Dexter

[Loveless]

I may be the only one here but I liked the ending. I think that the self imposed exile that Dexter subject himself to is a fate worse than death itself. His quest for humanity has only brought pain and sorrow to the ones he has loved and this is the only way he can ensure their safety. One thing I would have loved to see was for his Dark Passenger to return to him in the end. I really thought they were foreshadowing it when Dex was talking to Saxon but he just looked defeated at the end...

Anyhow, I think people at MMPD are bound to find out that Dexter is a serial killer. I think that may be the topic of the spin-off these guys are talking about. He killed a man before their eyes and there is also no sign of Debra. Questions are bound to be asked.

Dexter's basically become a tragedy, there is a real sense of helplessness with the ending and while I do not think that it is the perfect way to go, it was not the worst either.

Hey someone else gets it! I'll copy what I posted somewhere else

The more I think about it, the more I can understand this ending. I didn't like it at the time, it's an incredibly bleak ending where everyone suffers and it left me feeling quite depressed. As the day has gone on, I've thought endlessly about it, read the intentions of the writers and I'm starting to get it.
What we have here is simply a badly communicated message from the writers.
All this season I've been waiting for the writers to show that they understand Dexter isn't the hero of this story and that he needed to be punished. They put that message across extremely poorly, to the point where even at the end after Dexter has suffered a terrible punishment of exile, you still feel sorry for him. That was unintentional on the writers part.
After reading Sara Colleton's explanation, you understand that this is the most severe punishment they can give him, exile from everything he loves for a man who has only just regained his humanity. It is a terribly bleak, empty ending as he sits in that cabin, all alone without even his darkness.

 

[jmt225]

The ending itself isn't really the problem as is the route they took to get there.

I mean, I'm willing to suspend disbelief pretty far, but last night was simply ridiculous.

First of all, why does Saxon return to the hospital? He couldn't have really thought he could get to Debra without a hitch? That there wouldn't be any cops around? All season long this guy is hyped up as big of a genius killer as Dexter is, yet he becomes that dumb so conveniently in the finale?

Secondly, I don't care how busy the hospital looks or that there's some power problems.... there's absolutely no way Dexter could ever just roll a body out of there like that, no questions asked. Not to mention a high profiled cop whose room is supposed to be guarded by cops.

Third, Dex doesn't survive that far into a hurricane with just a raft. I don't care how good his survival skills are.

And lastly, though it mattered very little, the whole Elway/Hanna thing was ******ed as well. Elway just so conveniently finally had one of his contacts come through.

See, the ending itself wasn't the problem... it was the episode as a whole. Very poorly done.

 

[jmt225]

BTW, this is Clyde Phillips' ending. He was the original showrunner of Dexter.

http://www.eonline.com/news/461558/...lips-reveals-how-he-planned-to-end-the-series

Didn't like his idea, at all.

 

[FlexAmerican Dynamite]

The episode was pretty bad but I'd have been content had Dexter actually died and not giving us one of the worst endings to a series ever.

 

[.]

What about the thing between Masuka and his donor child? What was the point? There was no real payoff there at all.

Also yeah, shit episode.

 

[Coco]

I may be the only one here but I liked the ending. I think that the self imposed exile that Dexter subject himself to is a fate worse than death itself. His quest for humanity has only brought pain and sorrow to the ones he has loved and this is the only way he can ensure their safety. One thing I would have loved to see was for his Dark Passenger to return to him in the end. I really thought they were foreshadowing it when Dex was talking to Saxon but he just looked defeated at the end...

Anyhow, I think people at MMPD are bound to find out that Dexter is a serial killer. I think that may be the topic of the spin-off these guys are talking about. He killed a man before their eyes and there is also no sign of Debra. Questions are bound to be asked.

Dexter's basically become a tragedy, there is a real sense of helplessness with the ending and while I do not think that it is the perfect way to go, it was not the worst either.

Why do people keep pretending the character has been growing in any meaningful way? It's been a long time since I even bothered to register their nonsensical psychobabble. By the end, it was just a poor excuse to keep the characters talking... and talking... and talking...

Dexter going into hiding as a bearded flannel aficionado is something I wanted back in the middle of season four. Too late for me to care now.

It was a regular-bad episode of Dexter until he took his boat to the hospital. And then it went to a whole different level. That special level of terrible reserved for things like Sons Of Anarchy's third season. A level I was sort of hoping would come along if I stuck it out long enough. T'was a good time.

 

[Hulk Hogan's Brother]

The ending itself isn't really the problem as is the route they took to get there.

