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Circle of Friends is the seventh of twelve episodes in Season One of the Showtime series DEXTER, and the seventh overall episode of the series. It first aired 12 November 2006.

Rita must deal with the return of her menacing, recently paroled husband, Paul Bennett. The Ice Truck Killer is supposedly identified, but Dexter is skeptical.

Summary[]

107 paulflowers

Paul offers Rita apology flowers

Jason Riech's body is found with wounds matching those of Jeremy Downs' first victim, and Dexter realizes that Jeremy was the killer. As Dexter slashes the air, acting out how Jason was murdered, James Doakes tells Dexter he's going to submit him for psychiatric evaluation. He asks Dexter if he's getting a "hard=on/"

Debra and Angel identify the Ice Truck Killer as Neil Perry, a taxidermist with a history of mental illness and violence because his name is in the database for moving violations near two crime scenes. They drive out to his home address, which is an unkept, rusting mobile home, sitting in a dirt lot littered with junked cars. The windows are covered with newspapers. Debra and Angel find a wood-paneled station wagon, which matches the description of the car that picked up Sheri Taylor before she was murdered. They notice a security camera watching them. Angel knocks on one door and Debra on another one, while Perry crawls out from beneath the mobile home. He punctures their car’s tire, then flees on foot to another car and speeds away.

At his lab, Dexter matches photos of the knife wounds on Jason Riech to Jeremy's first victim. He regrets not killing Jeremy when he had the chance.

Rita Bennett arrives at the school to pick up her children, but they aren't there. Charlie, a school crossing guard, tells her that Paul Bennett has already picked up the children a few minutes earlier. Rita yells at the man, and asks if he’s stupid. She states that the school administrative office was told to never hand the kids into Paul’s custody, as he was just been released from jail. Looking bewildered, Charlie says that no one told him.

Police arrive at Neil Perry's home to search for evidence that Perry is the Ice Truck Killer. Angel orders everyone to follow “strict sterile protocol” to avoid contamination of his crime scene. Inside the mobile home, they discover an archive of files about dismemberment, dozens of taxidermist oddities, and newspaper articles about the Ice Truck Killer.

As Rita cries to Dexter about Paul taking her kids from school, Paul and the kids enter the house. Paul glares at Dexter and shakes his hand, but Paul is clearly suppressing some jealousy.

Later, Rita and and Dexter are sitting on the couch, massaging each other's feet and discussing how problematic Paul can be. She admits that she is still married because Paul won't sign the divorce papers. Dexter tells Rita that he he has a "dark side" but she just laughs and calls him a good man. When she says that he doesn't hurt people, Dexter replies that he doesn't hurt innocent people.

Dexter returns to the Homestead Halfway House, where he learns from another boy that Jeremy sells sexual favors to random men in Flamingo Park. The boy assumes that Dexter is looking for gay sex. Dexter’s cell phone rings and he’s called to the crime scene at Neil Perry’s mobile home. Outside, they unearth a human skeleton with amputated limbs. (It turns out to be Perry’s mother.)

Rita must try to adjust her life when Paul, her violent-tempered and recently paroled husband, shows up with flowers and throws his weight around by attempting to be compassionate to their children, Astor and Cody.

During a briefing to the homicide team, the detectives learn that Roberta Perry used to abuse her son. After her death, he kept collecting her Social Security checks.

Wearing dark sunglasses and a hoodie, Dexter jogs through Flamingo Park until he sees Jeremy. As Dexter begins to follow him, Jeremy turns around and asks Dexter if he wants company. Dexter orders him to keep walking and looking ahead. Jeremy suggests that they go into the mangroves, but Dexter says it's too public and remarks that his car is in the parking lot. Jeremy turns to ask if the windows are tinted, and Dexter again orders him to keep looking ahead.

Suddenly, Jeremy stops walking and Dexter asks what's wrong. As Jeremy looks around, he notices cops approaching, swears and bolts. Just then, Sergeant Doakes runs past Dexter, shoving him to the ground as he yells to get out of the way. Immediately, Dexter hides behind a tree and watches Doakes and detectives arrest and handcuff Jeremy. Dexter sighs in relief as no one seems to have recognized him.

