Original subtitles

Welcome to Iron Lake.

Population 2,760.

On the surface, Iron Lake may seem like the idyllic, snow-globe town

Norman Rockwell would jerk off to.

But I came here because an overprivileged cis white boy named Matt Caldwell

went hunting in the woods one day and never came back.

So of course, everyone lost their goddamn minds,

especially Matt's father, local legend Kurt Caldwell...

...who claims his son is still alive.

But if that's true, where is he?

What unfolded next, murder fiends,

was more than any true crime podcaster could ever dream of.

Dark secrets lurk beneath Iron Lake,

and the more I do the deep dive, the more I come up with.

At this rate, I may never have to leave.

You're listening to Merry Fucking Kill.

And now, a word...

This is Chief Bishop, Iron Lake PD.

I need you to put out an APB on someone who's been missing for 72 hours.

All right, what's the name of the missing person?

Molly Park.

Now I remember why I picked this place.

So many good people.

Fred Jr., Pastor Brian.

Logan. Teddy, Abraham.

Good folks.

All these people, working together to help me, Mr. Serial Killer.

Make that Mr. Serial Killer and son.

This fire is a sign.

If I'm going to teach Harrison The Code, it can't be here.

We need to talk.

Uh, sure thing.

- You want to grab a coffee? - No, we need to talk now.

Ah.

I just spoke to Gig.

There's strong evidence that your fire was arson.

Arson? You sure?

Yes. Yes, I'm sure.

'Cause Gig's been warning me about that fire pit for...

Someone drenched your roof with an accelerant, most likely gasoline,

which makes this a crime scene.

Oh.

Why would someone do that?

Can you think of anyone you crossed recently?

No one comes to mind.

It was probably those Moose Creek douchebags.

Uh, a few of them tried to jump me at the, at the Truck Stop two nights ago.

- You were attacked? - Yeah.

Did you get any names?

Uh, they were, they were friends with that kid, Jeremy.

Uh, Zach or Scott probably know who they are.

- He truly is his father's son. - I'm gonna need

- physical descriptions, any other... - Yo, Jimbo!

Anything here you want to keep?

Hey, thanks, Teddy. This was my father's.

Jim!

Keep your phone on.

I'm gonna stay and poke around a little more.

Heard about the fire. Uh, took up a collection to help out.

Yeah.

Ah, you shouldn't have.

You really shouldn't have.

We, uh, we wanted to get you a little something special.

Thought you might be able to use a new jacket.

Coach.

Hey, it's from all of us.

Yeah!

Gracias. Para todo.

God.

You guys are too nice in this town.

Hey, it's your town, too.

There was a time I would have given anything to see him like this.

Aw, shit. He's gonna cry.

Happy.

Embraced by friends. Almost normal.

Okay, okay. Come on, come on.

Let's pack up the-the boxes and put them in Jim's truck.

No, it's all good. Harrison and I got it.

Thanks again.

You're too kind. Really.

Takes a village.

So...

after last night, we should probably figure out where we want to live.

That makes sense. Can't stay at Angela's place forever.

Maybe somewhere warmer?

You mean away from Iron Lake?

That's what I'm thinking, yeah.

B-But I just got here.

I mean, I-I-I finally feel like I fit in.

And you've done a great job, but think about how good a fresh start will feel.

What about Los Angeles?

It's kind of like Miami, but without all that humidity.

It's 3,000 miles away from my friends.

From Audrey.

I know it's hard, but we can't be ourselves here.

We can't do what we do.

Come on.

So... how does...

"what we do" work, exactly?

I mean, d-do we...

We see someone getting away with murder, and... take care of them?

Something like that.

We'll research. Make a list.

It's not hard to do when you're in a big city.

And then, when our Dark Passenger rises up, we'll be ready.

Rises up?

Like during your wrestling match when you broke that kid's arm,

except instead of hurting someone innocent,

we bring justice to someone who deserves it.

And save a lot of innocent people.

Yeah.

Can we get a pool?

