where do we draw the line between humanity, and the alternatives? I imagine by the end of the season, we’ll have a much better idea where both of the Morgans draw theirs.

See you next time!

–Wednes