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'Dexter' finale: Did Deb surprise you?
A killer season of "Dexter" came to a tense, bloody and ultimately philosophical close Sunday night (Dec. 12). But was "The Big One" satisfying? That depends on what you wanted to happen. Spoilers! Don't make us take out our knives.
Let's just fastforward to the most crucial scene, shall we? Jordan Chase (Jonny Lee Miller) has taken Lumen (Julia Stiles) to the River Jordan Camp for Boys and Girls, and Dexter (Michael C. Hall) finds them, thanks to the Office of County Records, which had listed Eugene Greer for that property.
Just when it looks like Jordan has the upper hand -- Lumen is strung up, Dexter is captured after flipping his car -- Dex surprises their captor with a hidden knife. Jordan is speedily strapped to a table (or is it a gurney)? After one of the most twisted conversations ever, in which Jordan keeps trying to make Lumen thank him for "transforming" her from a meek and cowering creature to this vengeful angel, Lumen freaks and executes Jordan, screaming to his dying/lifeless body, "Do you hear me?!?"
So it's over. Sort of.
As Lumen and Dexter clean their knives and prepare to deal with Jordan's remains, Deb (Jennifer Carpenter) arrives on the scene, thanks to a tip from a street vendor who recognized Jordan in his car on the way to the camp and heard strange noises coming from his trunk. Deb sees Jordan's body and then catches sight of Lumen and Dexter from the other side of plastic sheeting. It's translucent enough to see their general forms, but not clear enough to ID someone.
This is where the whole season of Deb's maturation comes into play. We're not saying a sane and mature person will condone murder, but she's come to realize that life -- and justice -- are not black and white. She makes one of the most heartfelt speeches on the show, the whole time from the other side of the plastic, deliberately never seeing their faces fully.
She starts by addressing the blurry vision of the victim (Lumen): "I know who you are, Number 13. I know what they did to you. I've seen the tapes. I watched them over and over. It's a miracle you've survived, a f***ing miracle. And you (to Dexter), whoever you are, you know that too."Maybe it's true some people deserve to die, but I'm a cop and I don't f***ing make that decision," Deb adds. "So I'm going to call this in and in an hour this place will be swarming with police. (beat) If I were you, I'd be gone by then."
And then she backs out and lets them get away.
Wow, right?
There are so many implications here, but of course the first is that Deb has let murderers free. More to the point, Deb has helped out Dexter, albeit unknowingly. There were signs that her sense of morality had been shifting this season, but this was a pretty huge step. This does not necessarily mean she'd be willing to help Dexter and his Dark Passenger straight out though.
So that's the main stuff. A few other musings and highlights:
- The look of distaste on Jordan's face each time he has to deal with Lumen is hilarious. Would he have done something to Lumen really? It's hard to tell. That almost-face-bite scene was sure creepy though. When he licked his lips, we shrieked.
So Dexter faked Quinn's blood test, presumably with something other than blood. Quinn himself even thanks Dex, so does that mean Quinn will let whoever Liddy's killer is get off scot free? Hmm ... more of this grey area stuff. Liddy was shady, but was he worthy of death?- Speaking of Quinn, both he and Deb need to do some post-stress eating. He didn't used to be that bony, right?
- Great Angel line: "Am I the only on interested in this goddamn murder?"
- Jordan to Dexter while looking at knives: "Wow. I look at these and I can't help but think you have a kind of greatness in you."
- Deb struggling to speak to vendor: "I f***ing swear I'm taking Spanish after this."
- So nobody Dexter loved died. Huzzah! Lumen left, but that was kind of expected, right? He can't have a permanent partner. That wouldn't work. But when he pleaded, "Don't go," it broke our hearts.
- Do you think it's as simple as that, for Lumen to lose her Dark Passenger?
- Dexter's touching/creepy vow: "Don't be sorry your darkness is gone. I'll carry it for you always. I'll keep it with mine."
