# Dexter: Final Season On Showtime (SPOILERS!) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 1, 2013, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dexter-final-season-on-showtime-spoilers/662355 "2013-07-01T15:34:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/face_intentionally_left_blank/32/288_2.png) [@Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Face_Intentionally_Left_Blank)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2013, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dexter-final-season-on-showtime-spoilers/662355/21 "2013-07-03T03:17:55Z")
> [@Sherrerd](#): > > Spoiler for _The Sopranos_ in this post: > > I didn’t miss it, but I still say there was “logic-of-the-story” lacking because few parents of the professional class will have only ONE child-care option, as Dexter seems to have. It seems kind of implausible that he wouldn’t have some other options in his organizer–people or agencies he could call, or child-care locations he’s registered at, so that he wouldn’t have to have dragged Harrison along. > > As for the showrunners returning Harrison to the background: I would be very surprised if that happened. I believe that character will be crucial to the series finale’s plot. > This show has something in common with The Sopranos, namely, a protagonist that we enjoy identifying with because he violates the usual rules of human society: if someone annoys him, he KILLS them. We find it fun and interesting to put ourselves imaginatively in that position, but at the same time we recognize that this sort of conduct would not work very well in the real world. In short, we’re intrigued by the ‘judge, jury, and executioner’ idea–but also feel strongly that if such a character rode into the sunset in the end, something important in the order of things would be violated. > > We want the character to go on doing what he does, but at the same time we know he needs to be punished and stopped from doing what he does. > > The solution to this “wanting it both ways” aspect of the ultimate fate of Tony Soprano that David Chase found was a work of plotting genius. He DID find a way to let us have it both ways. When we really want to believe that Tony got away with it, we can reflect that we never did see bullets riddling his body; when we need to believe in ultimate justice, we can remember that the abrupt black silence pretty much must have meant bullet-to-Tony’s-brain. > > It was a brilliant choice. > > The Dexter showrunners can’t copy this, obviously. Yet they will want to do what Chase did in letting us Have It Both Ways: to see Dexter stopped and punished, but also to know that the ‘kill annoying people and get away with it’ possibilities are still ours to imagine. > > The solution will be to kill Dexter, but let it be clear that Harrison is just like Dexter–Harrison will grow up to Kill Righteously. Since Harrison is a child, either Deb or Dr. Vogel will be the one to teach him The Code. And to make it that much easier for fans to feel reconciled to the end of Dexter, very possibly we will see Harrison visualizing and talking to his dead father, just as Dexter did with Harry. Nice post. Noting your prediction. . .well, I probably won’t remember it, but this post will be here to remind me. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![simster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/simster/32/1047_2.png) [@simster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/simster)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2013, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dexter-final-season-on-showtime-spoilers/662355/22 "2013-07-03T03:41:20Z")
My prediction - we’ll fast forward about 15 years - - to find that Dex has been training Harrison - Who has a younger sister (Dex and Chuck’s girl) the end of the episode has Harrison with his first kill - Dexter. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2013, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dexter-final-season-on-showtime-spoilers/662355/23 "2013-07-03T03:51:34Z")
Or Harrison’s first kill will be the person who kills Dexter, as long as we’re speculating. ---
**Author:** ![simster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/simster/32/1047_2.png) [@simster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/simster)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2013, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dexter-final-season-on-showtime-spoilers/662355/24 "2013-07-03T03:58:39Z")
> [@Bryan\_Ekers](#): > > Or Harrison’s first kill will be the person who kills Dexter, as long as we’re speculating. I could deal with that - except it doesn’t seem as ‘poetic’ - Dexter dieng in prison is boring - dexter getting bested by one of his prey is ‘interesting’, but unlikely. Seems more (and more) likely that Deb may end up killing Dexter\* (“First you wanna kiss me, now you wanna kill me. Blow.”) - they certainly have a lot of anger there - I really don’t think they’ll end the season with Dexter ‘caught’ or on the run. I have a feeling (and I really hope I’m wrong) that we will not be satisfied at the ned of the season. \*(Hey, I called it last season that Deb would end up killing Laguerta to help Dex) ---
