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A Very Merry Dexter Finale

Christmas Song Lyric of the Day:

Hes gone 2000 miles / It’s very far / The snow is falling down / Gets colder day by day

KT Tunstall / “2000 Miles”

10:35PM.
*Heads up: I will be talking about Dexter finale spoilers. Read at your own risk. Or, better yet, go watch it now.

There’s no better way to cap off another day of errand running and Christmas shopping than by watching the finale of one of this year’s best TV series,
Dexter.

The second season of this awesome show (cemented as one of my favorites as soon as I started watching last year) did everything right (helloooo, paging Heroes). The characters evolved, the plot lines raced along, there were great twists and turns, and the show never lost its focus or, thankfully, its very macabre sense of humor.

SPOILERS AHEAD. STOP READING NOW IF YOU HAVEN’T WATCHED THE FINALE.
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Once again, I’m rooting for Michael C. Hall to take home whatever TV acting awards are available; by no rights should viewers be rooting for a serial-killing protagonist to literally get away with murder, but we do, based on his performance. Jennifer Carpenter, as Dexter’s wounded sister, Deb, was also amazing this season, convincingly taking us through her journey as she recovered from last season’s Ice Truck Killer fiasco all the way up to her kicking ass and taking names by the finale. Erik King (RIP, Doakes)…where to start? I loved the Doakes-Dexter relationship: the antagonism, the suspicions, the fighting, the profanities. I’ll really miss Doakes (his “I’m watching you” expressions were classic), but I love how the writers allowed him and Dexter to learn a bit more about each other and how, by the time we saw the inevitable end coming, we fervently wished they’d find a way to spare him without sacrificing Dexter’s freedom. I, for one, was hoping Dexter would somehow have framed Lila. I mean, she did have the syringes, the tools — everything she needed to carve people up (in theory, at least). Oh, and she was a batshit-crazy, firestarting psycho stalker. I did cheer when Dexter killed her, though. RIP, Pale Titty Vampire. Lila (Jaime Murray) was a great addition to the show this year in that her character was so divisive; most viewers hated her (God knows I did), but she fit into the plot, specifically into Dexter’s evolution. So it was only fitting that, in embracing her advice to be himself, he listened and killed her. To which I say, “Amen!”

Other highlights this season:
I have to say, I dug the Lundy-Deb relationship. I liked how it played out, with her pretending she was back to normal and over Rudy by jumping into a relationship with Gabriel, a nice guy in his own right. But it wasn’t until Deb faced her feelings for Lundy that the real Deb started to shine through again.

Lauren Velez
‘s LaGuerta was incredible this season. She went from being a selfish, backstabbing bitch who schemed to successfully get her old job back to a sympathetic, heartbreakingly supportive friend, increasingly desperate to clear her former partner, Doakes’, name. I teared up over her reaction when Lundy told her a positive ID had been made; she kept talking about evidence she’d uncovered to prove Doakes’ innocence while starting to cry as the realization sank in. And watching her crying in church, one of the very few to mourn Doakes? Absolutely heartbreaking.

And Batista. Oh, how I love Batista (David Zayas). Aside from providing comic relief (his early-in-the-season obsession with The Secret was hilarious), Batista has always provided a large part of the heart of Dexter. He humanizes and humbles everyone around him without even trying. Which is why, when Dexter told him that if he could choose to be any “real” person, he’d choose to be Batista, we completely believed him. The nerve of that Lila — setting Batista up on rape charges. Yet another reason I cheered when she got what she deserved.

Julie Benz‘s Rita is, I think, the other large part of Dexter‘s heart. Like Deb, but for different reasons, Rita found herself this year: stronger, more independent, and able to stand up for herself. She and her two children are, along with Deb, the only people who really make Dexter care, helping to humanize a typically unfeeling character.

So, kudos to the cast, writers, and directors who created another phenomenal season of Dexter, the best TV show about a serial killer you’re ever likely to see. This season, like the first, was such a fun roller coaster that I’ll be watching it all over again as soon as Showtime repeats it. And if I get season one on DVD for Christmas like I hope (fingers crossed!), I’ll rewatch that in the meantime.

If you haven’t yet watched Dexter, rent or buy it on DVD; that recently announced, watered-down version CBS wants to air won’t be able to do it justice, in no small part because they’ll have to cut out significant chunks of each episode to please the censors. And a censored Dexter just isn’t any fun.

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