The material between Harrison and Kurt is something of a mixed bag. I do appreciate how both men seem to be getting something out of their connection. Kurt knows that his son is dead, but has to pretend as if he’s still alive. With Harrison around, it’s almost as if Kurt is doing some final father-son bonding before he has to process the reality of the situation. However, it’s been clearly established that Harrison is looking for a father figure and is beating himself up over his messed up, violent feelings. These interactions do not deepen what we know about Harrison, but reinforce what’s already been established. The batting cage scene did not work for me at all. In fact, I think it’s the second most unintentionally hilarious moment since the Harrison treadmill incident.
Back at the cabin, it becomes harder to decipher exactly what it is that Kurt is trying to accomplish. Most of the episode, it seems that Kurt is trying to get Harrison to confide in him as a father figure and give into his worst impulses. “Sometimes it feels good being bad,” he says, while also making it a point that he appreciates Harrison for who he is far more than Dexter does.
That’s why it feels confusing that he randomly dons his tactile gear and tells Harrison that he’s going to pay for the sins of his father, urging him to run like the rest of Kurt’s victims. Yes, it makes sense that Kurt would want Dexter to lose his son in an eye-for-an-eye sort of way, but why butter Harrison up and spend so much time trying to earn his trust if Kurt was only ever going to kill him? It felt like Kurt was going to get his revenge by turning Harrison deeper against Dexter, but since Dexter comes in and saves the day, it only drives father and son closer together.
The final scene with Dexter opening up to Harrison in the truck is good stuff, and hopefully just a taste of a larger conversation we’re going to get next week. I really hope that the writers don’t avoid doing the work here and do some sort of jump to time after Dexter has told Harrison everything. Let us watch him try to explain it and let us watch Harrison’s reaction.
Finally, Angela’s rightful suspicion about Dexter and some key missing information from Logan causes her to investigate the death of Jasper. She tracks down drug dealer Miles and realizes that both he and Jasper have the same injection point on their neck, suggesting that Dexter had something to do with the death of Jasper. She’s slowly putting the pieces together, but as the audience, it’s never too much fun to be ahead of the characters like this. Wait till she finds out that Dexter has been shot…