Dexter 3.09 "About Last Night"

Well, what d'ya know? Not only did Miguel go rogue and break the Code almost immediately after being introduced to the ways of bad guy killin', it now looks like he's been setting up Dexter from the start. I'm looking forward to an exceptionally pissed off Dexter in the last few episodes.

In Miguel, Dexter has an adversary who is, in a lot of ways, a synthesis of his antagonists in seasons one and two. Like Doakes, Miguel knows Dexter's secrets and is in a position to expose him publicly. Whereas Doakes was a straight-laced cop, Miguel's got the same killer instinct and lack of ethics as the Ice Truck Killer. To use the superhero metaphor yet again, the Dark Avenger finally has his arch-enemy.

What are the implications of the cow's blood on the shirt? I loved the scene of Dexter losing it in the office, though I was a little disappointed that it was just a fantasy sequence. At this point we can assume that everything Miguel said was a lie and we have to wonder how much he really knows. Does he know Dexter killed his brother? Does he know Dexter was the Bay Harbor Butcher? It has always been conspicuous that he found out about a serial killer in the police department and never once brought up or suspected Dexter as being involved with Miami's highest profile killer in recent years.

Meanwhile, we find out that the soft-spoken tree-trimmer really is the Skinner. He has Anton in captivity, minus a healthy chunk of his epidermis. Deb rages at the tree-trimmer, get advised by Dexter that showing him respect and deference is a better way to get through to him and manages that for about 90 seconds before she's banging his head on the floor. She's like a more hot-headed and foul mouthed Vic Mackey trapped in the body of a cute-in-a-gawky-way girl. It's like teaching a little kid to curse. Just adorable.

Maybe it was just a contact high from loving the rest of the episode but I actually even found myself enjoying the CSI-lite scenes. I don't watch procedurals much these days so maybe that's why the scene where they reconstructed Anton's abduction was more than tolerable. I also like the way they tricked the other tree-trimmer into ratting on the Skinner. Hell, I even felt sorry for Maria when they unearthed Ellen Wolf's body. Have I been blinded by pure Dexter final stretch enthusiasm?