Review: Dexter ‘Remember the Monsters?’

So here it is, the final episode of the sometimes good and sometimes not-so-good, eight-season run of Dexter.  When last we left off, Debra was shot, Saxon was on the loose, Hannah was being followed and Dexter, as usual, was trying to deal with all of it at the same time.  Of course, he still has to get on a plane and fly away to Argentina, which is looking unlikely.  I’m going to try to review this one without too many spoilers, just in case you haven’t seen it yet, though some will undoubtedly leak through.

As we begin, Dex and Hannah have a run in with Deb’s old boss and are forced to abort their plans to leave on the plane.  There is an evacuation happening, however, so Dex decides to send the two off on a bus while he sticks around and deals with all the problems still happening.  Problem one - Saxon is still gunning for Deb, so Dexter has to stop him.  So he rushes to the hospital where Deb is located and, with a little help from the police, takes Saxon down.  Of course, Dex can’t leave it at that, and so pushes a bit harder to get his final revenge.  Hannah has a few issues with detective man still trailing her, but manages to take care of it without much of a fuss.

Most of this week’s episode ran pretty well.  We got a slow burn towards the end, even if some parts seemed like their were glazed over or a little forced.  Saxon’s story was annoying from the beginning and its end was at least a little satisfying.  The rest of the side-characters got no resolution, but then what can you do when the series is about Dexter?  There were some good twists, some heavy-handed plot pushes, and a very bizarre ending.

In the end, this episode suffered from what the series has been afflicted with since episode 1 - a lack of realistic writing.  People appear out of thin air, plot devices magically materialize, random sub-plots work their way through the main story in an effort to stretch out the seasons and luck often plays a bigger role in what happens than the intelligence or perseverance of the characters.  I’ve enjoyed the ride, but I can’t say that I would have ever made the show a regular watch if I had come in any later than season 4.

A good effort, Dexter writers, but the sad truth of it is that you should have ended the series when you realized it was getting stale.

Now that Dexter is over, I shall be taking a look at Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., so check back in to see if Joss Whedon still has what it takes to produce an excellent and compelling television show.  And head to this site to what the first episode if you’ve missed it.

Photo Credits -           

Lumberjack Dexter courtesy of whatculture.com