S01.E10: Sins of the Father

[BooBear]

On 1/9/2022 at 9:16 PM, TVbitch said:

The only good thing is that at the end they showed Dexter in unfiltered, full-on psychopath mode. Gaslighting Angela, Killing Logan, and doing yet more heinous injury to his son as his final acts. 

There is this part of supposed fan base that desperately wants to make Dexter into something he wasn't. Dexter was never a bad guy... and much of his bad acts were accidental. Self preservation is not selfishness. People have to learn that. Dexter the character did lots of good things and of course he wasn't doing those things for a noble purpose but he still was doing them. He was far more effective than the people at Miami Metro. 

I don't buy he would kill Logan for many reasons but also the fact that Logan was a cop. Dexter had tons of friend who were cops and for sure he knows how hard they would be coming after him after the death of a cop. It also was not necessary. Beyond the fact that most of Dexter's innocent kills have been accidents or questionable people... it is simply out of character for Dexter.   I will also note how insane it is that he didn't lawyer up and later on, use Kurt's bodies as a bargaining chip.  I love realistic cop dramas where there is zero lawyers in town. 

I suppose that objectively the creators of the show probably felt the need to make Dexter a bad guy. Simply because he is so popular. We know of a few people who have killed others inspired by Dexter and maybe we don't know of others. 

What is really psychopath / gaslighting behavior is for a show runner and star to tell the fan base they were going to do the ending right and then basically use the fanbase for their own purposes... cash grab, ending the character, etc.  They didn't even try -- which is the rub. 

Michael C. Hall hasn't had much of a career outside of Dexter - I am guessing that will be even worse now. 

 

[Whimsy]

1 hour ago, BooBear said:

There is this part of supposed fan base that desperately wants to make Dexter into something he wasn't. Dexter was never a bad guy... and much of his bad acts were accidental. Self preservation is not selfishness. People have to learn that. Dexter the character did lots of good things and of course he wasn't doing those things for a noble purpose but he still was doing them. He was far more effective than the people at Miami Metro. 

I don't buy he would kill Logan for many reasons but also the fact that Logan was a cop. Dexter had tons of friend who were cops and for sure he knows how hard they would be coming after him after the death of a cop. It also was not necessary. Beyond the fact that most of Dexter's innocent kills have been accidents or questionable people... it is simply out of character for Dexter.   I will also note how insane it is that he didn't lawyer up and later on, use Kurt's bodies as a bargaining chip.  I love realistic cop dramas where there is zero lawyers in town. 

I suppose that objectively the creators of the show probably felt the need to make Dexter a bad guy. Simply because he is so popular. We know of a few people who have killed others inspired by Dexter and maybe we don't know of others. 

What is really psychopath / gaslighting behavior is for a show runner and star to tell the fan base they were going to do the ending right and then basically use the fanbase for their own purposes... cash grab, ending the character, etc.  They didn't even try -- which is the rub. 

Michael C. Hall hasn't had much of a career outside of Dexter - I am guessing that will be even worse now. 

 

I disagree. Dexter was a bad guy. However, per my post above- Logan’s death was an accident. Dexter never meant to kill him. Logan killed himself by shooting the gun causing ricochet. 
 

We always saw the show from Dexter’s POV. Dexter didn’t think he was a bad guy so he could justify everything. I saw that POV change for a few minutes when Harrison was yelling at Dexter. We saw Dexter’s whole face change and his eyes got cold and hard. Harrison was right, Dexter just used his “dark passenger” as an excuse. Further proof of how bad of a guy Dexter was is when Dexter just calmly had Harrison kill him. If he wanted to make it so Harrison didn’t go through his whole life feeling guilty, he would’ve charged at Harrison so Harrison felt it was self-defense, even if Dexter knew he wasn’t going to hurt him. 
 

MCH has worked consistently since Dexter. I think he’ll be fine. 

[marny]

So what was the point of that oil tycoon guy they introduced early on that we saw Angela’s daughter protesting? He literally had zero to do with anything. I kept waiting for him to matter and… nothing. 

[rhygirl720]

well, that was something.

There is no way the actor who plays Harrison could carry a show so I'm sure that is the end end. Unless Dexter somehow survived...

[kicotan]

Whew…am I ever glad that’s over.

Showtime made sure to leave enough crumbs to lead somebody to spin off something from, didn’t they?

[MicheleinPhilly]

Ugh. Talk about anticlimactic. 

When Dexter was at his full-on, manipulative best in that interview, I was actually feeling somewhat nervous and anxious but had full faith and confidence in his ability to finagle his way out of it. Did I want to see Dexter and son criss-crossing the country dispensing bad buys? No, not at all. But to have Angela, the shittiest of shitty cops and Iron Lake, the backwateriest of backwater towns, and the Caldwells, the douchiest of douchebags, be the things that finally brought him down??? Meh. 

