# Dexter - Season Finale (OPEN SPOILERS) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 15, 2008, 12:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dexter-season-finale-open-spoilers/477235 "2008-12-15T12:33:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2008, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dexter-season-finale-open-spoilers/477235/21 "2008-12-15T20:03:36Z")
> [@ivan\_astikov](#): > > Sorry Auntie Pam, but LaGuerta has already almost made the bad judgement call of sleeping with a married ADA, so to punish Deb’s lapse in professionalism would have been a bit harsh. IMO. Apples-oranges. 🙂 I think LaGuerta would have stopped herself, but we’ll never know. LaGuerta gave Deb permission to sleep with whomever she wanted, praised her for putting her personal life ahead of her job. Someone other than Deb might be able to live by that philosophy and not screw cases up, but not Deb. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2008, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dexter-season-finale-open-spoilers/477235/22 "2008-12-15T20:16:51Z")
> [@simster](#): > > Would’ve been atleast a little difficult to explain why he was there - and it would’ve connected him indirectly to Miguels murder - Dexter wants/needs to avoid any scrutiny. It would have also made him late for the wedding. ---
**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:** [December 15, 2008, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dexter-season-finale-open-spoilers/477235/23 "2008-12-15T20:27:42Z")
> [@ivan\_astikov](#): > > It’s obvious Dexter is no slouch when it comes to handling himself physically, but we never actually see him working out or anything. I wonder how he keeps in such good shape? I half expected him to have had some martial arts background, based on his general confidence. Early on, Doakes mentioned Dex’s black belt in judo as something unusual and suspicious for a lab rat to have. ---
**Author:** ![ivan\_astikov](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/58f4c7/32.png) [@ivan\_astikov](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivan_astikov)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2008, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dexter-season-finale-open-spoilers/477235/24 "2008-12-15T20:30:33Z")
> [@Bryan\_Ekers](#): > > Early on, Doakes mentioned Dex’s black belt in judo as something unusual and suspicious for a lab rat to have. I missed that. Thanks for the update, **Bryan**. 😉 Can you remember which episode, perchance? ---
**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:** [December 15, 2008, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dexter-season-finale-open-spoilers/477235/25 "2008-12-15T20:31:58Z")
> [@friedo](#): > > It would have also made him late for the wedding. Why? Deb wasn’t… ---
**Author:** ![ivan\_astikov](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/58f4c7/32.png) [@ivan\_astikov](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivan_astikov)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2008, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dexter-season-finale-open-spoilers/477235/26 "2008-12-15T20:34:31Z")
> [@simster](#): > > Why? Deb wasn’t… And if he’d gone to the A&E at my local hospital, he’d have been lucky to get out the same day! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2008, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dexter-season-finale-open-spoilers/477235/27 "2008-12-15T21:05:00Z")
Not all plot lines need to be brought to conclusion, the IAD issue might never come back. The Sopranos had a bunch of stuff that was never finalized. The 1 people talked about a lot was the Russian guy from the Pine Barrens episode. ---
**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:** [December 15, 2008, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dexter-season-finale-open-spoilers/477235/28 "2008-12-15T21:36:07Z")
> [@ivan\_astikov](#): > > I missed that. Thanks for the update, **Bryan**. 😉 Can you remember which episode, perchance? Not specifically. It had to be first season, possibly the second or third episode, when Doakes was becoming established as the ongoing antagonist (well, except for the ice-truck killer, of course). Later on, there’s a brief fight between Dexter and Doakes at a shipping yard where Dexter surprises Doakes by throwing him against a cargo container. Though I don’t recall any scenes of Dexter training, it’s clear he can take care of himself. That said, I thought the fight with the skinner was somewhat truncated and the timing contrived, especially in that Dex wakes up a convenient five minutes before the cops come rolling in, sirens blaring. ---
**Author:** ![Bill\_Door](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@Bill\_Door](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bill_Door)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2008, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dexter-season-finale-open-spoilers/477235/29 "2008-12-15T21:39:54Z")
> [@Bijou\_Drains](#): > > The blood on her dress just goes back to the show opening with the blood, I don’t think there is any more to it. > > BTW, the thread title should be changed to indicate spoilers . I think the blood on the wedding dress symbolizes the intrusion of Dexter’s secret life into his new family. ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2008, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dexter-season-finale-open-spoilers/477235/30 "2008-12-15T22:11:05Z")
