Warning: Major spoilers ahead for the Dexter series finale.
The Dexter The ending, which aired in 2013, remains one of the most controversial series finales of all time. Dexter Star Michael C. Hall as the titular protagonist who, over eight seasons and 96 episodes, doubles as a forensic specialist and blood spatter analyst for the Miami Metro Police Department and a methodical vigilante serial killer. Dexter breaks the convention of traditional serial killers in that he is guided by a strict code And wants to kill innocent people – most of the time.
Dexter‘s series finale finds the protagonist completely isolated, having walked away from his life in Miami after the tragic death of his sister, Debra. It’s certainly arguable that Dexter taking Debra off life support in the final moments of season 8 was more an act of mercy than violence, but ultimately his actions, or more specifically, His inaction to kill Oliver Saxon, the killer who shot Debra after Dexter atypically spared him, ended up costing Debra her life. Dexter has remarkably gotten away with dozens of murders throughout the series but eventually, life caught up with him.
Dexter and Hannah planned to spend the rest of their lives together in Argentina
They plan to take Harrison with them, which Hanna finally does without Dexter
The events of the US Dexter Finale begins to unfold once Dexter and Hannah McKay, who first became Dexter’s romantic interest in season 7, confirm their plans to leave Miami together with Dexter’s son Harrison and start a new life. This is established between the letters in Dexter Season 8, Episode 9, “Make Your Own Brand of Music,” which inspired Dexter to give his release to Lute. Angel Batista soon after.
The typically emotional and calculated Dexter begins to think with his heart rather than his brain for onceWhich leads him to make the spontaneous decision to start a new life with Hannah in Argentina. Dexter’s love for Hannah also causes him to become sloppier, leaving the door open for investigators like James Elway to close in on him and Hannah.
Why Saxon killed his own mother Dr. Vogel in Dexter Season 8, Episode 10
Saxon is as cold-blooded as they come
Oliver Saxon is one of the most vicious villains in the whole Dexter Series who shockingly killed his own mother in front of Dexter not long after he reunited with her. Saxon, whose real name is Daniel Vogel, is the second son of Dr. Evelyn Vogel, who in season 8 became a confidant to Dexter after she revealed to him that his father, Harry Morgan, came to her for help.
Dr. Vogel was the person who actually invented Harry’s code, which came to define Dexter’s entire methodology and morality of murder. Unlike Dexter, Saxon was truly evil, and unable to feel love for another person. This is what Dexter tells him moments before he plans to kill him that he and Saxon are actually nothing alike since Dexter loves Hannah, Harrison, and Debra.
Saxon gave Dexter a chance to walk away
Dexter stayed true to Harry’s code all the way to the end
In the latest episode of DexterSaxon shows up at Dexter’s apartment and gives him a choice: either stay out of his way or face the consequences. Dexter lies to Saxon and agrees to leave him alone, but because of Harry’s code, can’t rest if he knows Saxon is dead, especially after witnessing what he might do to his own mother.
Dexter can’t walk away from Saxon for two main reasons. One, Harry’s code effectively prevented Dexter from turning the other cheek and forgetting what Saxon did with Dr. Vogel, as well as Cassie and Dexter’s alleged protégé Zack Hamilton. Two, Dexter didn’t have the self-control to Not kill Saxon, knowing that he very well could, and finally should have.
As Debra inadvertently became Dexter’s final kill
Dexter should have killed Saxon when he had the chance
Unfortunately for Debra, her love and faith in Dexter became her undoing. Even after everything they’ve been through, especially in the last three seasons during which Debra finds out Dexter is a vigilante serial killer and Debra protects and kills Laguerta instead of her brother, Dexter can’t find a failsafe way to protect Debra from Saxon.
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Dexter tried to help Debra since she had just returned to the Miami Metro Police force by leaving Saxon for her to deal with so she would be rewarded professionally. Dexter’s plan backfires horribly when a deputy marshal intervenes, freeing Saxon and giving him the opportunity to shoot Debra, leading to her death. No matter how you look at it, The word is broken by the hand of Dakhtir.
Dexter not killing Saxon caused his entire life to tragically fall apart
Dexter lived a secluded life after Debra’s death in order not to hurt Hannah or Harrison
With Dexter shockingly not killing Saxon and ensuring the safety of his family and his new life with Hannah, everything ends up unraveling quickly. Dexter was about to get on a bus with Hannah and Harrison, one that Elway also boarded and nearly busted Hannah, when he felt compelled to visit Debra in the hospital for an unexpected face-off with Saxon.
