Episode 802: Every Silver Lining...

Every Silver Lining... is the second episode of Season Eight of DEXTER, and the eighty-sixth overall episode of the series. Directed by Michael C. Hall and written by Manny Coto, it first aired 7 July 2013 on Showtime.

The estimated number of viewers for the episode during its original airing was 2.52 million.

Miami Metro continues their hunt for the Brain Surgeon, while Dr. Vogel enlists Dexter's help. While on a case, Debra has to take matters into her own hands.

Summary
Dexter is at Dr. Evelyn Vogel's house watching an old recording of Harry. He’s telling Evelyn about Dexter, then ten-years-old, who kept asking to be taken to a crime scene. Harry finally relented, hoping to shock him out of his “condition,” but Dexter wasn’t bothered at all by the blood. In fact, he was fascinated. On the way home, Harry noticed that Dexter had stolen a piece of bloody glass from the scene, and Evelyn calls it a “trophy.” Harry breaks down, believing that something is wrong with Dexter. Evelyn agrees that Dexter is exactly what Harry suspects him to be, but says there's a place in this world for his son. She doesn’t know what it is or what form it will take, but they will find it together.

Evelyn reveals to Dexter that she helped “create him.” It was obvious to her that Dexter showed all the classic traits of a psychopath and that he would eventually become a killer. That left a dilemma about what to do with Dexter. Evelyn convinced Harry that Dexter’s urges couldn't be stopped, but they could be focused. Eventually, she and Harry realized that hunting animals wasn't going to satiate him, so they decided to teach him to kill other kinds of animals -- people who truly deserve to die. It was Evelyn’s idea to devise a code. Although Harry had a big hand in the details, due to his law enforcement background, he was operating under her guidance. Dexter accuses Evelyn of experimenting on him, but she defends her actions as providing a framework for his survival. Otherwise, he would have faced an institution or death row. Evelyn says that she came to care for him, and still does.

When Dexter asks Evelyn why she is telling him this, she explains that she needs to call in a favor, seeing that she saved his life. She holds up a jar holding a section of brain, the anterior insular cortex that was missing from murder victim, Robert Bailey. It had been left on her doorstep wrapped in butcher paper. Evelyn thinks that it’s a message or threat from one of her former patients. She asks Dexter to find the killer and do what he was taught him to do. Dexter, though, curtly replies, “I don't take requests.” He asks why she doesn’t use her law enforcement contacts. Evelyn wishes that she could but worries about being exposed for using “unorthodox” and “illegal” methods in the past to treat psychopaths. Her career would be ruined and she might go to jail.

When Dexter tells Evelyn that it’s her problem, she lays a DVD on her desk and says, “This will help put things into perspective. Well, come on, don't tell me you're gonna pass up on another piece of your history. Think about it, but don't take too long. Killer's out there, Dexter, and I don't mind admitting I'm afraid of what's coming next.” Dexter leaves, taking the DVD with him.

In an unknown place, Lyle Sussman suffocates Leonard Welks with a bag, after telling him that he doesn’t have a choice.

Back in his apartment, Dexter watches the DVD, which is of Harry in a later session with Dr. Vogel. He says Dexter just killed someone else - a drug dealer who had robbed and killed two college kids. This time, Dexter did something new. Before he killed the drug dealer, he made him look at photos of his victims. Evelyn interprets it as Dexter following the Code and discovering an innate sense of justice. She assures Harry that the process will work, but he seems to have doubts.

Dexter realizes that Dr. Vogel is a window to his past, but he is torn about helping her. His thoughts drift to Debra, who was a big part of his life but recently said that she hates him and should have killed him in the shipping container. Dexter decides to keep Evelyn close because he doesn’t trust her.

Debra reports back to her boss, Jacob Elway, and falsely denies knowing who murdered Andrew Briggs. Elway criticizes her for spending two week with Briggs with nothing to show for it. Deb then presents a set of keys that she found on Briggs’ body. One of them is for a storage unit where he likely stashed the jewelry, but she doesn’t know the name of the facility. Elway asks if she and Briggs were “intimate” and Deb doesn’t deny it.