Aside from the BHB ketamine ret-conning, we're supposed to believe that Kurt, who was 12 sheets to the wind and could barely stand up when he encountered Dexter that night, remembered anything, had a hunch about the incinerator, went to said incinerator, and squeezed his fat ass inside of it raking around to collect all of the hardware from his son's leg. And Angela's certainty that she had all of the evidence she needed to "nail" Dexter was laughable but par for the course. 

Remember how excited I was by the first episode? Gosh, I was naive. I'm not mad that he's dead, I'm mad that this is how we got there. 

 

Edited January 11, 2022 by MicheleinPhilly
Spelling

[AngelaHunter]

On 1/9/2022 at 4:37 PM, DoctorAtomic said:

I was kind of rolling my eyes at the return of snippy Harrison - 3000 miles away from my friends and Audrey. Because Los Angeles wouldn't have 40 million Audreys and no friends. 

😄😄🤣

All with big fake boobs and nose jobs.

 

2 hours ago, rhygirl720 said:

There is no way the actor who plays Harrison could carry a show

That's for sure. His idea of emoting to express pain, anger, confusion, or fear is to start every sentence with a stammer: "I-I.- I don't know"...."W-w-what are you talking about?" ..."N-n -No!"

Back to acting school with you, boy!

[AngelaHunter]

2 hours ago, marny said:

So what was the point of that oil tycoon guy they introduced early on that we saw Angela’s daughter protesting?

He was a plot device to add to the "wokeness" of this show. Oh, look - the denizens of Iron Lake are eco-conscious, especially Angela's spoiled, entitled, snotty, clueless, rude little girl.

[Lone Wolf]

On 1/9/2022 at 8:43 PM, anoninrva said:

I will give the show some credit for Dexter running through the forest again, as they showed in the pilot episode.  That symmetry at least was nice. 

Dexter's the king of slow motion forest running.

On 1/10/2022 at 11:39 AM, aghst said:

I know, small towns don't have cameras everywhere in the public like big cities do, right?  Yet Dexter got away with all those murderers in Miami just 10-15 years ago.

Speaking of cameras, hasn't it been established that the Reservation is full of cameras, and isn't that where the final scene took place (Dexter told Harrison to meet him where the white stag was killed)?

If so, Angela's going to have some 'splainin' to do.

Edited January 11, 2022 by Lone Wolf
Confused wolf with deer

[DoctorAtomic]

Oh, Dexter is a bad guy for sure. I still was rooting for him like I root for Tony Soprano. I don't have a problem with it. The success of the show is that he wasn't dumb. He admittedly got lucky with Deb shooting LaGuerta, but iirc, she wasn't a bumbling cop either. And even Deb shooting her wasn't ooc. 

Dexter had to get dumbed down to kill Logan. That's the problem. They had to do that because they already established killing him off in this series. Sure, Angel coming up there was problematic, but it's not like he had the 'smoking gun' as it were. 

I mean, I could have bought it better if Dexter was getting all fathery and the desire to kill was waning so the Dark Passenger left him and inhabited Harrison, and then Harrison killed him because of whatever. 

[Snazzy Daisy]

18 hours ago, Whimsy said:

Dexter grabbed Logan and started choking him. Dexter says “I don’t want to hurt you”  Logan went for his gun, shot it and the bullet ricocheted and hit Logan in the head. You can see the bullet wound before Logan drops. Then Dexter says “Damn it Logan, you should have listened to me”. I actually don’t think Dexter meant to kill him at all. 

5 hours ago, Whimsy said:

I disagree. Dexter was a bad guy. However, per my post above- Logan’s death was an accident. Dexter never meant to kill him. Logan killed himself by shooting the gun causing ricochet. 

Dexter killed Logan by breaking his neck.

In the Showtime’s Dissecting Dexter interview, MCH has confirmed this. He said:

“Logan fights back and Dexter kills him. He breaks his neck.”

[aghst]

Yeah plenty of examples where unlikeable characters or characters that you can't like because they're criminals are popular.

Because the characters are still interesting.

Look at how popular Succession is.  All the characters are despicable or pathetic.

But the writing and acting makes it an interesting, entertaining show.

There is good acting on Dexter but the writing?  Still Dexter is an interesting character even if he's a cold blooded psychopath.

[AngelaHunter]

7 hours ago, BooBear said:

There is this part of supposed fan base that desperately wants to make Dexter into something he wasn't. Dexter was never a bad guy... and much of his bad acts were accidental.

He didn't kill over a 100 people accidentally. His researching, stalking, snatching of victims and their murders were not accidental. They were all premediated, sadistic, first-degree homicides done to satisfy his urge to kill for the brief thrill of feeling alive. That he removed other remorseless killers and whackos from society was only incidental. He was what is classed as a "lethal predator" and was a very bad guy indeed.

That he deceived and used everyone around him and was willing to kill even innocents who were a threat to him, all to evade capture was not accidental. It was all planned and deliberate.

Without Harry's code he was just another Brian, or Bundy, or Gacy.

Even he stated more than once that he was a "monster".  When Hannah told him there was no Dark Passenger, he then declared himself as merely a 'creep motherfucker" who didn't have to kill. He just wanted to.

