SPOILER WARNING: Major spoilers ahead for Dexter: Resurrection Season 2, Episode 3, “Live Free and Die.”

DEXTER FINALLY GOT GLASSES!

Oh my God! I’ve been telling this man for two episodes that he needs to get his eyes checked, and he finally listened! Well, not to me personally, obviously, but I’ll take the win.

Unfortunately, reading glasses aren’t going to solve all of Dexter’s problems. Because this week, he’s chasing another serial killer, working with Charley, trying to keep Joey Quinn from discovering too much, and somehow finding time to help Harrison with a murder investigation.

Dexter, honey, you really need to slow down. Although, judging by those stairs at the beginning of the episode, I think your body is already trying to tell you that!

Dexter Morgan, Those Stairs Are Not Your Friend!

We pick up right where last week’s episode ended, with the Five Borough Killer murdering a maintenance worker on a rooftop and sending his body crashing down onto Broadway.

Dexter spots the killer and immediately takes off after him.

And I’m sitting there thinking, look at him! Just like I said last week!

Except Dexter has to run up several flights of stairs while everybody else is evacuating the building. And this man is getting WINDED!

DEXTER! You’re not twenty-five anymore!

He comes incredibly close to catching the killer, but the guy manages to escape through a window in an area of the building undergoing renovations.

I swear, Dexter was about thirty seconds away from catching him!

And this was only the beginning of the episode! I was already sitting there wondering how much more excitement my nerves could handle.

But the Five Borough Killer isn’t finished with Dexter, either. He manages to capture a blurry image of Dexter’s face and attempts to identify him. Thankfully, the search doesn’t give him a match.

Oh, absolutely not! You’re not getting my boy that easily!

I love that Dexter has finally encountered someone who’s becoming just as interested in him as he is in them. Although something tells me this isn’t going to be nearly as entertaining for Dexter once he realizes what’s happening.

Claudette Wallace, I Am So Angry for You!

Meanwhile, Claudette Wallace and Melvin Oliva are investigating the latest murder, and I’m loving these two together.

Claudette explains that while the Five Borough Killer’s murders may look different, his behavior follows a specific pattern. He taunts police before the murders and distributes videos afterward.

He isn’t simply interested in killing people. He wants to terrorize an entire city.

And then there’s Don Framt, the New York Ripper.

Oh, this man!

During their confrontation, Framt deliberately rolls his wheelchair backward, hits the curb, and falls sideways.

CLAUDETTE NEVER TOUCHED HIM! I watched that happen!

And there were people everywhere. Police officers, witnesses, members of the press. Everybody saw the confrontation.

But Framt knows exactly how to manipulate the situation, and unfortunately, we’re about to see just how much damage he’s caused.

THE GLASSES! HE FINALLY GOT THE GLASSES!

Okay, can we please appreciate this moment?

Dexter is getting his equipment ready when he realizes he can’t see well enough to do what he’s trying to do.

And then comes the eye test. Better now? Or better before?

Oh my God, Dexter! The man finally realizes he needs reading glasses!

And watching him try on different frames while criticizing how they look was hilarious. Too thick, too square, too something else. Apparently, finding the perfect pair of glasses is almost as complicated as finding the perfect kill room.

I have been yelling at this man about his eyesight since the season premiere!

First, he couldn’t read things properly. Then he started worrying about getting older. Now he’s actually buying glasses.

I’m beginning to think this entire season is going to be Dexter versus Father Time.

And judging by how winded he was running up those stairs, Father Time is putting up one hell of a fight!

Harrison Morgan Is Investigating His Own Father!

I absolutely love what they’re doing with Harrison this season.

First, he encounters Dexter at the Broadway crime scene and starts questioning him about what happened. Then he shows up at Dexter’s apartment because he wants more information about the Five Borough Killer.

And Dexter actually helps him!

They sit down together to work on a sketch of the suspect, with Harrison asking questions about his appearance and Dexter trying to remember what he saw.

The smart glasses are an important detail, but what really catches my attention is the silver wedding band Dexter remembers seeing.

Because the NYPD has been working with a profile suggesting the Five Borough Killer is an isolated loner.

Well, that might need some adjusting!

But what I find especially funny is Dexter realizing that having Harrison in the NYPD might not be quite as convenient as he’d imagined.

Oh, Dexter! You wanted your son to become a police officer, and now he’s actually doing police work! Imagine that!

What I really love, though, is watching these two become more comfortable with each other. Harrison knows about Dexter’s Dark Passenger, and Dexter is becoming more willing to talk about what he’s doing.

There’s something fascinating about watching Harrison try to understand his father’s version of justice while building a career in law enforcement.

