It’s become a common practice to criticize the initial series finale of Dexter, as the episode left a sour taste for fans in many ways. However, it would be unfair to criticize it entirely, considering there were several points that have become apparent over the years.
These have turned out to be arguments in favor of the finale due to these aspects presenting something viewers didn’t realize back then. Analyzing the points presents the episode in a different way from what many have been perceiving it with and should reassert how the finale has aged well. This will also prepare fans for the revival as the events shown here should play a role in the future.
Updated on September 5th, 2022 by Kevin Pantoja: 2022 saw the release of Dexter: New Blood, which acted as a continuation of the iconic Showtime series and looked to make good on a final season that a lot of people didn't like. The entire season 8 was poorly received but the actual series finale was truly disliked by the majority of the fans of the show. Despite the upsetting reaction to that final episode, some things have aged pretty well about it. In a lot of ways, the episode has gotten better over time including answers to questions like "how does Deb die in Dexter?"
Dexter's Revenge Against Oliver Saxon
With Saxon succeeding in killing off Debra, his eventual death made him an extremely satisfying kill of Dexter's. Rather than make it out to be one of Dexter’s usual methods, Saxon’s death was all about revenge as Dexter stabbed him in the neck with a pen.
This has separated Saxon’s demise from the rest, with the point of Dexter wanting him to die by giving him a chance to fight standing out as Dexter wanted to have a clash rather than leave Saxon helpless. Not to mention the manner with which Dexter planned it out made it appear as if he killed Saxon in self-defense.
Dexter itting His Love For Debra
It’s understandable why fans have made memes out of Dexter for presenting the ill-received plot of Debra being in love with Dexter, the latter did appreciate her on a sibling level. This was shown when he told Debra he loved her before taking her off life .
It served to complete Dexter’s character development, as he’d claimed in season 1 that he couldn’t love anyone. By having him confess his love for his sister, Dexter transitioned into a human character after so long.
Debra And Joey's Farewell
The romance between Debra and Quinn was a storyline that fans generally liked but was written out for a few seasons up until the last episodes of Season 8. They reconciled before the finale, but their final interaction was presented in this episode.
Here, Debra professed her love for Quinn before she was rushed in for surgery, thereby providing a conclusion to their arc. Fans can at least appreciate that Debra ed away feeling at ease with her love life, something that had been topsy-turvy throughout the show’s run.
Pacing Of The Episode
This series was prone to uneven pacing, where some episodes were too slow while others rushed by quickly. The Season 8 finale didn’t have this problem, though, as there’s a fine balance between both aspects.
Even nearly a decade later, this episode is worth a watch due to elements of escapism and thoughtful interpretation in its pacing. The story picks up pace during Dexter and Hannah’s attempts to escape, before settling down well in the emotional areas.
Poetic Way Of Dexter Putting Debra To Rest
It was a cruel irony that Dexter’s last kill turned out to be his sister. She was technically alive when he pulled the plug, making it an especially heartbreaking death. He also buried her at sea, dropping Debra into the sea to mark the end of his time in the life he’d made for himself.
It was poetic justice that Dexter, who had experienced a thrill disposing of his victims in the exact same way, had to let go of his sister like this. This irony has only become more apparent to fans as the finale has aged.
Leaving Few Unresolved Questions
There have certainly been unresolved questions over the series, but this is true for every TV show out there. Dexter signed off with relatively few mysteries for fans, which has at least stemmed the hate for the last episode since viewers were left with some sense of resolution.
The point of the final shot was to communicate with fans that Dexter was meant to be left in a perpetual sense of incompleteness, thereby making this a deliberate move on the show’s part to leave him staring out in the open with nothing to look forward to.
Asserting The Focus To Be The Morgan Siblings
The last episode featured Debra on the fringes of death, yet the story was very much about her. The finale proved that she was the most vital part of Dexter’s characterization, as Debra’s death resulted in Dexter swearing off his planned life with Hannah and Harrison.
It was a good way to sign off since it provided a context of the entire series that the focus was always supposed to be on the Morgan siblings. Their dynamic was highlighted a final time to make clear how much impact they had on each other’s lives.
Hannah Leaving Dexter's Life
The love story of Hannah and Dexter wasn’t exactly well-received, with the fanbase not fully buying Dexter’s infatuation with her. The finale separated her from Dexter, as she began a new life in Argentina while believing him to have died.
This way, the character was written out altogether and the fans that weren’t a fan of their pairing can at least find satisfaction over Hannah leaving Dexter’s life. Years after the episode’s airing, viewers have appreciated how Hannah and Dexter weren’t shown to be endgame.
The Cinematography
One thing fans can appreciate in large numbers is that the presentation of the visuals in the Season 8 finale was worthy of mention. This aspect has aged well due to how the cinematography reflects the episode’s finality, with thematic colors and a sense of closure in the setting.
While Dexter was seen many times on the boat, the last shot of him sailing right into the storm remains a sight to see. The filters used in sad sequences feature dull colors in order to illustrate the melancholy of the episode’s theme -- this has been more apparent as fans have revisited this episode.
Dexter Getting The Unhappy Ending He Deserved
Many agree that Dexter became worse and worse as the series progressed due to his tendency to bend his code. He made many wrong decisions that got innocent people killed and there’s no doubt he was never a good man, thus didn’t deserve a happy ending.
While it angered most of the fanbase to see the ending he got, the idea behind it has been deciphered better in the ensuing years. Dexter hadn’t exhibited hopes of redemption, meaning he did have to pay for his sins by living in seclusion which can be seen as him being trapped in purgatory.