Yeah, we can definitely get a pool.

So, uh, when are you gonna tell Angela? 'Cause I-I need to tell Audrey.

I'll let you know when the time is right.

Hey, could you follow up on a few Moose Creek kids?

Harrison said they...

Harrison said they...?

Ange, everything okay?

Hey, you. I hope pasta's okay.

It seemed... I don't know, cozy.

Can't-can't go wrong with pasta.

But you got to do it right.

Would you guys mind going to Gig's for some crushed red pepper and parmesan?

Yeah. You got it. Come on.

And, uh, caramel fudge ice cream?

Yeah. Get two. We all deserve it.

All right.

Is my cabin still burned down?

Very.

Any clues, culprit-wise?

Yeah, I guessed that.

Well, have some wine.

- Sorry to say, it's a little bit... - smoky.

You okay?

Hey.

Don't worry about me. I am the phoenix.

I rise from the ashes.

Hey, tell me what's going on...

Turn around! On your knees! Hands on your head!

Wh... You're taking the whole role-playing thing to the next level.

Shut the fuck up and do what I say.

Okay.

What could she possibly know?

What the hell is this about?

'Cause there's at least a few options.

Dexter Morgan,

you're under arrest for the murder of Matthew Stearn Caldwell.

Matt Caldwell's dead?

Get him the fuck out of my house.

You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say...

Yes. Okay. Your chief already told me to shut the fuck up.

♪ Let me back, let me back ♪

♪ I promise to be good ♪

♪ Don't look in the mirror At the face you don't recognize ♪

♪ Help me, call the doctor Put me inside ♪

♪ Put me inside, put me inside ♪

♪ Put me inside Put me inside ♪

♪ I keep the wolf from the door ♪

♪ But he calls me up, ooh... ♪

Ange... can we just talk?

Oh, we'll be talking. A lot.

♪ And I'll never see 'em again If I squeal to the cops ♪

♪ No, no, no, no ♪

♪ No, no, no, no ♪

♪ No, no, no, no, no No, no, no, no, no ♪

♪ Someone else is gonna come And clean it up ♪

♪ Born and raised for the job ♪

♪ Someone always does ♪

♪ I wish you'd get up, get over ♪

♪ Get up, get over, turn your tape off ♪

♪ I keep the wolf from the door ♪

♪ But he calls me up ♪

♪ Calls me on the phone ♪

♪ Tells me all the ways That he's gonna mess me up ♪

♪ Steal all my children ♪

♪ If I don't pay the ransom ♪

♪ I'll never 'em again If I squeal to the cops ♪

♪ So I'm just gonna, ooh... ♪

Dad? What's going on?

Everything's gonna be okay.

Take a seat, Harrison. I'll talk to you in a bit.

Just grab a seat, guys.

- Do I need a lawyer? 'Cause... - It's up to you.

For the record, please state your name.

Jim Lindsay.

State your goddamn name.

Dexter. Dexter Morgan.

Hello, Dexter Morgan.

Hello, Chief Bishop.

Where were you the day Matt Caldwell went missing?

I was at my cabin, alone.

Okay.

We've determined that this person is Matt Caldwell.

Yeah. You remember when I came in and identified

that distinctive rifle for you?

Yes. You're a good citizen.

I try to be.

- Do you really have no sense of sarcasm? - No.

Yes.

But we never identified

the second person out in the woods that morning.

What's interesting is he has the same build as you,

the same rifle you own.

He even does that same chin-scratch thing you do.

Well, my body size is average,

- which means... - I know what that means.

And dozens of people in Iron Lake have that same rifle.

Hell, I personally sold most of them.

And I don't really know what you mean about...

...the chin scratch thing.

You know that Matt Caldwell shattered his femur in that boating accident in Ohio.

I'd heard that. What about it?

These are...

...the type of screws and plate used to repair that sort of fracture.

Okay. And?

And I found them in my mailbox,

along with... this note.

Come on, Ange. You're better than this.

I found this...

in the ashes of your cabin.