[Whimsy]

1 hour ago, SnazzyDaisy said:

Dexter killed Logan by breaking his neck.

In the Showtime’s Dissecting Dexter interview, MCH has confirmed this. He said:

“Logan fights back and Dexter kills him. He breaks his neck.”

That's really bizarre since it looked to me like he jerked in response to the gun and there was a wound on his head that I thought was ricochet.  I stand corrected!!

[paigow]

5 hours ago, Whimsy said:

That's really bizarre since it looked to me like he jerked in response to the gun and there was a wound on his head that I thought was ricochet.  I stand corrected!!

YouTube has hundreds of videos where bullets are fired into cinderblocks that are similar to the jail wall.  9mm / .38cal rounds fired from handguns- like Logan had- lose all their energy on impact and could never ricochet back to the point of origin.

Edited January 12, 2022 by paigow

[AngelaHunter]

3 hours ago, SnazzyDaisy said:

Dexter killed Logan by breaking his neck.

In the Showtime’s Dissecting Dexter interview, MCH has confirmed this. He said:

“Logan fights back and Dexter kills him. He breaks his neck.”

That's a problem, the same one they've had on the Walking Dead. You shouldn't need an aftershow, a dissection, a podcast, or a YT video to explain what we just watched. Show, don't tell.

I rewound to watch Logan's death again and I still couldn't tell what killed him.

[Dobian]

Wow, what a messed-up end for Harrison.  Has to leave his girlfriend behind without even saying goodbye, leave the town he wanted to be his home, now essentially homeless, no high school diploma, no money.  WTF?  Why did he have to leave if Angela was going to make it look like she shot Dexter?  Just send him back to her house.  Making it look like she shot Dexter was messed-up too.  She wiped the rifle down, but would she need to put her prints on it?  She obviously didn't shoot Dexter with her own gun, no bullet match.  And why would she shoot him with that rifle?

The season had a lot of good things, but also things that didn't make sense, plus some plot dead-ends.  Why would Harrison still be on the wrestling team after intentionally breaking an opponent's arm?  He would have been thrown off the team and probably suspended from school.  The family probably would have sued him and Dexter.  The oil tycoon guy, what was the point of him?  They kept sticking him into scenes in the early going to where you thought he might be Iron Lake's serial killer, then the character was completely abandoned.  So he was just a red herring?

Overall I liked the ending for its finality.  I thought the actress playing Angela did a great job, and I enjoyed her being the one to finally catch Dexter Morgan.  The final moment between a dying Dexter and fantasy Debra was touching.  It was also great bringing back Angel Batista and I liked the montage of people Dexter killed/ruined.  I also always wanted justice for Doakes, and now his name is cleared.  So a way better conclusion to the series than the end of season eight.  But yeah, there were quite a few head-scratchers this season.

And fyi, on the question over how Logan died and how well they presented it, I actually did know right way that Dexter broke his neck.  He thought-bubbled right before for Logan to not be a hero, and as soon as Logan fired his gun, of course Dexter would finish him off because if he didn't then Logan would turn and fire into the cell until Dexter was dead.

Edited January 13, 2022 by Dobian

[paigow]

6 hours ago, AngelaHunter said:

That's a problem, the same one they've had on the Walking Dead. You shouldn't need an aftershow, a dissection, a podcast, or a YT video to explain what we just watched. Show, don't tell.

I rewound to watch Logan's death again and I still couldn't tell what killed him.

Neck snapping is the only logical event... Dex needs to stop Logan from firing more rounds and already has choke hold positioning. If Logan had complied, Dex would have used a sleeper hold and locked Logan in the cell.

[AngelaHunter]

On detail that bugged me and did so in the OS: Did the writers have a limited list of names from which they had to choose so had to use them more than once?

Matt, Jamie, Becca, Zach, Briggs, Valerie, Oscar, Ray, Mike, Nick/Nikki (m/f versions), Nathan - all reused. Sometimes I'd hear a name and think, "What? I thought he was killed last season."

[Proclone]

On 1/10/2022 at 5:08 PM, arachne said:

I wish I knew what kind of report Angela would make. Sure, she could say Dexter fired the shotgun at her, so she fired back and killed him -- which would be a clean shooting. But for that to work, Dexter would have to have the same kind of bullets in him as those in Angela's gun, and that's not necessarily the case. (Sorry to sound so wonky, but it's bugging me.)

Hunting rifles aren't ussually the same caliber as handguns, except for carbines which can fire 9mm bullets (which is the gun angela had).  But in either case the rifling patterns would be different.  I imagine whether that's closely scrutinized would depend on a lot of factors, but it's probably less likely if they have no reason to think the person (a cop) who is claiming to have shot him, didn't.  Also her plan may have been to claim she and Dexter struggled over the rifle and she shot him with it. Again that could be debunked, but is the crime lab going to put in the work questioning what seems open and shut? Maybe maybe not.  I'm sure the State Police are going to get involved.  It depends on how much benefit of the doubt they want to give her.

