Dexter Season 5 Recap: Episode 5.5 "First Blood"

Dexter freaks when participating in parachute play with Harrison at a playgroup. One of the other babies gets scratched in the face, in exactly the same fashion that Dexter carves his victims, making him suspect that his child did it. He wants to believe that Harrison is unaffected by watching his mother die. He even questions the nanny, who reassures him that all is fine.

Lumen challenges Dexter by reminding him that she saw him kill Lloyd. He keeps telling her to leave town and to try to move past her past. He even redeems free miles to get her a plane ticket out of town. But she just cannot let go of her desire for revenge.

Quinn isn't allowed to tell Debra the real reason that he cannot accompany her to the hospital to question the kid who was injured in the raid from last week. She is stuck going with Batista, which actually works to her benefit as he can interpret the Q&A session. They get a lead on a tattoo and rely on Masuka for information. (We unfortunately get a glimpse of Masuka's back, as well as his bikini leopard print briefs.)

Dexter returns to Boyd's house, only to discover that someone else has also been there. The other person left behind broken glass, blood, and a major mess. Naturally, the bloody print that he discovers belongs to Lumen. He goes to her hotel room, only to discover that her walls and mirrors are covered with newspaper clippings and information about her rapists. Harry appears and warns Dexter that she obviously is not in her right mind and is being careless. Her carelessness is going to get her killed, or worse, caught. If she gets caught, it's all over for Dexter, because you know she will talk. He again pleads with her to stop, but she won't.

Dexter gets information on Robert Brunner from deep within the Miami Metro vault, and becomes convinced that Lumen is already on the right path. He attempts to find him first and is successful. Just as he is about to kill him, before Lumen has a chance to, Harry jumps in and cautions Dexter to think. Dexter realizes Brunner is innocent and dumps him back under the bridge.

Lumen figures out where Brunner is living, and decides to make her way to the bridge. She wears a hoodie, with the hood up, and goes in broad daylight. As soon as she spots him, she follows him to his tent, takes aim, and just before firing, is stopped by Dexter. He tells her the truth about Brunner and again begs her to let it go. He tells her it is the only way she will feel better. She agrees.

Meanwhile, Dexter figures out that Debra and Quinn are sleeping together. Batista is starting to suspect his wife of having an affair with the guy from Internal Affairs. He bursts in on her in a hotel room, buttoning her blouse, and busts up a sting. She is buttoning her blouse because she has been wearing a wire. She is trying to close a case to save Batista's butt. Their argument is broken up by a double homicide that Debra and the cop found.

Dexter accompanies Lumen to the airport and even gives her his real name. He leaves, trusting that she is going to get on the plane. But she sets off the metal detector and has to face a hand search. All she can do is relive her rape, and is convinced that every man passing by is wishing her were molesting her at that moment. She doesn't get on the plane.

Quinn calls on an old friend who is getting busted by LaGuerta, and gives him Dexter's name.

Previews from next week's show indicate that Lumen is going to snap, and get Dexter into trouble. But after five seasons, we pretty much know that he ends up okay in the end. The major question will be, will he have to break his rule to eliminate an innocent by killing Lumen to stop her? And is she really so innocent if she is going on a quest to murder a bunch of people? She has already attempted to kill a relatively innocent man. Dexter's code is being thrown into a tailspin.