Dexter Episode 27: The Lion Sleeps Tonight

Dexter spots a man talking to Astor while he is shopping with Rita and the kids, and the encounter immediately puts him on edge. After the man leaves, Dexter notes his license plate, looks him up, and learns that he is a registered sex offender named **Nathan Marten**.

At Miami Metro, a new body turns up in the same place where Teegan was murdered, making the police think **Freebo** is tied to the killing. The victim is identified as **Javier Garza**, a pimp who had previously pointed Debra toward Freebo’s location. Debra continues trying to push her investigation forward, while **Anton** refuses to cooperate and gets himself arrested after lighting a marijuana cigarette when she presses him too hard.

Miguel asks LaGuerta to stop the investigation into Oscar’s death, but she refuses. He then invites Dexter and Rita to a festival and introduces Dexter to his brother **Ramón**, who is angry that Miami Metro is not making progress on Oscar’s case. Privately, Dexter and Miguel talk about Freebo’s death, and Dexter pretends to feel disturbed by it while Miguel comforts him.

Dexter helps Miami Metro identify Teegan as the Jane Doe, which clears Freebo of the murder they had pinned on him and shifts the case toward the unidentified killer later dubbed **the Skinner**. Miguel wants Freebo’s body left where it can be discovered so the case will be dropped, but Dexter has already disposed of the remains in a grave at the cemetery, where they will not be found accidentally.

With the investigation no longer focused on Freebo, Miguel thanks Dexter for helping redirect attention and gives him a bloodied shirt as a sign that he can trust him. Dexter, meanwhile, decides that Nathan Marten is dangerous enough to become his next target. He also puts up missing-person posters for Teegan and deliberately positions himself nearby so Debra will notice them and revisit the case, which helps her find evidence that points away from Freebo and toward Teegan’s actual killer.

That night, Dexter breaks into Nathan Marten’s house and finds photographs of Astor and other children, confirming his worst suspicions. Furious, he strangles Nathan to death, takes a carton of milk from the refrigerator, and returns home to Rita’s house feeling more certain that he can protect his family.