Season Description:
Miguel Prado (played by Jimmy Smits) is a prominent assistant district attorney and old friend of Lt. LaGuerta who works with Dexter to solve the case of the murder of Oscar Prado, Miguel's youngest brother. Dexter killed Oscar in self-defense while attempting to stalk a murderous drug dealer named "Freebo"; and soon Miguel confides in Dexter and grows to trust him. Miguel, upon following up on a lead as to Freebo's whereabouts, witnesses Dexter with the weapon he used to kill Freebo (also the same weapon that killed Oscar Prado), but instead of reprimanding him, he hugs and thanks him, thinking that his brother is finally avenged.
Meanwhile, Rita (Dexter's girlfriend) finds out she is pregnant and Dexter finds it hard to choose when she asks whether she should keep the baby or not. After some consideration, Rita informs Dexter that she will keep the baby and raise him either with or without his help. It also takes some time for Dexter himself to cope with the idea of actually having a child (an acceptance helped by the fact that he now sees Astor and Cody as his children and therefore to be protected), and he ends up proposing marriage to Rita, which she happily accepts.
Throughout Season 3, Debra starts working more seriously in order to earn her detective shield, but due to an untimely commentary on her part she is cut off from the Freebo case and starts working with a new partner named Joey Quinn to investigate a serial killer with the habit of skinning his victims while alive (labeled "The Skinner"). She also starts a relationship with Anton, one of Quinn's confidential informants who starts working with her. However, Yuki Amado, a female Internal Affairs officer, starts pressuring Debra to give her information on Quinn, promising to help her become a detective in return, but Debra refuses to cooperate, despite Yuki's claims that Quinn cannot be trusted.
A notable change from previous seasons is the increased use of fantasy scenes with Harry, Dexter's foster father. Harry offers guidance, ideas, and guilt. This differs from the earlier seasons' use of flashbacks to illustrate Dex's past.
As Dexter and Miguel cooperate to conceal Freebo's true demise from everyone else, the duo end up becoming close friends, as do Rita and Miguel's wife Sylvia. While the Prados assist Rita during a medical emergency, Miguel searches for Dexter, who was on a cruise ship killing a victim suggested by Miguel, who realizes that Dexter committed the murder. Miguel praises Dexter for killing another murderer and offers his aid in the future. Trying to discourage Miguel, Dexter proposes a risky operation to free an infamous Aryan Brotherhood leader, who continues to commit crimes while inside prison, in order to kill him. Miguel agrees with the idea and the plan succeeds (despite the alarm sounding during the escape), and Dexter starts to recognize Miguel as his first and only true friend, to the point of inviting him to be his best man at his wedding.
Camilla Figg, an old friend of Dexter and his family, is dying of terminal lung cancer and asks him to end her suffering, which he (who had never purposely killed an innocent before) reluctantly agrees to do. On the occasion, Camilla reveals to Dexter that she knew that his brother was the Ice Truck Killer and congratulates him when he confesses to her that it was him who killed Brian.
Miguel and Dexter's partnership takes a new step when Miguel himself offers to dispose of their next target, a former football player turned gambler who in order to pay his bookie commits murders on the bookie's behalf. With some reluctance, Dexter accepts, and after preparing the trap and teaching him the basics of his "code", he witnesses Miguel killing the victim without hesitation. However, on the next day, Dexter finds that Ellen Wolf, a defense attorney and old courtroom adversary of Miguel's, was also killed by him. After some investigation, Dexter also discovers that Miguel has been manipulating him since the beginning and never trusted him at all.
While the relationship between Dexter and Miguel begins to unravel, so does Miguel's marriage when Sylvia begins to suspect that Miguel is having an affair and confides her fears to Rita, who in turn confides in Dexter.
Dexter and Miguel then begin to dance around in a game of who has leverage over whom as the police investigate the death of Ellen Wolf. This game of leverage ends with Dexter realizing that Miguel cannot be allowed to run loose any longer (at which point Dexter decides to kill him using the Skinner's Modus Operandi) and with Sylvia, convinced that Miguel is having an affair with Lt. LaGuerta and seeing them leaving LaGuerta's house together, ordering him out of the house. Miguel helps the Skinner escape and evade police custody in return for his agreeing to kill Dexter.
