Dexter is a show of constant teases which end up having little relevance. Massive situations with huge implications are built up, Dexter is trapped into corners, and then he escapes with no consequences. The nanny stuff in "Practically Perfect" is the worst offender. Because both the nanny and Harrison are gone, Dexter--and the audience--is led to believe the baby has been kidnapped. But would the writers really do that? Absolutely not. It's an artificial moment everyone knows will end with the baby safe. If the baby were to be kidnapped halfway through the episode, the rest of the season would radically go in a different direction (and be like Sons of Anarchy). And we know Dexter is a show that gravitates to the status quo, the pattern of Dexter killing and police investigations, so the baby will stay safe.
The majority of the episode builds up future conflicts--another severed head, the investigation into Angel, Quinn moving forward--before Dexter kills the animal guy and makes a shocking discovery, a woman (Julia Stiles) locked up in the back. To make matters worse, she saw everything he did.
Score: 8.3/10
