Disc Reviews

Dexter Season 8 Review

• 19th Nov 2013

Mundane and insane in equal measure, Dexter ended its finale with an ending, which however trite, I didn’t see coming – and I have to give it credit for that at least.

Season 8 sees Debra destroying herself under the crushing guilt over the murder of LaGuerta. Dexter is milling around, not doing a great job of piecing his sister back together when up pops Hannah, all poisoned tea and blonde fluffy hair. Dexter is completely side-tracked and ends up compromising Debra’s moral values even more as he convinces himself that Hannah is The One. They come up with a plan to run away, but are thwarted by a murderer who could be Dexters spiritual brother (not his real one, we’ve had that already).

Charlotte Rampling guest stars as Dr Vogel, who it turns out invented ‘The Code’. I cannot stress what a bad piece of casting this is – Charlotte Rampling outacts everyone she is on screen with and really highlights the goofiness of much of the plot, its contrivances and gaping plotholes. She is an utter delight to watch and I never realised how terrible an actor Michael C. Hall was until they were side by side.

Without ranting too much, the finale for Season Seven was the biggest mis-step in a long line of fouls. Debra’s decision to shoot LaGuerta was completely unbelievable and her role as the moral voice of the show was compromised. I couldn’t connect with her character after this point as they took one of the greatest female crime detectives and turned her into a Dexter groupie. She was strong, whip smart and irreverent – she rose up the ranks quickly thanks to an aptitude for police work that bordered on manic and was a great female icon. All that disappeared when she shot LaGuerta and whatever Deb goes through in Series 8 becomes irrelevant, because she needs to answer for hr crime – and in Florida most likely be the electric chair. As much as I love Deb I don’t think she got what she deserved

(Warning plot spoilers for Season 8 below)

The ending for me was horrifying, mainly because Harrison didn’t end up in the safe loving arms of Jamie, but Hannah – a serial killer in her own right. The lack of accountability for these plotpoints rest with the writers and I think the whole series was boring and then ridiculous. The fact that Hannah did nothing to hide that blonde hair and made it to the airport, innocent child in tow, should make everyone question airport security immediately. I also want to point out that Harrison is unlikely to ever see his brother and sister ever again, why didn’t he end with them? The utter disregard for this child has me fuming. As for Dexter – he didn’t get what he deserved, he’s crossed the line so many times and killed so many innocent people that sitting in a long cabin with an ugly beard doesn’t quite count as a comeuppance for me.

As an epic Dexter fan, I was hooked in those heady days of 2006 and devotedly watching every series with a positivity that was foolhardy. The truth is, that Dexter never hit that Series One high, with the obvious and notable exception of Season 4 – with John Lithgow’s unmissable turn as the Trinity Killer. I’ve given seven years to Dexter and I felt I deserved a better ending.

Ultimately unsatisfying and it pains me to say it.

Maliha Basak