Dexter Episode 49: My Bad

Dexter finds Rita dead in the bathtub and, still holding baby Harrison, sits outside the house in a stunned daze as the police arrive. When officers and Debra question him, he blurts out, “It was me,” blaming himself for not killing Trinity when he had the chance.

Inside the house, the crime scene is processed and it becomes clear Rita was murdered in the bathtub in a way consistent with the Trinity Killer’s pattern. LaGuerta orders Miami Metro off the case because the FBI is taking over, which frustrates the department and turns Rita’s death into a deeply personal blow for everyone involved.

Dexter is too shocked to function normally and realizes that Harry’s imagined presence is absent, leaving him without the internal guidance he usually relies on. Quinn begins looking into the killing and learns from Elliot that, shortly before Rita died, Dexter confronted and punched him for kissing Rita.

Dexter’s grief briefly gives way to anger later in the episode when he follows a man into a bathroom and beats him to death in a sudden outburst. Harry then appears to him, surprised by this raw emotion, and Dexter breaks down in a primal scream, finally admitting to himself that he really loved Rita.

After deciding at first to leave Miami and not attend either the FBI interview or Rita’s funeral, Dexter changes course and returns for the service, leaving Harrison in Debra’s care. He arrives late, gives Rita a heartfelt eulogy, and stands with the family as she is laid to rest.