re: Just finished Dexter on Netflix (spoilers) (NSFW Pg 2)

Planning on rewatching the series in a year or two. Maybe the ending won't seem so shitty to me by then (probably not ).

Won't take away my enjoyment of the rest of it, though

Did you ever read any of the books, perchance?

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Did you ever read any of the books, perchance?

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Negative. Any good?

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The ending was piss-poor, and Dexter becoming a lumberjack under a false identity alone did not make any sense.

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The whole series, but especially the last few seasons, was about his struggle to find his humanity amid the evil lurking in his soul. At times, he would catch a glimmer of it, but he always struggled against his evil self. The ending was basically a way to show that he lost the battle. Hannah and the kid, who represented humanity and goodness, lose out to solitary exile and, presumably, resumption of his murder habit. They gave us a little suspense when he finally realized that he didn't have to kill the killer and instead called Deb to come arrest him. We're given hope that he might finally have found his humanity and put his "dark passenger" to rest, but alas, no. Deb's murder sends him over the edge and to the realization that he can never be human and that he will always bring suffering and death to the ones he loves. I think it was intentionally symbolic that he had to be the one to actually kill Deb to prevent her living as a vegetable. I actually think it's kind of refreshing that they didn't go with the predictable happy ending where everything works out and everyone lives happily ever after.

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Negative. Any good?

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I liked 'em. Nothing earth-shattering, but the tenor of the writing was the same as the show. Similar characters as well, but differing storylines.

Doakes stuck around longer in the books, so that was a plus for me.

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Nuts4LSU

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I understand that angle entirely. I simply believe it was poorly set up and poorly executed.

Edit: I also continue to remember Dexter stating his desire for Hannah surpassed his desire to kill. Did that change with Deb's death? It doesn't look like it. It was portrayed as Dexter running from his problems under the guise that people around him die, but he abandoned his son and the woman he loves as a result. The biggest issue with this is that it is out of character. Dexter didn't run from his issues at all the entire series (at least not without coming back). Even after Rita's death. Why now?

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I also continue to remember Dexter stating his desire for Hannah surpassed his desire to kill. Did that change with Deb's death? It doesn't look like it. It was portrayed as Dexter running from his problems under the guise that people around him die, but he abandoned his son and the woman he loves as a result. The biggest issue with this is that it is out of character. Dexter didn't run from his issues at all the entire series (at least not without coming back). Even after Rita's death. Why now?

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I got the impression that he wasn't running from his problems, but protecting Hannah and Harrison. Pain and death were inevitable for them if they stayed around him. Rita's death almost convinced him of this, but he was determined to win his battle, so he kept trying with Harrison, Deb, Lumen and then Hannah. But pulling Deb first into his own evil and then ultimately to her death finally convinced him. He had to send Hannah and Harrison far away from him in order to save them.

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Usually helps when he doesn't play stupid games
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Well...he still played stupid games.....but I won't spoil it for ya

Nice

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I still got the impression that he ran away. He knows Harrison needs a father, especially if he has a dark side in the future. Leaving Hannah out to dry isn't cool no matter how you spin it Plus, Hannah is a killer unlike Deb. Their nature doesn't conflict unlike Deb. This is the case where things could actually turn out differently.

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Yes, they definitely could have gone that way with it and it would have made sense. One other possibility that I hadn't thought of is that maybe they are thinking down the road about a possible movie or another series, so they don't want to have to write their way out of his happy life in South America to get him back to killing people in the U.S.