Warning: If you read this, you’re going to know what happened last night on the tenth episode of Dexter. If you don’t want to know what happened, you should probably check out one of our other stories instead.

After last weekend’s hiatus, we’re really at the top of the stretch and headed for home with this final season of Dexter.

Everything is starting to build towards what should be an epic crescendo, with Dr. Vogel conflicted about her relationship with her not dead, now a serial killer son, Daniel (a.k.a. The Brain Surgeon), and Dexter’s desire to do what he tends to do in these situations.

On top of that, Deputy Marshall Clayton (Kenny Johnson) is still roaming around Miami on the lookout for Hannah, Debra is weighing a return to Miami metro, and still trying to process sharing a house with a chick that has tried to kill her that her brother is madly in love with.

Good times… and those good times made for an entertaining evening that sets up our two final episodes.

Dexter & The Vogels

After ending the last episode with Dr. Vogel proving to her son that she didn’t send Dexter after him, this week opened with an awkward family breakfast, where Daniel went in on his mother for institutionalizing him, and blamed her for the death of his brother, Richard, whom he drowned, saying it was her fault for paying him too much attention.

He also is pissed about her willingness to help Dexter find ways to live a “normal life” while being a serial killer. Clearly, the boy has some unresolved issues, and try as she might, Vogel knows that her son has some anger problems and is a potential threat to her, Dexter, and society at large.

At his urging – and because of her own sense of guilt – she tries to convince Dexter that Daniel can be saved, only to have Dexter show her a video her son made of Zach Hamilton’s murder. Swayed by Dexter’s video evidence to Daniel’s inner darkness, Vogel agrees to set him up to face Dexter’s blade.

On the night things are supposed to go down, Daniel shows up at Vogel’s house – he was in the neighbourhood – but that wasn’t the plan. Vogel calls Dexter when he arrives, and our title antihero jumps in his SUV. It’s obvious to Daniel from the moment he sits down for tea with his mother that something is amiss – she can’t pour a cup without shaking, and seems tense. As Dexter arrives at Vogel’s house, he notices Daniel’s truck is still there.

His phone rings. It’s Daniel. He wants Dexter to see something.

The curtain opens, and he draws a knife across his mother’s throat. Sorry for the graphic description – believe me, it was rougher to watch.

Dexter rushes in, but it’s too late. He grasps her lifeless body, holding it tightly, showing as much emotion as we’ve seen Dexter display for another human being. After being torn on whether to help Vogel or just skip town without offing Daniel, it’s clear that hunting him down and resolving this situation will be a big part of the final two hours of the series.

Argentina Bound

So the plan is for Dexter, Harrison, and Hannah to head off to Argentina, but there are some hurdles to be cleared first.

He tells Debra first, and she’s far from thrilled, as you’d expect, focusing on what it means to her life instead of seeing it as a chance for her brother to start anew. They eventually talk it out over an adult beverage after Deb gets some advice on the subject from Quinn, and she seems to be on board with things.

Dexter starts tying off the loose ends by telling Batista that he’s leaving, citing burnout and too much death in his life – yes, I love the irony.

But every time he thinks about just packing up and getting out of Dodge right away, Dexter comes back to finishing things with Vogel’s son, even though every minute Hannah remains in Miami is another minute she can be discovered by Deputy Marshall Clayton – “DMC” from here on out.

And he got close in Sunday night’s episode.

After overhearing Batista on the phone discussing an opening in the forensics department, he finds out Dexter is the one leaving, and starts to ask questions. That leads him to Debra’s, where she’s playing on the beach with Harrison… as Hannah makes lunch in the house.

Deb stonewalls him, telling him Dexter would never hook up with Hannah or jeopardize Harrison’s safety, and then has an “I’m getting tired of this” interaction with Hannah, declining a grilled cheese sandwich to just get out of the house.

To complicate matters further, Harrison splits his chin running on the treadmill, and Hannah has to take him to the hospital for stitches. She gets him in and home without incident, except the nurse recognized her, and informs “DMC” that is was her who brought in Harrison Morgan.

NEXT: Quick hitters and Spencer’s two cents…