Leonard Welks body is found in a skate park with a section of his brain removed, the same as Robert Bailey. The killer is dubbed the Brain Surgeon. This time, a fingerprint is left on a bag at the crime scene.

Dr. Vogel shows up at the skate park and tells Dexter that another “delivery” appeared on her doorstep. Dexter asks if she ever felt guilty about what he was doing and she insists that all she felt was pride. They talk for a few minutes about why Harry originally contacted her. Dexter admits to her that he still doesn’t trust her.

Despite the yellow crime scene tape over the door, Debra and Elway break into Andrew Briggs’ apartment, hoping to learn the location of the storage unit. When Elway calls Maria LaGuerta a “pain in the ass,” Deb angrily retorts that she was a “good fucking person.” She finds a bill for Buster’s Self Storage and is eager to check it out, Since Elway must attend a meeting with a new client, she goes by herself. Debra is unaware that El Sapo, a hitman, is following her, hoping that she’ll lead him to the jewels.

Evelyn joins Dexter in his lab while he runs the fingerprint from the plastic bag through A.F.I.S. He asks Evelyn why he doesn’t remember her since he was ten when she started seeing Harry. She says they never met in person because Harry forbade it. He didn't want Dexter to feel like he was sick and was trying to protect him. She respected Harry’s wishes, even after he died. Dexter surprises Evelyn when he wishes that he had someone to talk to after Harry was gone, someone who knew what he was going through, because he was young and all alone.

The computer beeps and the name “Lyle Sussman” pops up. Evelyn doesn’t know him but Dexter says he could know her and have an issue with something in one of her books. Among the info in Sussman’s file, it state that he was arrested for drunk and disorderly conduct in 1992.

Vince Masuka knocks at the door and asks if he’s interrupting them. He tells Dexter that he’s found a bloody partial fingerprint on the duct tape that was covering the victim's mouth. When Dexter says that all he has is another partial, Masuka chuckles that the race is on.

As Dexter hastily gets up to leave, he asks Eveyln why she thought it strange that he needed someone to talk to when Harry died. She answers, “People like you don't usually seek an emotional connection.”

Dexter breaks into Lyle Sussman’s house. At first glance, it all looks innocent, just like his apartment. There is even a similar AC wall unit.

After a search, Dexter finds nothing of interest and the dying house plants indicate that Sussman hasn't been there in a while. Then Dexter notices a photo of Lyle with a dead deer outside a hunting cabin at Lake Nona, a possible kill site. Suddenly, a rush of police vehicles pull up outside and Dexter quickly slips out of the house, unseen.

Debra locates the unit and finds the stolen jewels in a drawer. Suddenly El Sapo appears and grabs the jewels. Debra furiously attacks El Sapo and the two fight. El Sapo, much stronger, throws her around and brutally kicks her three times while she's on the floor. He aims his gun at her but doesn't pull the trigger, stating that he doesn't kill people unless he's paid. El Sapo orders Debra to stay down and lowers the door, leaving her inside. Back in his car, El Sapo puts Debra's gun in the glove compartment, and then sits for a moment looking at a cut on his face.

Angel asks Quinn why he hasn’t taken the Sergeant’s exam, and says he better start taking his career more seriously if he’s going to be dating his sister. Quinn asks how does he know and Angel replies that he’s good detective.

Angel and Quinn visit Lyle Sussman's mother and stress the importance of finding her son, though they don’t say why. She hasn’t seen him in days and assumes that he’s off hunting. She proudly displays a blanket made from dozens of animal pelts, causing Angel and Quinn to exchange glances. They learn that Sussman has a hunting cabin somewhere outside the city. While still there, Angel and Quinn are called by dispatch to another crime scene.

Miami Metro arrives at the storage facility’s parking lot where a man’s body is found inside a car. Dexter remarks that he was shot in the head, with Masuka adding the chest, dash, and headrest. Angie Miller reports that the car is registered to Javier Guzman, who went by the street name El Sapo.