Although I still think Dexter needs to be careful about how much of his extracurricular activity he shares with his son!

Joey Quinn, You’re Making Dexter Nervous!

JOEY!

I was so happy to have Joey Quinn back last week, and I’m enjoying him even more now.

Except Dexter probably isn’t quite as thrilled.

Quinn calls Dexter because he’s discovered financial activity connected to Leon Prater and a group of Manhattan rental properties.

Oh, Dexter. This is becoming a problem!

And apparently, Quinn hasn’t forgotten how to investigate, because he’s getting dangerously close to discovering things Dexter would very much prefer remain buried.

But can we talk about Charley being saved in Dexter’s phone as “Lovebug”?

LOVEBUG?! OH MY GOD!

She’s sending him affectionate messages while he’s standing there talking to Quinn, and Quinn immediately figures there’s a woman involved.

And then Quinn shows Dexter a photograph of Charley because he’s looking for Prater’s former head of security!

I was cracking up!

Dexter has to pretend he isn’t involved with the very woman who’s blowing up his phone.

And the best part? Quinn has absolutely no idea just how complicated this situation really is.

I love Joey, but I’m also a little nervous about how close he’s getting to the truth. He’s already investigating Batista’s death, and now he’s following money connected to Prater.

Dexter, honey, you might want to keep a closer eye on your old friend.

Because Joey Quinn has never been quite as clueless as people sometimes assume.

The Sleepy-Eyed Stranger Is One Creepy Individual!

GOOD LORD!

Ray Ballard is absolutely terrifying.

We learned last week that he sneaks into people’s homes, watches them sleep, and messes with their belongings before eventually killing them.

But this week, we get a much better understanding of how his mind works. And I don’t like it one bit!

Dexter meets Ray at the townhouse Charley has arranged, posing as another of Prater’s former guests.

And Ray is not exactly interested in making friends.

But things get considerably more complicated when Dexter discovers Ray has brought someone with him. A man named George.

Hidden inside a large coffin-like box in a U-Haul van!

And Ray intends to kill him in front of his wife!

Absolutely not!

Dexter originally planned to eliminate Ray as quickly as possible, but now he has to figure out how to save George, too.

Which means Dexter needs some help. And that brings us to Charley.

Dexter and Charley? I’m Loving This!

Okay, I have to admit something. I’m really enjoying Dexter and Charley working together.

Last week, I wasn’t entirely sure I trusted her. And honestly, I’m still not convinced Dexter should trust her completely.

Let’s not forget that this woman threatened Harrison’s life!

But there’s something about watching these two together that I find absolutely fascinating.

They understand each other in ways most people never could.

Charley knows exactly what Dexter does, and Dexter knows what kind of work she did for Prater. Neither of them has to pretend they’re some perfectly normal person living a perfectly normal life.

And this week, they actually start opening up to each other.

Charley explains that she made terrible choices because she wanted to keep her mother alive. But when her mother discovered what she’d done, she told Charley she’d rather have died.

That’s heartbreaking.

And Dexter talks about Harry training him to kill, only to struggle with what he’d helped create.

Think about that! Dexter has someone he can actually confide in!

That’s crazy! And honestly, kind of awesome!

Of course, these two aren’t exactly getting together for coffee and discussing their childhoods like normal people. They’re hunting a serial killer.

Because naturally, that’s how Dexter makes friends!

I also loved watching them coordinate their pursuit of Ray. Charley has military experience, Dexter has years of experience hunting killers, and together they make a surprisingly effective team.

Especially when Dexter calls her “Sergeant Brown” and she corrects him.

SERGEANT MAJOR! Oh, Dexter!

They manage to follow Ray, and Dexter gets close enough to sedate him.

But beneath the humor, I think there’s something important happening here. Dexter has spent so much of his life hiding who he is, and now he’s discovering what it’s like to have someone who understands that part of him.

I’m interested to see where this partnership goes.

Just please don’t let it blow up in your face, Dexter!

Joey Quinn, Meet the U-Haul!

Now Dexter has Ray taken care of, but George is still trapped inside that van.

So what does Dexter do? He sends Joey Quinn to investigate a suspicious U-Haul!

OH, THAT’S CLEVER!

Quinn is already searching the neighborhood because he believes Prater might be hiding in one of those properties. Dexter gives him a lead about a suspicious man loading a strange box into a van and points him toward the parking garage.

Which means Quinn can rescue George without realizing Dexter is the one who put the whole thing together.

Two problems solved! Well, temporarily.

Because Quinn is still investigating Prater, and Charley isn’t exactly thrilled to learn how close he’s getting to their operation.