As for the show as a whole...I enjoyed it.  I do agree there are plot holes and either dangling plot lines or useless red herrings (namely the oil tycoon).  But it was certainly a damn sight better than season 8.  Which I fully admit I have never watched in it's entirety. I did like that at the end we saw Dexter for all his psychopathic murderer glory.  As much as he (and to a certain extent the audience, because he's our POV) want to think of him a vigilante hero...he's not remotely. No, he's a scores high on the Hare Checklist violent psycopath.  And even though he claimed his last action (goading Harrison into killing him) was out of love, it continues to be his warped version of love.  He still wouldn't do the thing Harrison asked him to do which was turn himself in.  If he abandoned The Code and broke the first rule of not being caught, you would think it would be for his son.

I do think this season could have benefitted from a couple more episodes.  I did feel the ending was rushed.  And I also would have loved to see Angel confront Dexter.

As a side note it actually doesn't bother me that Angela figured out Dexter was the Bay Harbour Butcher when Miami Metro couldn't.  She had the information that Dexter faked his own death, fled Miami and abandoned his son, and has been living under an assumed name for the last ten years.  He's not a big leap to conclude that he might be a really shady character.  Miami Metro only knew him as a mild mannered family guy and coworker.  Her being suspcion of him does not make her some super cop or make it a plot hole.  Miami Metro (as a whole) not being suscpious doesn't make them all dumb.  Nor does Angel coming around quickly to Dexter being the BHB after finding out he faked his death seem out of character.  Imagine you found out that about a former friend?  You might be willing to believe they were a serial killer all of a sudden too.

My biggest question from the series is if Harrison is like Dexter or if he's just a scared, angry, screwed up kid?

The ending seems to indicate the latter.  He seems to realize what Dexter has done isn't good.  That his father isn't a good person despite his impulses.  But the show in general seems to go back and forth on whether Harrison is a psychopath like Dexter or if he's just someone with violent impulses.  You can be a psychopath and never hurt anyone (Harry could have helped Dexter not be violent) and you can be violent and not be a psychopath.  For the most part Harrison seems to act out violently which is kind of expected from a kid who's mother was murdered, whose father abandoned him and who's sole parental figure died (who was also serial killer, let's not forget) when he was in his teens. Breaking the kids arm during a wrestling match, or slashing the kids who attacked him all seems like a kid who just needs help with impulse control and who could very well be helped with therapy.  Even the fact that he held out his wrists to be cuffed and was right away willing to accept punishment for shooting Dexter doesn't make me think he's irredemable.  And honestly I think him doing that is what made Angela decide to let him go.

But on the other hand, it seemed to me that he set Ethan up from their first interaction.  He made friends with the loner kid, he got him to show him his violent drawings.  Then Harrison attacks him, but has the perfect story, that Ethan was going to shoot up the school. Harrison is the hero.  That all seemed very premeditated and calculated.  And much more like Dexter than just some screwed up kid who occasionally acts out violently.  So I'm not sure how to feel that he get's to drive off scot free.  I'm also not really interested in seeing a spin off with him. Mostly because while the actor I think is fine (especially with what was given to him) I don't think he could pull of what Michael C. Hall was able to do. Which was both be this happy go lucky mild mannered guy convicingly, and also convey this sense of mence when it was called for.  Even when being violent Harrison always came across as an angry kid, that needed a time out, a hug and cookie.  He was never scary in the way Dexter was.  And at it's core the juxtaposition between those two sides of Dexter is part of what made Dexter so compelling. I just don't see a series featuring Harrison being as compelling.

Honestly if Deb had survived the the orginal show, watching her in Harry's position of trying to raise Dexter's potentially muderious offspring, might have worked as and interesting concept.  But since that can't happen, I would say, let Dexter die.  Especially since he has a better ending now.

[paigow]

2 hours ago, Proclone said:

I do think this season could have benefitted from a couple more episodes.  I did feel the ending was rushed. 

If the season was longer, Douchebag Billionaire would have paid for the coverup... Influencing State Police & FBI to close the case quickly and quietly... because he has been in love with Angela for SO MANY YEARS...

ETA: Angela & Audrey move into his chalet... Flash forward 15 years to bearded Harrison working on an offshore oil rig drilling through the most environmentally sensitive area of Alaska

Edited January 13, 2022 by paigow

[AngelaHunter]

1 hour ago, Proclone said:

But it was certainly a damn sight better than season 8. 

It could hardly have been worse. I'm serious when I say I've read many fanfics that were head and shoulders better than Se08 and better than this series as well, which is pretty damned sad.

 

1 hour ago, Proclone said:

He's not a big leap to conclude that he might be a really shady character.

Being a shady character is quantum leaps from being the most prolific serial killer in US history, especially when there is zero proof, no witnesses, no bodies to examine and there are just the vague suspicions of a very angry girlfriend with a fondness for Google. People do fake their own deaths for various reasons, but not usually to cover up a trail of dead bodies.

