The doctor comes back in with some Chinese food, and gets back to it. "Let's start with the basics. You married?" "No." "Girlfriend?" "...Yes." "Sex life?" Hmm. "It's personal." "This is therapy, where we share personal things." Dexter looks as though he doesn't know what to say, and after a moment, he says, "Maybe it would help me to open up if you tell me something about yourself. Why'd you become a psychiatrist?" Again, Meridian calls him out. "See what you just did, trying to take control like that? You probably get away with it most of the time, too, right? That's a way of preventing other people from getting close to you." Damn, he is good! "Let me ask you something, Sean. Have you ever been close to anybody?" The camera zooms in on his face as the American Beauty piano comes in. "My foster father," Dex responds, looking very vulnerable. "He's the only one who ever really knew me." Meridian wants to know more about Harry. "What did you two do together?" "You know, normal father-son stuff." What's that smell? I think it's a flashback!

Yup! It's the middle of the night, and Harry's at the fridge, the light from which is the only light around. He grabs a glass pitcher, and suddenly what seems like a robber has a fabric rope around his neck, choking him and making him drop and shatter the glass. He gasps for air, and reaches around to signal to Dexter that he's been had, and would he please let him go. Teen Dex pulls off his black mask, and smilingly asks if he's all right. "I'm fine...I'm fine," Harry says, still getting his breath back. "Nice ambush. That was the perfect point of attack." "I can't believe I finally got you! I won." Uh-uh, not cool. "This isn't a game, Dexter. It's not supposed to be fun." "Yeah, no, I know, I..." "You think I want to teach you these things? This is the only way I know to keep you out of an electric chair! This is about survival, Dex, nothing else." Teen Dex looks ashamed, but I think he's learned his lesson. "Got it?" asks Harry, and we're whisked back to Dr. Meridian's office, where Dexter takes another bite of his pork-fried rice.