**Author:** ![Push\_You\_Down](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/push_you_down/32/9095_2.png) [@Push\_You\_Down](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Push_You_Down)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2013, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dexter-final-season-on-showtime-spoilers/662355/25 "2013-07-03T18:15:46Z")
> [@Accidental\_Martyr](#): > > Yeah, I know, but if my choices are: > A) Take my toddler into a situation where there might be a crazed killer. > or > B) Not > I’m probably going to go with not. 🙂 “B.” is actually not “just not taking Harrison” it’s leaving your 4 year old ALONE… somewhere? > [@Sherrerd](#): > > I didn’t miss it, but I still say there was “logic-of-the-story” lacking because few parents of the professional class will have only ONE child-care option, as Dexter seems to have. It seems kind of implausible that he wouldn’t have some other options in his organizer–people or agencies he could call, or child-care locations he’s registered at, so that he wouldn’t have to have dragged Harrison along. You are assigning average parent traits to someone who THE ENTIRE PREMISE OF THE SHOW is based around him NOT being average. Dexter doesn’t have anyone else. That’s a huge point of the episode. Deb outright says it. ---
**Author:** ![Accidental\_Martyr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ce7236/32.png) [@Accidental\_Martyr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Accidental_Martyr)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2013, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dexter-final-season-on-showtime-spoilers/662355/26 "2013-07-03T18:42:33Z")
> [@Push\_You\_Down](#): > > “B.” is actually not “just not taking Harrison” it’s leaving your 4 year old ALONE… somewhere? I meant not going at all and letting Deb take care of herself. ---
**Author:** ![Sherrerd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sherrerd/32/8_2.png) [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2013, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dexter-final-season-on-showtime-spoilers/662355/27 "2013-07-03T20:40:17Z")
> [@Push\_You\_Down](#): > > > [@](#): > > > > Originally Posted by Sherrerd > > I didn’t miss it, but I still say there was “logic-of-the-story” lacking because few parents of the professional class will have only ONE child-care option, as Dexter seems to have. It seems kind of implausible that he wouldn’t have some other options in his organizer–people or agencies he could call, or child-care locations he’s registered at, so that he wouldn’t have to have dragged Harrison along. > > You are assigning average parent traits to someone who THE ENTIRE PREMISE OF THE SHOW is based around him NOT being average. Dexter doesn’t have anyone else. That’s a huge point of the episode. Deb outright says it. I completely agree that the premise of the show is that Dexter is not average. However, he is surrounded by neuro-normal people who care about him and about his little son. There would be many instances when the topic of child care would have come up between Dexter and his coworkers, and between Dexter and his current nanny (now Batista’s sister Jaime). It’s implausible that no one would have said something like “Dexter, you should add this agency to your organizer, my sister-in-law says they’re great” or “Dexter, here’s a card for my niece, she’s a wonderful babysitter, and if neither Jaime nor Deb is around, you could give her a call.” This isn’t about ‘having someone’ in the sense of having a caring relationship (which of course Dexter isn’t noted for). It’s about the provisions for unexpected situations that parents make–having a few phone numbers handy, basically. Even if Dexter wouldn’t react to these conversations (about having options for Harrison’s care) the same way a neuro-typical single father would, he’d still see the sense of having some choices available. _Dexter is all about the careful planning_. He would have made plans for times when neither the nanny nor his sister could watch Harrison. That the writers didn’t provide for this seems (to me) to be a failure on their part to understand the character. ETA: thanks for that, Face Intentionally Left Blank (^\_^). We shall see what we shall see! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![vivalostwages](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d07c76/32.png) [@vivalostwages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vivalostwages)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2013, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dexter-final-season-on-showtime-spoilers/662355/28 "2013-07-03T20:47:57Z")
I imagine that at the end, Dex will be forced to kill Deb and will then kill himself. ---
**Author:** ![chewsick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6f9a4e/32.png) [@chewsick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chewsick)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2013, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dexter-final-season-on-showtime-spoilers/662355/29 "2013-07-04T00:54:51Z")
> [@Sherrerd](#): > > _Dexter is all about the careful planning_. He would have made plans for times when neither the nanny nor his sister could watch Harrison. Thank you for being articulate and intelligent. Were Dex not both, not only would he not be Dex, but we would have no little TV show – that’s why I watch, anyway. Sharp guy, happens to be psycho killer, does it with style. Having Donahue’s spirit infest Dex is not exactly style, IMHO. But that train left the station long ago. Yeah, I’ll finish out the series (been watching from the start), but it didn’t have to be like this. Just saying. OT but what if _Breaking Bad_ is on the same train? I just don’t know what I’d do. Same deal, though – compelling foes sustained over umpteen seasons. Oh, hell. I guess there are some Barney Miller episodes I haven’t seen. Herb Tarlek out. (Yeah, I know, it was a joke). ETA that wasn’t supposed to be sarcastic, actually. Been working my way through _BM_ and _WKRP_ recently, but it wasn’t intended to be a joke. I guess I’m a bit peeved because I really enjoyed watching _Dexter_, and starting last season, I’m kind of not. Never mind. I’ll live, but I’m seriously not trying to be a dick. