On this week’s “Dexter,” Rita is quickly finding out that mixing pregnancy hormones with wedding planning is a true recipe for insanity. She is running into the dilemma that most brides face: can’t do it alone, won’t trust anyone else to do it. She has entrusted Dexter with one simple task – buying the wedding bands. And he’s not doing it fast enough for her tastes. Boy, have I been there. She also insists that she doesn’t want an engagement ring, but Deb soon sets Dexter straight on that one. Rita is touched by the rings that Dexter brings home – phew, crisis averted.

Meantime, Dexter is busy teaching the Code to Miguel. Despite recurring visions of Harry warning him to keep his secrets safe, Dexter is so happy to have a friend and ally that he lets Miguel in on his latest kill. They pick a man scouted out by Miguel, a gambler who kills to appease his bookie. The two make some trips to the casino where their victim spends most of his free time. Miguel is no professional – when Dexter tells him to dress inconspiciously, he shows up looking like “the unabomber,” in Dexter’s estimation. But he soon realizes the need for the dark sunglasses when someone recognizes Miguel. Dexter decides to call off the kill, but when Miguel tells him a family sob story, Dexter agrees to go through with it after all. Miguel enjoys it. Maybe a little too much. The last time we see Miguel in the episode, he’s paying a visit to the dirty D.A. he was trying to convince Dexter to kill last time around.

Angel and Deb make an arrest in the Skinner case – an illegal alien tree trimmer who, it turns out, probably works for the Skinner and is deadly afraid of him. Deb spends the night with Anton, and the two seem to be growing close. But when Deb asks him for his C.I. number, which should be on his informant paychecks from the police department, he reveals that Quinn has always paid him in cash (and that he had no idea there was anything odd about it). Deb conceals her shock at this news; when she confronts Quinn, he plays it cool, saying that he was doing Anton a favor by not leaving a paper trail. Deb goes to Anton and tells him that he is freed from his C.I. tasks. From his surprised response, she learns that Quinn had been holding him hostage with imaginary charges that he was supposed to be working his way out of. She tells him that a clerical error has cleared his criminal file, and he is now free to go. They make a date for breakfast the following day, but Anton stops picking up the phone. At first Deb assumes that he’s lost interest, but upon visiting his empty apartment, she realizes that the Skinner might have picked up another victim.

With only four episodes left, the show is obviously building to a climax. I seriously hope they are not setting up Miguel as the Skinner, because that’s just terrible and obvious. It’s impossible to say at this point, but let’s hope they can be a little more creative than that.

Popularity: 1% [?]