(SPOILERS FOR DEXTER NEW BLOOD!!!)
Howdy to my dear little fiends; let’s talk about Dexter.
I may be a little late to the party with this one, but it’s been on my mind since finishing the season of Dexter New Blood. I remember when I first watched the original series. It was my first experience binging until 3 am as we all tend to do now. It’s an interesting concept, after all. A serial killer who specifically targets serial killers? Pretty Unique… so long as we’re not counting Deathnote.
But we’re shelving the Light Yagami talk for now in order to talk about New Blood. I found it to follow its roots quite nicely! Everyone came back for their roles, even in one case where a character is dead, and Dexter was his usual sociopathic self.
But here’s what I’m gathering from all of this. There were a lot of mixed reviews about the way it ended.
For those who don’t know and don’t care about the spoiler warning up top, here’s a recap: Dexter’s taking care of his son. Harrison is an angry teen who might be into the killing thing because he’s saving people. Harrison realizes that’s not why Dexter is really doing it. Dexter realizes Harrison can’t have a normal, healthy life if he’s with him. Dexter tells Harrison to kill him. Harrison does exactly that.
Honestly, it’s okay if you hated this ending and thought it shouldn’t be the way for Dexter to go out. You’re all allowed to have your doubts and shit about the ending of the series. After all, I only know a handful of people who liked Lumberjack Dexter. But I do want to talk about one thing.
Dexter? Dexter Morgan? The character?
Actual monster.
“Oh, Jay… You’re just being dramatic. He kills killers!” You say, because you are a strawman in this argument. Listen here, scarecrow! You’re right; he kills people who are kinda deserving of the act. Hunts them down, makes them face their sins, then finishes them off with a stab to the chest. It’s all very ritualistic. But so many of you forget that Dexter isn’t doing this because he wants to rid the world of evil. He does this because he’s an addict and the high he’s chasing is the thrill of killing.
Could he have not been like this? Yes! If his father thought about giving him some fucking therapy instead of training him to hone his bloodlust. He knew what happened to the kid; help fix it!
(but had Harry done that, We wouldn’t have Michael C Hall playing the perfect sociopath, but I digress.)
This becomes a question on the ends justifying the means. Does it matter if he’s doing it for the high if he’s still doing good in his own sick way? I mean, it’s not like he’s killing innocent people who are onto him. Or using his position in homicide to let criminals go free so he can hunt them down later.
Oh, wait! He did those exact things, didn’t he?!
Dexter is, first and foremost, a serial killer. His only care for the code is because he could be caught without it. Dying in the woods by way of his son with a rifle is exactly the poetic justice needed to take him out.
In this case, Harrison would represent everything good. Harrison is like Batman; trying to hone his pain into a way that can help. When he realized his father was not sharing that sentiment, he did what was necessary.
So, that’s from a story perspective. But from a fan’s perspective? This means Dexter Morgan really isn’t coming back.
Good! Fantastic! His death means the end of the story. And it’s an appropriate ending too. Because the point of an arc is to have the character come out on the other side changed. Dexter cannot be changed. The only way out of it is to put him down like a rabid animal. Because behind his soft monologues and his calculated smiles, that’s what he is. A sick and wounded animal.
But this might merely be my opinion. If you see Dexter as a broken little boy; you do you, boo. But let’s all try to agree that this particular story should be laid to rest. Until next time, children!
Fare thee well!
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