Striving to discover the truth about Ellen Wolf's death, LaGuerta ends up obtaining evidence linking Miguel to the crime, while Miguel himself discovers that LaGuerta was investigating him, and decides to kill her, but Dexter realizes it beforehand and captures him while he was looking for her. Before killing Miguel, Dexter confesses to him that he was the one who murdered his younger brother Oscar.
After Miguel's body is discovered, he is immediately identified as a victim of the Skinner, just as Dexter planned. But Miguel's other brother Ramon is still suspicious of him. After pointing a gun on Dexter during a dinner with Rita he is captured by Angel and Debra and during a visit to him on prison, Dexter helps him to put his demons to rest offering advice and personal relation to Ramon's life.
However, on the night before his wedding, Dexter is captured by the Skinner, and manages to break free by taking advantage of a moment of distraction by him, but breaks his hand in the process. After some fighting, Dexter manages to snap the Skinner's neck and make it look like suicide by throwing his body before a running police car. Dexter gets his broken hand put in a cast and attends his wedding. He admits to himself that his wedding vows "to be the best husband and father he could be" were absolutely true.
The season ends with a few minor cliffhangers. The first is the picture of Dexter's birth mother laying on top of Debra's desk. It is unsure if Debra will find out that Harry was having an affair with Dexter's mother and if she can tie it all together. Also, Dexter realizes that Rita lied about being married twice before and doesn't understand why she would conceal this, albeit he does come to the conclusion that everyone has skeletons in their closet. These are both possible storylines for the respective characters in the upcoming season. The outcome of Miguel's murder investigation, along with any leads pointing to Dexter, is still unknown. The final scene of season 3 is Dexter and Rita sharing their first dance as a husband and wife, while a few drops of blood leak from Dexter's cast on her dress.
Episode Description:
1 "Our Father" Clyde Phillips Keith Gordon September 28, 2008
Some months have passed since the previous season's finale. Dexter begins to question his blind loyalty to his father's memory. After an act of spontaneity, he wonders whether The Code of Harry is a necessity anymore. Meanwhile, Angel is promoted to Sergeant, replacing the deceased Doakes. Dexter goes to desperate measures to cover up his latest kill, revealed to be the brother of ADA Miguel Prado, who has history with Lt. LaGuerta.
2 "Finding Freebo" Melissa Rosenberg Marcos Siega October 5, 2008
Dexter and Rita have to make a big decision about their family, forcing Dexter to think about what it means to be responsible for kids. Meanwhile, Dexter and Assistant District Attorney Miguel Prado find themselves hunting down the same man, Freebo, the man accused of killing Miguel’s brother.
3 "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" Scott Buck John Dahl October 12, 2008
While grocery shopping with Rita and the kids, Dexter comes across a fellow predator, a pedophile. After the pedophile is seen talking with Astor, Dexter must decide if he fits The Code. Meanwhile, Debra has a new homicide to solve, a mysteriously skinned Jane Doe that the police link to Freebo. But Dexter knows that Freebo is not the culprit, so he must find a way to help Debra identify their murder victim, thus proving that Freebo didn’t commit the crime.
4 "All In The Family" Adam Fierro Keith Gordon October 19, 2008
After a botched marriage proposal, Dexter has to figure out how to convince Rita that he is looking for more than a convenient merger of finances and fatherhood. But Deb's case of a woman's murdered fiancée offers hope for Dexter in strange ways. Meanwhile, Miguel's brother, Ramon, is going off the rails in the hunt for their little brother Oscar's murderer.
5 "Turning Biminese" Timothy Schlattman Marcos Siega October 26, 2008
Miguel tells Dexter about a husband who has gotten away with killing two of his wives for financial gain. For Dexter, this seems like the perfect candidate to satisfy his dark urge and his need, like every man under relationship pressures, to get away. Dexter tracks the murderer to Bimini, but while on the hunt Rita has a medical emergency and Dexter is nowhere to be found. Meanwhile, Debra works with Anton but finds herself oddly attracted to him.
