In the aftermath of last season's chilling finale, Rita's death has left Dexter feeling responsible, possibly even...guilty. Unable to deal with the trauma, Dexter makes a drastic decision that will impact everyone around him. Quinn stirs up trouble at the station when he notes that Rita's murder, which is being pinned on the Trinity Killer, doesn't fit his normal murder profile. Things get even more heated when Quinn suggests to LaGuerta that they look at the husband: Dexter Morgan. Meanwhile, Quinn offers Debra much needed support, causing her to see Quinn in a new light. Written by Showtime Publicity

Dexter's interview with the FBI goes well he's told they don't suspect him of murder since he was at Trinity's house at the time Rita was killed. He's having trouble being a single parent however. Astor and Cody want to move back into their house - they're all living temporarily with Debra in what is now a very overcrowded apartment - and when they skip school one day to go there, Dexter realizes something has to be done. Meanwhile, Debra is also a bit fed up with the situation and goes over to Quinn's for a decent night's sleep. Dexter focuses on a new serial killer as his next victim. Written by garykmcd

Dexter is still off duty recovering from recent events. He enlists Debra's help to find a nanny for 10-month old Harrison and finds the perfect candidate. Having childcare in place allows him to focus on getting rid of serial killer Boyd Fowler, the dead animal sanitation worker. His first attempt doesn't quite go as planned. He's also in for a major surprise. Angel Batista's bar fight with a fellow officer who made disparaging remarks about Maria Laguerta takes a life-threatening turn. Debra enlists the aid of a Spanish-speaking uniformed officer, Cira Manzon, in the beheading case. Most of the police think the now dead husband was responsible for killing his wife but Debra develops a new theory, one that subsequent events seems to prove correct. Finally, Quinn contacts the FBI with information about Kyle Butler, the Trinity Killer's friend. Written by garykmcd

Having disposed of serial killer Boyd Fowler, Dexter now has to figure out what to do with the young woman he found alive in Fowler's house and who saw him get rid of her captor. He manages to identify her as Lumen Pierce from Minnesota but has to get her to trust him. Although still on leave, Dexter agrees to Debra's request that he examine the crime scene where the most recent beheading took place. He finds evidence that gives them their first real lead in the killings. Quinn is convinced that Dexter is the Kyle Butler who had befriended the Trinity Killer and sets out to find Trinity's family so he can show them Dexter's photo. Batista tries to avoid an Internal Affairs investigation by apologizing to the cop he beat up. Written by garykmcd

Dexter tries to convince Lumen to return to Minnesota but isn't having much success. She is intent on finding the other men who abused her and kill them and Dexter realizes that perhaps the only way to save her from herself is for him to do the killing for them. When he realizes she has a lead on Boyd Fowler's former prison cell mate (a convicted rapist) he decides to do the deed himself. He quickly realizes however that the man could not have been one of her attackers. Debra meanwhile continues her investigation into the rash of be-headings which lead the police to what may be the killers first victims. Lt. Laguerta begins to act strangely and staying out late leading Angel Batista to think she may be seeing someone. Quinn's attempt to contact the Trinity Killer's family forces Laguerta to suspend him without pay. He has other plans to pursue Dexter however. Written by garykmcd

Dexter goes after his next victim, Lance Robinson, but before he can complete the deed receives a call from Lumen who hasn't left Miami and has tracked down one of her attackers. She's shot the man and now doesn't know what to do. He goes to the site with Robinson unconscious in his car only to find that the man Lumen shot is alive and has now disappeared. When the police, in the form of his sister Debra, respond to a call at the site Dexter has to be quick on his feet. Still working on the Santa Muerte murderers, Debra sets up a sting for the Fuentes brothers at their favorite nightclub. It's Angel Batista however who comes up with a vital piece of evidence. Written by garykmcd

