Dexter finale thoughts? (SPOILER ALERT).

[yurbud]

I had mixed feelings about the whole season.

The business about Harry killing himself had a great Greek tragedy feel to it, but at the same time, Dexter deciding his dad was a phony and a fraud because of it seemed like a non sequitur.

Likewise, the whole Lila finding & killing Doakes, kidnapping the kids, finding out Dex was the butcher, fleeing, and being caught seemed like the Cliff Notes of half a seasons worth of business.

I realize now what it was I liked about the first season: the leisurely pace made it seem eerily like real life, the way things actually unfold. Dexter's hobby was more jarring in that more real context.

I also thought there was going to be a more sinister development for Harry--like he made Dexter a sociopathic killer when he might have turned out normal, maybe even setting up that horrific cargo container slaughterhouse. It would also make the likelihood that Harry is his real father chilling.

Possible directions another season: Some mess from Harry's past floats to the surface and Dexter has to keep it down to protect himself.

Deborah finds out what Dex does.

One way to play that is a parting shot from Lila: She sends the bag with Dexter's kill tools to her and she has to decide what to do with that.

Another angle in the second book involved the kids--what if Dexter saw the same tendencies in them; what would he do? Would he cover for them?

I thought a better way to dispatch Paul would have been for Rita to do it, a very sloppy, amateur job, and Dexter has to scramble to clean up her mess.

[AllegroRondo]

1. some good, some bad

I thought the whole bit about Lila finding and killing Doakes was kind of contrived, like they suddenly realized they had only 1 episode left and had to wrap up the season. I was glad Dex finally killed Lila - saw that one coming for a while.

For next season:
Maria still believes Doakes was not the killer, and has some proof of it, like Doakes' military records which show him out of the country on certain dates. I see her finding more loose ends and maybe the truth about Dex. will she have to die too?

[yurbud]

2. LaHuerta was also looking for that lab in Haiti...

signs that she is killable: that cold-blooded set up of her replacement at the beginning of the season. Both her and the captain looked a lot like sociopaths in the first season.

[kwassa]

3. I liked the finale

I thought Lila knocking off Doakes was believable in terms of her insanity. It fit all the story up to that point, with her obsession with Dexter.

This show does a classic story arc, with all the plots tied up neatly at the end. It is just the subject matter that makes it original. I find this a little more satisfying on the level of craft than the way the "Sopranos" was wandering all around in the last few years.

The weakest character for me was the Keith Carradine character. His attempts at tongue-in-cheek folksiness didn't really work for me, and worked against the suspense of the character.

[yurbud]

4. carradine's zen master of crimefighting worked. folksiness & romance...

Not so much.

[yurbud]

5. no real suspense about outcome of lundy & deb either

It would have been better if he ASKED her to come and she didn't, rather than her planning to go stalker on him.

[Blue_In_AK]

6. I missed exactly how it was that Dexter

found Lila there at the end. I was glad he did her in though. She was definitely trouble.

[yurbud]

9. cop databases, her known aliases, plane ticket...

Narrows possibilities

[Phoonzang]

7. Was that the series finale or the season finale?

Because I really want more Dexter.

Regarding the episode, I thought Doakes' death was too sudden and kind of anti-climactic. After all the attention they lavished on him this season they just kind of got rid of him quickly at the end. As for the Lila thing....I think she should have stayed around for a while. I mean, how the hell would Dexter find her in Paris?

[kwassa]

10. Season finale and ...

I have no idea how he found her in Paris.

[VenusRising]

8. I actually saw the finale last week.

I've been stewing about a few things...

Why on earth would Harry kill himself because of Dexter killing the pimp that was allowed to walk? He had already sent Dexter to kill the nurse who was intentionally overdoing patients. So, it wasn't even Dexter's first real kill. Unless of course, it was because Harry had to see it and deal with what he created face to face, which I guess could have driven him to suicide, but that seems unlikely. It seems like Harry was preparing Dexter all the way along, like taking him to witness the execution. Too many loose Harry ends.

and

How did he find Lila in Paris and what did he do with her body? Other than that, I'm pretty ok with how things ended up.


It was weird that Dexter had made peace with turning himself in until he realized how much he mattered to the people in his life (Deb, Rita, the kids). Once he realized that the people in his life needed him for who he was instead of the monster that Harry created, he seemed more determined than ever to frame Doakes. Lila was just the perfect cover in the whole twisted Doakes tale.

And I love how Dexter's moment of clarity came as Deb shoved that piece of steak into his mouth and said the steak was worth living for.

Overall, good season. Hopefully, now that the FBI is off the case, we can get back to the regular kills next season. He got a new trophy case!! I just hope he learns to dispose of his bodies a little better.