Dexter, honey, I really hope you know what you’re doing!

Claudette Wallace Deserves Better

And now we find out exactly how much damage Don Framt has caused.

He’s pursuing a harassment lawsuit against the NYPD, and Claudette is removed from the Ripper investigation.

OH, COME ON! That’s exactly what he wanted!

But then we learn something about Claudette that makes this entire situation even more heartbreaking.

When she was a young police officer, she responded to what was supposed to be a simple noise complaint. Instead, she discovered the body of a murdered young woman named Vicky Lawson.

She spent forty-eight minutes alone with that body, waiting for forensic investigators to arrive.

Can you imagine?

And then she reveals something even worse. She saw the killer that night.

She walked right past him without realizing who he was.

Claudette has spent years blaming herself because she believes that if she’d recognized him, nineteen other women might still be alive.

That absolutely broke my heart.

And the music Framt has been using to torment her? The detail about the Bee Gees record was never released publicly.

He knows exactly what that song means to her.

That sick bastard!

I love the relationship between Claudette and Melvin Oliva. He understands why this case matters so much to her, but he also knows she’s allowing Framt to destroy her.

And he’s right about something else. The Five Borough Killer is still out there, and New York needs Claudette focused on stopping him.

I want her to catch Framt so badly. Not Dexter. Not somebody else. CLAUDETTE.

After all these years, she deserves that moment.

Justice, Dexter Morgan Style

Back at the kill room, Charley asks Dexter something that really caught my attention.

Is his need to kill about the urge itself, or is it about vengeance?

And Dexter actually considers the question.

When he explains what happened to his mother, Charley wonders whether that trauma has something to do with the way he dismembers his victims.

Dexter initially gives her a practical answer. But then he stops to think about it.

After all these years, Dexter is still learning things about himself. Who would’ve thought?

And I love that Charley is someone who can actually ask him these questions.

She isn’t horrified by what he does. She’s curious about why he does it.

That’s a very different kind of relationship for Dexter.

Of course, Charley isn’t sticking around to watch him finish his work.

Which brings us back to Ray.

When Ray wakes up on Dexter’s table, he discovers that his little trip to New York isn’t ending quite the way he expected.

I loved their conversation about why they kill.

Ray enjoys controlling people’s lives. He watches his victims for days, sometimes longer, enjoying the fact that they have absolutely no idea he’s there.

And he doesn’t care what they think or feel. To him, they’re nothing.

EXCUSE ME?!

He sees himself as something resembling a god, deciding when his victims’ time is up.

Dexter, on the other hand, believes he’s delivering justice.

Now, I’m certainly not going to pretend Dexter is some innocent little angel. The man is a serial killer!

But there’s a reason we’ve spent all these years rooting for him.

And listening to Ray talk about his victims like they aren’t even human?

Yeah, I wasn’t exactly upset when Dexter took care of him.

Meanwhile, Quinn discovers George alive inside the U-Haul and sends Dexter a photograph.

Mission accomplished.

Ray Ballard is dead, and George gets to live.

Not a bad day’s work for a man who just discovered he needs reading glasses!

One Down, One to Go!

By the end of the episode, Harrison is frustrated.

The NYPD still hasn’t caught the Five Borough Killer, Claudette is dealing with the fallout from Framt’s manipulation, and Harrison is beginning to understand just how difficult police work can be.

He calls Dexter, and I absolutely love their conversation.

Harrison asks how things went with the Sleepy-Eyed Stranger, and Dexter tells him he eliminated the killer and saved an innocent man.

Then Harrison admits how frustrated he is with the lack of progress in his own investigations.

Dexter reminds him that sometimes justice needs a little help.

I love these father-son moments. After everything they’ve been through, it’s nice seeing them actually have a relationship.

And somewhere out there, the Five Borough Killer is still running around with Dexter’s blurry photograph.

Dexter may have eliminated the Sleepy-Eyed Stranger, but there’s still another killer in New York who’s becoming very interested in him.

And just when Dexter might finally get a moment to relax, Charley is already preparing for their next guest.

THE JAW SPLITTER!

OH, COME ON! Can this man get five minutes to himself?! Apparently not!

I have to say, I’m loving this season. I love seeing Dexter and Harrison building their relationship. I’m fascinated by Dexter and Charley’s partnership. Joey Quinn being back makes me ridiculously happy, even if he’s creating problems for Dexter. And Claudette’s storyline has me more invested than ever.

But Dexter, honey, now that you’ve finally gotten the glasses, maybe we can work on your cardio next.

Because something tells me you’re going to be doing a lot more running before this season is over.

And I don’t think Father Time is finished with you just yet!