[Elizzikra]

Quote

But since that can't happen, I would say, let Dexter die.  Especially since he has a better ending now.

He said it well himself, "let me remain dead."

[Snazzy Daisy]

We heard nothing on Ed Olsen but we got some updates on OG characters.

Take a closer look at Angel Batista’s inbox. Joey Quinn is still alive and Vincent Masuka is getting married! 

[Triviatrish2]

On 1/10/2022 at 8:33 PM, Nobody88 said:

I’m sorry but are we really supposed to believe that Harrison would really shoot his own father dead when he was just hugging and bonding with him right before?  Sorry, not buying it.  at all. He could have just turned him in if he was afraid of letting a known killer go free, and thus made an example out of him.  

And I’m sorry but I really don’t think there was enough evidence to nail Dexter for murdering anyone (except maybe Logan) yet the writers had him panic and bust out of jail.  (Dexter never panics).  But lets say there was enough evidence.  We totally missed out on a Batista / Dexter confrontation which would have been awesome, Doakes getting his name cleared, and Dexter getting a lethal INJECTION to end the show.  That would have at least been believable.  I’d settle for predictable and believable over a surprise ending that doesnt make sense.   
 

And what the hell was Angela doing in the woods all of a sudden anyway (in the last scene)? She just showed up out of nowhere with no reason whatsoever to be there.  Dumb. Not believable. 
 

And to the person who said that Logans own bullet ricocheted and killed him?  I saw no evidence of that but now i want to look again.  I thought logans blood came from dexter pulling him into the bars face first. 

As I remember it, Dexter had him in a headlock, and his BACK was up against the bars, not his face, plus, he fell face down after he was killed.  I believe the bullet did ricochet. Definitely, a weird occurrence, and an accident.

 

[Starchild]

I guess I'm the only one who heard the crack when Dex broke Logan's neck?

Quick question: maybe I've forgotten something, or am overthinking, but when Logan was eating with Harrison he said "you got here around the same time Matt disappeared, do you remember anything?", there was a very quick cut to Harrison remembering being out in the woods. They showed someone moving through the woods in the snow, presumably it was  either Harrison, or it was Harrison's POV as he watched someone.

What was that about? I thought it was setting up that Harrison was actually present during Matt's murder, hidden and watching his father, but then it didn't go anywhere.

[paigow]

21 minutes ago, Starchild said:

I guess I'm the only one who heard the crack when Dex broke Logan's neck?

What was that about? I thought it was setting up that Harrison was actually present during Matt's murder, hidden and watching his father, but then it didn't go anywhere.

No. I agree with you that the Warren Commission Magic Bullet Theory is wrong!

Harrison was stalking Dex in the woods-  but not on murder day.

[Elizzikra]

2 hours ago, SnazzyDaisy said:

We heard nothing on Ed Olsen but we got some updates on OG characters.

Take a closer look at Angel Batista’s inbox. Joey Quinn is still alive and Vincent Masuka is getting married! 

That makes me oddly happy. Congratulations Masuka!

[Proclone]

6 hours ago, AngelaHunter said:

 

Being a shady character is quantum leaps from being the most prolific serial killer in US history, especially when there is zero proof, no witnesses, no bodies to examine and there are just the vague suspicions of a very angry girlfriend with a fondness for Google. People do fake their own deaths for various reasons, but not usually to cover up a trail of dead bodies.

 If someone fakes their death it's usually to cover up something unsavory. Most likely to cover up a crime. Normal people don't fake their deaths just because they need a change. Dexter was an adult who could have moved and cut of communication with friends and family without the bother of faking his death and using a fake name. Even if he couldn't care for Harrison, he could have left him in someone's custody without faking his death.  Dexter worked for the same police force the BHB was suspected to work for. He chose to fake his death and abandon a child...Sure circumstantial at best, but it doesn't take Sherlock Holmes to make the connection...Which was sort of my point.  I don't think Angela had an air tight case, I just think it was enough to make Dexter panic.

[Dobian]

22 hours ago, AngelaHunter said:

It could hardly have been worse. I'm serious when I say I've read many fanfics that were head and shoulders better than Se08 and better than this series as well, which is pretty damned sad.

Yeah well, don't get me started on Game of Thrones.  You can watch You Tube videos that rework all of season 8 and turn that train wreck into a spectacular finish.

[AngelaHunter]

59 minutes ago, Dobian said:

You can watch You Tube videos that rework all of season 8 and turn that train wreck into a spectacular finish.

Someone did the same thing for Se08 of Dexter. I was just trying to find it.

[Kristi800]

Quote

There would have to be someone in the police station at all times when someone is in lockup. There's a danger of fire, medical emergency (e.g. heart attack), and suicide, just for starters.

Logan should have gone instead of Angela, or the sleeping deputy; she's the chief and should have been on watch. Dexter liked Logan and felt bad about doing that. He should have just waited it out. Of course Angel getting there would have been a problem, but not insurmountable. Plus, he could have told Angela the truth: Matt's death was an accident, or even lie and say that Kurt planted it, which he did and that Kurt did it or anyone else (maybe the friend). The drug guy and Kurt (which she didn't know about) were pure revenge, but I think what she found at Kurt's bunker would have helped him get back in her better graces and by the time she got around to asking how he knew this, he would have been gone.

