Well, that definitely wasn't the ending anyone was expecting.
"Dexter" ended its 8 season run on Showtime last night, going up against the Emmy Awards and the penultimate episode of "Breaking Bad" with a series finale that left some both outraged and confused.
So, what happened? Obviously, spoilers below!
The episode kicked off with Dexter (Michael C. Hall) trying to flee Miami with son Harrison and his fugitive girlfriend Hannah McKay (Yvonne Strahovski) -- but when Hannah notices she's being followed by Elway, Dex reports a "suspicious package" and the airport terminal gets evacuated.
As they leave the airport, Dexter gets a phone call letting him know that his sister, Deb, has been shot by this season's Big Bad, the Brain Surgeon.
He rushes to her side and the nurse (Amy Pietz of "Caroline from the City" fame, random!) tells them both she's optimistic. Dexter tells Deb that he "screwed up her life" and he's right.
Then we got a touching flashback scene between the brother and sister, showing how happy she was before learning Dexter's terrible, horrible, no good, very bad secret. This is when we knew she was a goner.
Dexter then sends his son Harrison on a bus with Hannah, so they can catch a flight to Argentina from Jacksonville. This doesn't seem like the wisest idea, as Hannah is still a killer at heart and has a huge bounty on her head, but whatever ... we'll go with it. This is the last time they see each other.
Elsewhere in Miami, The Brain Surgeon (aka Oliver Saxon), forces a vet to patch up his gunshot wound from Deb and then forces the guy to drive him to the hospital she's at so he can finish her off. Dexter gets there just in time, rushes to save Deb, only to have Batista pop up and arrest Saxon.
That's when we learned Deb's fate.
In what was probably the most shocking part of the finale, Amy Pietz tells Dexter that his sister is brain dead and, unless there's a "miracle," she won't recover. Did Jennifer Carpenter deserve a better send-off? Debate that below.
Meanwhile, on a bus somewhere, Elway catches up with Hannah and tells her he'll be arresting her at the next stop. Too bad for him, Miss McKay carries horse tranquilizer with her -- and uses one of Dexter's needles to put Elway to sleep as she and Harrison escape.
Dexter then has a 1:1 visit with Saxon. It's a tense scene, with Dex telling the guy who offed his sister that he's going to kill him with a pen. Saxon reaches for it first, stabs Dexter, only to have the blood spatter analyst grab it back and brutally slash Oliver's throat.
Watching the security footage back, it looked like Dexter acted in self defense, but we know better.
Then things got realllllly weird.
After calling Hannah and telling her he'll see her soon, Dexter switches into his killer clothes, pulls his boat up to the hospital, sneaks into Deb's room and pulls the plug on his brain dead sister.
He then STEALS HER BODY, carries it onto his boat waiting on the dock and heads out of the harbor into the oncoming hurricane. After dumping her into the water, he drives into the eye of the storm -- leaving us to believe he's dead.
We then see everyone react to Dexter's assumed death, including Hannah, who made it safely to Argentina with Harrison. Then, cut to black.
But, that wasn't the end.
The show came back with a very bearded Dexter in Oregon, where he's working as a lumberjack. He says nothing, goes to his Spartan home and gives the camera one final stare (above). Roll credits.
So, what did you guys think of the end?
Hearing Dexter say "I destroy everything I love" was effective and explained why he cut himself off from his family and friends at the end -- but was Hannah really the best person to watch over Harrison?
Did Deb really need to die ... and why did Dexter throw her body into the water? Who's to say she didn't want to be buried with a nice grave site for Quinn to visit?
And, when he's not cutting down trees, does Dexter still kill people in Oregon? So many questions!
Overall, this season (much like the finale) was all over the place.
Most the show's fans really wanted to see more heat on Dexter for the final season ... and not because of his association with Hannah, but because of his own murderous past.
It's been an interesting ride. Tell us what you thought (or really wanted to see happen) in the comments below.
-Brian Particelli
