Teenage Wasteland - Recap

The episode starts off with a private session that Jordan Chase schedules with Dexter Morgan. Dexter internally says that he feels like he is “running in place,” and when we get a better, clearer view, we see that he is running on a treadmill, hence the double entendre. Jordan tells Dexter that “trauma is opportunity,” referring to the trauma of Dexter losing his wife to the Trinity Killer (although, even though it turned out that he had a tradition of four victims, and not three, the nickname stuck). Dexter presses Jordan for clues as to how he developed such a theory. Jordan makes Dexter promise that he will not say anything to anyone. Then he tells him that the inspiration came from play dough. Dexter thinks to himself that Jordan is a “tough nut to crack”. One second later, Jordan tells Dexter that he is a “tough nut to crack.” When Dexter goes to leave, he notices that a lot of things have changed, most notably is the tighter security.



Lumen is talking to Dexter on the phone when she hears someone coming into the house. Dexter tells Lumen to hide, that he would be there in a few minutes. They get closer, Lumen panics, and Dexter says he is rushing to get there as fast as he can. It only turns out to be Aster, Dexter’s stepdaughter, and her friend Olivia. They come to the house totally trashed. When the dust settles and everything turns out just fine, Dexter says he is going to get Harrison from Sonya, the nanny.



Deb is worried she is going to be fired. Quinn tells her that he loves her, which is too much for her to handle. In fact, it comes out later that she is afraid that she feels the same way for him. Liddy shows Quinn the photos of Dexter and Lumen taking out some human trash. Dexter asks Lumen for advice on how to better get along with Aster. She tells him he needs to just share something with her, that he needs to open up to her. He suggests an anecdote involving an animal he killed when he was young. She tells him anything but that.



Dexter tries to take the advice Lumen gave him. Harrison drops his toy and says “mama,” to Lumen which freaks her out.



Debra is assigned to the file room. Upon being sent there, she immediately has the intention of scoping out the “barrel girls” file. She discovers that the report discussed more than one DNA sample. Jordan tells Dexter that he seems more open but there is still much work to be done, because Jordan seems to believe that Dexter is still hiding something from Jordan. After they are done talking and Dexter leaves, Jordan discovers that his necklace filled with blood has been tampered with.



Batista tells LaGuerta about the DNA, and requests that the case be reopened. LaGuerta will have none of it.



Dexter shows up late, and makes up an excuse. Now the girls are missing. The neighbor got a partial plate, and he says that it is habitual, now that he is part of the neighborhood watch program. Dexter goes to the precinct where he is questioned. Dexter “learns” that there is new evidence that points to more suspects. Dexter insists on focusing on the white panel van. When they find it, it turns out to be Olivia’s father, Barry. He found the house by using his GPS. He blames Aster for Olivia acting out. They find the two girls at Bayside, where they are being held for shoplifting. Dexter tells them that Olivia will go back to Dexter’s house to get her stuff, and he will meet the father in an hour. The dad exclaims, “they can make you homicidal!” Dexter, suspiciously, replies, “I know what you mean.”



LaGuerta questions Batista regarding the “barrel girls” case. Batista explains that new light has been shed on the case. LaGuerta says that reopening the case would not be good for the department, but Batista thinks that she really means it would not be good for her. Debra meets Lumen when she comes to the house. Neither one knew of the existence of the other. Debra asks Dexter if she is just a rebound after his wife died. He denies it vehemently.



Dexter tries to get Aster to opening up, by opening himself up. In the other room, Olivia accidentally shows Lumen her bruises which are on her stomach. This is from her father. Barry has been abusing Olivia. Lumen tells Dexter while Aster is present, and Aster says she already knew about it, pleads with Dexter to not be mad. Dexter says he is not mad.



LaGuerta decides she is not going to reopen the case due to the aforementioned concerns. Debra thinks that this is about LaGuerta being convinced that Debra is out to get her, but it really is about several dead women who were tossed in barrels like yesterday’s news. LaGuerta can’t handle that pressure, so she says she will reopen the case. Debra questions Quinn, and Quinn says that he was suspended, not on vacation. He also reveals that he thought Dexter had something to do with the Trinity Killer case, but concedes that it was a stupid idea to consider that a lead of any sort, as it was based on a composite sketch, and he figures his mind was playing tricks on him (as in, he saw what he wanted to see). Liddy calls Quinn after Debra has left the room.



Dexter takes on Olivia’s dad, Barry, in an intense confrontation whereby he strategically punches him in several locations on or around his stomach, doing significant damage to various organs of varying degrees of importance, such as his liver and kidneys. He explains the injuries as he inflicts pain onto each one. Then, to add insult to injury (albeit necessary and well deserved) he instructs Barry that he will break up with his wife, and never come around Aster or Olivia again, and that if he does, he will really have problems. Then Dexter’s own personal mentor (who lives on inside his own head) commends him for standing up for his daughter and her friend, an innocent person who bore a lot of pain for no good reason.



Liddy shows up again at Quinn’s house to harass and hassle him. When Liddy shows Quinn the photographs, Quinn says that this was a bad idea. He gives him some more money, and tells him to consider it his “severance pay”, but Liddy will not back off. When he goes to leave, he makes a threatening remark about Debra. Quinn blindsides him and tells him to stay away from him and Debra. Meanwhile, Debra will not speak to Quinn, because in her mind, he messed up bad enough that he can’t be forgiven.



Barry has done as he was instructed, and has left his wife and, presumably, will leave Olivia and Aster alone. Aster asks about Lumen. She asks if helping Lumen makes him feel better about having lost his wife. In typical Dexter fashion, he does not have an answer. Dexter only tells her that he loves her, which seems to be some sort of an answer in and of itself. He says he only wants to be a good dad. Back at the lab, the report came in, but it is not anyone Dexter thought it would be. It turns out that a new person has come into the picture, a woman named Emily Birch. She is not a victim, as she is still alive, and Dexter wonders just exactly who she is.



The last thing we see is Lumen at Dexter’s place. She receives a phone call, and it turns out to be Jordan Chase. He tells her to leave a message for Dexter, part of which includes his infamous “tick, tick, tick” line. Then he says goodbye to Lumen, calling her by name, before it ends in what is possibly the most suspenseful ending of the whole series thus far.


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