Dexter, Drama, FRONT, TV

Dexter Series Finale Brings Tears and Questions

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Jennifer Carpenter and Michael C Hall

THE FOLLOWING POST CONTAINS FINAL EPISODE SPOILERS~!

So…the Dexter finale.  Yeah.  Talk about a really dark closing to a series right?  After having watched the final episode last night and feeling super snarky and negative about the whole thing, I tried to write a post, but it wasn’t happening.  So, i slept on it.  Have my feelings changed?  Somewhat.  Let me explain…

I trolled through social media after the finale to find a general consensus about the episode and what I found, was fans (and myself) were asking “Did the right person die and the right person live?” making me question ‘did the writers get it right?’

We were never expecting a finale full of sunshine, unicorns and stickers, I mean, come on, it was a show about a serial killer.  The ending was never going to be good…..for Dexter that is, and that said, why was there not a single ray of sunshine for any character in that closing episode?

I was shocked and annoyed that Deb was killed off.  Cheap shot in my eyes.  A pure cop out.  Reading an interview with executive producer Sara Colleton, she says “It was never about Deb’s story. It’s about Dexter’s story. Just like in Season 4, when Dexter played fast and loose with Trinity (John Lithgow) … and Rita (Julie Benz) died. Here, Deb is the most meaningful person in his life and he’s the most advanced he’s been as a human being. The price you pay for being a fully alive, aware human being is the true nature of his crimes.”  Really Sara?  It was never about Deb’s story?  Sure Dexter was the main character, but to just throw away Deb’s entire progression throughout the series (which we followed and became invested in) simply by saying it was Dexter’s story just slaps me and fans alike in the face.

What also annoyed me was the feeling that side characters were treated like this was just a season finale and not a series finale.  Masuka’s all important secret daughter story-line, Quinn and Jamie, Angel and Miami Metro…these played important parts throughout not only the final series, but the show in general.  Each had story lines we followed and became involved with only for us to be left thinking “Wait, these guys don’t even get an ending“

What about Hannah and Harrison?  Poor love now finds herself playing mom to a kid that’s not even hers in a foreign country without the man she was expecting to spend the rest of her life with. Was Dexter really THAT selfish to just ditch them both – granted she thinks he’s dead.

Which makes me want to come back to the whole ‘did the right person die?’  I think, we as viewers, would have felt much more at ease with the finale had the roles been reversed and Deb lived and Dexter had died. I’m sure the writers are arguing that Dexter is now paying the ultimate price, a life alone in solitary working as a logger with no real human contact, but in the end, isn’t that the perfect life for Dexter?

And what does this bring for the supposed spin-off?  Hannah and Harrison in Argentina?  Sara Colleton made it clear that line is not likely stating that Harrison had not exhibited any signs of turning into Dexter because Dexter had ensured Harrison’s upbringing was to be as normal as possible.  So perhaps it’ll be Dexter 2.0 – American Loggers?  All I will say is that i’d be very surprised if a spin-off was brought to life after this finale.

What did you think?  Do you agree that Dexter was right to live and Deb was right to die?

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