I mean, I'm willing to suspend disbelief pretty far, but last night was simply ridiculous.

First of all, why does Saxon return to the hospital? He couldn't have really thought he could get to Debra without a hitch? That there wouldn't be any cops around? All season long this guy is hyped up as big of a genius killer as Dexter is, yet he becomes that dumb so conveniently in the finale?

I can't really defend this. I mean, the way Batista caught him was very anticlimatic. I guess I can only say now is that Saxon is a bit unhinged, so much so that he would take huge risks to hurt anyone who has hurt him.

Secondly, I don't care how busy the hospital looks or that there's some power problems.... there's absolutely no way Dexter could ever just roll a body out of there like that, no questions asked. Not to mention a high profiled cop whose room is supposed to be guarded by cops.

I guess we were supposed to believe that people were busy clearing people out during the storm. The cops must have some duty in the city as well.

It was shit though. They took the symbolism bit too far. The idea was that Debra was one of Dexter's victims and so she had to be thrown into the sea by him. He could have just pulled the plug and left

Third, Dex doesn't survive that far into a hurricane with just a raft. I don't care how good his survival skills are.

True. Are we supposed to assume he just washed up in Oregon where a loving lumberjack family just took him?

And lastly, though it mattered very little, the whole Elway/Hanna thing was ******ed as well. Elway just so conveniently finally had one of his contacts come through.

The intention was to make Hannah look somewhat of a bad ass I believe with her tranquilizing Elway...Still bad, though.

Didn't like his idea, at all.

Neither did I. It is obviously a rage on the internet because CLYDE PHILLIPS wrote it.

BTW, JMT you may be right about Dexter returning after all. Jennifer Carpenter gave an interview where she says that MCH may return for something Dexter related after relaxing for a while. The Showtime executive producer also said that Dexter is to Showtime as Spiderman or Batman is to Sony and Warner Bros. and that he is quite opposed to ending it just yet.

I wish there is a spin-off with MMPD discovering about Dexter.

 

[FlexAmerican Dynamite]

I wish everybody involved creatively is never employed ever again, one of the most overrated shows I've ever watched.

 

[Hulk Hogan's Brother]

Why do people keep pretending the character has been growing in any meaningful way? It's been a long time since I even bothered to register their nonsensical psychobabble. By the end, it was just a poor excuse to keep the characters talking... and talking... and talking...

I think he has grown steadily throughout the show. He started out as an emotionless character and grew into someone who was almost human with the ability to feel almost all human emotions like pain, sorrow, love, etc. Surely, season 1 Dexter did things towards those close to him more as a matter of duty and in order to maintain his cover while the Dexter of season 8 makes decisions based on his true affections towards people.

Anyhow, what do you think of Clyde's ending?

 

[Hulk Hogan's Brother]

I wish everybody involved creatively is never employed ever again, one of the most overrated shows I've ever watched.

I think that the show did have 3 stellar seasons in 1,2 and 4. Even 7 and 3 are rather good. 5/8 is still a decent score in my opinion. Definitely seen worse shows.

 

[Coco]

I think he has grown steadily throughout the show. He started out as an emotionless character and grew into someone who was almost human with the ability to feel almost all human emotions like pain, sorrow, love, etc. Surely, season 1 Dexter did things towards those close to him more as a matter of duty and in order to maintain his cover while the Dexter of season 8 makes decisions based on his true affections towards people.

Yeah. All he needed was the love of a good woman. I'm overjoyed. It still played out in a way that was the farthest thing from dramatically compelling. The show reached for greatness in season two, didn't get there, and then took a fucking header. I get what they were going for, him playing the self-sacrifice card to protect those he loves. I get that. But did anything leading up to this earn that moment? No. Was it done in a wildly illogical fashion that looked a lot like self-parody? Yep. And Debra absolving him of his sins and telling him he deserves a happy ending? Fuck off. He's not a super hero. He's a fucking serial murderer. He's scum who's ruined countless lives, including her own. And fuck the show for not realizing that until the final fifteen minutes of the last episode and then giving us a terribly rushed, contrived, laughable ending. Fuck stupid ret-conned Vogel too. Yet another silly contrivance to make sure the audience doesn't see Dexter for what he is. "Oh, he's not really to blame. It was all Vogel's fault."

I'd say you're too smart to fall for this garbage, but I know better.

Fuck your psychobabble. This is a serial killer show without any balls or conviction. Which would have been fine if there had been something else dramatically satisfying to watch. But the Quinn-Deb-Jaime love triangle and Quinn and Black Detective's struggle to become sergeant didn't really hit the mark for me.

