Dexter Discussion Thread *Spoilers*

[El Skutto]

So, what do you guys think will happen in Season 5? Will Dexter blame himself for Rita's death and try to resist going back to his dark side or will it drive him to be even more dark?

Very good question. I can see it going in either direction...

1) He blames himself and his dark passenger for Rita's death, and tries to turn over a new leaf. Most likely, something happens that forces his dark passenger to "come out of reitrement", despite Dexter trying to prevent it from happening.

2) Rita's death causes him to bury his emotions, which he was just starting to embrace. He therefore retreats deeper into his dark passenger, probably sacrificing his relationship with his three kids due to his single-mindedness. He'll become more ruthless, less sociable, and will probably have some kind of major epiphany (ten to one it involves Deb) before returning to the loveable killer character we all like.

 

[DinoLast]

I think this is all going to end with a bullet from Deborah's gun.

 

[DeltaForceChung]

I don't believe SEASON 5 will be the last. My guess is the series will end at SEASON 6 since the series does not follow the canon of the novels.

 

[Darth Caedus]

Very good question. I can see it going in either direction...

1) He blames himself and his dark passenger for Rita's death, and tries to turn over a new leaf. Most likely, something happens that forces his dark passenger to "come out of reitrement", despite Dexter trying to prevent it from happening.

2) Rita's death causes him to bury his emotions, which he was just starting to embrace. He therefore retreats deeper into his dark passenger, probably sacrificing his relationship with his three kids due to his single-mindedness. He'll become more ruthless, less sociable, and will probably have some kind of major epiphany (ten to one it involves Deb) before returning to the loveable killer character we all like.

I'm going for #2 on there. They made Deb find out about Dex's bro and mother right at the moment where Rita snuffs it, can't be more than a coincidence.

I think this is all going to end with a bullet from Deborah's gun.

That would be SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO awesome

 

[Darklord Dave]

The Dexter finale was Showtime's highest rated show EVER. I doubt they'll plan on ending after season 5 or 6 unless Michael C. Hall or the showrunners decide to quit.

As for Trinity killing Rita - that was a perfect ending. Very poetic and throws Dexter in a new direction.

I like the idea of Quinn suspecting Dexter for Rita's murder - they've kind of set that up. While they don't carry over plot points, everything that happens informs things to come - ala Debra finding about about Brian and Dexter.

 

[die]

I agree with Dave, the show does really set things up. Season 3 ended with Dexter's blood dripping on to Rita's dress which should've been more obvious to everybody watching what her future held.

I think with the discussion between Dexter & Rita in Episode 12, there was a glimpse of things to come. Rita said she accepted Dexter's dark side and that he is good. I think with Debra finding out more and more about her dad not being perfect and losing people she cares about, she'll accept Dexter. I couldn't see her killing him.

Showtime may want to keep the series going after Season 5 due to the great ratings, but I think it's set-up perfectly for Season 5 to be the last. I think it would suffer in quality to make it drag on any longer. I'm interested to see how it goes though, I believe the writers can pull anything off now. Season 5's ending is the most shocking ending to a tv show or movie that I've seen in forever. It reminds me of the ending of Se7en, which at the time was a very unsettling ending and really had an impact on alot of filmmakers. To be able to shock & awe audiences these days is quite an accomplishment. I love & hate the ending at the same time. I always thought Rita was so essential to the character of Dexter that there could be no story of Dexter "becoming human" without her, but now it looks as though her death is part of his growth. It was a bold and creative move and Lithgow's final scene with Dexter & having Dexter find Harrison in the blood was very chilling.

With Dexter rescuing Harrison from the blood just like Harry did him, will we see Dexter send his son down the same path and teach him the code of Harry?

 

[-jay-]

I think this is all going to end with a bullet from Deborah's gun.

That would make for an awesome ending.

 

[DinoDB1975]

The family and I went on vacation to Disney, so I didn't get to watch the last two episodes until Sunday and Monday night. A few days later, I'm still floored by the ending.

For those that were complaining about Rita this season, how do you feel about her death? I wonder if the writers purposely wrote her to seem annoying this season to have her death affect us more profoundly.

With Dexter rescuing Harrison from the blood just like Harry did him, will we see Dexter send his son down the same path and teach him the code of Harry?

From the books, especially the most recent one, Dexter by Design...

Spoiler

Dexter begins teaching Cody and Astor the code.

 

[El Skutto]

Man, I hope that's not the case. There's a fine line between feeling sympathy for a criminal due to a past injustice, and turning a blind eye to blatant vigilanteeism.

I don't mind when Dexter takes the law in his own hands due to police errors or loopholes in the justice system, but I was actually getting a little upset with the character for purposely leaving clues to prevent the police from catching the criminal for his own selfish reasons. That's mischief and tampering with evidence, which are criminal offenses in themselves.

And if DinoB's spoiler proves to be true, I'll be even more upset as there is simply no justification for such a decision.

