10 Small Details You Only Notice Rewatching Dexter

10. Return To Sender

Initially, Dexter's preferred method of body disposal is to take them out on his boat to an area called the "Underwater Graveyard". This is a deep drop-off in the ocean where he weighs their body parts down with stones in order to prevent them resurfacing.

One of Rita's children, Cody, has a goldfish named Bob who sadly passes away. Dexter assists him in flushing the remains down the toilet, only for the body to resurface shortly after.

In the very same episode, the last victim that Dexter has killed and disposed of is found on land and he is part of the team investigating, essentially being stuck trying to throw colleagues off the trail of a murder that he himself has committed. In reality, the Ice Truck Killer has retrieved the body and deliberately placed it in order to taunt Dexter.

You could also argue that Bob the goldfish appearing back in the toilet bowl is reminiscent of a later time when divers discover the underwater graveyard in its entirety and Dexter is forced to switch to disposing of bodies in the powerful Gulf Stream, relying on the current to drag them far away from detection.