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Controvert](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dec6dc/32.png) [@The\_Controvert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Controvert)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2013, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dexter-final-season-on-showtime-spoilers/662355/30 "2013-07-04T04:32:52Z")
I think we have to accept that sometimes the reason things happen on shows is in service to El Plotty Plot. Why didn’t Dexter have alternate child care provider lined up? Because the Plot demanded a scene where Dexter dramatically searches for Harrison at a dangerous place. This required a series of elaborate setups (Jaime suddenly involved with Quinn, Harrison playing with centrifuge) to make it easier for the audience to swallow, but it was definitely plot driven from the start. Why did we need six reminders about Deb’s full voice mailbox? So we have a clear reason that Dexter can’t call her to warn her later in the episode. What I don’t understand is why so many minutes were devoted to LaGuerta as we had celebrated her death with an understanding that it would lead to less minutes for her, not more. To borrow Patton Oswalt’s analogy, she’s the bowl of rock salt to the delicious ice cream that the audience actually wants. We’ve seen LaGuerta’s memorial, LaGuerta’s bench, LaGuerta’s boxes, LaGuerta’s vase, LaGuerta’s badge and LaGuerta’s warrants. We’ve gotten jokes about LaGuerta’s ass size and penchant for colorful wardrobes. Stay tuned next week for the exciting expose on LaGuerta’s bronzed bowel movements! I literally care less about LaGuerta than the worms feasting on her rotted corpse. ---
**Author:** ![Sherrerd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sherrerd/32/8_2.png) [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2013, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dexter-final-season-on-showtime-spoilers/662355/31 "2013-07-05T00:45:58Z")
> [@The\_Controvert](#): > > I think we have to accept that sometimes the reason things happen on shows is in service to El Plotty Plot. Why didn’t Dexter have alternate child care provider lined up? Because the Plot demanded a scene where Dexter dramatically searches for Harrison at a dangerous place. Yes, and Harrison needed to be present not only to raise the audiences’ anxiety level for this scene, but also, I believe, to keep Harrison prominent in our minds so that his importance in the series finale won’t seem to come out of nowhere. What some of us in this thread were saying (in the discussion about why the writers did or did not get Dexter right as a character in relation to the child care options) is that when things happen in a story, the story is more highly-regarded when the things that happen are plausible. If not, viewers may come to feel that the storytelling is contrived. The things that need to happen, need to happen. But it’s better (for the happiness of the story consumers and for the bank accounts of the storytellers) if the things that happen make sense, and are supported by other elements of the story. > [@The\_Controvert](#): > > What I don’t understand is why so many minutes were devoted to LaGuerta as we had celebrated her death with an understanding that it would lead to less minutes for her, not more. To borrow Patton Oswalt’s analogy, she’s the bowl of rock salt to the delicious ice cream that the audience actually wants. > We’ve seen LaGuerta’s memorial, LaGuerta’s bench, LaGuerta’s boxes, LaGuerta’s vase, LaGuerta’s badge and LaGuerta’s warrants. We’ve gotten jokes about LaGuerta’s ass size and penchant for colorful wardrobes. Stay tuned next week for the exciting expose on LaGuerta’s bronzed bowel movements! I literally care less about LaGuerta than the worms feasting on her rotted corpse. I’d guess that so many minutes are being devoted to references to LaGuerta because Deb has been through a lot in this series–but it’s her guilt about LaGuerta that has pushed her farther into self-destructiveness, and away from Dexter, than has anything else. So, basically, all the time devoted to mentions of LaGuerta is really about justifying Deb’s character arc through this season. (And of course all of what goes on with Deb will add to the pressure on the show’s title character, culminating in the Big Finish.) ---
**Author:** ![Tangent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tangent/32/3098_2.png) [@Tangent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tangent)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2013, 10:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dexter-final-season-on-showtime-spoilers/662355/32 "2013-07-05T10:27:08Z")
> [@Accidental\_Martyr](#): > > -Dexter figured out Deb’s password in about six seconds and it was “fucking password?” Classic Deb! ---