 

[Darth Caedus]

I don't mind when Dexter takes the law in his own hands due to police errors or loopholes in the justice system, but I was actually getting a little upset with the character for purposely leaving clues to prevent the police from catching the criminal for his own selfish reasons. That's mischief and tampering with evidence, which are criminal offenses in themselves.

Remember, he was going to do the same thing to Doakes before he died; he was going to frame him for being the BHB.

As for Dexter teaching Harrison the code now that they share their own mothers' death in a pool of blood.....I don't know, Harrison seemed a LOT younger than Dexter was when it happened to him. It was a good scene to show the similarities between them, but I don't think Harrison will mirror Dexter with having a dark passenger.

 

[El Skutto]

As for Dexter teaching Harrison the code now that they share their own mothers' death in a pool of blood.....I don't know, Harrison seemed a LOT younger than Dexter was when it happened to him. It was a good scene to show the similarities between them, but I don't think Harrison will mirror Dexter with having a dark passenger.

I was referring more to the spoiler in DinoB's post, but didn't want to reference it directly. I agree it would make sense for Harrison to develop along the same lines as his father.

 

[ShaneX]

Can all the dexter fans in on this site please say "i"

 

[Seditionary]

I don't think Harrison will have the dark passenger thing really. I think the born in blood thing is sort of like a new beginning for Dexter himself.

If Harrison did have it, I doubt he would teach him Harry's code. I think season 5 will be his finally finding a balance between killing, work, and family; solidifying his own code. I think the "Kyle Butler" aspect threw him over the edge this season. It just confused him further about having a family and being a killer. Turns out that Dexter isn't like any of the other serial killers..maybe now he'll realize it and stop trying to learn from them and just get the job done. My point being that Harry's code isn't the only method.

Harry was greatly influential in shaping Dexter himself, but ultimately was limiting in what Dexter could get out of life.

 

[Darklord Dave]

Man, I hope that's not the case. There's a fine line between feeling sympathy for a criminal due to a past injustice, and turning a blind eye to blatant vigilanteeism.

I don't mind when Dexter takes the law in his own hands due to police errors or loopholes in the justice system, but I was actually getting a little upset with the character for purposely leaving clues to prevent the police from catching the criminal for his own selfish reasons. That's mischief and tampering with evidence, which are criminal offenses in themselves.

And if DinoB's spoiler proves to be true, I'll be even more upset as there is simply no justification for such a decision.

As charming and interesting a character as Dexter is, he is still a psychotic sociopath. He only kills killers because of the code deeply inbedded by his father. He NEEDS to kill and when he has prey in his sights he will do anything to make the kill. Justice and the law are secondary to him.

Although we did see him make some steps toward integrating into society this season. And it raises the question - is he a serial killer because he was so traumatized as a child, or is he a killer because his father was so convinced he would become one?

 

[die]

The most important part of the code is to not get caught, so if he has to mislead police or deceive them, well he does.

Anybody here feel like they really have to deal with Dexter's killing of an innocent man? What if that is ultimately the clincher for him? If he's a murderer outside of Harry's Code, shouldn't he have to kill himself or turn himself in? It's gotta play a role somehow.

 

[El Skutto]

The most important part of the code is to not get caught, so if he has to mislead police or deceive them, well he does.

Anybody here feel like they really have to deal with Dexter's killing of an innocent man? What if that is ultimately the clincher for him? If he's a murderer outside of Harry's Code, shouldn't he have to kill himself or turn himself in? It's gotta play a role somehow.

He's done it...what?...twice so far, and other than some troubled inner monologue, he got over it pretty quick. And that's the potential danger I can see with this show should they decide to make Dexter even darker.

Again, I can sympathise with a vigilante who takes justice into his own hands due to the incompetence of the police investigation or legal loopholes (diplomatic immunity, for example), but not when he's purposely misleading police and compromising investigations simply to feed his addiction to murder.

I mean, how fair is it to the families of all of Trinity's (Quadrilogy's?) victims if they go to their graves believing the one responsible for their suffering got away scot free? At the very least, a staged "accidental" death for Trinity would have given those people some sense of closure.

 

[die]

Agreed Skutto, I think they've got the character to the point where something has to happen. Maybe the death of Rita will make Dexter take a harder look at some of his actions.

 

[Seditionary]

Just because he murdered two people that are outside of the code, it hardly makes them innocent. (Frank Castle has killed for less. ) I'm looking forward to what Dexter turns into.

 

[IrishJedi]

Man, it's been 4 days since the finale and I still feel like someone I know actually died.

I guess I'd call that effectively riveting television. No other show has that kind of brass balls.

And it's not a "dream sequence". Julie is not returning to the show. Probably not even as a ghost or vision, ala Harry. "That's a series wrap for Julie" sounds pretty definitive: https://www.nypost.com/p/blogs/popwrap/julie_benz_b2mOlT1g2YCuVN4A2I9CuK

 

[Darklord Dave]

I hope she gets another job real quick. I love Julie Benz.