Dexter Season 4 Recap: Episode 4.7: "Slack Tide"

Are you new to Showtime's Dexter? Or did you simply want to catch up on episodes prior to Season 5 starting? Here is a complete recap of Episode 4.7: "Slack Tide." Caution - Spoilers follow.

Episode 4.7: "Slack Tide"

"Slack tide" is a term used when the tide is neither coming in nor going out. Everything is perfectly calm. But the bliss never lasts.

Dexter is in the middle of enjoying a quiet day at sea with his family when he gets a phone call to work up a body. It's a female's arm inside an alligator. He gets home, exhausted, and is pulled in every direction, because everyone needs help. Cody wants help with homework. Astor wants the shelves put up in her room. Harrison needs a baby bouncer put together. Rita is just beaming that therapy is working out for them, because Dexter has opened up so much more to her.

Dexter slips into being "Kyle", and seeks out Arthur. After all, he has mastered the art of balancing the home life with being a serial killer. Arthur talks about the importance of getting children involved in as many activities as possible, to prepare them for leaving the house. "Get them ready, then push them out."

Meanwhile, Debra is getting ready to go back to work, but Christine wants to interview her. She thinks Debra makes a great hero story. Debra wants Dexter to keep her away because she doesn't want to deal with reporters and rehashing her experience being shot. Dexter is actually more interested in keeping Christine away because he doesn't want anyone interfering in the private lives of his family members.

The arm belongs to a young model, Estrella Caraza, who had posed for Jonathan Farrow, a photographer who dabbles in sadistic art that even disturbs Dexter. He has become the primary suspect, as she was never seen again, after their last session. Debra becomes suspicious of the relationship between Batista and LaGuerta.

Dexter starts staking out Farrow, while he is also trying to figure out in what kinds of activities to involve his kids. Harry is standing over his shoulder, pushing him to go after Trinity, but Dexter feels like he still has a lot to learn. For example, Astor doesn't want to do any of Dexter's suggestions. Arthur says they should not be suggestions. If kids are allowed to do everything they want, they will go nowhere.

When Dexter and Arthur are returning from cutting down trees from lumber, their van accidentally strikes a deer. The deer is injured and needs to be put out of its misery. But Arthur is unable to do it, despite his cold-blooded murders of so many innocent humans. This further intrigues Dexter.

Debra gives up on researching their father's past and hands over the files to Dexter. Next on her list would have been his mother. Harry tells Dexter to destroy the file, but Dexter in unable to shred her picture. He hides it in his desk.

Without realizing it, Dexter has forced himself to participate in the Young Sailors weekend with Cody. By signing him up, Dexter has agreed to chaperone the camping trip. He pretends to need to shopping for needed supplies so that he can try to lure Farrow outside of a bar to kill him. But when Quinn shows up, he has to postpone his project. He takes the boys on the trip, anyway, and sneaks out in the middle of the night to fulfill his dastardly deed. He arouses suspicion at camp when trying to tell a scary story, based on the real Trinity killer. He is also seen sneaking back into camp after dumping Farrow.

Even worse, when Dexter returns to work, Farrow's assistant is being led into the precinct. The case against the assistant is air-tight. Dexter has killed an innocent man.