The All Purpose Final Season of Dexter Thread (SPOILERS)

[Bobeddy]

I don't know, Prison Break was pretty craptacular.

[Deleted]

Sept 17, 2013 12:00:11 GMT -5 Some Guy said:

Given that the finale details have been leaked for weeks, I think it's safe to call this the worst final season of a show (sans Heroes) ever.

If your talking about the leaked one on Reddit I truly thought it was rubbish but the guy hit many plot points not yet established and the promo for the series finale details a lot of parts in his leak...


Link and opinion in the spoiler tag

SPOILER: Click to show

{Spoiler}http://www.reddit.com/r/Dexter/comments/1lmt40/spoilerpossible_finale_leak_for_dexter_season_8/


This was written before the final few episodes even mentioning the shooting of Debra and the death of the yet unnamed Clayton...It's almost The Dark Knight Rises redux

[Renslayer]

So the finale happened & I'm seeing a lot of what the f*** was that reactions.

[Shy Guy]

WHAT THE f*** WAS THAT

[Deleted]

The idea behind the ending is sound...but that execution...I think someone saw TDKR before writing this episode.

[Deleted]

My biggest problem with the whole thing is the fact that Dexter sent Harrison away to live with Hannah in Argentina.

...The kid has grandparents who are already raising Rita's other kids. Didn't Dexter think that maybe when he faked his own death, her parents were going to wonder what happened to Harrison?

[Some Guy]

What a total abortion of a final season, and the finale was hilarious for all the wrong reasons.

[Piccolo]

My sister and I were laughing so hard at that scene right before he gets on the boat. Oh, Dexter.

That was a terrible finale, but it wasn't as bad as the "Quinn becomes the new Dexter" spec. At least there were SOME consequences, and the pen thing, and the conversation afterward, was hilarious. Who else thinks Hannah's gonna off Harrison? I can't imagine her being happy with this situation.

[Crappler El 0 M]

All my circle of friends were disappointed, as was I. The last season ended up being the weakest and the finale was disappointing. It's a shame Dexter didn't end so well. I think the bad ending and bad last season will taint the show's legacy. The earlier seasons were great though.

[Professor Chaos]

I must be the only one but I loved the finale. Sure Breaking Bad's next week will blow it away but I thought this was good.

[Viva]

That was stupid. The entire f***ing whole thing. What a waste of time.

[Deleted]

Sept 23, 2013 1:24:42 GMT -5 Professor Chaos said:

I must be the only one but I loved the finale. Sure Breaking Bad's next week will blow it away but I thought this was good.

I'm actually with you. I'm really easy to please I guess, but it's really hard for me to get mad about the finale or anything that happened during the season.

It was far from horrible TV. I've seen horrible TV.

The lumberjack ending was kind of stupid, and there were obviously some plotholes, but I enjoyed it nevertheless.

[OGBoardPoster2005]

I would've preferred this to have been the ending.

[spyda]

First i thought what a sloppy finish

then i remembered the last couple of seasons

& i was like ....

["American Cream" Dusty Loads]

Wow! it ended stupider than I thought it would, from what I read. I'm glad I gave up 3 seasons ago.

[SEAN CARLESS]

I made the mistake of hitting up IMDB after the finale -- and was stunned to read how many people either didn't understand the arc of this show, the narrative or were offended that their own stupid, absurd fantasy endings were not used. Dexter was never going to "turn bad all the way" or end up in some idiotic shootout with cops. The entire narrative of this show from start to finish was that he wasn't the "psychopath" he (and others) assumed he was, and actually possessed many normal emotions -- emotions he rejected for years because he was convinced that he was an unrepentant monster. These last 8 seasons were basically about him coming to terms with becoming more human, and desperately trying to come to terms with how to deal with that. The flaw of the show was that they stretched it out too long and hit the reset button too many times.

Dexter, the human being, had a darkness in him, based on what he was subjected to as a child; something that would f*** up ANYONE. It created in him a subconscious need to right these wrongs. His entire impulses were actually not based on psychopathy, but control; an innate but subconscious need to rid the world of those who didn't belong (hence his decision to show the killers their victims' pictures; and how he doesn't toy with them so much as quickly and efficiently execute them with a straight shot).