We're watching a show about a serial killer - and not even as bad as Dex in the books - so I'm not watching this to tell me that he's a moral guy. Even thought he says he can't act like a regular person, it was nice to see some remorse for the innocent people he killed - even Laguerta and Doakes. 

I think he could have had a good story about fleeing Miami and changing his name, no remaining family, his wife died, his sister died, and he was already planning to leave. 

[Tippi]

I can see where people might have liked the series, but it really wasn't what I was hoping for.  There were way too many plot holes and story lines that went nowhere or fantastical occurrences.  The big bad for me, was just bad.  Most of the supporting characters were one note and boring.  I hated that Harrison killed Dexter.  I'm okay with Dexter dying but not like that.

I feel like MCH was over being asked about Dexter and the finale--just kill him off--I don't care what it takes, just do it and Clyde Phillips and Showtime obliged.

One of the few bright spots was seeing DZ/Angel once again.  I might be interested in a series or Showtime movie about what's going on with Angel's life.

[RollTheHardSix]

Just finished it yesterday and thought the whole show was kind of meh... at best.

To me a bunch of things didn't make sense and there was quite a bit of bad writing involved where they knew where they wanted to go but somehow didn't manage to have good enough writers to actually get there in a way that was plausible and more "real". So we got whatever we got.

• Angela meeting Angel at the cop con was super-contrived and none of the rest of the plot would have worked without it
  • this was really the worst to me plot-wise
• too many plot-devices instead of actually good writing to get where they wanted to go: Angel was a plot-device for Angela to get suspicious about Dexter and the writers basically shoved the BHB at Angela via Molly (another plot-device) ... only to have Angel again to confirm her suspicisions at the end (Maria LaG case)
• they went back and forth on Harrison actually having a "dark passenger"/being a psycho vs. him just being a messed up kid who had (understandable) anger issues
• they didn't really have a strong case against Dexter at all so his behaviour was stupid and unneccesary
• Dexter didn't request a lawyer - as soon as the BHB was brought up, he should have said that it was getting ridiculous and he wants a lawyer
• Dexter dying was so forced to me - they clearly wanted that to happen but it didn't really make sense to me
  • it would have been more credible for Dexter to meet up with Harrison, covered in blood, Harrison being horrified and refusing to go with him and Dexter just leaving without him
  • he's lived without Harrison for more than 10 years
  • nobody can reasonably expect Harrison to make a citizen's arrest or shoot his father, it would be more credible if Harrison just ran away from Dexter in horror
• everything was rushed - Miami Metro didn't even suspect him for years and the small-town cop finds out in a few weeks? All this happened in a few weeks since he wasn't doing much before as per the show.
• the ketamine / M99 mix-up - I'll forgive that as an oversight

I didn't need Harrison, but I got used to him. Unlike Deb who I found annoying all the way through. Don't think he could carry a show though.

I didn't mind Dexter doing whatever it took to get out, I never took him for a good guy.

It was stupid though and he's been in worse binds before so why does he suddenly show this unnecessary overreaction (breaking out with lethal force) when the case against him was pretty thin? Is it even illegal to change your name? His excuses for why he wanted to disappear and start a new life were pretty good. 

Behaviour of multiple characters throughout the show was not really consistent or even plausible.

Edited January 21, 2022 by RollTheHardSix

[DoctorAtomic]

2 hours ago, RollTheHardSix said:

Dexter didn't request a lawyer - as soon as the BHB was brought up, he should have said that it was getting ridiculous and he wants a lawyer

He kind of snarked-asked if he needed one, and I think Dexter thought he was slick enough to get out of it. He even said to Harrison that he's been in tighter spots. tbh, he was getting out of it with throwing Angela on the Kurt track, and really just needed to shut up.

They made him unnecessarily panic when she mentioned Angel. At that point, I'd say it correct - "This again? No. That's why I left and changed my name. Lawyer." They had nothing but the screw which plausibly could have been planted. 

2 hours ago, RollTheHardSix said:

I didn't mind Dexter doing whatever it took to get out, I never took him for a good guy.

He didn't even have to kill Logan. He had him in the sleeper hold. 

[AngelaHunter]

4 hours ago, RollTheHardSix said:

nobody can reasonably expect Harrison to make a citizen's arrest or shoot his father, it would be more credible if Harrison just ran away from Dexter in horror

Yes, so now Harrison has committed first-degree murder/patricide which will hang over him for the rest of his life. I highly doubt Angela could come up with any plausible story to cover up Dexter's death.

Dexter managed to mess up one final life before his nonsensical exit. He could have at least said, "Do what you gotta do" and then VO, "Oh, shit! It didn't work!" as he went down, to make it all not so ho-hum. MCH did say in the OS that he wanted Dexter to "die funny".

