*** SPOILER ALERT – DO NOT READ FURTHER IF YOU PLAN ON WATCHING THE FINALE OF DEXTER ON SHOWTIME – SPOILER ALERT ***
So today’s cartoon is in honor of the series finale of one of my favorite shows – Dexter. For eight seasons on Showtime audiences have grown to love a serial killer with a code of ethics. As horrible as he may have been, the writers continuously pit Dexter against even worse baddies forcing you to root for Dexter each season. Of course nothing could ever top the fourth season and its finale starring John Lithgow as the Trinity Killer. If all you know of Lithgow is his work in Third Rock from the Sun, then you will be even more creeped out about his run as a malicious serial killer and father. So of course many fan sites are saying this was a weak season and quite a few are disappointed with the ending.
SERIOUSLY…THIS IS WHERE THE SPOILING BEGINS:
Some thought he should finally get the happiness he craved with Hannah, the first person to finally put something in Dexter’s heart beside his Dark Passenger. Others thought he should have killed himself as he boats off into the eye of the Hurricane. Many claim this was the weakest of all the seasons (I disagree as I think it was Season 6 with the exception of the last three episodes). This was no Trinity Killer with my heart racing through half the episodes but it had some definite strengths and a couple weaknesses but those were limited to two plot points.
First, Hannah is a wanted fugitive and knows that there are people actively looking for her. No hat, no haircut, no dye job? Dexter producers, Scott Buck and Sara Colleton have an explanation here in this Entertainment Weekly article but it still didn’t make sense for Dexter not to at least buy her a wig.
Second, if nothing else Dexter learned in the fourth season that his inaction has just as many consequences as his actions. Because he chose not to kill the Trinity Killer when he had the chance, it ultimately ended up in Rita being murdered. Fast forward to this season and the same situation was put in front of Dexter with the Brain Surgeon. Dexter’s inaction led to the Brain Surgeon ultimately being responsible for Deb’s death.
Outside of these points, the season did a good job of creating a sense of moving onward for many of the rest of the cast including Hannah finding out about Dexter’s “death” online while in Argentina. Though I have to admit I was waiting for Masuka’s daughter to do something really crazy.
In the end, Dexter realizes that the only way to keep from hurting the ones he loves is to avoid human contact and move to where his interaction with others is limited. So we see him in the final scene as a loner bearded lumberjack. My wish is that if they ever make the series into a musical, my cartoon will be an inspiration and it ends with Dexter singing the famous “I’m a Lumberjack” song by Monty Python.