Anyhow, what do you think of Clyde's ending?

I prefer what we got. Lumberjack Dexter stands a chance of living in pop-culture infamy. I'll take that over average-bad any day of the week.

 

[Coco]

Leave the memories alone!

 

[Hulk Hogan's Brother]

Yeah. All he needed was the love of a good woman. I'm overjoyed. It still played out in a way that was the farthest thing from dramatically compelling. The show reached for greatness in season two, didn't get there, and then took a fucking header. I get what they were going for, him playing the self-sacrifice card to protect those he loves. I get that. But did anything leading up to this earn that moment? No. Was it done in a wildly illogical fashion that looked a lot like self-parody? Yep. And Debra absolving him of his sins and telling him he deserves a happy ending? Fuck off. He's not a super hero. He's a fucking serial murderer. He's scum who's ruined countless lives, including her own. And fuck the show for not realizing that until the final fifteen minutes of the last episode and then giving us a terribly rushed, contrived, laughable ending. Fuck stupid ret-conned Vogel too. Yet another silly contrivance to make sure the audience doesn't see Dexter for what he is. "Oh, he's not really to blame. It was all Vogel's fault."

I get what you are saying and it is a genuine complaint, to be honest. Nothing that happened in this season led up to the the event in the finale. But that has always been the case with Dexter. Nothing leads to anything. Rita's death? Nothing. Deb finding out? Nothing.

I would still say though that, taken alone, the ending redeemed the show for me. It was a punishment which does mean that Dexter is not a superhero.

But I still don't get why Vogel's introduction makes Dexter look faultless. No matter what his dad and psycho lady did, they were still his own urges. Though I guess they did absolve Dexter of his faults with the story of his mother's death anyway.

 

[Davi323]

How the fuck did Dexter survive? Even assuming he has scuba gear stashed on the boat, and had time to put the wetsuit on while driving the boat straight into the hurricane, and had a full oxygen tank, at least making riding it out 0.5% plausible, how did he then make it back to shore? He was miles out to sea, and Dexter is not a long distance swimmer.

I don't mind that he faked his death and is now in a sort of solitary exile, but the method used is absolutely fucking ridiculous.

 

[Coco]

I get what you are saying and it is a genuine complaint, to be honest. Nothing that happened in this season led up to the the event in the finale. But that has always been the case with Dexter. Nothing leads to anything. Rita's death? Nothing. Deb finding out? Nothing.

Rita's death was the logical conclusion to a couple years of Dexter struggling with balancing a home life with his compulsion. Deb finding out had been teased constantly before it happened.

Lumberjack Dexter in isolation was the result of fifteen minutes of "Oh, shit. We should probably wrap this up."

 

[Loveless]

Lumberjack Dexter in isolation was the result of fifteen minutes of "Oh, shit. We should probably wrap this up."

Psh, it was what they've clearly been building towards for a long time. Can this guy be around people he cares about without without destroying them? The answer was clearly not and he realises that as Debs dies, so he exiles himself to a terrible existence away from everyone he cares about. A truly selfless act and a validation of himself as a human, what he's been wanting all along.

 

[FlexAmerican Dynamite]

Or he could have actually died and truly got what he deserved.

 

[Hulk Hogan's Brother]

Rita's death was the logical conclusion to a couple years of Dexter struggling with balancing a home life with his compulsion. Deb finding out had been teased constantly before it happened.

Yes but nothing happened after Rita's death or Deb finding out. Dexter was able to resolve both issues and move on as if nothing had happened. As conclusions, both events are rather fitting, but they should have both led to something new.

Lumberjack Dexter in isolation was the result of fifteen minutes of "Oh, shit. We should probably wrap this up."

Well, if you want to take it as a conclusion, then it is a logical one. Dexter has fucked up too many times and he cannot risk it again. Lumberjack Dexter was not a result of what happened in this season, but something that has been happening since the beginning of the series.

Or that is what I would rather believe.

 

[Hulk Hogan's Brother]

Or he could have actually died and truly got what he deserved.

This is a fate worse than death, imo. The only way I would have been satisfied with Dexter dying is if Miami Metro would have found out and there would have been an execution or a shootout. Suicide would have been the worst end ever.

 

[Coco]

Or he could have actually died and truly got what he deserved.

Or, you know, he could have stopped killing people as that was what caused all his trouble. What happened to his urges disappearing last week? One revenge kill doesn't negate that.

But I guess leaving his son without a father is the "noble" thing. A "selfless act" and "validation for him as a human."