Remember when I said

these are the type of screws and plate used in surgeries like Matt?

I was being oblique.

They're not just the type.

These are the actual screws and plate used on Matt.

They've got serial numbers, so I called the Cleveland Clinic and...

And that's why we're here.

And your working theory is...?

You went for your morning walk.

No, I was home all day, except for work and...

...where you saw Matt kill the white deer.

You two argued.

Not hard to do, considering Matt was always an asshole.

Maybe he attacked you. Maybe it was self-defense.

Or maybe you're jumping to conclusions that aren't there.

And then Harrison shows up out of nowhere

and you had to get rid of Matt's body.

And what's your theory on that one?

You burned it.

Smart...

until it isn't.

'Cause here's the hitch.

Titanium...

doesn't melt.

A fact I've become painfully aware of.

I also have a theory. You want to hear it

or are you just gonna tell me to shut the fuck up?

Kurt lied about Matt being in New York

and then he lied about Matt being at that cabin of his.

And then Kurt stripped that same cabin down to the studs

a day after your friend Molly and I were there.

So it's not outside the realm of good, logical theory that Kurt killed Matt.

For any number of accidental or intentional reasons.

You yourself said, "Matt was always an asshole."

Then he needed someone to frame.

Why not the boyfriend of the Chief of Police

who just arrested and humiliated him?

Hell, Kurt probably burned down my cabin just so you'd find that damn screw.

Don't you see? He set me up.

Ange... he's trying to get back at you.

Look, you've been under a ton of pressure lately, and...

you just found your best friend's body after so long.

You haven't even had a chance to grieve for...

Don't you say her name!

Hey, hey.

Why don't we just give Jim...

Dexter some time to gather his thoughts?

We want to keep this interview clean, so it stands up in court.

- He's fucking with us. - Maybe.

But his story seems to be just on this side of plausible to me,

which means it'll seem plausible to a jury and the D.A.

You don't know the full fucking context.

Hey, if there is a full fucking context, you might want to fill me in.

I can't.

I got to be sure this time.

- Teddy. - Chief?

- Bring Kurt Caldwell in. - You got it, boss.

Anything on the Molly Park APB?

Nothing yet, but I forwarded the line to my cell.

Okay.

Harrison,

Logan will bring you in to see your father.

Just... five minutes, okay?

Thanks, Ange...

Chief Bishop.

Audrey, you come with me.

Harrison.

- Oh. - Sorry. Protocol.

Just hang tight.

- I'll give you some privacy. - Thank you.

What the hell?

Angela thinks I killed Matt Caldwell.

This has nothing to do with Kurt. You're safe.

Hey, I've been in tougher spots.

I'll get out of this.

There's no way I'm leaving you. I promise.

- Night, Logan. - Good night, Esther.

Angela's got this theory, but it'll never hold up.

We'll be on the road in a day or two.

Well, what am I supposed to do till then?

Go find Tess at The Tavern. She'll feed you and give you a room.

- Okay. - Come on, guys.

We'll get through this.

The world needs us.

I'll be waiting for you.

And I'll find you.

Hey. Stay tough.

Turn around. Hands behind your back.

You're a good man, Logan.

I hope you are, too. For Harrison's sake.

I can't give you all the details yet, but...

you know how Harrison told you Jim wasn't his real name?

You said Harrison was high and didn't mean it.

I didn't know it at the time,

but there's more to that story.

Like what? What the hell is going on?

Honey, I know this might be hard to believe...

but Jim is dangerous.

Dangerous?

Then why were you dating him? Why'd you let him into our house?

Sometimes, people aren't who you think they are.

Wait, Auds. Go home.

Give Harrison some space.

Why? Is he dangerous, too?

No.

Look, I promise I will tell you everything tomorrow.

Turn around. Hands through the slot.

All right.

This is nuts.

It's really putting me in touch with my fear of Harrison

growing up without a father.

I know you've been there.

Go to the far side of the cell.

Tuna.

Ah. Some things never change.

