Dexter - S8E10 - Goodbye Miami

Posted on September 9, 2013 by Meghan Lawrence in Dexter - S8, Featured // 2 Comments

Previously, on Dexter: “Make Your Own Kind of Music”

A Balanced Breakfast

Well, holy shit! Dexter really picked up from its one-week hiatus to pack a serious set-up for a sucker punch to the face! We open on Vogel playing Mother Dearest with tea, toast and her son Daniel, who I’m still going to refer to as Oliver Saxon. Oliver isn’t up for the charade, even if she makes a mean cup of tea. He’s harboring serious resentment of being institutionalized for killing his brother Richard. I think Dr. Seuss immortalized this dynamic in his lesser-known work, “Good Son, Bad Son, Serial Killer Son, Dead Son. Or whatever.

Don’t Cry For Me, Deb…Its Argentina!

Back at Casa Deb, aka Hannah’s hideout, Dexter is planning with Hannah a checklist of what needs to get done before they can leave Miami together. Your basic vacation planning. Leave Miami Metro, get Harrison out of school, forward the mail, kill Oliver Saxon, burn 1st Draft of Non-fiction he had hoped to self publish called Serial Killing for Dummies, sell boat I’ve dumped all those bodies in, etc. He warns Hannah that she needs to stay out of sight because her face is more popular in Miami than LeBron James, so lets hope she sticks to that. Mmm’kay?

Deb comes home and isn’t terribly jazzed Harrison is hanging out with Hannah. Dexter explains they are leaving Miami for Argentina, and Deb totally goes for it. She’ll start planning their goodbye party as soon as the vein in her forehead stops throbbing out farther than her collarbones.

Miami Metro

Deputy Chief Matthews has called Dr. Vogel in to discuss Zach Hamilton’s disappearance. A distressed Vogel, in a snazzy blue dress, shakes herself out of that conversation like Katherine Hepburn on speed.

Dexter, looking up Saxon’s info, spots Vogel in the station and pulls her into his office. Dexter feels a deep need to protect Vogel, but she insists her son would never harm her. She admits they had breakfast together despite Dexter shaking his damned perfect, ginger head. Vogel refuses his help; concerned Dexter is just using her as a guise to kill her only son.

At a random crime scene, Niki, Masuka’s daughter shows up high as a kite on weed and Masuka smells it and sends her off. Again, why has this story line has become a thing and taking up valuable bloody minutes?

Dexter gives Batista his notice and asks to keep it private for now. Private…that means don’t tell anyone, right?

Oliver’s Kill Room

Oliver Saxon shows up outside of Vogel’s home and he wants to show her something. Saxon takes Vogel to a secluded concrete room he has been using to complete the Brain Surgeon Murders. He even offers her a seat, like a gentleman. It’s a seat with straps that have held down his victims, but who says chivalry isn’t dead?

Vogel’s head has been spinning how to keep Oliver alive, but it turns out Oliver has a plan of his own. He wants Vogel to teach him how to live just as he is. Just as she did for Dexter, he wants to learn how to be someone she can love. Vogel is resistant, but agrees, at the very least to try and gain his trust in that moment.

With Vogel still out of the house, Dexter breaks in and nabs a file off some Spyware of Saxon killing Zach Hamilton. Could be useful. And FUCK! He sawed right into his head while he was still alive!

Don’t make the same mistake you made with Richard. Choose right this time. Choose me.

Jamie and Quinn and Deb

Can we tie all this into one bullshit segment? Gee, thanks! Early in the episode Jamie and Quinn sit down to dinner and we find out she’s gotten a great interview offer in Atlanta. Quinn is psyched for her, but of course Jamie isn’t going to leave him in Miami, despite him encouraging her to take advantage of the opportunity miles away from him and Deb…I mean, just do you, Jamie. Just do you!

After Deb finds out Dexter is leaving she confides in Quinn that he will be leaving Miami and traveling with Harrison. Quinn consoles her over a salad she won’t eat (there are starving children in Miami, Deb!), and gives her an every man for himself speech. Deb tells Quinn that Batista gave her badge back and you know what that means. They can work side by side again. Or front to back. Back to front. Whatever strikes the mood?

Later that night, while Jamie is making dinner, Quinn pulls the, “Can we talk?” question and flings it into the air like break-up confetti. Jamie assumes it’s over Deb, but Quinn denies it. The next day after Deb tells Batista she is ready to come back to the force (and she is greeted by Jamie with a “Go fuck yourself!”), Deb and Quinn end up lip locked. Dammit! I was really hoping that Showtime Spin-Off was about Jamie and Quinn – said no one ever.

Deputy U.S. Marshall Clayton

Originally stopping by to inform Batista that the Hannah McKay lead is now cold, Deputy Marshall Clayton overhears Batista on the phone coordinating the placement of an add for a new Miami Metro Forensic Tech. Clayton’s ears perk up like a Doberman’s and Batista lets him know that, yes, Dexter Morgan is the one leaving. Thanks for keeping the word mum for a whole 3 hours, Angel.

Vogel’s Change of Heart

Vogel shows up at Dexter’s house pleading for her son’s life, trying to convince Dexter that he doesn’t like killing, and that she can help him. One quick click from Dexter’s laptop showing her son sawing off Zach Hamilton’s brain puts an end to that nonsense. Sorry, Evelyn…he’s a lost cause. Vogel agrees to set up a meeting with Saxon that night, so Dexter can follow him and take it from there.

Hannah, Hannah, Hannah

Like everything that makes this show go round, two earlier warnings fly out the window. At one point Dexter asks Harrison to please not play on Aunt Deb’s treadmill, but he fires that bitch up again like it’s a kid friendly bouncy house. Apparently Harrison decides he really needs to work his quads, so he ups the ante until it spins his 4 yr old body off and slices his chin wide open.

Hannah calls Dexter and leaves a message, but decides that a hospital and a bleeding child that needs medical care will in no way get her any notice. She runs off to the E.R. where the nurses play side eye the whole time she is filling out her Harrison’s med forms.

Later, Deputy Marshall Clayton shows up at the E.R. and the Nurses Station did indeed report a Hannah sighting. The log says a Debra Morgan signed in Harrison to be treated.

A Not So Private Goodbye

Dr. Vogel calls Dexter to let him know she wants a private goodbye with her son, and that Saxon is meeting her at her home, not in a public place as Dexter had requested. Even though Clayton is on Hannah’s trail, Harry convinces Dexter that he needs to protect Vogel.

Saxon is suspicious of why Vogel is having him over for tea so late, and Vogel is a shuddering mess trying to keep herself together. You can basically queue up Admiral Ackbar at this point yelling, “It’s a trap!” For as many episodes as Vogel has mind-fucked everyone, now the tables are turned.

Just as Dexter pulls up to Vogel’s he gets a phone call from Saxon inside; he wants Dexter to see something. Posed in the window is Saxon with Vogel, where Saxon brandishes a knife and slits Vogel’s throat wide open.

Mother chose the wrong son…again.

Only two weeks left, kids! We here at Project Fandom have high hopes for the penultimate episode next week! Predictions?