(Beware, SPOILERS BELOW)

(I understand that Time Warner has dropped Showtime for the moment so I'll try to cover as much of the episode as I can to keep you up to date.)

After last week's doozie of an episode, I kind of figured episode six would be a bit slow as they set up the final round of story arcs to its conclusion. For the most part, the episode meandered along until the last ten minutes and then---wham, bam, thank you ma'am! I asked last week if there would be a Hannah McKay sighting soon because I missed her and then guess who came to dinner with a bang? But let's start off with Dexter's new potential victim, Zach Hamilton.

Dexter, Zach & Vogel

Dexter believes that Zach killed his father's lover, Norma Rivera, so he starts tracking him. In the previous week he finds Richie Rich always showing up at bloody accidents and crime scenes with his trusty camera and red Porsche, snapping off rolls of film. That's still not credible evidence that he's a killer, but then Dexter finds him entering Doctor Vogel's office for a therapy session and that throws him for a loop. He confronts Vogel about taking on another dangerous patient after almost getting killed by the Brain Surgeon Killer. She tells him that Zach's father was worried about his son's violent tendencies and sent him to her for help. After all, she does make a living out of treating dangerous people. Is it me or does Doctor Vogel seem to be enjoying Dexter's hunting patterns a little too much?

"I take it you followed him today because you're planning to kill him?"

Dexter replies that he will if he can find the proof against him. Vogel tells him there's no proof to justify his kill mission, but Dexter says he'll find it. She then asks Dexter to come to her first if he does find the proof as a favor before he kills him.

Masuka & Niki

Debra's investigation into Niki finds out that Vince's daughter is deep in debt and he immediately assumes she just wants to use him. Deb asks him if he likes being around her. He most definitely does, so she tells him not to prejudge Niki and enjoy her until she gives him reason to distrust her. He agrees, but in poor Masuka's world, relationships with women are never an easy thing.

Later on at Jamie's birthday party, Vince hands Niki a check for $5000 as a present and says he doesn't have much, but he knows she needs it. She gives him a perturbed look and immediately wants to know how he could possibly know that? He tells her that he checked her out (Oh no!) to make sure she was his daughter and all and found out a few things. I have to admit that I felt embarrassed for him. (I know it's only a TV show)

Niki: Checking up on me like a criminal?

She hands the check back to Vince saying how hard it was to look him up in the first place and she didn't want his money. She storms out of the party leaving Vince standing there begging for forgiveness.

Zach & Dexter

Dexter is called to another crime scene; a man had stabbed his girlfriend to death and fled the scene, but there's blood everywhere and he left plenty of clues behind. As Dexter is setting up the blood spatter patterns, he sees Zach at the scene taking pictures and that gives Dex an idea. He invites Zach into the crime scene and lets him take pictures of all the blood so he can find a way into his life without tipping him off. Zach begins shooting furiously and then begins asking questions to Dex about how the boyfriend was identified.

"He's making this a teaching moment."

Dexter realizes that Zach is trying to learn how not to be caught. He then visits Zach at his studio to get closer to him and he finds there's dozens of pictures of blood spattered images covering his walls. 'He treats blood like a swimsuit model.' Dexter then sees a picture not of blood, but a shot of a very pretty Latino woman on his desk. Zach quickly grabs the photo, crumples it up and says it was only a test shot. I'd say we detectives call that a clue.

Angel & Quinn

Angel finally admits to himself that Quinn isn't the best choice for promotion so he elevates Miller to the rank of sergeant. When he tells Joey about his decision, it pisses Quinn off because he never wanted a promotion anyway, but Angel got him all worked up about it now and he really wants it. He thinks he lost the promotion because he hasn't solved the Norma Rivera murder yet so he storms off. He then runs into Dexter hanging in the station and tells him that he's going to tail the Hamilton kid until he finds something to arrest him on. Dex realizes Quinn will muck up his own stalking so he asks to come along. They find Zach taking pictures of women at their yoga class in a park, but Dexter realizes that he's only taking pictures of one women, the face in the shot he found at Zach's studio so he nabs her license place and looks her up online. It turns out that she works at club which Zach's father owns. Do we see an instant replay here?

Elway's Got A Crush

Deb's boss, Jacob Elway hates his sister's boyfriend and wants to expose him to her as a womanizer, so he subtly demands that Deb work with him on the case. Deb wants nothing to do with because she knows how f&*ked up family can be if you stick your nose in, but reluctantly agrees to help him. They set up the boyfriend at his hotel hangout with Deb, who goes there wired up and dressed to kill. In a matter of moments, the boyfriend is asking her up to his suite and while they are waiting for the elevator, he tries to lay a lip lock on her. Elway jumps out and punches him in the mouth yelling at him that he better break up with his sister or he'll show her the tape. Debra's reaction to Elway's antics is her typical WTF? It's obvious to her now that her boss likes her.

Picture This:

Dexter breaks into Zach's office looking for photos of Norma Rivera. He figures Zach's MO is that he probably takes plenty of photos before he kills his target. If he finds them, then he'll have the proof he needs to put him on his table. He cases the place until he finds a flash drive hidden in Zach's camera. He discovers pictures of Norma dead, just murdered, a cascade of shots showing blood slowly pooling from her body and we can make out Zach's image in the pictures as the killer. That's the proof Dexter needs, so he prints out copies of his find and rushes off to see Dr. Vogel.