I'm gonna go make sure that Harrison's set up okay.

I'm not going anywhere.

And thank you.

Sons need their fathers.

Thanks for this.

Oh, you're doing me a favor. Never fun eating alone.

I know this must be really, really tough for you.

I'm not the one in jail.

I don't want to see Jim go away, either.

Look, you got here around the same time Matt disappeared.

Did you hear or-or see anything that could help exonerate your dad?

I-I wasn't in town yet, so I can't help. Are you gonna finish your fries?

I should head back to the station.

- Later, Coach. - Yeah.

Thanks for stopping by.

Oh, and, uh, try not to eat hamburgers three meals a day.

I don't want you going up too many weight classes

before wrestling starts after New Year's.

Motherfucker.

Batista.

This is Chief Angela Bishop. We met at that conference in New York.

Chief Bishop. Uh...

I hope I didn't give you the wrong impression.

- You know, I'm a happily married man. - This is a police matter.

How can I help?

We've had some deaths in Iron Lake

that are very similar to an old Miami Metro case.

- Do you remember the Bay Harbor Butcher? - Cristo.

That was a gruesome one.

I looked at the autopsy photos on the police database.

So you've seen the, uh...

The dismemberments. The whole thing.

What can you tell me about Sergeant Doakes?

I sat next to him every day for ten years.

Do you believe that he did it?

I did at the time, but there were a few other theories.

My, uh, my ex-wife, my old captain

actually thought it was someone else in the precinct.

Who?

Dexter Morgan. But he died years ago.

Chief Bishop?

Check your email.

Okay. Hold on.

- When was this taken? - Last month.

Madre de Dios.

Dexter Morgan is alive?

And is sitting in my jail cell.

Can I have your old captain's name? I'd like to speak with her.

She was...

She was murdered.

Oh, I'm... I'm so sorry.

Did you ever catch the killer?

Batista?

Where are you?

I'll be there first thing tomorrow with everything I've got.

What's up, Teddy?

Kurt Caldwell's beat feet out of here. Front door unlocked.

Safe empty. Closets cleaned out.

And guess what? His gas truck's here.

Emptied out. Still smells like fresh gas.

Can you stay at Kurt's overnight? Just in case he shows up.

You got it, Chief.

Oh, geez.

Put that lying son of a bitch back in my office.

You're not done for the night?

Oh, I'm just getting started.

You might actually get away with the Matt Caldwell murder charge.

- Because I didn't do it. - Oh, you did it, all right.

But I'm not entirely sure my case will hold up enough

to convince the D.A. and then the jury.

But hear this and know this,

I will stake my career, my family, my everything...

that you're a murderer.

I'm worried about you.

I've got one word for you.

Ketamine.

You picked up a healthy or unhealthy

amount from Dr. Patel.

Yeah, I needed it for Vincent van Goat. You know he was sick.

Do you recognize this man?

Yeah, it's the piece of shit who sold the drugs

that almost killed my son. We...

ended up having an unfortunate encounter.

About that encounter.

Miles O'Flynn testified to me that,

"Just before he started pounding on me, he poked me in the neck,

like with a needle or something."

That was the exact same day you picked up the ketamine

and several syringes from Dr. Patel.

You think I drugged him?

I saw Logan question him in this very station.

There's no way he was drugged.

Only because Logan and Teddy showed up at Crystal Bar before you could do it.

God, believe what you want to believe.

You worked Forensics in Miami. You've seen autopsy photos before.

Yes and yes.

Jasper Hodge.

Okay, I have no idea where you're going with this.

- It's called a... - A weal mark.

...a weal mark.

I heard he died of an accidental fentanyl overdose.

I can't say I'm sorry.

He also had ketamine in his system.

And only in his system.

None was found anywhere in his house or his car.

- Well, I can't speak to that. - Well...

...then speak to this.

Same weal marks.

Same drug showing up in their tox report.

It's what we call a pattern.

And it's how I know that you, Dexter Morgan,

are the Bay Harbor Butcher.