6 "Sí Se Puede" Charles H. Eglee Ernest Dickerson November 2, 2008
Grappling with what to do with his newfound friend Miguel (who thinks he is clued in to Dexter’s vigilante ways), Dexter decides to test him to see how far he wants to go but is surprised to find that Miguel is not only on board, but also has a daring strategy to complete Dexter’s dark plan. Rita gets fired from her job, leaving her wondering if she will ever have a real career, while Debra is upset when she realizes she may be partially responsible for another mysteriously skinned homicide case she’s trying to solve.
7 "Easy As Pie" Lauren Gussis Steve Shill November 9, 2008
Miguel offers Dexter a new potential victim, but after properly vetting her, Dexter isn’t sure she fits the Code. When he informs Miguel of this, Miguel reacts with anger, making Dexter believe the new friendship is in danger, an idea reinforced when an old sickly friend of Dexter’s asks him to help end her life, insisting she would never ask a friend to do something against his conscience. Meanwhile, Rita finds out that Sylvia is beginning to suspect her husband, Miguel, is having an affair. Debra ends up revealing to Anton that he is being used as bait to lure the Skinner, forcing her to find new way to find the Skinner, with the result that Anton realizes Debra cares for him more than he thought.
8 "The Damage A Man Can Do" Scott Buck Marcos Siega November 16, 2008
Miguel brings Dexter another “project,” but this time he wants to get his hands dirty, and Dexter realizes it’s time to teach Miguel the Code – for his own safety as well as Miguel’s. As Dexter walks Miguel through the process, Dexter struggles with (and enjoys) letting Miguel into his private world so completely, but doesn’t realize that this has only whetted Miguel’s appetite. Rita finds herself losing control because of the pregnancy and becomes worried that Dexter may get fed up with her. Because of her hard work, Debra finds herself one step closer to catching the Skinner, but after she finds out a secret about her new boyfriend Anton, he disappears on her.
9 "About Last Night" Melissa Rosenberg (teleplay); Scott Reynolds (story) Tim Hunter November 23, 2008
Dexter starts to fear that Miguel may have strayed from the newly taught Code, and this concern starts to put a strain on their friendship. And Dexter doesn’t get a reprieve from this at Rita’s either: Sylvia, noting how Miguel is never at home anymore, tells Rita that she is now convinced that Miguel is having an affair, and Rita decides to confront Miguel about his indiscretions. Meanwhile, Anton is confirmed to have been taken by the Skinner, sending Debra into a furious search not only for Anton but also for his potential killer.
10 "Go Your Own Way" Timothy Schlattman John Dahl November 30, 2008
Dexter feels like he’s making a deal with the devil when he feigns civility around Miguel after Miguel's duplicitous ways as he finds himself in a series of chess-like moves against his former friend, all the while hoping that Miguel doesn’t get the upper hand and watching helplessly as Miguel draws Rita closer through a wonderful wedding gift. Debra, now back with Anton after his close call with the Skinner, wonders if her relationship with Anton is worth putting her career in jeopardy. Relations between Miguel and Dexter deteriorates. Miguel contacts The Skinner.
11 "I Had a Dream" Lauren Gussis and Charles H. Eglee Marcos Siega December 7, 2008
While preparing for his big wedding day, Dexter has to figure out a way to remove Miguel from his life for good. Rita has troubles of her own when Syl reveals that Miguel has been seeing one of his old flames. Meanwhile, Debra finds a new clue that brings her even closer to catching the Skinner.
12 "Do You Take Dexter Morgan?" Scott Buck Keith Gordon December 14, 2008
With Miguel out of the picture, Dexter’s focus shifts to calming his emotionally unstable brother Ramon and has an encounter with The Skinner. Meanwhile, Batista informs Debra that she will receive her Detective’s shield, but is instantly blindsided with information that could potentially derail her promotion.
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