Dexter (Season 8)

The writers of one of my favorite shows failed me. I can’t believe it. I had so much faith in them. I thought they had everything in place for an epic conclusion but instead was giving a head-scratching dissatisfying deflating mess. How is this possible? There is so much to hate about this last season, it’s hard to know where to begin. First we’ll start with what I liked about it. Bringing on board Charlotte Rampling as Dr. Evelyn Vogel, the inventor of Dexter’s Code, was a fantastic idea and I loved how she was used to bring Dexter and Debra back together. It helps too that she’s a wonderful actress. Bringing back Hannah McKay and having her and Dexter’s love story continue was a good move. It wasn’t going to have a happy ending but that’s as it should be. And that’s pretty much it. The rest of the season is so uneven and illogical that I still can’t believe it. In hindsight I know what the writers and producers
were trying to do but the result only spoils what was such a good show. Now when I tell people that they should watch Dexter I’m going to be conflicted. Sure watch this great show but don’t see how it ends because it sucks. If ever there was a way to force a production company to re-do a season of a show, this would be my choice. So disappointing. Grade: B-

Spoilers
Here’s a list of what I hated about this season.
1. The killing of Dexter’s sister. Dumb and pointless. She was the heart of the show and she needed to live on. I know the reason she was killed was to make the ending really tragic but it came across as forced and out of the blue. “Let’s kill Dexter’s reason for living so he can spend the rest of his life in pain and regret because that’s how he should be punished”. That’s why she was killed but I find that a lazy choice, personally.
2. Joey Quinn suddenly dumping Jamie and getting back together with Debra, who takes him back without a thought. The reason for this? To make it more tragic. His story would have meant something if he had remained faithful to Jamie. Tossing Jamie to the side like that was just mean and left a bad taste in my mouth.
3. Hannah McKay running away with Harrison. It’s not that she wouldn’t make a good mother, if there’s anyone out there who will protect him better it’s her, she’d kill to keep him safe. And being that she’s a killer, maybe she can raise him to not be one. (Maybe) But Harrison deserves to be with his half siblings Cody and Astor. He deserves to be with family instead of a woman he just met.
4. The moment Dexter decides not to kill. This is where the season really falls apart. I get it; I know what the writers are saying. Dexter realizes he doesn’t need to kill anymore, “See his transformation!” And with this transformation you punish him. The irony would work if set up properly but it’s just inconsistent with this character.
5. Horrible villain. Daniel Vogel starts off as a threatening character but in the end he’s just not the guy Dexter deserves to face at the end. He’s so forgettable, especially when you consider how this show started with the Ice Truck killer. Couldn’t they have made him scarier than any killer Dexter has faced so far? Pretty lame.
6. Rushed Writing. It felt so rushed at the end. “Quick, let’s end this thing so we can move on to our next project.” I’m sure this is an unfair criticism. I doubt the writers rushed it; I’m sure they spent long hours writing scene after scene but for me it didn’t feel they met their usual standards. The dialogue wasn’t as good as it had been in previous episodes and even the logic was off.
7. Dexter is alive. If you are going to have Dexter drive off on a boat into a hurricane, then stick to your guns. Don’t have him pop up in Alaska with a beard. Again I get what the writers were trying to do, but I felt Dexter should have just died. He should have died protecting the ones he loved. He’s our hero. He’s a serial killer but the writers don’t have to play moral god to their characters. I always thought Dexter either should sacrifice himself by turning himself in or died in a heroic way. Sure, all writers want to out think their audience and come up with an even better ending then what is expected but sometimes the expected is the ending of the story. This ending felt inorganic developed and false. I wouldn’t have wanted a happy ending but even a happy ending would have been better than what I watched.
How should it have ended given this Season’s set up? I personally would have switched Debra and Dexter destines. Dexter would have been the one shot and in the hospital to become a vegetable. Debra would have taken him out on a boat and she would have dropped him to the sea. Then she’d return to the main land to live being one of only a hand full of people who knew Dexter’s true crimes. Hannah McKay would have returned from Latin America and dropped Harrison off with his Aunt so she could reunite him with his family. The last scene could have been Debra and Hannah once enemies departing ways, the two women who loved Dexter. Still not a perfect ending but it would have been a lot more pleased.