The Bay Harbor Butcher

was Miami Metro Detective Sergeant James Doakes.

Not everyone believes that.

Tomorrow, you'll be arraigned for the murder of Matt Caldwell.

I'm gonna do my best to see that it sticks

and you get life without parole.

And then, win or lose,

you're gonna have a little reunion with your old friend, Angel Batista.

Yeah.

I met him at that Cop-Con thing.

He's on his way up from Miami as we speak.

We're gonna extradite your ass to Florida

where you'll stand trial as the Bay Harbor Butcher.

Florida.

State with the motherfucking death penalty.

Turn off the camera.

- Why the hell would I do that? - I'll talk.

If you've got something to say, just say it to the camera.

Listening.

What if I told you you were right?

- Well, then, you'd be admitting to... - I'm not admitting anything.

I'm saying you were right about Kurt Caldwell.

I can prove it.

Ange, you know in your heart that Kurt killed Iris.

But she was just his first.

He's been active for 25 years.

Very active.

- What the hell are you talking about? - Them.

Go to Kurt's cabin.

One hundred yards north of the front door,

under a deadwood pile, there's a hatch.

Open it and you'll see what real evil looks like.

I have dedicated my entire life to this.

Yeah, and you've been met with scorn and ridicule at every turn,

because you've had a gut feeling, but no proof.

You go to that cabin and you'll finally have it.

Proof.

Fuck!

You turned off the camera. What happened?

Put him back in his cell. I've got to check something out.

- And that would be? - Just fucking do it!

Harrison.

I-I came to get my stuff.

Since it doesn't look like we' re gonna move in together.

Come in. Your stuff's upstairs.

I'm sorry.

I think this is all my fault.

How could this possibly be your fault?

I told my Mom what you said at the party.

- If I had just kept my mouth shut... - Th-Th-This isn't because of you.

Then what's going on?

No one will tell me what's happening.

I know.

I just... want this to be over.

For things to go back to normal.

Normal.

What's that?

Things certainly weren't normal

when you and I were on track to becoming brother and sister.

So you think this arrest means our parents are breaking up?

My dad told me to wait at The Inn.

But it's really nice to see you.

Well, my mom said to give you space,

but I guess we don't always have to do what our parents want.

Remember when you thought not killing was the problem?

How's that going for you?

I can figure this out.

Angela's got her teeth in you. She's never gonna let go.

You did.

I was your sister.

I trusted you.

I loved you.

Angela's pretty fucking far from that right now.

Enough!

Enough.

Hey, Logan. Can I get some water?

Kind of been doing a lot of talking today.

Yeah, you talked Angela right out of the station.

I'd give anything to know what you said to her when the camera was off.

I don't want to hurt you.

So Angela was right about you.

She's a good cop and so are you.

But this is inevitable, so just give me the keys.

Do it!

Don't be a hero, Logan. I just need to get out and see my son.

Good, good. Good, good, good, good.

- Don't do that. - Fuck you.

Damn it, Logan. You should've listened to me.

- Yo, Coach. Is my dad okay? - It's me.

What? Dad? Where-where are you?

Come downstairs. Meet me in front of the station.

Um, I'm at... I'm at Audrey's.

Okay. That's actually better. Grab all your stuff.

My truck is in Angela's driveway. The key's in the cupholder.

Meet me where we found the white deer.

I got it.

Sun's coming up. Go. Now.

Oh!

Oh!

Annie Kurtz?

Jennifer Nùñez. Oh, my... Oh, my God.

Shannon Luu.

Lily Kosnicki.

Molly.

Logan? Logan, are you there?

Logan, do you copy? Pick up.

That was faster than I expected.

Logan, we have multiple bodies.

Oh, fuck.

Fuck!

'Sup, Chief?

Get me State Troopers, CSI, the coroners, the motherfucking FBI.

I found something like 30 bodies at the Caldwell property on Stearn Road.

I need all the backup I can get

before this place turns into a fucking media frenzy.