I expect this shit from Rattlesnake. But for some reason I thought Loveless was above it.

Yes but nothing happened after Rita's death or Deb finding out. Dexter was able to resolve both issues and move on as if nothing had happened. As conclusions, both events are rather fitting, but they should have both led to something new.

I agree. This show seriously sucks.

Or that is what I would rather believe.

Adorable.

As for your idea that this proves Dexter isn't a superhero, I disagree. Surviving that hurricane was some serious Batman shit.

 

[nightmare]

The ending itself isn't really the problem as is the route they took to get there.

This.

there's absolutely no way Dexter could ever just roll a body out of there like that, no questions asked.

...and this.



Not to mention the fact we have been shown how Dexter reacts in situations for 8 years. Episode after episode on how he deals with the more dangerous problems and does not leave anything to chance.


Yet he leaves the super smart crazy killer tied up a mere inches from all his blades. In the place the killer calls 'home' for his own kills. He just leaves it to Deb and walks away. See what happens? Bad shit goes down. Dexter knows this, we know this.


They chose it to play that way for what? Dexter already had plenty of reason to go off the deep end and\or hate Vogel enough to kill him. So how did that really make sense? Just another strange decision on the part of the writers which all leaves us feeling very underwhelmed with the finale.



Here is a tip. Dont try and give us a 'make-up' season or some band-aid of a tv movie. Just let it lie Showtime.

 

[Loveless]

Or he could have actually died and truly got what he deserved.

When I was watching it, that was what I was hoping for. Upon reflection though, exile is a far worse punishment and fits in better with the story that was being told.

 

[Loveless]

Or, you know, he could have stopped killing people as that was what caused all his trouble. What happened to his urges disappearing last week? One revenge kill doesn't negate that.

It wasn't one revenge, he's been progressing as a person towards this point for a very long time. I don't want to get too deep into the psychology of the show but his character arc has been about his psychological recovery from what happened to his mother.
Psychopaths kill because all they can feel is anger, Dexter stops killing when he starts feeling other things, this is his recovery.

But I guess leaving his son without a father is the "noble" thing. A "selfless act" and "validation for him as a human."

That is exactly what it is. Dexter has been responsible for the death of both Rita and Debra, he decides that he can't risk his son being next, or Hannah. Keep in mind this isn't someone with a normal range or emotions or the ability to handle them, by the end he is distraught. People with emotional difficulties often refer to extreme logic in times of trouble, so that's what he does. He simplifies things down to "I'm bad and I cause suffering to everyone around me, so I'll not be around them".

I'll just add something because I keep seeing it come up.
The hospital was being evacuated, being essentially braindead Debra would have been one of the last to be removed, considering this is Dexter and we've seen him do it a hundred times, I can't imagine it'd be difficult for him to get out of the building. Maybe if they'd shown how he did it, people would stop bitching.

 

[HBK-aholic]

Do you all really believe Dexter is this evil monster who deserves death or worse? I don't know that I believe he is. I feel like there's a moral difference between stalking random women and killing them, and killing murderers. I guess I don't believe that all lives are equal - someone above said that he ruined countless lives - does that mean the lives of those he killed, or of those around him? It could be argued he saved more lives than he took by taking these serial killers off of the streets.

I don't think Dexter is a good guy, but I don't feel the great urge for him to get his 'comeuppance' that so many others do.

 

[Loveless]

Do you all really believe Dexter is this evil monster who deserves death or worse? I don't know that I believe he is. I feel like there's a moral difference between stalking random women and killing them, and killing murderers. I guess I don't believe that all lives are equal - someone above said that he ruined countless lives - does that mean the lives of those he killed, or of those around him? It could be argued he saved more lives than he took by taking these serial killers off of the streets.

I don't think Dexter is a good guy, but I don't feel the great urge for him to get his 'comeuppance' that so many others do.

I'm personally anti-death penalty anyway, so that kind of explains where I stand regarding his punishment and his actions.
It's OK to like Dexter, but ultimately that doesn't mean he gets a pass. Any civilized society has to condemn him and admit that what he does is simply not acceptable. Just because it's better than killing random people doesn't make it OK, he has to be punished.
If you need evidence, you really only need to look at the devastation he causes to everyone around him. The victims of Dexter aren't restricted solely to the people who end up on his table.

Dead
Rita, Debra, Doakes, Laguerta, Cassie, Vogel, Lundy

Orphaned
Astor, Cody, Harrison

Also, the family of every person he's killed and a handful of "innocent" people.