Angel was able to arrest Saxon before he got to Debra, but the biggest threat to Debra wound up not Saxon at all, but fate. Dexter meets a teary-eyed Joey Quinn in the ICU who explains that there were complications with Debra’s surgery. A doctor confirms that Debra will be in a coma for life.
Debra Poetic becomes Dexter’s final kill in the series as Dexter detaches her from her incubator and shuts off her life support. He then takes her out on his front slice of life Motorboat and does to Deborah what he did to dozens of his victims like the Bay Harbor Butcher – rolls her dead body into the vast sea. at this point, Dexter realizes that he really has nothing to live forEven with his young son Harrison and the love of his life Hannah waiting for and counting on him.
Dexter drives his boat into a hurricane with the intention of dying so that the people he loves, like Debra and Rita among others, don’t die because of him. In a final epilogue scene, Dexter is revealed to be living and working as a lonely lumberjack somewhere far from Miami, living under a new identity which is further explored in Dexter: New Blood.
The Dexter ending is widely panned
The finale became an infamous example of the wrong way to end a series
While Dexter Seeming to be in decline for the last few seasons, few people were prepared for how negatively the finale was received by critics and fans. The episode was panned for its poor storytelling, as many found the storylines lacking, especially for a final season, and simply constructed to get the series to its endpoint without concern for logic or cohesion. Likewise, the decision to let Dexter survive the finale was a controversial one, as it seemed like the series needed to achieve a lot of him facing the consequences.
In keeping Dexter alive and delivering the final reveal that he was living a new life in hiding, the series finale delivered one of the most notorious images in television history. The final shot of Dexter living in the wilderness as a lumberjack was met with more derision and became the shot that was used to highlight how far the series had fallen by its end.
In the years after the US Dexter Finale was worse, the reputation of the episode is only worse. It has been regarded as one of the worst series finales of all time. There are even some who claim that the show’s final ending retroactively made the entire series significantly worse. Of course, for as widely as the finale was panned, the Dexter Franchise continues to this day.
Did new blood have a better ending?
The sequel series tried to give Dexter a more permanent ending
Given how poorly the ending was revived and the fact that Dexter is still alive, it’s not surprising that there was a follow-up attempt to complete the story properly. Dexter: New Blood was a limited series that aired in 2021 and explored Dexter’s life in hiding. With the arrival of his son Harrison and with the ghost of Debra now speaking to him, Dexter returns to his murderous ways.
While Dexter: New Blood It doesn’t recommend Dexter’s life in the desert and in hiding, it seems to address some of the concerns of how the original finale ended. The sequel series shed more light on the idea of ​​Dexter as a villain, with his code becoming more blurred. This eventually leads to him killing an innocent cop which in turn leads to Harrison killing his father for becoming the killer he insisted he was hunting.
It was satisfying to see the more complex ending that addressed Dexter’s legacy, however Dexter: New Blood Wasn’t an ending that was good enough to undo the original finale. Much like the original ending, Dexter: New Blood Seemed to go through the motions of getting to the end they felt was needed rather than a compelling story to tell. Dexter’s death should have been a powerful moment, but it just felt like something the show needed to do.
As a sign of Dexter: New Blood Not satisfying fans either, a new Dexter Sequel series is on the way.
Dexter spinoffs
Series |
Release |
---|---|
Dexter: New Blood |
November 7, 2021 |
Dexter: Original Sin |
December 15, 2024 |
Dexter: Resurrection |
tba |
Based on the character created by author Jeff Lindsay, Showtime’s Dexter Follows Miami Metro Police Department’s most skilled blood spotter analyst, Dexter Morgan, as he tries to satisfy his dark passenger’s need to kill by hunting down criminals who have escaped justice. However, using the rules his adoptive father taught him to remain undiscovered, Dexter must walk the fine line of seemingly blending into society while continuously feeding his dark urges. Dexter faces several serial killers as his facade slowly crumbles around him; With every problem solved by his dark passenger, another one arises for his suburban fatherly life. When Dexter takes it personally or feels that the law is failing, he takes matters into his own hands and even compromises the investigations of his associates. Dexter Aired on Showtime for eight seasons before receiving a mini-sequel series called Dexter: New Bloodwhich picked up ten years after the events of the show. You can buy each season for just $9.99 for Prime Day.
- Release date
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October 31, 2010
- Seasons
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8
- Showrunner
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Clyde Phillips