Season 8 Episode 3 - What's Eating Dexter Morgan?

pixelburp

Hmmm, perhaps I was too hasty in suspecting Vogel; she's still clearly unhinged when it comes to Dexter, but she seemed genuine by her worry & shock when she got another present at her doorstep, so I'm guessing she wasn't the hand holding the gun in the video from last week

Her concern for Deb also seemed real, but then again this came after she discovered Deb knows the truth about Dexter; so I'm now wondering if Vogel will try to protect Dexter by getting rid of his sister. Vogel would have the power and influence to get her carted away to the loony bin, while insisting to Dex that she did all in her power. She's beginning to give off something of a Creepy Mother vibe really...

ixoy

Thought this was an improvement and very relieved to see that Vogel doesn't seem suspect. I mean it'd have been more obvious a twist than Tom Hanks Junior's imaginary Adama was.

Instead Vogel is a bit of a cold-blooded psychopath herself. She sees Dexter as a sort of specimen to study and I do believe she's going to do something bad to Deb to protect her, presumably drugging her to start with.

So current bet is that Dexter confesses to killing LaGuerta to save Debs, thus saving both her and finally taking some measure of responsibility for what he's done.

Wurly

Just finished this episode. Thank god they picked up the pace after last week. How it ends is now anyone's guess. I thought it was a fantastic episode. Loved it!!:)

Hande hoche!

Glad to see they aren't going down the Vogel as the brain surgeon route. Will be very interesting to see the Deb/Vogel interaction next week. Also is this the first time there has been a cannibal on Dexter?

AlmightyCushion

The scene with the cannibal guy and Dexter was desperate. "He's lying about knowing Vogel. Why would he lie unless he has something to hide?" He was in the middle of a sale, what was he meant to say. "Oh yeah, I know Vogel. I'm a crazy murderous psychopath and she is responsible for putting me away. Now, let me show you the Ab Blaster 6,000. It'll give you rock hard abs in five minutes or I'll eat my hat... or your liver, whatever."

pixelburp

I found Dexter's internal monologue during the Kill Room scene to be as bad: "we're the same... I consume everyone that I love". Oh god, someone consume the writers. Decent enough episode, and it was good there was no sign of Ghost Harry, but the writers rely on Dexter's own thoughts way too much sometimes...

syklops

No, we've not seen a cannibal before. I was just wondering, now that we are basically going through Vogels case history looking for the Brain Surgeon, are we going to see a countdown of various psychological disorders? Starting with the cannibal, and presumably ending with the brain surgeon. Dexters final acts before the end is to take out some real monsters, almost like a penance for past deeds?

snausages

I actually found this worse than the last episode. I think it's because of how every plotline that's being telegraphed just looks so dreadfully dull, like the current tensions between Quinn, Batista and his sister. Vogel's still bad news I think. I just hope her bad turn happens soon because right now I'm just counting down the weeks to the finale which isn't how a final season of a show should be. They really need to pick up the pace.

On a separate point I think Debra is looking way better this season compared with how awful and skinny she looked in season 4 and 5.

syklops

snausages wrote: »

I actually found this worse than the last episode. I think it's because of how every plotline that's being telegraphed just looks so dreadfully dull, like the current tensions between Quinn, Batista and his sister. Vogel's still bad news I think. I just hope her bad turn happens soon because right now I'm just counting down the weeks to the finale which isn't how a final season of a show should be. They really need to pick up the pace.

On a separate point I think Debra is looking way better this season compared with how awful and skinny she looked in season 4 and 5.

To be honest I had reservations about this episode. Im a bit fed up of Deb and her issues. I miss potty-mouthed, hard as nails Deb. Crying, broken Debra is hard to watch. The bit with the guy she saved was nice though.

Backstreet Moyes

He seems innocent but i have a feeling their could be something sinister about Deb's new boss. Basing it mainly on every man in her life being a killer or dying.

Sudden Valley

Really seemed that Vogel was pushing to have Dexter kill Deb and seemed disappointed when he wanted her to be Deb's therapist. I suspect that she was running a twisted social experiment to create the perfect serial killer. She did seem genuinely scared when in the house are her own so doubt she knows who is sending her the packages.

Paully D

Wasn't a big fan of this episode at all, the one I've enjoyed the least in quite a while, but I'm hoping it will pick up again next week. Based on the previews, it certainly looks like doing so!

Rosy Posy

I agree that Dexter's inner monologue has become increasingly irritating as the seasons progress. I thought that the kill scene was weak also- it felt like a cop out. Don't get me wrong- I've always been more interested in the plot of Dexter than the gore, but for the first proper Dexter-in-control-doing-his-thing kill of the season it felt rushed and glossed over. I was almost wondering had Dexter lost his mojo similar to the start of season 2, after he killed Bryan.

The whole Deb confessional seemed crazy too- I mean one minute she's screaming the next minute she's unconscious...would Quinn not have been a but suspicious? That saying the incompetence of Maimi Metro is legendary at this point.

Vogel is definitely sinister- seems more the psychopath than Dexter. I wonder if she's going to reverse her diagnosis and suddenly Dexter will be responsible for his own actions. Now that would be a surprise ending- Dexter rehabilitated!

