Set in Miami, the series centers on Dexter Morgan, a forensic technician specializing in bloodstain pattern analysis for the fictional Miami Metro Police Department, who leads a secret parallel life as a vigilante serial killer, hunting down murderers who have not been adequately punished by the justice system due to corruption or legal technicalities.
According to Nielsen Media Research, the episode was seen by an estimated 2.40 million household viewers and gained a 1.0 ratings share among adults aged 18–49.
He then lies to Angel (David Zayas) and Quinn (Desmond Harrington) that he already found her dead, not revealing that Saxon (Darri Ingólfsson) is the killer.
He raises his suspicions to Elway (Sean Patrick Flanery), who decides to visit Debra, finding signs that there are more people in the house.
Angel, Quinn and Matthews (Geoff Pierson) each take turns to bid farewell to Dexter, telling him he can return if he wants.
Obtaining footage of Saxon's murders, Dexter anonymously sends it to the media, while the police receive confirmation that his real name is Daniel Vogel.
It contained shards of ideas that could fit into anyone's concept of a penultimate episode of Dexter, and sort of flicked at the themes that drew viewers to this show in the first place.
"[5] Richard Rys of Vulture gave the episode a 3 star rating out of 5 and wrote, "Does the impending convergence of Dex, Saxon, the cops, Elway, and Tropical Storm Laura feel like an ending eight seasons in the making?
My guess is that most fans would agree the series should have closed with season five, as Dexter copes with Rita's death and realizes that serial killers can't live happily ever after.
It seems the latter point will be made next week, as the chances of Dexter making it to Argentina with Hannah and Harrison are about as slim as Deb's skinny jeans.
"[6] Kevin Fitzpatrick of ScreenCrush wrote, "It can be frustrating to see Dexter come to such a ham-fisted close, especially as it seems so much of its climax will depend on Deb's life hanging in the balance, while an increasingly flat villain looms over the final hour.
"[7] James Hibberd of Entertainment Weekly wrote, "It was a major episode, though it lacked tension for its first half and there were a few big plot holes for nitpickers to jeer at.
The show is one hour away from being over forever and while it's given us a lot of great things in its eight years on the air, this final season won't end up being one of them.
"[12] Miranda Wicker of TV Fanatic gave the episode a 4 star rating out of 5 and wrote, "We're supposed to be left feeling uncertain and ill-equipped to deal with the possibility of losing a beloved character this close to the end.