Holy shit. Got it. On it.

Wait, Teddy.

Have you heard from Logan in the past hour?

No. I think he's still at the station with Jim.

Fuck! Fuck!

Dad!

Grab your stuff and leave the truck. Let's go.

- Are you hurt? - No. I'm okay. Come on.

Whose blood is that?

I'll explain everything later. We need to go. Now.

Wait.

You called me from Logan's phone.

Is that his blood?

There was no other way.

Is Coach dead?

Isn't the whole point that you only kill people that deserve it?

Coach Logan's a good person.

He wouldn't cooperate.

It's the only way I could get back to you. Come on.

Look, we'll talk about everything. I promise.

But this is it. We got to get out of here.

Yeah. Don't get caught.

- That's only part of it, Harrison. - Shut up.

You don't really care about saving anybody, do you?

You're just feeding this-this Dark Passenger.

I-It's not even a passenger. It's fucking driving.

And you like it.

You slashing Ethan

and breaking that wrestler's arm.

That's your own darkness.

- You're just like me, buddy. - No!

I wanted to be like you. So bad.

But m-my anger isn't because I'm like you.

My-my anger is because of you.

Of-of course I'm angry.

You didn't just make the decision to abandon me once.

You made that decision every single day you stayed away for ten years!

Well, I'm still your Dad, and I'm here now.

I'm right here.

Just come with me, buddy.

I can stop. I can do it. With your help.

I'm not your fucking caretaker.

- I'm your goddamn son. - I want...

I need to be with you.

You have to turn yourself in.

There's no other way.

If I do, I get the death penalty.

Maybe you deserve it.

Okay.

You don't have to come with me...

but I can't stay here.

Would my mom still be alive if it weren't for you?

Would Aunt Deb still be alive?

And me...

would I be so fucked up?

Open your eyes and look at what you've done!

You're right.

I don't... I don't want to be right.

I-I just... I want to be normal.

I'm sorry for everything I've done to you.

You deserve better.

A better life.

A better father.

You have to take the safety off.

Just like I showed you.

This is the only way out.

For both of us.

Now...

deep breath.

I've never really felt love...

real love...

until now.

You did good.

Drop the rifle! On your knees! Hands where I can see 'em!

I'm-I stopped... He-he killed Coach Logan.

I know.

It's okay. You can get up.

Okay.

Take this.

Go through town.

Just past the Truck Stop is the entrance to I-86 West.

Go and never come back here.

Harrison.

You need to do this now!

Uh, tell Audrey I said goodbye?

I can't.

Why?

Because I haven't seen you.

This is Chief Bishop.

I'm calling to report an officer-involved shooting.

"My dearest Hannah,

this is the most difficult letter I'll ever write.

You may have seen my name among the casualties of Hurricane Laura,

and I believe that's for the best.

I'd give anything to see you and Harrison again.

To see him smile. To hold him.

I celebrate his birthday in my heart.

He is and always will be my phantom limb."

♪ Don't make me read your mind ♪

♪ You should know me better than that ♪

♪ It takes me too much time ♪

♪ You should know me better than that ♪

♪ You're not that much like me ♪

♪ You should know me better than that ♪

♪ We have different enemies ♪

♪ You should know me better than that ♪

♪ I should leave it alone But you're not right ♪

♪ I should leave it alone But you're not right... ♪

"I want what every father wants.

For his child to be happy...

to live and love without fear...

to share his gifts with the world."

♪ I should leave it alone but you're not right... ♪

"...but we both know that, with me around,

a normal life for Harrison won't be possible."

♪ I should live in salt For leaving you ♪

♪ Behind ♪

♪ Behind ♪

"This is not an easy decision.

Sometimes I wish the hurricane had taken me,

released me from the burden of my own urges.

Instead, it showed me that I have to bear them alone.

That's my fate.

So, unless Harrison starts showing any dark tendencies, I beg you..."

♪ I should live in salt for leaving you... ♪

"...let me die...

so my son can live."

♪ Behind... ♪