"Dexter" 1.6 "Return To Sender" Quiz

Answer: Bathroom

In the opening scene, Cody drops a goldfish into the toilet and Dexter presses the flush button. Cody then asks to be excused (and goes off to eat cereal). Dexter thinks: "We all grieve in our own way. I prefer the six year-old approach. Yet another sent to a watery grave".

"Well, not quite", he thinks, as the goldfish re-surfaces, so he flushes it again, this time for good.

The interesting thing about this scene is that after the goldfish re-surfaces, it swims around quite briskly. So, the question remains, why was it being buried at sea?

Answer: Coconut

Astor is deciding what type of cake she wants for her birthday. Rita says: "Coconut it is". Cody objects in a manner that only a child can: "I hate coconut". His mother informs him: "You've never had coconut".

At this point Dexter receives a call requesting he return to the crime scene at the salvage yard. Only Dexter knows that it is also his crime scene! Dexter begins to catastrophise about what minute piece of evidence he might have left behind: a footprint, a minute drop of blood...

Answer: Valerie Castillo

All of the choices listed are Dexter victims during season one. Most disturbingly for Dexter, it is Valerie's body that is found in the trailer at the salvage yard, exactly as he had it laid out prior to his killing her.

The problem is, he has subsequently dumped her body at sea, weighed down with something heavy. Therefore, someone had gone to the trouble of diving 100 feet to bring up the body.

Dexter starts to get very concerned. Someone knows who he is and exactly what he is doing...

Answer: A latrine

As the three enter, Doakes comments: "This ain't no auto garage". Debra shines her light in a corner, and then recoils, saying: "Oh. Oh. Oh, God - I didn't need to see that". Doakes looks slightly amused when he asks: "You ain't never seen a latrine before, Morgan?"

Debra replies: "Yeah, but just not indoors". Doakes starts: "The army taught me a lot off things...". LaGuerta observes with raised eyebrows: "I feel a desert storm story coming on". Unfazed, Doakes continues: "But diggin' holes for people to take a dump? That was most important".

Answer: Mariel

Doakes tells Debra to: "Call it in to Batista. He can run it down for us".

Later in the episode we see Angel telling Doakes and Debra that Mariel was one of the Cubans that had been released from the holding bay (unbeknownst to them, by Dexter). Mariel had left her name and number on the floor in case anything had happened to her.

Interestingly, Mariel is the name of the harbour in Cuba from which a mass exodus of Cubans occurred between April and October 1980 (the Mariel boatlift). Over 120000 people were granted refugee status by the U.S. government. Coincidence in the choice of character name? You decide!

Answer: LaGuerta

When the police open the trunk with guns drawn, the boy is understandably frightened. Doakes does not help the situation when he says "You alright kid? C'mon man" as he tries to entice the boy out by grabbing his arm. Debra observes: "Subtle! Maybe you should cuff him".

LaGuerta calmly talks to the boy and gains his confidence. He agrees to leave the car with her. During this, Dexter, who is watching horrified from the window of the trailer as he realises that the boy could possibly identify him, thinks to himself: "The noose is tightening. This is how it ends - in the hands of a seven-year-old? I usually like kids".

Answer: Donuts

Masuka has Dexter read through a preliminary report about Valerie Castillo. Dexter is unwilling to (as he is Valerie's killer) but Masuka insists. Finally Masuka, unable to control his excitement any longer, points to the relevant part of the report and says: "M-99. Etorphine Hydrochloride. An animal tranquiliser more powerful than morphine. Causes total paralysis. That mark on her neck kept bugging me, so I ordered a tox screen".

Dexter, realising that this is potentially another lead that will eventually lead the police to him, thinks: "That's it. Not more donuts for Masuka"!

Answer: 2

Doakes drags Debra to dinner at his mothers house on the pretext of getting a free feed. Clearly, as Debra works out, she is to be his exit strategy. He plans to leave before the cheesecake.

At the dinner, Debra talks about Tony Tucci's prosthetics: "The hospital's setting him up with some prosthetics. I don't know - he's just got this spirit about him. The guy's missing body parts because of the Ice Truck Killer, and he's still hitting on me". Doakes' mother observes: "That's because men only think with one body part, and that one was NOT cut off".