On a side note, I know it's been said before but Dexter is a terrible parent- who lets their kid eat an entire box of ice pops in the middle of the night? Add it to the list of Dexter's bad parenting moments (not quite on a par with leaving your sleeping child in an open car in the car park of a dodgy motel while you murder your sister's boyfriend, but it's on a spectrum).

Bloc Party!

Nuts102 wrote: »

He seems innocent but i have a feeling their could be something sinister about Deb's new boss. Basing it mainly on every man in her life being a killer or dying.

I think you could be right about that..they could tie the two stories together for the ending where debs boss captures deb and dexter has to save her or something like that

tim3000

This episode was ok not great. Thankfully it completely killed the theory that Dexter was blacking and performing the brain surgeon kills while blacked out. I think they made a mistake by killing LaGuerta in the last season, it felt unnecessary and had the added disadvantage of making Deb into what she is. That said I'm hoping that The Brain Surgeon will be a killer good enough to rival the Trinity Killer.

Also I'm getting the impression that the actors are just phoning it in Dexters kill in the last episode felt tacked on and lethargic

pixelburp

Nuts102 wrote: »

He seems innocent but i have a feeling their could be something sinister about Deb's new boss. Basing it mainly on every man in her life being a killer or dying.

I hope not, precisely for the reason you mentioned; the whole 'Deb has a breakdown' thing has been done before, so I'd rather not see the other cliche pop up too. I hope he's just a normal guy, who's trying to help Deb no strings attached. Between Dex & Quinn, she's caught between two guys who are already messed up and basically bad for her mental health; she needs a rock at this point.

Side note: I didn't realise 'til I saw the name in the credits, but Deb's boss is played by Young Indiane Jones himself: Sean Patrick Flannery. This makes me feel old

gnfnrhead

That episode was a struggle to keep watching. Thought things were picking up when Deb confessed but Quinn showed his incompetience once more and sent us back to the boredom.

A quarter of the way into the season now and still very little has happened.

TireeTerror

Im absolutely gutted about this show. Its gone so downhill its ridiculous. If you go back and watch season 1, the difference in everyone is incredible. Dexter is so far from his original character, the character we all grew to love.

He is careless, makes rash decisions and lots of mistakes. He seems to be able to track down every criminal and solve every single case in about 5 minutes after getting onto his computer. No criminal would be safe if he were a detective!

The writers are clearly desperate and have ran out of ideas. They wanted to cash in on the popularity and have dragged this out too far and have diluted things too much.

They should take a leaf out of the book of "The Wire", that was an incredible TV series and remained authentic from season one all the way to the end.

Im especially gutted because I know I will still watch the last season, but with each passing episode I find myself shouting at the TV in disgust.

I loved the show so much that I have two cats, called Dexter and Lumen!

AlmightyCushion

TireeTerror wrote: »

I loved the show so much that I have two cats, called Dexter and Lumen!

Lumen? She was awful. Should have called it Doakes or trinity.

TireeTerror

AlmightyCushion wrote: »

Lumen? She was awful. Should have called it Doakes or trinity.

It wasnt really chosen based on the character herself, just on the name. I didnt like Lumen either.

Here they are. Dexter is the silver boy and Lumen, or Lumie as she usually gets called, is the other one.

evil_seed

I'm only really watching this anymore to see how it ends. I've invested too much time to give up. The show has gone to sh1te which is a pity. There are so many plot holes, so many silly little things and he inner monologue is the pits. Everything is being spoon-fed to the viewers now.

Mr.Crinklewood

Did Dexter do his normal cheek cutting thingy?

loveisdivine

Well that was fairly dull. The kill scene was totally rubbish. Not even bothering to show how he captures him.

Seems like the brain surgeon story is gonna run a good whole, which I think is a shame. I'd rather be seeing more clues as to how it's gonna end.

Better prepare myself for a disappointing end. I can see it ending with dex killing the brain surgeon and then calling it quits as he realises he's not a psychopath at all. They are making it obvious the he doesn't meet any of vogels rules for being a psychopath.

syklops

Mr.Crinklewood wrote: »

Did Dexter do his normal cheek cutting thingy?

Did you watch the episode? Or the last season?

Sofiztikated

I'm still pegging Vogel as a puppetmaster, of sorts.

Dex has managed to pick up and befriend how many other serials at this stage? 6?

Javan

Hande hoche! wrote: »

Glad to see they aren't going down the Vogel as the brain surgeon route. Will be very interesting to see the Deb/Vogel interaction next week. Also is this the first time there has been a cannibal on Dexter?

Vogel is not the brain surgeon but I suspect Vogel created the brain surgeon.
She is much too interested in psychopaths and is a little unhinged herself, so I suspect she operated on someone to remove this empathy center in the brain and create her very own Mr. Hyde.

Hande hoche!

Javan wrote: »

Vogel is not the brain surgeon but I suspect Vogel created the brain surgeon.
She is much too interested in psychopaths and is a little unhinged herself, so I suspect she operated on someone to remove this empathy center in the brain and create her very own Mr. Hyde.

Good point, seems in her character to try to create the "ultimate" psychopath.

tim3000

I see some other posters have already thought of Vogel trying to create a perfect psychopath. I thought of this today after yet another disappointing episode (epi 5). I reckon that her having Dexter kill these former patients of hers is an attempt to clean up failed tries at creating the perfect killer.