I agree. Great symbolism there. Can someone explain how Dex managed to get free of the ropes? Did the loop slide off when he tipped the table over? ---
**Author:** ![GrandWino](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grandwino/32/67_2.png) [@GrandWino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrandWino)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2008, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dexter-season-finale-open-spoilers/477235/31 "2008-12-15T22:23:05Z")
> [@AuntiePam](#): > > Can someone explain how Dex managed to get free of the ropes? Did the loop slide off when he tipped the table over? Yes, but only because he purposefully broke his hand in the process. I think right before he tipped the table over he was voice-overing about how a wolf will chew off it’s leg if it’s trapped. ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2008, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dexter-season-finale-open-spoilers/477235/32 "2008-12-15T22:34:57Z")
I broke my hand and I had a much smaller splint then he did, it just covered my hand. What he had was for a broken wrist or arm. ---
**Author:** ![Cuckoorex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ad7895/32.png) [@Cuckoorex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cuckoorex)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2008, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dexter-season-finale-open-spoilers/477235/33 "2008-12-15T22:45:22Z")
> [@Bijou\_Drains](#): > > I broke my hand and I had a much smaller splint then he did, it just covered my hand. What he had was for a broken wrist or arm. I think he was trying to cover up the laceration from the Skinner’s knife on his forearm. ---
**Author:** ![LVBoPeep](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/858c86/32.png) [@LVBoPeep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LVBoPeep)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2008, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dexter-season-finale-open-spoilers/477235/34 "2008-12-15T22:48:43Z")
I didn’t catch that he got out by breaking his hand until Rita said, when he apologized for having the cast, that he couldn’t have done it on purpose. Then Dexter looks at the camera-that part was pretty cool :). ---
**Author:** ![Rubystreak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Rubystreak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rubystreak)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2008, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dexter-season-finale-open-spoilers/477235/35 "2008-12-15T23:21:36Z")
I thought the Skinner’s tie up job of Dexter was horrible. A little kid could have done a better job. As soon as I saw it, I knew Dex was going to tip over the table and escape. It was all wrapped up way too easily. I agree with SWB about Rita. Annnnnnnnoying. Deb is much less annoying than she used to be. They never went anywhere with Deb looking into Harry’s background and finding out about Dex’s mother. That, along with Quinn, leaves a couple of loose ends. ---
**Author:** ![ivan\_astikov](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/58f4c7/32.png) [@ivan\_astikov](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivan_astikov)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2008, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dexter-season-finale-open-spoilers/477235/36 "2008-12-16T00:22:46Z")
Not ‘loose ends’…added weft to the weave! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Kobal2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kobal2/32/20_2.png) [@Kobal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kobal2)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2008, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dexter-season-finale-open-spoilers/477235/37 "2008-12-16T01:02:09Z")
> [@Cuckoorex](#): > > I thought maybe that Ramon was going to take the place of Doakes as the cop that constantly has his eye on Dex, but that was defused, maybe a little too easily for my tastes. A guy with that kind of history doesn’t just fold because someone says “think of the children!” or something. I thought during the interview there that Ramon was basically confessing to doing Miguel’s dirty work, and I wondered if maybe he was at least an accomplice to the Ellen Wolfe murder. When Dex mentioned Miguel’s “darkness”, Ramon seemed to respond strongly, which raises suspicions of a sort. No, I think Miguel really acted alone on that one. The “dirty work” referred to beating up suspects, the unlawful arrests etc… My take on that scene is that Ramon reacted strongly because all the bullshit Miguel fed Dexter about his darkness were what his brother Ramon had confessed to him he felt. Miguel wasn’t the one who got high inflicting righteous pain, Ramon was. Miguel got high on power. So hearing that his brother betrayed his trust, while at the same time attributing himself the “glory”, yeah, that’d make Ramon tick. Ramon is pretty much the anti-Dexter : a very emotional guy who has trouble dealing with some of his most extreme emotions. That’s why he drinks, and that’s why “think of the children !” works - his love for his kids is also a strong emotion. > [@](#): > > Now that Dex is married and has a kid of his own on the way, is there any doubt that the next season or two is going to depict his family in danger, and Dex having to defend/save his new family? It’s the next logical step, and as much as I hope that the writers can come up with some twist, I can’t imagine that they wouldn’t utilize the whole “loved ones in peril” bit again. Well, in the books he has to deal with Astor and Cody becoming monsters themselves because of their abusive dad. I could see the birth of Dexter’s kid as a trigger for this - feelings of abandonment, things like that. Although I wonder if psycho kids would be acceptable for US TV 😛 > [@](#): > > How else do you end a series like this? Either you: > (a) have him get caught and tried and executed I could see that. Pretty anticlimactic, but witnessing the effect of his outing as a nutjob on his loved ones, wondering whether in the end he relates to them, then realizing he’s fully human and never needed to kill seconds before the Big Zap ? Cheesy, but could work. > [@](#): > > (b) have him get killed in the line of duty, making him a hero Nah. > [@](#): > > (c) Have him retire from killing, getting off scot-free Another possibilty, but more whimper than bang. I could however picture an ambiguous ending à la Sopranos, that would hint that maybe he’ll retire, maybe not, it’s left for the viewer to decide. > [@](#): > > (d) Have him mostly adjusting to married life, but he keeps on killing according to code Not enough closure. > [@](#): > > (e) Have him lose his new family to some killer, then Dex kills the killer, and without anything to stay for (since Deb is apparently doing great on her own), Dex moves on to some other location, still killing as he always has, fade to black. Could work. Or, darker still, Rita finally figures out who he is (about damn time), threatens to rat him out, and he has to kill her (according to the law that states whoever gets close to him has to die sooner or later). He then ends up raising the 3 kids on his own, and keeps on killing. ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2008, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dexter-season-finale-open-spoilers/477235/38 "2008-12-16T01:19:04Z")
> [@](#): > > Or, darker still, Rita finally figures out who he is (about damn time), threatens to rat him out, and he has to kill her (according to the law that states whoever gets close to him has to die sooner or later). He then ends up raising the 3 kids on his own, and keeps on killing. This is **really** dark. The people who’ve gotten close to Dexter deserved what happened to them, even Doakes. Rita doesn’t. HBO’s brave, but I don’t think they’re that brave. Dex hasn’t killed an innocent person yet. Camille doesn’t count, since she asked for it. HBO doesn’t have any qualms about ending a drama series without closure. We got lucky with The Sopranos, Oz, and Six Feet Under, but look at Deadwood and Carnivale. Has the series caught up with the books yet? Would HBO and Lindsay have an agreement not to write something that would have a negative impact on either the series or the books? ---
**Author:** ![LVBoPeep](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/858c86/32.png) [@LVBoPeep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LVBoPeep)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2008, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dexter-season-finale-open-spoilers/477235/39 "2008-12-16T01:36:23Z")
Has the series caught up with the books yet? Would HBO and Lindsay have an agreement not to write something that would have a negative impact on either the series or the books? \>\>\> I think the series has surpassed the books, especially in quality. The first two were decent, but the third was ridiculous IMHO and I hope none of it makes it to TV. There was a bit in the beginning of this season where Dexter says something about evolution and when things started to kill (can’t remember the exact words), that may slightly echo some of the third book as there is a spirit/god/devil like thing that talks about inhabiting simple cells up to human beings and causing chaos/murder. I don’t buy the TV Dexter training Rita’s kids to be like him, although part of that may be that the TV series has not really portrayed the kids as abnormal, where the books portray them as mini-Dexters. ---
**Author:** ![Rubystreak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Rubystreak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rubystreak)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2008, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dexter-season-finale-open-spoilers/477235/40 "2008-12-16T02:21:51Z")
Dexter isn’t on HBO, it’s on Showtime. Not sure if that makes a difference, though I think overall, Showtime’s shows are a bit on the cheesier side and not as high quality. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dexter-season-finale-open-spoilers/477235.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dexter-season-finale-open-spoilers/477235.md?page=3)