Doakes objects: "Ma!" His mother says: "Well, it's true". Doakes decides this is an appropriate time to leave: "Morgan, we've got a case to solve". True to his earlier concern, his mother says: "Oh, are you sure honey? I've got some cheesecake in the fridge"! Heh heh, good old mum knew all along!

Answer: Dr. Patrick Bateman

Alone in the office, as he sits at a laptop, Dexter thinks: "If it wasn't against the law, I'd almost feel guilty for hacking into Masuka's email. Once I got past all the porn, it was easy". He opens an email from Nancy Blakeson, and scrolls down to the relevant name: "And there I am. Doctor Patrick Bateman - so wholesome, so inconspicuous".

Author's note: Inconspicuous? That's a writer's joke if ever there was one! Patrick Bateman is the character name of the serial killer in "American Psycho"!

Dexter highlights the Bateman entry and deletes it. Amusingly, he then clicks on a button that says "Save as new", and a window appears that says "Saving message". There are so many holes in this small scene one cannot begin to list them all! It's a shame that television and movies take such liberties with the truth.

The other three names were adjacent to Dr. Bateman on the screen.

Answer: The bathroom

Whilst LaGuerta attempts to adjust her contact lens, she and Debra engage in small talk which covers issues such as boys at school, breast size and Dexter. After helping LaGuerta remove a hair from her eye and receiving a rare thank you, Debra raises the nerve to say: "Let me ask you a question. Why do you have it in for me?"

LaGuerta: "You're loud, you're impulsive and you constantly question authority". Looking peeved, Debra replies: "Fair enough". LaGuerta continues as she looks into the mirror to re-fix her contact lens: "I hear you have an interesting theory on who...". Her conversation is interrupted by the sound of a closing door!

Answer: False

A bed does get wet, but it is Astor, not Cody, who is the offender! As Rita watches television, Astor comes out and motions her into the bedroom. She shows her mother the wet patch on the bed and apologises. Rita tells her: "These things happen. Now, go get changed and I'll fix it".

Astor goes to her dresser drawer, but turns and asks: "Mummy, is it okay if I didn't have my party?" This request is in reference to her upcoming birthday party. Children at school having been telling Astor they cannot attend. This is because Cody has told them that his and Astor's father, Paul, will be there. He also mentioned along the way that Paul had just been released from prison!

Answer: Life

Dexter decides that it is best if he disposes of all of his tools of trade before before the boy from the trunk identifies him via the sketch artist. As he methodically wraps all of his instruments and seals the packages with duct tape, he thinks: "It's only a matter of time before that boy tells the police who he saw that night at the salvage yard. Me. Once the sketch is finished, there'll be no place left to hide.

As he throws the packages from the boat, we see the craft's name: "Slice of Life. Miami, Florida".

Answer: Playing with a tennis ball

Debra is throwing the tennis ball repeatedly against the garage door. Dexter: "How long you grounded for?" Debra: "Two months". Dexter says: "Deb, I had to tell him". Debra: No Dex, you didn't. You could have kept your mouth shut".

This exchange is in regard to an earlier scene where Debra had been denied going on a hunting trip with her father and Dexter. In an act of defiance, Debra later takes her father's gun and is found shooting at cans. Her grounding is the result of being caught. Debra is upset that Dexter had told her father where to find her.

At the end of this conversation Debra says: "There are so many times that I swear Dexter, I wish he would have never brought you home". This statement is a reference to Dexter having been adopted.

Dexter tosses a bullet-riddled Campbell's Soup can to Debra and says: "I thought you might want that. You're a better shot than me anyway".

Answer: Jesus Christ

Dexter is called over to where Doakes, Angel, Debra and Masuka are standing in the salvage yard. Debra is holding the sketch artist's drawing as described to him by the boy. Dexter is clearly apprehensive as they are all looking shocked. With his paranoia about being caught, Dexter is convinced his time has finally come.

Debra shows him a sketch of Jesus. Dexter grins and the chuckles. Doakes says: "Jesus Christ saved this kid?" Angel replies: "On his own for as long as Oscar was? Who's to say he didn't?"

Answer: 10b

In the final scene of the episode, Dexter leaves his apartment, 10b. As he looks out over the thunderstorm over Miami, he thinks to himself: "Like Harry said in my dream, the storm's on it's way".