Dexter knows that El Sapo is the hitman who was after Andrew Briggs and worries that Debra might be in danger. Two guns are found in the car, but no one realizes that one of them belongs to Debra. Dexter notices blood from the killer on a broken car window and secretly collects it. Quinn privately mentions to Dexter that someone is taking out the guys involved with Debra.

Evelyn is on the phone with Dexter, demanding to know why he’s not on the way to Sussman’s cabin. Dexter says that he needs to do something more important first and mentions that Debra is in trouble.

Upon arrival at Debra’s beach house, Dexter finds the patio door off the track, empty beer bottles strewn about, and Deb passed out on the couch. As Dexter fixes and closes the door, it wakes her up. She angrily states that she doesn’t want him around. Dexter informs her that El Sapo was executed in his car and he’s worried about her, however, she brushes off his concern.

While Debra struggles to sit up, Dexter notices bruises on her side and asks what happened. Annoyed, she explains that El Sapo followed her to the storage unit where they fought and he got the jewelry. Dexter warns that whoever killed El Sapo might come after her, but she insists that nobody is coming after her.

Debra asks Dexter to stop caring about her, but he says, “Deb, I'm your brother. You can hate me if you want, but it doesn't change the fact that I care about you.” After a pause, Deb responds. “I didn't want to hate you. I wanted the opposite. But it didn't work out that way. I can't change the way I feel.” She then orders Dexter to “get the fuck out.”

It’s late night when Dexter finds Sussman’s cabin. Inside, there is a table of knives and hunting equipment, along with a metal chair that could hold a strapped down person. A thumping noise is heard outside and Dexter heads out the back door to the porch. There he finds Sussman dead, hanging from a meat hook impaled in his skull. He begins to doubt if Sussman was the Brain Surgeon.

Dexter returns to Evelyn's house and tells her that he found Sussman murdered. He suggests that an accomplice killed Sussman but Vogel believes that the killer does everything alone. Dexter reminds her that Sussman’s fingerprints were found at Leonard Welks' crime scene.

Evelyn mentions to Dexter that he has a hard time admitting when he’s wrong because people like him have an inherent need to be right, to feel superior. Dexter says that she talks about him like he’s an alternate species, less than human. She reveals her belief that psychopaths are not a mistake of nature, but a gift -- Alpha wolves, who helped the human race survive long enough to become civilized, and are an indispensable demographic.” Dexter seems skeptical.

When Evelyn asks what's going on with Debra, Dexter replies that it’s between him and Deb. Evelyn says that if It's affecting him, it’s a problem for her. Dexter still refuses to talk about Debra.

Quinn is distracted by his cell phone when Jamie enters his car, She asks if she should come back later and he apologizes, explaining that he was checking to see if Dexter had called about Deb. Jamie, immediately annoyed, quips, “Wow. We're a whole ten seconds into the date. Here I thought we were gonna make it to one minute before you mentioned your old fianceé.” This leads to an argument, with Jamie accusing Quinn of being on “Deb patrol” and Quinn angrily complaining that Angel is pressuring him to take the Sergeant’s test to make something out of his life. Exasperated, Jamie finally says, “You know what? Screw this. Okay? I did not get dressed up to argue with you. Go drink by yourself,” and gets out of the car.

Jamie slams the door as she enters the house. She yells at Angel as he’s relaxing on the couch to stay out of her personal life. She accuses him of putting pressure on Quinn which led to them having a giant argument. As Jamie storms out the room, she orders Angel to mind his own business.

Dexter tests the blood he collected from El Sapo’s car and, to his surprise, it turns out to be Deb’s blood. He realizes that she killed El Sapo but keeps it to himself.

The homicide department takes notice when Debra shows up. Matthews tells her that he was disappointed when she left the force, adding sarcastically that “running Homicide to chasing down bail jumpers” is a “hell of a career trajectory.” Masuka is delighted to see her and jokes that if he would “cop a feel” now, it wouldn't be sexual harassment anymore.

