After what has been a season filled with lots of talk and little action, the return of Hannah McKay gave a breath of life to tonight's episode of Dexter. 

"Dress Code" was easily the best episode thus far of Dexter season 8.

Hannah's return complicates Deb's relationship with herself. Just as she's getting back to normal following killing LaGuerta and being complicit in the murder of the supposed brain surgeon, she's faced with the choice of letting Hannah live and always wondering when and if Hannah will turn on Dexter or kill Debra herself... or killing the murderer who stole her brother's heart.

Dexter is known for making difficult kills because taking the life serves his own best interests. Killing that person will protect him and keep him from breaking rule number one: Don't get caught. 

But he's never been in love with those victims. They've never known the darkness inside him, at least not fully. They've also never looked as good in a cocktail dress, either.

I can't decide if Hannah tried to manipulate him into helping her by killing her husband by saying she'd changed her mind or if she truly decided not to ask for his help, but either way, Dexter ended up entangled in this black widow's web once again. 

There was something kind of touching about him walking in to see her over her husband's dead body, covered in his blood, and go into protector mode. I find myself rooting for Dexter and Hannah to give it another go, even though it's clear that their relationship is the star-cross'd sort, doomed from the start.

And speaking of the one that got away, further complicating matters for Dexter is the lovely dead girl next door, courtesy of his protege', Zach Hamilton. 

After his stunt in the police station, having his lawyer demand that Quinn stop following him, he killed Cassie (guest star Bethany Joy Lenz) in a fit of rage. The similarities between her death and his earlier kills won't go unnoticed by Quinn, even if it means Quinn risks his career to prove it.

Sure, I'm speculating with the career-flushing talk, but it doesn't seem that unlikely given the development Joey Quinn's undergone in the past few seasons. He's eager to prove to himself and everyone else that he's a good cop with good instincts. He's not the money-stealing cop he used to be. Or the alcoholic. 

He'll crack this case eventually. Here's hoping Dexter's done a good enough job covering his own ass instead of worrying about Zach's.

Dexter's decision not to kill Zach is one that will cost him and sooner or later, despite Vogel's pleas to the contrary, he'll take Zach's life. Or, an alternate but plausible prediction, Hannah will kill him to save Dexter.

Zach's a loose cannon. Unpredictable. Uncontrollable. Dexter had years with Harry to learn how to control himself. Someone to tell him "not yet."

He wants to learn The Code, but he doesn't want to listen to Dexter. That's evident by the dead woman Zach left lying in her own living room floor. (RIP, Haley James Scott!) 

Other tidbits:

• Masuka proves he's actually not a completely vile human when he's disturbed at the sight of his donor-daughter's breasts.
• Quinn decides to move in with Jamie to stick it to Batista.

Miranda Wicker was a Staff Writer for TV Fanatic. She retired in 2017. Follow her on Twitter.