Paramount Home Entertainment
November 12th, 2013
All good, and bad, things must come to an end. In September, Showtime’s DEXTER aired it’s last show. Paramount decided to move swiftly and release the DVD just two months after leaving the airwaves.
For many shows, the final season is one or two seasons too many. But Dexter, in my opinion, stumbled in the middle and came back strong in the last few seasons.
Much of what happened in the end was in the minds’ of the writers and producers a few years ago and the strength of their vision really shows. Characters from the past return and new characters, some of whom have had in impact on who Dexter is, make their debut.
As the season begins, Dexter is dealing with the consequences of Deb’s decision to kill Laguadia…essentially choosing her love of her brother over what she feels is right. Guilt is consuming her and she is shifting some of her guilt to hatred of Dexter. Guilt is something that Dexter does not have to worry about, but he has learned to care (to some degree) over the course of the series and is quite concerned about Deb’s state of mind.
One of the things this season plays with is the battle between Dexter’s evolution as a person and is adherence to Harry’ code, the thing that has allowed him to survive this long. For me, Dexter’s ever-growing humanity is the most interesting aspect of the show. I realize many have complained that a sociopath is not going to develop true feeling for others, but without Dexter’s journey, I think many viewers would have grown tired of this serial killer and moved on. The fact that the finale was Showtime’s largest audience suggests that there is some truth to this.
In the end, I am happy with how things played out. Do I wish the fates of some had been better? Without a doubt. l But the show stayed true to their vision and things not only made sense, but were ultimately satisfying.
Jeremy Lynch
