Dexter Episode 96: Remember the Monsters?

Dexter tries to leave Miami with Hannah and Harrison, but the plan is thrown into chaos when he learns Debra has been shot and rushes to the hospital instead. By the end of the episode, Debra’s condition worsens, Dexter kills Saxon, and Dexter makes a final, desperate decision after taking Debra off life support.

Dexter arrives at Miami International Airport with Harrison, planning to flee with Hannah McKay, who is hiding from private investigator Jacob Elway. Dexter spots a way to distract airport security by planting a suspicious backpack and tipping off staff, which leads to Elway being detained, but the terminal is shut down and the flight cannot leave. During this chaos, Dexter gets a call from Matthews saying Debra has been shot by Saxon, and Dexter heads to the hospital with Harrison.

At the hospital, Dexter learns Debra is being treated and appears to be recovering after surgery, but her condition suddenly deteriorates when she suffers a serious stroke caused by a blood clot. Doctors tell Dexter that Debra will not recover and will remain in a permanent vegetative state, which pushes him to decide that Saxon must be dealt with himself and that Debra should not continue living in that condition.

Meanwhile, Saxon comes to the hospital with the intention of killing Debra, but Dexter notices him and Angel arrests him before he can do anything. Saxon is taken into custody, and Dexter later confronts him in his cell at Miami Metro, where he provokes Saxon into attacking him with a pen and then kills him by stabbing his carotid artery. Angel and Quinn question Dexter afterward and appear to suspect what happened, but they accept the killing as self-defense.

With the hurricane approaching and the airport plan ruined, Dexter gets Harrison and Hannah onto an evacuation bus so they can leave town, but he is still unable to let go of Debra. He returns to the hospital, takes Debra off life support, and carries her body out to his boat. Dexter then drives the boat into the hurricane with Debra’s body aboard, leaving his fate unresolved within the episode itself.