Why Dexter Chooses That Controversial Lumberjack Fate

WARNING: MAJOR SPOILERS ahead for the Dexter series finale.

Summary

• Dexter’s love for Hannah led to sloppy mistakes, putting his family and newfound life in danger.
• Dexter’s failure to follow his code and kill Saxon resulted in tragic consequences and Debra’s death.
• Dexter’s final kill of Debra and decision to drive into a storm symbolize his realization that he has nothing left.

There has been a great deal of controversy and even outrage over the series finale of Dexter, which aired back in 2013. The celebrated series is widely considered one of the greatest original thriller series ever made and to some is among the best shows of all time. Dexter stars Michael C. Hall as the titular protagonist who across eight seasons and 96 episodes doubles as a Forensic Specialist and Blood Splatter Analyst for the Miami Metro Police Department as a methodical vigilante serial killer. Dexter breaks the convention of traditional serial killers in that he is guided by a strict code and refuses to kill innocent people, most of the time.

The series finale of Dexter finds the charismatic protagonist completely isolated, having walked away from his life in Miami entirely following the tragic death of his sister, Debra. It’s certainly arguable that Dexter taking Debra off of life support in the final moments of Dexter season 8 was more of an act of mercy than violence, but ultimately, his actions, or more specifically, his inaction to kill Oliver Saxon, the heartless murderer who shot Debra after Dexter atypically spared him, ended up costing Debra her life. Dexter remarkably had gotten away with dozens of murders throughout the series but eventually, life caught up with him.

Dexter & Hannah Planned To Spend The Rest Of Their Lives Together In Argentina

They envisioned taking Harrison with them, which Hannah ultimately does without Dexter

The events of the Dexter finale begin to unfold once Dexter and Hannah McKay, who first became Dexter’s romantic interest in Dexter season 7, confirm their plans to leave Miami together with Dexter’s son Harrison and start a new life. This was established between the characters in Dexter season 8, episode 9, which inspired Dexter to hand in his notice to Lt. Angel Batista soon afterward. The typically emotionless and calculated Dexter begins to think with his heart rather than his brain for once, which leads him to make the spontaneous decision to begin a new life with Hannah in Argentina. Dexter’s love for Hannah also results in him becoming more sloppy, leaving the door open for investigators like Jacob Elway to close in on him and Hannah.

Why Saxon Killed His Own Mother Dr. Vogel In Dexter Season 8, Episode 10

Saxon is as cold-blooded and psychopathic as they come

Oliver Saxon is one of the most vicious villains in the entire Dexter series who shockingly killed his own mother in front of Dexter not long after he had reunited with her. Saxon, whose real name is Daniel Vogel, is the second son of Dr. Elvelyn Vogel, who throughout season 8 had been a confidant to Dexter after she revealed to him that his father Harry Morgan had come to her for help. Dr. Vogel was the person who actually devised Harry’s code, which had come to define Dexter’s entire methodology and morality of killing. Unlike Dexter, Saxon was a true psychopath who was incapable of feeling love for another human being. This is why Dexter says to him moments before he plans to murder him that he and Saxon are actually nothing alike since Dexter loves Hannah, Harrison, and Debra.

Saxon Gave Dexter A Chance To Walk Away – Why Dexter Went After Him

Dexter stayed true to Harry’s code all the way to the end

In the penultimate episode of Dexter, season 8, episode 11, Saxon shows up at Dexter’s apartment and presents him with a choice: either stay out of Saxon’s way or face the consequences. Dexter lies to Saxon and agrees to leave him alone but due to Harry’s code can’t rest unless he knows that Saxon is dead, especially after witnessing what he could do to his own mother. Dexter couldn’t walk away from Saxon for two key reasons. One, Harry’s code essentially prevented him from turning the other cheek and forgetting what Saxon did to Dr. Vogel, as well as Cassie and Dexter’s would-be protégé Zach Hamilton. Two, Dexter didn’t have the self-restraint to not kill Saxon knowing that he very well could, and ultimately should have.

How Debra Inadvertently Became Dexter’s Final Kill

Dexter should have killed Saxon when he had the chance

Unfortunately for Debra, her love and faith in Dexter ended up stabbing her in the back. Even after all they had been through, particularly in the final three seasons during which Debra finds out Dexter is a vigilante serial killer and Debra shoots and kills LaGuerta instead of her brother, Dexter can’t find a failsafe way to protect Debra from Saxon. Dexter was trying to do Debra a solid since she had just returned to the Miami Metro police force by leaving Saxon for her to deal with so she would get rewarded professionally. Dexter’s plan horribly backfires once a Deputy Marshal gets involved, freeing Saxon and giving him the opportunity to shoot Debra, which leads to her death. No matter how you look at it, Debra’s blood is without a doubt on Dexter’s hands.

Dexter Not Killing Saxon Caused His Entire Life To Tragically Fall Apart

Dexter lived an isolated life after Debra’s death to not hurt Hannah or Harrison

With Dexter shockingly not killing Saxon and ensuring the safety of his family and his new life with Hannah, everything ended up quickly unraveling. Dexter was about to get on a bus with Hannah and Harrison, one on which Elway also boarded and nearly busted Hannah, when he felt compelled to visit Deb at the hospital for an unexpected face-off with Saxon. Angel was able to arrest Saxon before he got to Debra, but the greatest threat to Debra wound up not being Saxon at all, but fate. Dexter meets a teary-eyed Joey Quinn in the ICU who explains there were complications with Debra’s surgery. A doctor confirms that Debra will be comatose for life.

Debra poetically becomes Dexter’s final kill in the series as Dexter detaches her from her incubator and shits off her life support. He then takes her out on his infamous Slice of Life motorboat and does to Debra what he had done to dozens of his victims as the Bay Harbor Butcher, rolls her dead body into the vast sea. At this moment, Dexter realizes that he truly has nothing left to live for, even with his young son Harrison and the love of his life Hannah waiting for and counting on him. Dexter drives his boat into a hurricane with the intention of dying so that the people he loves, like Debra and Rita among others, don’t end up dying because of him. In a final epilogue scene, Dexter is revealed to be alive and working as a loner lumberjack somewhere far from Miami, living under a new identity that is further explored in Dexter: New Blood.