His killing however was something cultivated in him, rather than approached and dealt with properly through actual counseling. Harry made the mistake of writing off a damaged little boy as being beyond redemption, while Vogel created a code for him to justifiably kill by to somehow alleviate her own need to find closure and control over what her son --a true psychopath--was. The truth was, while Dexter fit many of the benchmark signs of being a psychopath, deep down, he was not. He had empathy. He cared and even loved. They established early on that he cared for his sister. He protected her and watched out for her as a child. The show purposely showed how a true psychopath, people like Saxon and Trinity, did not care about their own family, and easily discarded or abused them at will. This was never Dexter.

As for the finale, while not ideal, it did make sense based on the arc they told. Dexter felt immeasurable guilt for what happened to Debra. And after pulling the plug, he made a conscious decision to kill off 'Dexter Morgan' as well. Dropping her into the ocean was his way of taking the blame for her death (which I guess technically is true), and was also a cover for his own self-inflicted punishment for all that he felt culpable for: a life of loneliness and solitude. In Dexter's mind, his life, his decisions, had bore so many disastrous ramifications for others. The fact that he gave up everything --as misguided as it was-- proved that his transformation of 'monster' to man was complete. A clinical psychopath would have simply left to be with Hannah all along. He wouldn't have cared about Debra being in a comatose state for the rest of her life. He'd have done what every other killer on this show always has: followed his own impulses and desires first, without a shred of guilt. The life of the "lumberjack" was him exiling himself from all true human connection. For now, Dexter is suffering in a purgatory of his own design. And despite what the mouth-breathers on IMDB say: he's not killing anymore; or freely killing, or any of that horse shit. He's doing exactly what he was shown doing. Living without a life.

As for what I didn't like: Hannah taking Harrison is a huge flaw. She's absolutely a sociopath, and as per her own history, she shouldn't be trusted with a kid she could (and likely would) grow tired of based on the nature of her condition.

While not the most popular character, I'd have rather they brought Lumen back and given her a similar arc. Or came up with something else entirely.

[Some Guy]

Sept 23, 2013 1:27:38 GMT -5 @notoriousnd22 said:

Sept 23, 2013 1:24:42 GMT -5 Professor Chaos said:

I must be the only one but I loved the finale. Sure Breaking Bad's next week will blow it away but I thought this was good.

I'm actually with you. I'm really easy to please I guess, but it's really hard for me to get mad about the finale or anything that happened during the season.

It was far from horrible TV. I've seen horrible TV.

The lumberjack ending was kind of stupid, and there were obviously some plotholes, but I enjoyed it nevertheless.

I've seen horrible TV too, and this was it.

[Deleted]

Sept 23, 2013 5:20:12 GMT -5 Some Guy said:

Sept 23, 2013 1:27:38 GMT -5 @notoriousnd22 said:

I'm actually with you. I'm really easy to please I guess, but it's really hard for me to get mad about the finale or anything that happened during the season.

It was far from horrible TV. I've seen horrible TV.

The lumberjack ending was kind of stupid, and there were obviously some plotholes, but I enjoyed it nevertheless.

I've seen horrible TV too, and this was it.

To each his own, I guess.

[Some Guy]

Sept 23, 2013 4:16:23 GMT -5 SEAN CARLESS said:

I made the mistake of hitting up IMDB after the finale -- and was stunned to read how many people either didn't understand the arc of this show, the narrative or were offended that their own stupid, absurd fantasy endings were not used. Dexter was never going to "turn bad all the way" or end up in some idiotic shootout with cops. The entire narrative of this show from start to finish was that he wasn't the "psychopath" he (and others) assumed he was, and actually possessed many normal emotions -- emotions he rejected for years because he was convinced that he was an unrepentant monster. These last 8 seasons were basically about him coming to terms with becoming more human, and desperately trying to come to terms with how to deal with that. The flaw of the show was that they stretched it out too long and hit the reset button too many times.

Dexter, the human being, had a darkness in him, based on what he was subjected to as a child; something that would f*** up ANYONE. It created in him a subconscious need to right these wrongs. His entire impulses were actually not based on psychopathy, but control; an innate but subconscious need to rid the world of those who didn't belong (hence his decision to show the killers their victims' pictures; and how he doesn't toy with them so much as quickly and efficiently execute them with a straight shot).