After arresting Jeremy, Doakes confronts Dexter and and asks why his instincts are always right when it comes to murder suspects. He tells Dexter that he is watching him.

After tracking down Perry to a sleazy motel, where he's holding a prostitute captive, Debra and Angel arrest him and he begins to sing and gleefully confesses to the crimes. But something about Perry's confession does not sit right with Dexter.

One afternoon, while Rita is not at home and Dexter is watching her kids, Paul arrives at the door. Dexter tells Paul that he isn't comfortable letting him inside. This angers Paul, and he asks Dexter, "Are you fucking my wife?" He goes on to inform Dexter that the house is in his name and he can just walk in. However, when Dexter remarks that perhaps he should just call the police, Paul backs off. Before Paul leaves, he throws a punch at Dexter's face, narrowly missing him. Dexter merely smiles and asks, "Is that it?"

Rita then stands up to Paul and tells him that if he can handle supervised visits for six months, then she might consider letting him have unsupervised visitation. She then hands him divorce papers. Agreeing that he will follow these orders, Paul submits very quickly and signs them. Rita, very surprised that Paul didn't put up a fight, smiles.

Debra begins to have a meeting of minds with Rudy, the prosthetic guy who works at the hospital, asks her on a date during a party that is held for Tony Tucci who is being released from the hospital.

During interrogation, Neil mentions details in the case that were withheld, and he's deemed to be the Ice Truck Killer.

After Jeremy Downs, one victim who Dexter allowed to escape, is arrested again for a murder charge. Dexter confronts him in a police interrogation room and asks Jeremy why he killed again. Jeremy admits that he can't feel anything (like Dexter), and he thought that killing would bring him something different. Dexter explains to Jeremy that he is the same way, and tells him only to kill people that deserve to die.

Dexter wants to give Jeremy more of a guiding light, but when he goes into prison for another visit, he finds that Jeremy committed suicide. He took Dexter's advice and killed someone that deserved to die.

Debra and Rudy get to know each other at a corner hot dog stand, while sharing a bottle of wine. She tells Rudy that her mother died of cancer when she was sixteen, and her father spent most of his time with Dexter (of which she was jealous). When Debra asks Rudy how he became interested in prosthetics, he claims that his mother lost both her legs in a car accident when he was young. At the time, he wished he could put her back together, like Humpty- Dumpty, but the pieces weren’t around. Debra sympathizes, and they end up kissing.

Lt. LaGuerta sees the arrest of Perry as a way to further advance her political career, but feels betrayed when her superior, Captain Matthews takes the credit.

Dexter, disappointed that the Ice Truck Killer is likely nothing more than a mentally disturbed psycho, requests to see Neil Perry so that he can ask questions. Neil walks into the room and Dexter says, "Hi." Neil genuinely does not recognize Dexter at all and asks, "Who the fuck are you?" Dexter smiles as he realizes that the Ice Truck Killer is still out there.

Quotes[]

  • "Can I have permission to run Masuka's prints as the ice-truck killer?" -Debra
  • "He [Paul] lost his custody rights right around the time my head hit the living room wall." -Rita to Dexter
  • "He's [Paul} not gonna hit you anymore. He told me at the carnival. I made him promise." -Astor to her mother, Rita
  • "I hate to break this to you, Deb, but you know you've got the wrong guy here, right? The ice-truck killer drains the blood from his victims, freezes their bodies, and only then severs their limbs. It's clean and efficient -- His psychological signature. Neil Perry, on the other hand, stuffs roadkill." - Dexter to Debra
  • "Are you fucking my wife?" -Paul to Dexter
  • "You pretend the feelings are there for the world, for the people around you. Who knows? Maybe one day they will be." - Dexter to Jeremy Downs

Related Pages[]

Reception[]

Eric Goldman said: "Dexter continues to move along at a brisk pace, and this week delivered one of its busiest and best episodes yet."

Reception[]

Eric Goldman said: "Dexter continues to move along at a brisk pace, and this week delivered one of its busiest and best episodes yet."[1]

The show received moderately positive reviews from online fans, gaining an 8.6 on IMDb [2] and a B+ from Television Without Pity users.

Gallery[]

The Episodes of Dexter

References[]

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