‘Dexter’ Review: “What’s Eating Dexter Morgan?”

‘Dexter’ season 8 slices up the 3rd episode of its final year with “What's Eating Dexter Morgan,” as Deb spirals out of control and makes a rash decision to confess to LaGuerta's murder, while Dexter and Dr. Evelyn Vogel (Charlotte Rampling) continue hunting their latest suspect in the "Brain Surgeon" case

Last week’s ‘Dexter’ epixode, “Every Silver Lining,” saw Dexter learn the truth of his connection to Dr. Evelyn Vogel, while Deb tangled with a hitman (‘The Walking Dead”s Nick Gomez) in search of the jewels from the previous week’s case. So how does “What's Eating Dexter Morgan” continue the 8th and final season?

Read on for your in-depth recap of everything you need to know about ‘Dexter’ season 8, episode 3, “What's Eating Dexter Morgan”!

Dexter awakes to the sound of Harrison’s cries and red liquid everywhere, but discovers the boy only ate a box of popsicles. Elsewhere, Deb is awoken within her car by an officer who recognizes her, but reluctantly takes her in for a DUI, given she knocked over a parking meter. Rather than call Dexter, however, Deb calls Quinn to bail her out, as Quinn lies to Jamie about his early morning departure.

Arriving at Lyle Sussman’s cabin with Miami Metro, Dexter quickly finds that the true Brain Surgeon has taken down the hanging body, and made it appear to be a shotgun suicide to throw police off the scent. Meanwhile, Quinn drives Deb to work, as Deb denies she has any kind of problem. At her own home, Vogel receives a text from the Brain Surgeon and finds matching “his and her” brain tissue samples waiting on the doorstep.

Having arrived at the crime scene, Dexter explains to Vogel he’s narrowed the list of suspects to a former patient named Ron Galuzzo, before Quinn informs Dexter of the DUI. Dexter goes to leave the scene and find his sister, but Vogel again expresses her surprise that Dexter seems to have a genuine love for his sister.

Quinn and Elway take on a case from a woman looking to expose her husband’s cheating, before Dexter arrives to ask Deb about the DUI. Deb brushes off the implications, but reluctantly agrees to have dinner with her brother to stop his repeated inquiries. Shortly after, Deb and Elway snap photos of the cheating man with a woman in his car, as Deb explains her past relationship with Quinn.

Dexter goes to see Ron Galuzzo at his job selling fitness equipment at the mall, and plays the part of an interested customer. The man claims to have no knowledge of Vogel when Dexter mentions reading her book, suggesting his guilt. Later, Vogel questions Dexter why he didn’t kill Deb when she found out about his murders, as the code would dictate, but Dexter insists he loves his sister. Vogel points out that Deb felt a true, selfless love for her brother, whereas Dexter shouldn’t be capable of such human emotions.

Batista quizzes Quinn for the sergeant exam over dinner, accidentally revealing to Jamie that there was no case that morning for Quinn to have left so early. Quinn confesses to have been helping Deb, and Jamie storms off in frustration they’ll get back together. Meanwhile, Dexter takes Deb to a family restaurant in order to point out a father having dinner with his young children, one of the men saved during Deb’s heroic shootout the previous year. Somewhat convinced of the good she’s done, Deb seems placated.

The next morning, Deb and Elway show the client photos of her husband, though she insists the faces aren’t clear, and refuses to believe what the photos imply. Meanwhile, Dexter enters Ron Galuzzo’s house after he leaves for work, and discovers that Ron isn’t the Brain Surgeon, but rather an unrelated killer who meticulously prepares and eats his victims.

Sitting in the Miami Metro parking lot, Deb drinks and replays the shootout video on her phone, before stumbling upstairs and telling Quinn she wants to confess to LaGuerta’s murder. Quinn takes her out of sight to the interrogation room and believes her to be drunk and high out of her mind, despite her insistence on the crime. Quinn calls Dexter to alert him of Deb’s actions, and Dexter asks Vogel to accompany him to the scene. Along the way, Dexter asks Vogel to convince Quinn Deb’s confession comes from PTSD, as she insists Deb will need real professional help to cope with her actions

Dexter and Vogel arrive to find Quinn standing guard outside the room, but when Deb freaks out at their presence, Dexter covertly sedates her, and the trio carry her out of the building, Quinn none-the-wise of the truth. Dexter and Vogel bring Deb to her home, before Dexter handcuffs his sister to the couch, and leaves Vogel to begin treating her. Dexter professes to be perfect after all, but only at killing, targeting Ron Galuzzo as his next victim. Before he strikes the killing blow, Dexter laments that he too consumes everyone he loves.

We had a strong feeling that the moment glimpsed in earlier trailers wherein Deb went to confess the truth would end up something of a misdirect, which proved conveniently true tonight. Granted, 'Dexter' season 8 has been well-established as the series' final year, with an ultimate end forthcoming, Deb stumbling into Miami Metro to confess feels like a moment that should have had much more impact than it was given here, so easily dismissed by Quinn, and none of the other regulars around to see it.

Nitpicks aside, Jennifer Carpenter continues to deliver a strong performance in allowing the character to unravel, which will prove even more interesting in the coming weeks as Dr. Vogel begins to help Deb through her grief, whether altruistically or not. The actual Brain Surgeon case has felt a bit hokey from the start, certainly not helped by Dexter discovering such a cartoonish, and coincidentally cannibalistic killer tonight, though hopefully the story will reach a stronger development in the coming weeks.

Certainly not much of note to chew on from "What's Eating Dexter Morgan," but the piece-moving nature of the episode will likely prove its worth a bit more in the coming weeks.

What say you? Did you get your fill of darkly dangerous ‘Dexter’ drama? What did you think the latest episode of the final season? Stay tuned for the latest from ‘Dexter’ season 8, and join us next week for the a new episode recap of “Scar Tissue” on Showtime! Don't forget to follow our Comic-Con 2013 coverage of the final 'Dexter' panel!

Readers be advised, the below preview of next week's 'Dexter' episode "Scar Tissue" seems much less careful with spoilers than usual.