His killing however was something cultivated in him, rather than approached and dealt with properly through actual counseling. Harry made the mistake of writing off a damaged little boy as being beyond redemption, while Vogel created a code for him to justifiably kill by to somehow alleviate her own need to find closure and control over what her son --a true psychopath--was. The truth was, while Dexter fit many of the benchmark signs of being a psychopath, deep down, he was not. He had empathy. He cared and even loved. They established early on that he cared for his sister. He protected her and watched out for her as a child. The show purposely showed how a true psychopath, people like Saxon and Trinity, did not care about their own family, and easily discarded or abused them at will. This was never Dexter.

As for the finale, while not ideal, it did make sense based on the arc they told. Dexter felt immeasurable guilt for what happened to Debra. And after pulling the plug, he made a conscious decision to kill off 'Dexter Morgan' as well. Dropping her into the ocean was his way of taking the blame for her death (which I guess technically is true), and was also a cover for his own self-inflicted punishment for all that he felt culpable for: a life of loneliness and solitude. In Dexter's mind, his life, his decisions, had bore so many disastrous ramifications for others. The fact that he gave up everything --as misguided as it was-- proved that his transformation of 'monster' to man was complete. A clinical psychopath would have simply left to be with Hannah all along. He wouldn't have cared about Debra being in a comatose state for the rest of her life. He'd have done what every other killer on this show always has: followed his own impulses and desires first, without a shred of guilt. The life of the "lumberjack" was him exiling himself from all true human connection. For now, Dexter is suffering in a purgatory of his own design. And despite what the mouth-breathers on IMDB say: he's not killing anymore; or freely killing, or any of that horse shit. He's doing exactly what he was shown doing. Living without a life.

As for what I didn't like: Hannah taking Harrison is a huge flaw. She's absolutely a sociopath, and as per her own history, she shouldn't be trusted with a kid she could (and likely would) grow tired of based on the nature of her condition.

While not the most popular character, I'd have rather they brought Lumen back and given her a similar arc. Or came up with something else entirely.

Let me break down my issues with the season the whole (since you already covered the stupid Hannah/Harrison thing, I'll leave that alone)...

-Hannah and Dexter in general. The actors have NO chemistry, their love made NO sense and every single thing about it felt beyond forced. Instead of showing their love, they constantly just re-iterated how much they loved each other. Dexter forgave her for trying to kill him on more than one occasion. Deb forgave her for trying to kill her twice, and became buddy buddy with her because why not. Adding onto that, Hannah's face was everywhere as a wanted fugitive, yet she didn't change anything at all. She wore bright colors everywhere, she didn't cut or dye her hair, she hung around in the most obvious of places and she generally didn't hide from the public whatsoever. Everything about Hannah sucked the window out of what Isaac built last season (which was by far the most compelling story of the back 4 seasons), and she made it somehow worse this season.

-The pointless plots. Yes, every season had these, but my god what the hell was the point of some of these that got ZERO closure? Remember Sergeant Angie that beat out Quinn? The show sure as hell forgot once she did. Masuka/his daughter? What exactly was the closure on that, or the point at all? Hell, everything with Zach (who was getting somewhat less terrible) was incredibly pointless as well, especially since Quinn flat out dropped it and never bothered to notice again once he saw Dexter following him one time.

-Deb's lightning fast progression from drug addled depressed person trying to deal with what she did last season to perfectly fine and right back to loving her brother person. The beginning of the season was handling this well, with Deb being a drug addict and a drunk, and refusing to talk to Dexter since he pushed her to what she eventually did. But then, right after the car accident, she was just perfectly fine with Dexter. She was back to constantly covering for him, not caring what he threw at her, calling him a wonderful person, etc. It was disgusting how they brutalized what should have lasted a whole season so they could bring back Hannah McKay.

-Saxon. THIS was the villain for the final season? REALLY? In a show with Jon Lithgow, Ray Stevenson, Jimmy Smits and so forth that have rocked guest stars in the past, they come up with the worst villain of the series (and that includes Colin Hanks, because he was at least funny to watch). The actor was excruciatingly bad, and every scene he was in was just stupid beyond repair. They tried to use him as some sort of anti-Dexter, but it doesn't work when the character has no compelling attributes.

-Harrison. That kid just sucked.

-Where's Astor and Cody? Who cares, I'm sure they're just fine!

-Everything with Dexter this season, the character. Michael C. Hall was beyond bored all season, and he looked like he didn't care whatsoever. I'll explain more later, but everything he did felt so hollow this season and not natural at all.

[ICBM]

As with any popular tv, unless a million dollars bursts forth from your tv during the final act, than people will be pissed.