Having decided to help Lumen find the other men who attacked her, Dexter is at a loss when he is called to the scene of a road accident. There he finds a pick-up truck that has disgorged its contents - several formaldehyde-laden barrels containing the bodies of dead women. Of course the women are Boyd Fowler's victims Dexter had discovered in the swamp some time before. The truck is registered to a celebrity, motivational speaker Jordan Chase, who claims that his truck was stolen. Dexter is more interested in Chase's head of security, Cole Harmon, who fits Lumen's description of one of her attackers. Debra meanwhile is still on the Santa Muerte case and Lt. Laguerta agrees to a sting operation using their new informant, Yasmine Aragon. It doesn't all go as planned resulting in several deaths. Written by garykmcd

Having identified one of Lumen's attackers, Cole Harmon, Dexter set out to do what he does best. He attends one of Jordan Chase's seminars and the plan is to rent a hotel room next to Cole Harmon, who is Chase's head of security, and eliminate him there. He shows Lumen how to prepare a killing room but events don't quite unfold as planned. In the end, Dexter gets a vital clue that identifies another of the men who attacked her. Lumen also has to deal with her ex-fiancé who suddenly shows up in Miami. At the station, the fallout from the shootings at the night club begins to take its toll. It's pretty obvious that Lt. Laguerta isn't going to take the rap for the botched operation. Debra sees the writing on the wall when Angel Batista tells her he hasn't written his report yet and is still going over what happened. She feels betrayed by an unexpected source but also gets support where she least expects it. Written by garykmcd

Dexter has now set his sights on self-help guru Jordan Chase and is spending some time with him getting to know him better. His life is turned upside down however with the sudden arrival of his step-daughter Astor and her friend Olivia. They're drunk and have lied about where they are. Astor is rebellious, refusing to tell Dexter what she is up to or why she is acting this way. She is also convinced that Lumen is Dexter's new girlfriend. Lumen has a conversation with Olivia that puts the girls escapade in an entirely new light. When the girls disappear from his house, he fears that Chase is on to them and the girls have been kidnapped. Dexter is forced to reveal to his colleagues that he's been seeing Chase and they also learn about Lumen, who Dexter describes as his new tenant. At the station meanwhile, Debra has been assigned to work in the filing room and comes across some startling information about the barrel girl murders. She also learns about Quinn's suspicions of her brother. ... Written by garykmcd

Lt. Laguerta has decided to re-open the barrel girls murder case and assigns a reinstated Debra Morgan and Quinn to arrest Cole Harmon. Of course, they don't know that Dexter has already taken care of things. They do find that the men made videos of their attacks. Debra begins putting the pieces together and concludes there is a vigilante killer getting rid of the men who attacked and killed the women. From the blood in the small vial Jordan Chase wears around his neck, Dexter is able to track it to Emily Birch who, to his surprise, is still alive. She's not very cooperative however until Lumen visits her on her own. Emily identifies the fifth man as Alex Tilden and Dexter and Lumen make plans to eliminate him. They don't realize that someone has been watching them. Written by garykmcd

Dexter and Lumen are trying to figure out how to get Jordan Chase but Dexter catches on to the fact they have been under video surveillance. He manages to trace the equipment back to Joey Quinn, not realizing that Stan Liddy is behind it all. He and Lumen burglarize Quinn's apartment and find some of the photos of them at the marina. Dexter learns soon enough just who is behind it. Debra meanwhile has pretty well figured out the case and tells her colleagues about her vigilante theory: that the killer is probably the 13th victim who escaped and that she is likely being helped by a man. Lt. Laguerta is dubious however. Jordan Chase has conveniently planned to go to Europe on a speaking tour but not before he lays a trap for Dexter and Lumen. Written by garykmcd

Just as Dexter is about to set off find Jordan Chase, his entire family arrives having decided to travel down from Orlando to celebrate Harrison's birthday in Miami. Cody and Astor have something special to ask him. Having managed to extricate himself from any family obligations from the day, he arrives at the station to learn that Liddy's body has been found and the entire squad is assigned to working on the case. Things quickly deteriorate for Joey Quinn who is taken into custody after they find Liddy's phone and see that Quinn was frequently called on the day he died. Jordan Chase has not yet killed Lumen as he wants to trap Dexter as well and eliminate both of them. Dexter manages to trace Chase to his lair leading to the inevitable confrontation. In the end Dexter, Lumen and Debra will all have choices to make and not everyone will be happy or content with the choices they make. Written by garykmcd