Angel asks why she’s there, and Deb says to answer Quinn’s questions about a case. Angel still thinks of his office as Deb’s office and remarks that the place isn’t the same without her. He invites Deb to join the crew at Papa’s Cafe later that night.

Quinn walks Debra to the briefing room in the hope that she can open up some leads because they’ve hit a wall. Deb tells how she was doing a skip-trace on Andrew Briggs after he robbed a jewelry store and made off with a half million in merchandise. She was on a stakeout in Fort Lauderdale, trying to locate the jewelry before Briggs fenced it to El Sapo. On the night Briggs was going to meet with El Sapo, she went out to get a sandwich and when she came back, she found FLPD on scene and Briggs with a hole in his chest. Dexter watches them on camera and wonders if Deb is lying to protect him or to protect herself.

As Debra looks through the El Sapo crime scene photos, she suddenly has memory flashes and begins to gasp. Dexter rushes into the room and takes her away under the pretense of a family emergency.

Dexter takes Debra out to the alley and informs her that he knows she killed El Sapo, having found her blood at the crime scene. He asks what happened, with Deb answering, “I don't know what happened, all right? I'm a little fucking fuzzy on it. I was angry. I wanted the jewels back. And the next thing I know I'm standing over a dead body.”

Dexter tells Debra that she could have called him, but she scoffs that he’s the one who gets her into trouble, not out of it.

Debra admits that the gun found in El Sapo’s glove box is probably hers. To avoid it being traced, she asks Dexter to switch it out. Dexter asks what she would do if he weren’t there to cover her ass. Debra retorts, “You really want to play the "what if" game? What if you weren't a serial killer? What if Harry had left you in that fucking shipping container?” She angrily warns Dexter, “You know what, El Sapo's not the first person I fucking shot, Dexter. And he may not be the fucking last. Anything can happen in this hellhole that is now my life. Your gift to me, Dexter.”

As Dexter watches her walk away, he thinks, “Whoever Deb was before killing LaGuerta, that person is dead. I just wish I knew what's taken her place.”

Dexter decides to switch out Debra’s gun to protect her. The clerk, who is having a busy day, allows Dexter into the evidence locker with no questions asked. He easily swaps the guns, having successfully tampered with evidence many times in the past.

Angel throws a party at Papa's Cafe but Debra doesn't attend. Quinn informs Angel that he will start studying for the Sergeant’s exam. Deb pulls up outside the cafe but when Quinn notices her, she drives away.

Evelyn arrives home to find the front door open. She thinks someone is in her house, returns to her car, and calls Dexter. He tells her to stay in her car until he gets there. He checks the entire house and assures Evelyn that no one is there. However, someone left a DVD on her desk with footage of Sussman smothering Welks and the true Brain Surgeon shooting Sussman in the head. Dexter and Evelyn decide to keep it from the police department for now.

Dexter condemns himself for being wrong about Sussman, and for destroying Deb. He glumly calls himself a “mistake.” Evelyn assures him that he’s exactly what he needs to be, She hugs him and calls him ”perfect.”

Quotes

 * “I don’t take requests.” - Dexter to Dr. Vogel
 * Dr. Vogel says that psychopaths are not a mistake of nature, they're a gift. But what kind of gift destroys everything it cares about? - Dexter to himself
 * “Did you know that psychopathic traits can be found in the most successful CEOs? In the most effective politicians? Without psychopaths, mankind wouldn't exist today.” - Dr. Vogel to Dexter
 * “The one thing I've always been good at. Vetting, stalking, and killing people. I can't even do that anymore.” - Dexter to Dr. Vogel, after mistaking Sussman for the killer

Related Pages

 * Andrew Briggs' Apartment
 * Brain Surgeon Case
 * Buster's Self Storage
 * Code of Harry
 * Debra's Beach House
 * Drug Dealer (Third Victim)
 * Elway Investigations
 * Evelyn Vogel's House
 * Lyle Sussman's Hunting Cabin
 * Lyle Sussman's House
 * Papa's Cafe
 * Skate Park
 * The Treatment Room