[Ailianna]

The screw actually was planted, so that didn't even have to be lied about. After they knew it was arson, and Dexter found Kurt's playground and disappeared. It all points to Kurt. Matt because he found something out. Kurt lied about him being in NYC, recall. And then Molly, who Kurt actually killed, Dexter already had reason to blame Kurt for. So it would fit fit Kurt to set Dexter's home on fire, and plant evidence in the ashes. Kurt could have been reasonably blamed for everything.

[AnnaCody]

On 1/11/2022 at 8:03 AM, rhygirl720 said:

well, that was something.

There is no way the actor who plays Harrison could carry a show so I'm sure that is the end end. Unless Dexter somehow survived...

Or he comes back with Deb and Dad and helps Harrison along. 

[aemom]

When Angela was arresting Dexter, he was eyeing the knife holder and her reflection in it. I think that he would have grabbed a knife and killed her without question, if Logan hadn't come in the other way.

It also makes no sense that if Hannah was dying, that she didn't make any provisions for Harrison. I'm honestly surprised that she took care of him all that time.

Finally, Dexter is a really, really shitty dad. He has his own son kill him. Harrison has enough problems as it is and to make him live with that?

Poor kid sent on his way, alone again in the world with a few bucks from Angela and his backpack. 

We were supposed to like this better than the lumberjack ending?

And I don't understand why they were even heading over on Christmas because they broke up, and I'm pretty sure those Christmas presents would have burned up in the fire.

[mxc90]

On 1/10/2022 at 12:01 AM, Bulldog said:

Maybe Harrison will go look up his siblings, Cody and Astor. 

I was surprised they were never mentioned this season. Were they already off the show when Dexter was raising him? If so, at least Dexter should mention them in the letter. With Harrison now, the siblings may be better not knowing him.

I hope this is the end. I will not be interested to watch Joseph Gordon-Levitt lite try to carry a season. 

I would have loved to seen Dexter and Angel have a scene.

[AngelaHunter]

On 2/11/2022 at 11:07 PM, aemom said:

We were supposed to like this better than the lumberjack ending?

I was thinking it had to be better, but it wasn't. It was just as bad but in a different way. Fool me once...

[Elizzikra]

Quote

I was surprised they were never mentioned this season. Were they already off the show when Dexter was raising him? If so, at least Dexter should mention them in the letter. With Harrison now, the siblings may be better not knowing him.

Astor and Cody lived with Harrison until Rita died; then they went to live with their grandparents. Harrison was what? About 2 when Rita died? So he may have some vague recollections of having had half siblings but he wouldn't have been close to them or remembered them very well I don't think.

[Rushmoras]

Well, watched all of the season. Can't help but wandering how the scenario would have been different, if Dexter/Jim would have partially came clean to Angela about his unofficial detective work after Angela finds out about his real name and surname, and who he used to work as. Like: "Hey, Angela, couldn't help noticing Kurt's weird behavior at the diner. Call it old policeman's, even though, I wasn't policeman technically, intuition, but... long story short, I followed Kurt and Molly, and guess, what, I think I saved Molly from Kurt". <...> "Hey, so, I know you said to not butt in to this, but someone tried to kill me. I killed them in self defense, his body is in the cabin; but he said that Kurt sent him and he has my son". <...> "So, hey, Kurt just tried to kill Harisson and me" <...> "I know you said that police is on the look-out for Kurt, but near his cabin there's a hatch leading to a basement, and you should totally check this out...". Or something like that. I mean, yeah, it was good to see Dexter again, but, man, he made some dumb ass mistakes.

[DoctorAtomic]

I tend to think they were trying to show that Dexter's arrogance in thinking he could handle everything was what did him in, but the first rule is don't get caught. 

Once Angela arrested him, he threw everything on Kurt, and it should have stuck, with Angela really only having a hunch about Dexter and nothing to prosecute on. He could have done that far, far earlier. 

 

[AngelaHunter]

On 2/17/2022 at 1:34 PM, Rushmoras said:

Call it old policeman's, even though, I wasn't policeman technically, intuition, but...

...I had a laminate!

On 2/17/2022 at 2:23 PM, DoctorAtomic said:

Dexter's arrogance in thinking he could handle everything was what did him in

 

[SunnyBeBe]

On 2/11/2022 at 11:07 PM, aemom said:

When Angela was arresting Dexter, he was eyeing the knife holder and her reflection in it. I think that he would have grabbed a knife and killed her without question, if Logan hadn't come in the other way.

It also makes no sense that if Hannah was dying, that she didn't make any provisions for Harrison. I'm honestly surprised that she took care of him all that time.

Finally, Dexter is a really, really shitty dad. He has his own son kill him. Harrison has enough problems as it is and to make him live with that?

Poor kid sent on his way, alone again in the world with a few bucks from Angela and his backpack. 

We were supposed to like this better than the lumberjack ending?

And I don't understand why they were even heading over on Christmas because they broke up, and I'm pretty sure those Christmas presents would have burned up in the fire.