Here's where it gets very interesting: When he shows Doctor Vogel the pictures, she tells Dexter that Zach had already confessed to the Rivera murder, but that she sees something in him---a kind of potential.

Dexter: I don't kill innocent people.

Vogel: But you might have if it hadn't been for Harry and me. You could even be on death row right now, but you were spared.

Dexter: I was spared because of the code.

Vogel: What if we were to teach Zach the code?

Dexter: You can't be serious?

Vogel: Why not? It never occurred to me to try again because I didn't have Harry, but now I have you.

Dexter: He killed an innocent and he needs to die.

When Dexter catches the scent of a kill it's tough to stop him, especially when it fits Harry's Code, but Dr. Vogel has been pretty persuasive to the Morgans so far.

Harrison & Doggy

Earlier, Jamie had told Dexter that the TV remote control was missing and Harrison must have hidden it, but Harrison denied knowing where it was. Jamie then found it under his bed and Dexter realizes that his son lied so he needs to confront him about it. So far this season, Dexter has been kind of mean towards his son, who is now four years old so I wondered how he would handle this.

Harrison: I didn't mean to break it, I was pretending it was a thunder blaster and I dropped it in the kitchen.

Dexter: Well that's okay, accidents happen, but you lied too. That's a big deal. You should never lie.

Now comes the turning point of the entire episode.

Harrison: (pause) But Daddy, you lie.

Dexter: What do you mean?

Harrison then pulls out his favorite stuffed animal, 'Doggy' from a cabinet under his mattress, the one that was covered in blood after Dexter killed Andrew Briggs while his son waited in the car for him.

Harrison: You told me Doggy got lost. I saw you throw him in the trash. I had to rescue him.

Dexter: I'm sorry I lied to you, Harrison.

Harrison: That's okay, but can I keep him? I really love him.

Dexter: Yeah, but he should live under the bed.

It was the first real touching moment between father and son even if it was framed by murder.

Spiritual Father

Dexter finds Zach at his father's club in a used car, waiting for Sophia to leave. However, Ed Hamilton (Zach's father) follows Sophia out and starts sticking his tongue down her throat. Jesus, this guy has more girls than a rock star. But instead of Zach going after Sophie, he trails his father. Dexter always has his trusty syringe on hand (like Buffy had Mr. Pointy) and knocks him out before Ed sees the both of them. Zach wakes up to find himself covered in plastic on Dexter's table. Dex always grills his victim like a prosecutor before the kill by showing them what horrors they have committed and he demands that Zach tell him the truth about wanting to kill his father. Zach tells him that he felt he had to kill his father because his philandering was destroying his mother. Dexter is stunned because psychopaths don't really feel love, except one.

Dexter: So that's what this is all about? You try to protect your mother. You actually care about her?

Zach: Of course I do, she's my mother.

But Dexter knows his obsession with blood is more than just his father.

Zach: I can't help, it builds up inside of me. All these years. But Norma was the first time I ever followed through.

Dexter: How was it once you killed her?

Zach: It felt like a huge weight was lifted off my chest. This release of something horrible inside me. You should just go ahead and kill me.

Dexter: Why?

Zach: Because if you don't, I'll do it again. I don't want to be like this, but I can't help it. I just am some kind of a freak.

Dexter: A monster. You never had a Harry, someone to talk to, someone to teach you.

Doctor Vogel's words always have an effect on Dexter and now he understands what she was trying to say. (It's like Strangers On The Train. Criss-cross, only he's swapping with his father's persona and becoming Harry to Zach. And Dexter also sees Zach as a teenage version of himself as well. And so much of Dexter's despair is in his loneliness. The isolation of what he is has tormented him from the very beginning.

Dexter: There are parts of me that I could never share with my own son, but Zach. Could I teach him?

Am I ready for this, to be a spiritual teacher?"

So Dexter now has a student. You'd think that was the ending of the episode, right? Wrong

Honey, I'm Home

Dexter and Debra have slowly been reconnecting again by sharing meals and although they're not totally back to the way it used to be, they are getting there. This time they are drinking some coffee at her place when Debra tells Dexter that Elway likes her, but he doesn't really know her at all. Then she asks Dexter about Cassie and he tells her it's not looking good.

Debra: Maybe the Morgans just aren't meant for relationships.

He's tells her he might be bringing on an intern (Zach) when suddenly she starts to get groggy. Dexter gets up to help her but then he starts getting drowsy too. As they both begin to pass out, Hannah MacKay walks in the door and says:

Hannah: Hello Dexter, remember me?

Man, that blew me away. This episode started out being rated no higher than a B-minus until Dexter morphs into Harry and takes on a serial killer apprentice while his ex girlfriend/true love comes back and incapacitates them after she escaped the police because he had her imprisoned for trying to kill Debra. Will it be episode lucky number seven next week? I can't wait.

*I'm not sure what Cassie's role is in this season at this point. Maybe she will be his new girl, but now she seems to be playing hard-to-get with Dexter.

*What's up with this Jamie, Quinn and Angel triangle? Jamie is furious at Angel for not promoting Quinn to sergeant.