Rudy and Dexter were brothers all along. They both witnessed their mother's death by chainsaw in a drug deal gone bad and were locked in a storage container for three days soaked in their mother's blood. Thanks to Harry rescuing him (he was only three at the time), Dexter was able to submerge those memories. That explains why Dexter insisted he couldn't connect to other people, yet all the while connecting to other people.

Rudy (real name Brian Moser, older brother of Dexter Moser) was not so fortunate. Dexter was able to submerge his memories, thanks to the loving upbringing of Harry and family. Rudy was not. For reasons unexplained, Rudy instead spent his formative years in mental institutions. That didn't deter him from keeping up with little brother's progress, though. How he did that is also left largely to the viewer's speculation.

When Rudy, in rapid succession proposes to Deb, drugs her, binds her, and readies her for slice and dice, all in some vague mindset of making Dexter recognize his true destiny, Dexter has no choice but to put him down like a mad dog. It's a conundrum, though. Deb is the only family he's ever known, but Rudy is the only person who will ever accept him for what he is.

In the end, love for Deb trumps bloodline, and Dexter eliminates Rudy by hanging him upside down, slitting his throat, and draining his blood from him - the same way Rudy killed his victims. I'm still not certain the authorities would dismiss it as a dramatically ghastly suicide, but they do. The Ice Truck Killer is finally dead, and Dexter has a nice Christmas after all.

It all moved at a breakneck pace and was a thrill-packed alternative to traditional holiday fare. In retrospect, though, you can't help but feel a little shortchanged. There were a lot of potential subplots set up and never fully explored.

We know Doakes has a mysterious past and is not above assassinating bad guys. Paul, in prison now, realizes Dexter set him up. LaGuerta has been demoted, but may have a new ally. The relationship between Dexter and Rita seems to be solid, but even she is beginning to realize there is more to Dexter than she had thought.

Season Two is on the way. With any luck, some of the dangling threads will be more fully explored next time around.