While I wasn’t wild about the lumberjack ending, I wasn’t totally insulted.  This return was so disappointing, pitiful and lacking……I would consider it a big mistake.  Apparently, after all the years, they still didn’t give this wrap up season much thought. ☹️

[30 Helens]

Having just completed a rewatch of the original series (yes, even the dreaded season 8), I subscribed to Showtime long enough to see how they handled the reboot/ corrected ending. My opinion? Better than I expected.

I’m really surprised to see so much hate for this season. I thought it was well paced, had moments of genuine suspense, and ended in the only way it could without people saying it was a cop-out.

I thought the relationship with Harrison hit all the right notes: Harrison was rightfully resentful at first, then let himself be drawn in to the father/son fantasy he always dreamed of (even if it did involve murder, which he was clearly drawn to as much as repelled by), and finally recognized his father for who he really was— a monster, not a role model.

The biggest turning point happened, I think, in the penultimate episode, when Dexter was talking about a different killer (Kurt? I don’t remember for sure). He said that while they were able to rationalize what they were doing, it was actually all about the power and control. You could see Harrison start to clue into the fact that Dexter was talking about himself, even if he didn’t realize it.

This season did a lot to show us, the audience, that Dexter was not the man we made him out to be. It was all about the power, not the Code. That was just something he told himself in order to feel like a hero. Showing the gruesome dissection of the corpse, which previous seasons glossed over, was just another way to drive home that Dexter is not a savior, he is in fact one sick fuck. And for all his talk of wanting to protect Harrison, he was way too excited about the prospect of grooming him to follow in Daddy’s footsteps.

I like that Angela was the cop who finally caught on to him. In many ways, Angela was similar to Deb— in appearance/ body type, in tenacity, single-mindedness and drive, just not in vocabulary. Speaking of Deb, I thought she was wasted here. I get that she’s just a projection of Dexter’s thoughts, but she seemed unlike herself and really added nothing to the scenes. (Makes me wonder if Ghost Harry was actually very different from Actual Harry, as well.) I understand that Jennifer Carpenter was a fan favorite and they wanted to bring her back, but it sadly didn’t work for me. I spent most of her scenes wondering how awkward it was for the former marrieds to act together again.

I also get why people were disappointed in the lack of an Angel/ Dexter confrontation, although I don’t think it was necessary to the story. The point was, Angel will finally get closure and understand what really happened to LaGuerta and Doakes. I’m almost glad I don’t get to see the fallout from that, because I liked Angel and the full impact of that knowledge is going to be painful.

While I wish the original series had ended better (and really, that the entire eighth season could be erased), I think this had a more satisfying ending by having the benefit of time and distance. Dexter always saw Harrison as his redemption, so how fitting that Harrison would actually be the one to shine a light on Dexter’s true nature and end him. And by rejecting his own “dark passenger”, he gets to be the person Dexter always claimed he wanted to be, but couldn’t. I don’t think there will be another season. I hope there isn’t. I think this one closed the circle and it can end right here.

(Side note: Anyone who thought the series was crap probably never read the books. Imagine Dexter’s dark passenger as an actual entity— an Aztec spirit who possesses him and makes him kill; or picture Astor and Cody as budding psychopaths who force Dexter to teach them how to murder; and after you throw the book across the room like I did, you might appreciate the storytelling approach of Clyde Phillips a little more.)

Edited April 3, 2022 by 30 Helens
Grammar counts.

[AngelaHunter]

16 hours ago, 30 Helens said:

(Side note: Anyone who thought the series was crap probably never read the books.

I read the first two books (had no interest in the supernatural stuff) and still think this season was crap, although marginally better than Se08.

[Elizzikra]

Quote

Speaking of Deb, I thought she was wasted here. I get that she’s just a projection of Dexter’s thoughts, but she seemed unlike herself and really added nothing to the scenes.

I thought she was wasted too. Where was her incredibly ability to string together five or six cuss words in new and inventive ways? I thought the device of her appearing as Ghost Deb could have been very effective but it just wasn't well written. Like death took away all the colorful parts of Deb's personality.

Quote

I spent most of her scenes wondering how awkward it was for the former marrieds to act together again.

I think they married and divorced during the original series so they had some experience working together as ex-spouses.

Quote

I also get why people were disappointed in the lack of an Angel/ Dexter confrontation, although I don’t think it was necessary to the story. 

It's not something I would have wished for until they went to the trouble of bringing Angel back. Once they did that, it did seem like a lost opportunity to not have Dexter literally come face to face with his past.

[nichelle]

I finally got around to looking up the reaction to this season. I was kind of surprised at the dissatisfaction 😆 But, oh well. As for me, I enjoyed it. My only expectation was to erase that whacky last season of the original series from my memory and to give Dexter a proper send off.

It wasn't perfect but I enjoyed the ride. If they had gone in a different direction and opted for multiple seasons (with MCH), I am certain I would have watched. Without him, I have no interest in watching. So, I'll take it for what it was and close the Dexter book. Overall, it still ranks as one of my favorite series ever.