Dexter 4x12

[ozmissage]

Please tell me someone else just watched the Dexter finale. Spoilers below the cut.

- WTF? When did this show grow a pair? They frakking killed Rita. RITA. I just…I felt like that was where the show was heading all season, but I honestly didn’t think they had it in them. I mean when have they ever done something so permanent to Dexter? They love hitting that reset button every season and there’s no resetting this.

-Now while I give them major props for actually doing something big, can I just go on record as saying that crap just absolutely ripped my heart out. His face. Harrison, in the blood. I was sobbing, like Juliet Burke and the well levels of sobbing. And there’s nothing he can do about it; he already killed Arthur and that bastard knew what he had done…AND DEXTER’S FACE…I just, can not deal with seeing him that broken.

What about Astor and Cody? Is Dexter going to get custody of them because I really don’t think I can handle seeing him loose everything, not when he was finally in a good place. My emotional attachment to his character is possibly unhealthy, but I felt so proud of him when he was talking about finally trying to get rid of his “dark passenger” and just be Dexter Morgan and then they made him walk into his house and see his son covered in blood and his wife dead and….EVIL WRITERS…EVIL.

-Lithgow had better win an Emmy this year. He scared the hell out of me all season and yet when Dex turned that train on for him I actually cried. I am now retroactively taking those tears back because he clearly did not deserve my sympathy.

-Deborah Morgan needs to marry me. When she told Dexter that he made her who she is? That was maybe my favorite moment this show has ever done. She's been kickass all season (of course she’s kickass every season.)

-The La Guerta/Angel storyline went nowhere. Which…I honestly thought one of them would be dead by the end of the season, but I guess the writer’s actually thought their relationship was interesting…huh, well I guess you can’t win them all. (sidenote: I actually like both of the characters, it’s just their relationship was kept so far away from the main storyline that I found it really hard to care about it when there were so many more interesting things going on…)

-Am I the only one who likes Quinn? He’s kind of like a less-awesome version of Doakes.

-THEY KILLED RITA. Sorry, I’m not moving pass that anytime soon. While I was growing weary of the Dexter in suburbia plotline, I’m going to miss Julia Benz. She was kind of the heart of the show, she was certainly Dex’s heart. I’m kind of terrified to see next season now.

-Poor Dex. *whimpers*

Comments

[elliotsmelliot.livejournal.com]

When I saw your post yesterday I was four episodes behind. Last night Mr. E.S. and I had a marathon to catch up.

THEY KILLED RITA.

I always struggle with seeing love interests killed because it is usually women and as a feminist it annoys me at how their violent deaths are used to push the male lead's story along and that women's roles are usually considered more disposable to begin with. (I am writing an article about this trend in relation to Lost.) But this death really worked for me. The timing was right in terms of fatigue with the suburban story and how this factor will screw with Dexter in incredible ways. I like what you said about his heart missing now.

What do you think will happen next? Will he call 911 or will he hide her body/disappearance for fear of stirring up the Cal connection with Trinity's family if this murder is revealed.

In other thoughts, Quinn grew on me this season. La Guerta/Angel need to go away. Deb is awesome. Lithgow deserves an emmy. I have a soft spot for Vince.

[ozmissage.livejournal.com]

I hadn't even thought of the possibility that he might hide her body. But you're right, it's going to seem strange that Trinity targeted him in particular and add that to the fact that someone was misdirecting the police with false evidence and Dex's early arrival to the crime scene (at Arthur's house)...it would look pretty suspicious.

I'm really hoping there's no one "big bad" next season, for one thing I can't imagine anyone topping Lithgow and for another I really think Dex is going to be his own worst enemy now. He's got all of this guilt and this need for revenge that's not going to be satisfied, and to top it all off he's a single father now. I think emotionally he's either going to shut down completely or lose control.

Aww, I have a soft spot for Vince too!

Ooh, your article sounds interesting! I'm not a fan of killing off love interests to motivate/propel their male counterparts either. The thing that's always bothered me with Lost in terms of male deaths vs. female deaths is the lack of agency for the ladies. The guys on the show from Boone to Charlie to Eko, heck even Micheal have died as "heroes" or at the very least on their own terms (Eko). Whereas the girls have all died sudden, violent, senseless deaths.

And now this comment has reached epic proportions, but really I've been dying to talk about Dexter. :)

[elliotsmelliot.livejournal.com]

You're right, another Big Bad wouldn't work. I think it is Dexter's turn to be the monster, the good guy in comparison to the other killers who don't follow Harry's code.

Do you want the series to end with Dexter continuing his deeds uncaught? Part of me wants him to stay free of only because Hall is such a likeable actor and I don't want to mess up the kids or Deb. Another part of me thinks a final season where his true self is revealed would shake of the formula.

The thing that's always bothered me with Lost in terms of male deaths vs. female deaths is the lack of agency for the ladies.

Part of my argument for my article will be exactly that point. Not only are their deaths so passive, but none of the women except Eloise are considered 'special' in the way Walt, Locke, Desmond etc. are or have any relevance to the island. Even Kate, the main lead is really just used as a pawn in the larger plot. Meanwhile Claire is deemed so unimportant it is not necessary to show her for a season. I could go on and on, but I'll stop there!

[ozmissage.livejournal.com]

As much as I love Dex, I feel like it has to end with him being caught. I hate to think of what it will do to him and his family, but it feels like something that's almost inevitable. It's totally going to break my heart though.