**Author:** ![fjs1fs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/9e8a1a/32.png) [@fjs1fs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fjs1fs)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2013, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dexter-final-season-on-showtime-spoilers/662355/33 "2013-07-05T13:06:48Z")
> [@Soylent\_Juicy](#): > > Because he is still going for the World’s Worst Father trophy. > > Seriously, the guy pawns his kid off on the nanny 24/7. He better be paying her a shit-ton of money. > > I actually liked the episode and the “new” Deb, as fucked up as she is. And I can’t stand Deb. I think I recall him desperately trying to find the babysitter–who he didn’t realize was banging Quinn. ---
**Author:** ![fjs1fs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/9e8a1a/32.png) [@fjs1fs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fjs1fs)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2013, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dexter-final-season-on-showtime-spoilers/662355/34 "2013-07-05T13:07:55Z")
> [@Bryan\_Ekers](#): > > Shouldna killed his mother, then. Disagree! Worst character ever! Had to be killed. IMHO, of course. ---
**Author:** ![fjs1fs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/9e8a1a/32.png) [@fjs1fs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fjs1fs)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2013, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dexter-final-season-on-showtime-spoilers/662355/35 "2013-07-05T13:09:20Z")
> [@Bryan\_Ekers](#): > > Is it cold to say I hope this happens in the second episode so the Harrison character can disappear, already, getting us back to all-adult storylines? Not cold at all. It’s a TV show–about a KILLER! ---
**Author:** ![fjs1fs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/9e8a1a/32.png) [@fjs1fs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fjs1fs)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2013, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dexter-final-season-on-showtime-spoilers/662355/36 "2013-07-05T13:13:04Z")
> [@simster](#): > > I could deal with that - except it doesn’t seem as ‘poetic’ - Dexter dieng in prison is boring - dexter getting bested by one of his prey is ‘interesting’, but unlikely. > > Seems more (and more) likely that Deb may end up killing Dexter\* (“First you wanna kiss me, now you wanna kill me. Blow.”) - they certainly have a lot of anger there - I really don’t think they’ll end the season with Dexter ‘caught’ or on the run. > > I have a feeling (and I really hope I’m wrong) that we will not be satisfied at the ned of the season. > > \*(Hey, I called it last season that Deb would end up killing Laguerta to help Dex) I don’t think they’ll kill Dexter. There’s too much money in a potential future “comeback.” ---
**Author:** ![What\_the](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f4b2a3/32.png) [@What\_the](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_the)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2013, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dexter-final-season-on-showtime-spoilers/662355/37 "2013-07-06T19:00:19Z")
> [@Svejk\_1](#): > > I thought LaGuerta’s ceremony was a little cringeworthy, especially in how much exposition was being done standing by the bench, in the little conversation between Matsuka, Quinn, Angel, Dexter, and the random new character that they’ve felt the need to introduce. Ditto x3 …very cringeworthy. ---
**Author:** ![Soylent\_Juicy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/82dd89/32.png) [@Soylent\_Juicy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Soylent_Juicy)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2013, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dexter-final-season-on-showtime-spoilers/662355/38 "2013-07-08T14:43:20Z")
Well. Now we know what Dr. Vogel is all about. Who wants to make bets that SHE is the killer who is slicing open the brains? ---
**Author:** ![simster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/simster/32/1047_2.png) [@simster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/simster)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2013, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dexter-final-season-on-showtime-spoilers/662355/39 "2013-07-08T14:50:57Z")
> [@Soylent\_Juicy](#): > > Well. Now we know what Dr. Vogel is all about. Who wants to make bets that SHE is the killer who is slicing open the brains? That was my first thought as well - otherwise, how hard is it to set up a webcam and catch who’s coming in/out the fricking door? ---
**Author:** ![DMark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@DMark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMark)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2013, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dexter-final-season-on-showtime-spoilers/662355/40 "2013-07-08T15:30:23Z")
> [@simster](#): > > …how hard is it to set up a webcam and catch who’s coming in/out the fricking door? She is not exactly poor…and you would think with a psycho serial killer stalking you, it might perhaps be time to install some good security - if not move to a village in Bolivia. I can’t keep that song from Wizard of Oz out of my head…“If I Only Had A Brain”… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dexter-final-season-on-showtime-spoilers/662355.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dexter-final-season-on-showtime-spoilers/662355.md?page=3)