14 DAY TRIAL // There was a time when Showtime’s “Dexter” was considered one of the most smartly written and beautifully acted TV series of recent years, but the most recent seasons have been met with increasing waves of criticism.
Season 8 ended last night and, with it, the entire series as well.
“Remember the Monsters?” tied up all loose ends and tried to offer an ending to Dexter’s story, after all, a cold-hearted serial killer, that would come across as both satisfying and believable.
If we’re to believe the initial reactions online, it failed on both accounts.
*Those who have not seen season 8 / series finale, are encouraged not to read any further, because major spoilers are included.*
As speculated for months, “Dexter” couldn’t possibly end with him walking off into the sunset, preferably taking his sister Deb along for the ride. One of them had to die, that much was certain.
As it turns out, producers decided Deb would, but that’s not to say they handled it predictably or, for that matter, that Dex got to have his happy ending.
A lesson was learned by the time the episode ended, and that was that Dexter longed so much to be human that, by the time he became so, he lost that which he held dearest – and wanted he could go back to not caring anymore.
While this particular story arc was done with plenty of attention, everything else about the episode wasn’t. We won’t include any more spoilers here but, if you saw the episode, you know what we’re talking about.
Fans are already describing the finale online as quite a heartbreaking letdown, while others are even saying that it was the pinnacle of a bad season.
Variety agrees: if anything, this final episode stands as proof that this is one series that should have ended long ago.
“Some of the sloppiness in the finish was perhaps the biggest surprise, given how meticulous its serial-killer leading man usually is. […] That said, it was long since time for the series itself to breathe its last. And in this case, that farewell came too late to feel satisfying — or merciful,” the publication writes.
It also notes that the incredibly high standards set with previous seasons could hardly be attained for ever. In other words, all those things you just felt were too forced for “Dexter” were to be expected after a while.
BuzzFeed is even harsher in its “review” of the finale, writing that, by the time Dexter was shown on screen for the last time, most people’s TV sets were probably covered in feces.
What did you think of the “Dexter” season finale? Was this the sendoff television’s most beloved serial killer really deserved, or did it feel forced and rushed to you too? Let us know in the comments section below.
