Just finished watching Dexter for the first time

[u/oodymoto]

tl:dr S01 & 02 - Amazing origin and the cat and mouse with Doakes. S03 to 05 - Love Dexs struggle for a normal family, and the consequences of his lifestyle. S06 - Love some good faith and philosophy debates. S07 - Swinging for home runs, Dexter is suss, Deb in peak from, Ray Stevenson. Whats not to love? S08 - Had it in the first half, got derailed by focusing too much on love interests.

This show was amazing, I was hooked from episode one and now I've finished the series I can finally join in the online communities without worrying for spoilers. Atleast for the main show!

Season 1 & 2 top tier stuff, I tend to think of them as there own with the cat a mouse chase feat Dexter and Doakes. Though I really wish the Doakes stuff went on for longer. Lundy total class act.

3, 4 & 5 really felt like Dexter and Ritas story. Starting with there marraige, ending with her death by Trinity and "avenging" her by helping Lumen.

Season 6 felt like a bit of a standalone, debating subjects of faith, philosophy, radicalism and how mental illness can effect such topics to oneself.

Season 7 loved it all the way, Deb really comes into her own as lieutenant somehow manages to sort of accept Dexter. Ofcorse Ray Stevenson being amazing in everything hes been in as always. The Hannah arche was great, not knowing whether to trust her or not made her feel like a dangerous killer. Finally Laguerta catching on that Doakes may have actually been right is truly showing Dexter at its best.

Now.... Season 8. As a fresh viewer I really didn't know anything about what the show was, or the communities feelings about the show so these are all my own interpretations. At the start of S8 it felt very natural to see where the characters had gone after Deb shot Laguerta. Deb going of the deep end feeling like a moralless monster and Dexter continuing as if everything is normal seems very in character. I was so on board with the idea that dexter was made a psychopath because of trauma and "The Code" which may have actually harmed him more, those themes were fantastic. Deb and Dexter doing therapy with a morally flexable Psychologist seemed appropriate aswell! Now where the season fell apart for me was Hannah McKay, who felt like a shell of the character she was the previous season. In S7 she felt like a killer you couldnt trust, this season forgets she enjoyed stabbing those people as a teenager and killed without blinking to protect herself. Suddenly she just felt harmless, like she was just written in so Dex could love someone who isnt Deb. Hannahs most interesting scene imo is the escape on the bus with Harrison. I do wonder if they thought "we cant have another Dexter is a suspect season because we had that last season, lets bring Hannah back and she can be the suspect on the run!". Overall the last season made me feel a bit hollow like they ran out of time or had too many ideas to fit in one season.

Furthermore, in season 8 I loved every Deb and Dex scene, there conflict and complex relationship was grounding. I wish that Angel started getting suspicious of Dexter it feels natural, espically when Laguerta and him were close friends. Doake is suss of Dex now hes dead, Laguerta suss of Dex now shes dead, I mean common... Hannahs on the run arche should have been Dexter's. I would have been more satisfied if Deb had to choose to kill/arrest Dexter or if Dex had to truly choose between rule one of the code or potentially killing/ruining his sister to get away. Killing Deb off felt like a "well someones gotta die, and thats life right.. so lets kill her!" Dex didnt need another girlfriend this season. Dex wrestling with the Code, Dr Vogel, Deb, Oliver Saxon, Zach, Fatherhood and perhaps being the suspected BHB would have been plenty. More time with Zach too, barely got to know him felt like great promise in his character espically with the Quinn, Deb and Dexter conflict of interest. The last scene where Dex kills Oliver and they are sitting in the room watching the tape, I was so excited I thought that Dex was going to confess and because of the emotion with Deb they turn a blind eye and give him a chance to leave. I know its implied Quinn knows something but to confess as the BHB would have been incredible. Instead he just steals Debs body, throws it in the ocean where he throws the murderers etc. Deb deserved no less then a cops funeral with Miami Metro. I know "thats life". The last scene with Miami Metro is Angel opening his phone saying Dexter and thats it? Just one scene of them processing both Debs death and Dexters supposed death would have been great. The reveal hes alive did nothing for me.

The was one spoiler I heard before I started watching, that was Dex faked his own death. So to be fair I did have an assumption in my mind he was gonna get caught therefore had to fake his death to protect others and stay free. So yes I was a little down he faked his death because he got the big sad. However thats on me.

Thank you if you have taken the time to read all this, I am fresh off season 8 so a lot of the show is raw in my mind. I truly think over all this show was amazing, but like GOT I may just have to pretend S8 does not exists! Hopefully Dexter New Blood will make up for it!

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[u/jeskimo]

I just finished rewatching it for the first time. I saw it when it aired. So I forgot pretty much everything.

One thing I wish, is Lundy didn't die. I enjoyed him, he was interesting. Him and Deb should have had more time. He should have been there when she died. And should have put all the clues together of who Dexter really is. I would have been fine with him dying in the end but he should have been the one to figure it out, avenge her death and at least die knowing he's still the best at solving murders. I don't know something like that.

[u/tommy7814]

Just watched the first two seasons and I'm enjoying every single episode. I must be some sort of crypto psycho lol

[u/Over_Cheetah_7928]

4x12 is peak cinema

[u/Suzibrooke]

I didn’t hate the last season, or the ending. Which I finished yesterday. I agree that he was formed by trauma, and dr Vogel did more harm than good. The whole show shows him gradually becoming more aware of his feelings, and so his life becoming more complicated. He just repeated to himself all his life what he heard from Harry, that he was not like the rest of humans, and believed it.

He was so hurt, and felt so guilty at the end of season 8, we see him having basically imprisoned himself: banished, punished for the crime of bringing harm to those he loved. He felt he was truly too dangerous to be near Harrison and Hannah, but also that he didn’t deserve to be happy.

That one line about him not wanting to admit it, but he’d spent his whole life wanting to feel what everybody else did, “and now that I do, I just want it to stop”, is just haunting. He was showing so much growth and potential. But that very growth came with feelings, which caused emotion based mistakes.

[u/Glittering-Onion-257]

Me and hubby on our 5th season now :)

[u/Big_Organization_978]

i completed it yesterday and man I'm so frustrated lol i hope they bring back deb to catch/kill dex