Goodbye Miami

We had a long (two weeks) break from Dexter. It's been a while. Make Your Own Kind of music exposed totally different direction of the show, since it brought brain surgeon back, who turned out to be Dr. Vogel's senior son. Having regrets because of her acts, Evelyn does not want Dexter to kill Oliver Saxon.

If you saw preview of this episode, you might know that Dex is leaving Miami with Harrison and Hannah. But before that, he tries to kill Saxon to make Dr. safe. The same time, he secretly talks to Debra about his future plans in Argentina and farewells with Homicide Department.

Goodbye Miami gives a great hope that our favorite serial killer is back to his real work - killing other killers and he will never be distracted by random things like love, life, care and women. The whole season seemed to be very calm compared to previous 7. It is understandable that things change in order to bring the show to the end, but we don't want to see Dexter turning into another happy ending sad drama.

For the first time, this episode made me think that maybe the writers want to turn Dexter into a person who rids of his bad habits, who becomes alike others (otherwise becomes abnormal). I do really hope it does not happen, it will disappoint a lot.

Oliver Saxon refreshes this episode a lot. He is a smart serial killer, probably one of most dangerous ones Morgan has ever faced. But he still does not bring much new on the table. I am sure that Dexter is going to chase him until the very end of the show and I can not wait to see how it culminates.

Hannah is still popular with copes. US Marshal keeps looking for her closer. It seems that he has got doubts about Dexter, especially when he's escaping from Miami. He even questions Deb, but hopefully does not get much news. As for the Debra herself, she seems to be struggling with something inside. She is a step before gets back to Miami Metro and her conscience does not let to wear be a cop hiding two serial killers in her house. She tries to talk to Quinn about something but it does not work. I have a minor doubt that Deb is trying to give a little clue to someone about what's going on with her life.

I still think that Jennifer Carpenter has one of the her best seasons in every sense. She is in the center, her character is way too dramatic & stuck between two worlds, she sometimes has breakdowns. I think she is back as a major award contender.

Goodbye Miami could be a good episode if it aired somewhere in the middle of whole show, however, as the 10th episode of show finale?! No, it does not work much. It has some tricky hints in the end, that I hope writers will open up, but how long do we have to wait? I believed they'd give some tasty piece of Dexter this episode.

They did not!

Dexter use to be fun.

A kind of release from the mundane dramas all around us, but now it's overfilled with tiresome dialog and drivel that bores its fan base into tearing drones. Vogel was such a boring character and now gone, flush another episode away. Only two left and my sense is it will not end to the satisfaction of its fan base of the previous 7 Seasons.

It better culminate with something special like a "Dirty Harry" revenge statement, "Do you feel lucky, asshole?" as Dexter stabs Oliver Saxon into his chest, gushing blood everywhere, then propelling him over the side of his boat and into Biscayne Bay.

So far it's too milquetoast for Dexter.

And beautiful Hannah, how boring her dialog has been for such a potentially dynamic character as the asinine manhunt and Deb's confusion and extreme pain from Dexter's obvious rejection of her opinions, leave us wanting for more.

Unfortunately, the end will leave us hanging, if it doesn't get any better than this….. Goodbye Dexter!

Dexter used to be a great example of tension and pacing. I'd compare it to episodes of The Fugitive, a man hiding in plain sight, driven by needs that set him apart from the everyman. Slickly written, poetic dialog, urgency and horror used to be the staple of each episode and the audience tuned in, addicted, entranced, eyes glued to the screen, drawn in by the urgency and drama. How will Dexter keep his secret? How will he escape this ever-present danger?

This last season of Dexter however, has been like watching a music box wind down. The moving parts are slowing down rather than speeding up, the sound is slurred and droning. There is no urgency, even the 'bad' killer is one-dimensional and uninspired. Like a bland version of Norman Bates.

Dexter himself is surrounded by characters who accept his dark passenger, seemingly without qualms. No longer is he hiding, he has become invisible because nobody is looking for him anymore. The houses of the killers he has dispatched lie empty and nobody notices. The police force investigates bicycle accidents.

He is no longer improvising in life and death situations, no longer a calculating professional who keeps a cool head and a steady hand. Even the frequent voice-overs seem at loss for interesting topics. It's like a diary entry for a person with nothing going on anymore. He wants to talk, he just has no material.

The writing is crude. The dialog in particular - which used to use every word with crushing intent is now full of throwaway lines, most of which only serve to narrate what the audience is already fully aware of. For our years of loyalty to these characters we are being rewarded by having them re-explained to us. Without subtlety.

This season of Dexter had the opportunity to start off with a bang. It's the last season - pull out the stops already. Episode one could have focused on the LaGuerta cover up, Dexter's collection of bodies (currently sitting under the sea) could have washed up, Deb could have confessed. Instead we have a brand new character appear from his past to conveniently re-write his history, so that we can sit in on Dexter's counseling sessions. We have Hannah show up, now Carol to his Mike Brady.

We wait patiently for the writers to let the cat out of the bag, to challenge Dexter, to make him fight for his life. We hope the tension will build so the audience can root for him (or against him). Instead we watch him forget his strengths, drop his nature, acting like this is his first time following a person, hiding from the police, we watch him make a travel list. Next episode may have us watch Dexter pack his suitcase.

Our patience turns to frustration, are these really throwaway episodes? Could the last four episodes have been squeezed into a single one? Is this building up to something? If so - when do we get the pay-off?

Even Harrison's treadmill accident - so much blood - and for what? A single tiny band-aid? Really, that could be a metaphor for the whole season so far.

It's been noticeable how the series has been going downwards towards the end, but this episode is the top of the cake - so bad, beyond weak!!! script is never been as stupid as in this one. From a very smart, sneaky, cautious Dexter to a looser Dexter. Common!

I am not going to write long review as i belong to those category of people who liked to keep things short and simple. For starters, Dexter is one of the best TV series that a viewer thoroughly enjoys watching and relate with his own real life and question his own conscience. I certainly did not want this season to be the same like others where dexter keeps on killing people instead i wanted dexter to see his other side of himself and succumb to his emotions to truly realize what it means to be a human. I wanted less drama and less action but more intense introspection from his end and i am happy that dexter did that all. He realizes that even after he is gone from Miami the killing will not stop, there will be crime present and its no longer in his hands to keep playing the role of self-appointed judge. He deserves a better life than the present, one that is devoid of all the psychopathic nonsense and so does harrison and hannah!

Let us all embrace to the fact that the director is not going to listen to the hate-mongers, rather he will give a meaningful end to this season and perhaps might even keep the windows open for a season 9, just in case they decide to tell us dexters story after he goes to Argentina. i wish, there was another season after this! i am so happy to see Dexter becoming a better man than what he initially thought he is. He deserves a better life and a little more love for the audience. After-all he has been a guardian to the Miami city for 8 long years..