'Dexter' Season 6, Episode 4 Recap - 'A Horse of a Different Color'

If the volume on the whole theme of religion and faith on this season of "Dexter" has been lingering around a 5 so far, it just got cranked up to 11 last night. Heck, Dex was so busy pondering God that he didn't even kill anyone.

Well, truthfully, it was Harrison that provided the biggest distraction. But we'll get to that later.

"A Horse of a Different Color" opens where the last episode left off: with the apocalyptic horse parade trotting down the street, and Miami Metro trying to figure out what the heck is going on.

They soon determine the scene to be a reference to the book of Revelations in the Bible, thanks to the help of their new hire Detective Knowitall McBossypants. Okay, okay, his name is Mike Anderson.

That finally sets the department on the right track, and by the end of the episode Quinn and Bautista have dug up Professor Gellar's name. The only problem is, he "went underground." We know he's actually in an old church somewhere painting angels. That is, when he's not spying on his disciple Travis' sexual escapades with the cute waitress. Creep.

Dexter, meanwhile, seems to be fascinated enough by the Doomsday Killer (can you give that name a little more weight, Deb?) that his dark passenger has quieted down a bit. We may see fewer kills from Dex from here on in as a result... whenever Dexter gets a Big Bad to chase, he tends to be distracted enough to not have to kill someone every episode.

But even if that wasn't enough, Harrison becomes seriously ill and has to be taken to the hospital, where it is determined that his appendix has burst. Harrison has to undergo surgery, which has Dexter hanging out at the hospital all night with Deb, Jamie and, awkwardly enough, Brother Sam. Deb's confused reaction is warranted.

It's a good thing Sam is there, though, as he gives us a well-performed speech (nice job, Mos Def/Yasiin) about how he saw his father kill a man right in front of him, and about his moment of redemption in prison. That leads Dexter to make a deal with God--or with the Nescafe machine--to see Harrison through this.

Later, Dexter's disembodied dad tells him that he may have to "pay the piper" on his deal. Sounds like Dex might be joining the fold pretty soon.

Meanwhile, Gellar pitches a little hissyfit over Travis sleeping with the waitress, and decides she needs to die. The result makes it okay that Dex didn't kill anyone this week: the death is a spectacle worthy of "Saw," as an elaborate Rube Goldberg machine set off by a trip wire slashes the waitress' jugular as she's strung up in the greenhouse wearing an angel costume. The kicker? Locusts. Gellar sure knows how to put on a show.

But the exciting moment is at the end, when Dexter spots Travis watching the locusts fly by with a smile on his face. The hunt is on.

Other notes:

-Masuka and Ryan's stealing: was she really trying to make rent money, or is it something more sinister?

-High Bautista and Quinn. Pretty good.

-"Catching the f**ker that did this." Vintage Deb, glad it worked in her favor. And that's saying a lot, because I really don't care very much about Deb.

-Gellar seems to be a little out of order with his Revelations verses. The locusts come before the seven-headed serpent, and the sea creatures dying (which is likely what the fish and blood are about) happens between the two of them.

-"Just because his faith made him do some crazy bulls**t doesn't make it any less real."