- Dexter finally strikes a balance between family, career and his secret life, but is thwarted in his pursuit of his next victim, while Debra expresses a renewed and unwelcome interest in their father's checkered past.
- Dexter finds himself enjoying a brief moment of tranquility. He's finally managed to strike a balance between work, family and other pursuits. But he's keenly aware that times like these aren't meant to last. When Miami Metro discovers a string of murders connected to a prominent photographer, Dexter sees an opportunity for a clean kill.
- A dismembered human arm is found inside an alligator, leading Dexter to his next victim, Jonathan Farrow, a photographer, who shoots fairly gruesome pictures of models, apparently killing Latina models who were in America illegally (ensuring no missing persons reports would be filed). Family and work taking its toll, a hurried Dexter accidentally makes his greatest single mistake and violates The Code of Harry. Meanwhile, Arthur Mitchell appears to be disturbed, and is unable to put a doe out of its misery after hitting it with his car. He then proceeds to build a coffin with lumber he obtained with Dexter's help. In order to get more 'alone time', Dexter, acting upon Arthur's advice, attempts to involve his kids in more activities, only to get pulled into the activities with them. After threatening Quinn to keep his girlfriend reporter away from Deb, Quinn starts digging into Dexter's past and makes his life a lot more difficult.
- Dexter is called away from a leisurely boat trip with the family to process a body. We learn Debra is about to return to work, and is about to move into Dexter's old apartment.
The "body" Dexter is called to is a woman's arm inside the body of an alligator. The wrist has ligature marks and was bitten postmortem. It is a murder.
Rita wants a tired Dexter to help the kids. Dexter sees Christine and learns from Rita the reporter is trying to do an article on Debra.
Dexter meets up with Trinity who is picking up supplies. Trinity tells Dexter his belief that parents are supposed to help push their children out into the world by encouagring outside activities. After Dexter says he doesn't have many friends, Trinity invites him to meet him the following morning.
Back at work, Debra is receiving a hero's welcome. Debra has Dexter run interference on an approaching Christine. After Dexter blows the reporter off, Quinn steps in and defends Christine. This turns into an argument and Dexter eventually reminds Quinn that he has seen him steal money from a crime scene. The arm belongs to a 19-year-old Nicaraguan model who was in the country on an expired visa. She had done some work with a fashion photographer named Jonathan Farrow. Farrow is a controversial figure who rumor has it bought his way out of a rape charge several years back. Debra notices the awkwardness between Maria and Angel and guesses they must have a relationship.
Farrow comes in for questioning. Dexter tells Harry he can afford to ignore Trinity for a while because the serial killer isn't an immediate threat. Also, Dexter wants to learn from him. Farrow seems to be a first class scumbag.
Quinn helps Debra move in to his old apartment. He seems very interested to learn Dexter kept the apartment for eight months. On his way out he tells Dexter "What are you hiding?" After Quinn leaves Debra tells Dexter she plans to go to Maria with her belief a serial killer named Trinity shot her and Lundy. She also mentions looking into her father's past for infidelity. Dexter is worried she'll find other things.
Dexter comes home with the idea Cody should join the Young Sailors club. Astor doesn't like any of his suggestions. Rita is impressed with Dexter's parenting initiative.
An irritable Trinity takes Dexter into the woods. He has Dexter help him cut down a tree. Afterwards Trinity hits a deer on the road. Dexter wants Trinity to put the animal out of its misery but Trinity can't do it. Dexter has to do it for him... with an axe.
The cops can't get a search warrant for Farrow's studio. Angel has found at least two other models, also illegals, who have recently disappeared. Debra mentions a possible relationship with Angel to Maria, who doesn't take the speculation well.
Dexter learns Farrow is a notorious partier. He arrives at Farrow's studio just as Farrow's ubiquitous assistant leaves for the night. In the studio Dexter finds tons of cleaned blood stains, as well as signs of a struggle. The blood leads him to a finger nail embedded in a wall. Back in the morgue, the nail matches up with one broken off the severed arm.
We see Trinity tirelessly working on a project.
Debra meets with Valerie, one of Harry's former CIs. Valerie tells Debra that not only did she have a sexual relationship with Harry, but she was one of many. A distraught Debra takes this revelation to Dexter. "We all have secrets, Deb," Dexter says. "Some of them shouldn't be found out." Debra is done looking into Harry and leaves the files with Dexter. The top file is of his mother. Dexter destroys the file... except for a portion of her photograph which he yanks out of the shredder.
Rita tells Dexter he is supposed to help chaperon Cody and the Young Sailors on a weekend overnighter. Needing to leave the following morning, Dexter decides to go after Farrow that night.
Dexter follows Farrow to a nightclub. We see that Quinn is tailing Dexter. Just before making his move to grab Farrow, Dexter spots Quinn. Dexter is able to give Quinn the slip but misses the chance to grab Farrow.
More ominous images of Trinity working with the wood.
Before bringing all of Lundy's research to Maria, Debra appears to think better of it and instead grabs only one file. We see her proudly leave the office and call Dexter at his camping trip. Maria has given the go-ahead for a Trinity investigation. Debra decided not to mention her belief that Trinity shot her and Lundy, instead just focusing on the bludgeonings.
After Quinn mentions something to Angel about Maria, Angel goes to see Maria. They confess to missing one another but apparently are sticking with their decision to remain apart.
Still more shots of Trinity, who it clearly constructing something significant.
After putting Cody to bed, Dexter decides to sneak out and make a move on Farrow that night. He grabs Farrow at his studio and puts him up on the slab. Farrow denies killing anyone, but Dexter plunges in the knife anyway. He dumps the body piecemeal into the ocean and heads back to camp.
We finally get a wide shot of Trinity's work. He has built a wooden coffin.
Dexter goes to the office and learns in horror that Farrow's assistant has been arrested for the murder of the severed arm model. Angel has video and DNA evidence; it's air-tight.
Dexter locks himself in his office and slumps to the floor: "I killed an innocent man."
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