Plot twists are crucial to keeping your audience invested, especially in television. For eight seasons, fans watched their favorite serial killer take on many obstacles and worthy adversaries. As with many great dramas, twists and turns were abundant.
Dexter benefitted from some of these twists, giving audiences more reason to tune in each week. Unfortunately, not all was perfect with Dexter, as many fans will be quick to point out. Some of these twists downright hurt the show and its reputation going forward. Here are five twists that hurt the show and five that saved it.
Saved: The Ice Truck Killer Is Dexter’s Brother
Dexter starts off as a very mysterious person. Even though the viewers are in his head the whole time, there was still so much to know about him. It was clear that the Ice Truck Killer was personally connected to Dexter due to all the hints of his childhood and past-life.
The revelation that it's Dexter’s brother really humanized him, despite his constant reminder that he has no feelings. It shows that he’s in denial about his true self and he’s, deep-down, a good person. It also strengthens the bond between him and Debra since he chose his adoptive sibling over his biological one.
Hurt: Travis Marshall Is The Real Doomsday Killer
It’s easy to see what the writers were going for here. Dexter has his own dark passenger (Harry), so other killers may have it too. The problem is, it completely ruins the momentum that Season 6 had been building up.
The reveal that Travis is just imagining Professor Gellar this entire time seems far-fetched and puts a ton of holes into past events. In addition to that, Travis just wasn’t that intimidating once he became the true villain, especially compared to Edward James Olmos’s haunting performance as Gellar. Actor Colin Hanks does his best with what he’s given but he just becomes a little too cartoonish in the end.
Saved: Arthur Is Christine Hill’s Father
The reveal that Arthur Mitchell (The Trinity Killer) is actually Christine’s father was a brilliant twist that puts all the pieces of the puzzle together. Up until that point, you didn’t know what her purpose was and why she was getting so close to Quinn and Deb.
Christine’s story is a tragic one, even though she ended up being a murderer. She just wanted the love and affection of her father, even though he clearly doesn’t care about her or anyone in his family, for that matter. It was a way to show Dexter what kind of damage he could potentially do as a father himself.
Hurt: Evelyn Vogel Taught Harry The Code
The beginning of Dexter’s final season is a perfect example of how not to do a last-minute twist. It’s revealed that Evelyn Vogel, a neuro-psychiatrist, is actually the one who taught Harry the code to later show Dexter.
All of this just felt totally out of left-field. Evelyn has never once been mentioned on the show, yet she becomes a crucial part of the final act. Viewers just couldn’t connect with her, which hurt Season 8 overall.
Saved: Doakes Becomes The Prime Suspect For The Bay Harbor Butcher
Doakes is perhaps Dexter’s best adversary from the right side of the law. He saw through Dexter’s innocent act. The writers carefully planted the seeds to have this eventually be Doakes’s downfall.
With the FBI searching for the Bay Harbor Butcher, it was apparent that someone else may end up taking the fall for Dexter’s murderous deeds. It was heartbreaking to lose such a fantastic character like Doakes but there was no other way he could've gone out.
Hurt: Louis Is Just A Whiny Troll
There was so much speculation going into Season 7 just who Louis Greene is. Why was he so obsessed with Dexter? Why did he send him the Ice Truck Killer prosthetic hand? Is there some sort of connection?
None of those answers mattered as all Louis turned out to be was a whiny online troll who felt disrespected by Dexter’s opinion of a game he’d been working on. The thing is, Louis could’ve been an interesting character who went nuts after Dexter ruins his career and relationship with Jamie. Instead, he’s just unceremoniously shot in the head by Isaak Sirko for being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Saved: Isaak And Viktor Were Lovers
Even though Deb had discovered Dexter’s actions, the show needed a new big bad. In comes Isaak Sirko, the show’s best villain since Trinity. Isaak was relentless in his pursuit of vengeance for Viktor Baskov’s murder.
While it had been hinted at a few times, it was finally confirmed that Isaak and Viktor were lovers, turning this revenge mission extremely personal. Despite the context of Dexter and Isaak's relationship, they understand each other’s motivations. All of this comes to a close when Isaak threatens to kill Hannah, someone Dexter realizes he actually loves.
Hurt: Dexter Survived The Hurricane And Became A Lumberjack
In the final episode, there’s this sweet (albeit kind of cheesy) moment where he drops Deb’s body in the ocean, symbolizing her as his final “victim” of sorts. It seems like he’s going to sacrifice himself for all the terrible things his actions have caused.
The show could’ve ended there and would’ve been somewhat decent. It turns out, however, that he somehow survived a freaking hurricane as if he’s Batman. Then he goes to live in isolation as a lumberjack. This sealed the deal for the show’s reputation as having one of the worst series finales of all time.
Saved: Deb Figuring Out Who Dexter Is
This was inevitable and the show, thankfully, didn’t ruin it. When Deb caught Dexter killing Travis Marshall, fans were aching to find out if she’d discover who he truly is. The show wasted no time as Deb, being the excellent cop she is, finds all of Dexter’s slides and weapons in the show's season premiere.
Deb being aware of Dexter’s murderous side created an excellent dynamic between the two siblings. Dexter tries hard to convince her that what he does is a necessary evil. Due to this, viewers got to see Deb, who’s generally a good cop, have her morals get compromised.
Hurt: Rita’s Death
Rita’s brutal death is definitely the show’s most tragic moment. Given the trajectory of Dexter’s choices, though, it was inevitable. Unfortunately, the show’s quality never recovered after this explosive cliffhanger.
Season 5 is where many fans agree the show had lost its steam. With Rita now gone, Dexter didn’t have that human connection he’d been seeking. The show needed to essentially start over. The problem is, they didn’t really go anywhere interesting after this. Both Lumen and Hannah were not able to fill the void Rita left behind in the fan’s eyes.