- Apparently, we need to go to more first birthday parties.
- Okay, it wasn't the huge, traumatic ending like last season's finale, but we feel that we needed this season. Just like Lumen, we needed a catharsis. We're not blown away, but we're satisfied.
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Photo/Video credit: Showtime
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OMG! I had to pause the show for a minute when Deb drove up to the camp because it was so intense! I couldn't imagine how she wouldn't catch them. What a great scene that was and I'm so glad how it turned out. I'm wondering about the photos Quinn still has of Dex and Lumen on the boat. Should we assume he destroys them? Will they show up next season to cause trouble? I wish Lumen could stay with Dexter. That was so sad when they were on the kitchen floor together. I think Dex almost cried. Me too. :( Can't wait for next season. This is one of my favorite shows!
even though Quinn thanked dex but he still got those pics of dexter and lumen...
ahhh GD why this show has to be only 12 episodes
What did Deb mean at the 1st Birthday Party when she said to Dexter, "I'm happy. You must be too. Now that this is all over."
What is "this" that is over for Dexter? Does Deb know? If not, what is she talking about?
I'm a huge fan of the series but Season 5 was the weakest by far. This season should have been about connecting the dots of Rita's murder to Dex and Trinity. Very few serialized drama's can maintain creative quality after 5 years. Sadly, Dexter is not one of them. Hopefully 6 will be the last season and they'll go out with a bang. There are so many close calls one can stomach before the plot gets ludacris.
@jonathan, i caught that as well and thats the first thing i thought, that she does know. Thats the only thing I can think, because of the way she looked at him. To the rest of the world Dexter shouldn't have any attachment to any of the killings of this season, so there would be no reason for her to say that. And then having placed them at the end of the table together looking at him straight on while every other character is looking at an angle, I think is another clue that they know.
What an atrocious episode. The sister just "walks away". Hey, there's someone behind the curtain! Couldn't possibly be, say, two more members of the merry bunch of rapists. Nah, it's obviously my vigilante and her boytoy, so I'll let'em go without a peek, 'cause I'm just cool like that.
THE lamest, most cowardly cop-out in this entire series.
I suppose she also asked them to extract HER DAMN BULLET from the wall and tow away the wrecked car that would have been reported as stolen fifty meters away from the Liddy crime scene.
Then again, apparently nobody cares about the Liddy crime - Quinn is innocent, after all. Dexter "found out". The blood was, uh... a pigeon's! Or Quinn's. He just cut himself shaving. While wearing shoes. At the crime scene.
And never mind Quinn's name in the logs, his presence by the van, his logged conversation with Liddy 5 minutes before the man bites it, or his behavior at the crime scene. Nah, screw all that. Now only 4 out of 5 clues make him look suspicious, plus he's ours, so he's clean! And if Quinn didn't kill Liddy, then who cares who did, right? Case unsolved.
And that laughable beach ending was so lame I think I'd rather have Dexter waking up in the beginning of season 6, realizing he's actually still trapped by Jordan and he has just dreamt half of S05E12.
But they'll just keep milking this cow for 10 years, until it gets canceled with a hastily thrown together "ending" (probably something as dumb as Dexter killing someone "baaaaad" and suddenly feeling that he's no longer a sociopath who needs to murder - then smiling toward the camera, THE END).
Loved it! I kept expecting a dramatic finish but honestly I liked the end. Hope it stays around for a long time.
If Deb busted Dexter and Lumen, it never would have stuck. She had no warrent to be on private property. That's the only way I can see her letting anyone go.
@eternity please stop atching the show. Your obviously one of those people who look way into it..its entertainment..just let it be.
i thought it was the perfect antedote to season 4 finale
This was a really disappointing episode after the best season so far IMO. The last 2 seasons have been great, but this was a whole lot of build up for nothing. Definitely going to miss Julia Stiles, she was perfect in this role. Not to worry, I ain't mad at ya Dexter...