MovieChat Forums > Dexter: New Blood (2021) Discussion > I'm not sure how I am supposed to feel

I'm not sure how I am supposed to feel

posted 2 years ago by kuatorises (7467)
31 replies | jump to latest

I was never quite sure what the point or purpose of this show was. Who are we rooting for and what do we want to see happen? Even during its peak the show was all over the map in that sense.

You first hear about this show and think, "Oh, serial killer? Bad guy." Then you quickly discover his history, the code, kinda like him - he is funny, lives his sister, and has a soft spot for kids - and you find yourself saying something along the lines of, "Well, he's only killing bad people..." It's cemented that he's not the average serial killer when he kills his brother because he knows there's a difference between what Dexter does and Brian did.

Season 2 comes along and Doakes's suspicions turn concrete. Now Doakes is an asshole and Dexter's nemesis, but he's not a bad person. You don't want the show to end, so you're not pulling for Dexter to get caught, but are hoping Dex doesn't kill him.

There even comes a point where Dexter toys with turning himself in. He can't kill Doakes. Doesn't want to. Was going g to turn himself in or run, but Lila kills Doakes before that happens. You kinda let this slide because Dex doesn't kill him. She does. Dex bears some responsibility, but doesn't break the code.

He finds potential partners/friends in Miguel and Lumen, but they don't pan out for different reasons.

Then Hannah fucking McKay comes along. Why the fuck is he doing this with her? She has killed for pleasure (as a teen) and simply to stay out of prison (not a good enough reason to let her live). To make it worse, Dex gives his fucking kid to her. Are we supposed to be pleased with this? Pretty much no fan liked her. She was definitely worthy of going on Dex's table.

Then Deb killed to protect him. Are we supposed to hate him for that or like her for doing it? Like Doakes, LaGuerta is an asshole, but still a cop genuinely trying to do the right thing, do I was not rooting for her death.

I actually like season 7 for the most part, but that's where things get wonky in terms of the issue I am talking about. I rooted for this guy for 6-7 years, now I am supposed to turn on him?

Then the finale. People are outraged. Why? Did you want to see him caught or killed? Kinda, because of the Hannah thing and some other stuff over the years, but you're supposed to dislike a character you - for the most part - spent years pulling for.

Now this show comes along. His kid is incredibly unlikable, Dex starts killing people who deserve it, then at the very end he kills Logan, something I cannot condone or ignore, but the asshole kid is the good guy for being the one to finally do it?

Where does that leave you as a viewer? A show with a protagonist. You don't support or even like Dexter at this point, and only really start to come around on Harrison the ladt 2 episodes. Neither are satisfying protagonists.

Then there's Angela. She's kind of a bitch. Not a bad person at all, but not likeable. Her primary motive seems to be she's bitter Dexter lied about his identity. Before she has any clues about who Dexter might be, she's disgusted ny him. His wife and sister are dead and she can't even comprehend why a guy like that wants to escape his life. No understanding of those FACTS whatsoever. She didn't know who he was yet.

I don't expect her to side with a serial killer, even if The Bay Harbor Butcher's MO was killing killers, but once she discovers who he is, he gives her Kurt, she let's Harrison go for playing vigilante; something that disgusted her.

[–] fzane (1021) 2 years ago

It's all about karma. The moment Doakes was onto him, he should have left town, but instead he decided to try and mess with someone who didn't have it coming to them. Once Dex went down that road, his karma points were gone. That was his point of no return. You as a viewer (if you have any honor) were not meant to root for Dexter after that. His previously acquired karma (from killing those evil people) helped him to survive for a little longer after that, but really he was a dead man walking. That is what the makers of the show are trying to convey. You may think you're done with the past, but the past ain't done with you! You reap what you sow.

[–] kuatorises (7467) 2 years ago

He kept Doakes in a cage, he didn't torture or kill him. You are waaaaaaaay off base.

They did not make a show for 6+ more years for you to hope for him to get caught. He killed A LOT of awful people in that time frame. You're supposed to like that. Willing to let it slide because he does more good than bad, not cheer for someone to catch or kill him.

By the end of it? Sure, I can't defend him killing Logan. But years of wanting him to go down? No, they wouldn't have continued to make him likeable and killing killers.This show obviously likes making the viewer feel conflicted, I just don't care for how they did it.

[–] fzane (1021) 2 years ago

Look, I'll make it really easy for you. If he was willing to kill Logan, he was definitely going to kill Doakes in that cage. Like the hillbilly Rankin who insults Rita (after her death) in front of Dexter. Dexter kills him in a fit of anger displaying that he is in fact not simply a vigilante, but a cold blooded murderer. If you were still rooting for him after that, you're completely out of your mind.

[–] kuatorises (7467) 2 years ago

He DIDN'T kill Doakes. He wasn't going to either. You don't know your Dexter history. He was going to turn himself in:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l_44wJEpdhs
https://dexter.fandom.com/wiki/Episode_211:_Left_Turn_Ahead

Millions of viewers have been rooting for Dexter, weirdo. That's part of the problem with this show. Some hate him, some like him, some liked him and turned on him...there was no ending that was going to please people.

[–] fzane (1021) 2 years ago

Dude, you're not getting it! If Dexter was willing to kill Logan to avoid getting caught, what makes you think he would have turned himself in back then? If anything, him killing Logan demonstrates that he would have killed Doakes before getting caught as well! What are you not understanding here?
Also, you totally avoided my point about Dexter killing that hillbilly Rankin in the restroom. That guy did not fit the code, and Dexter just flew off the handle and killed him. Are you as psycho as your hero Dexter or what? That is what the show has made you into! You side with a reckless murderer b/c he "usually" gets the right guy? Yeah ok bud.

[–] kuatorises (7467) 2 years ago

What are YOU not understanding, you mental midget? I literaly posted a clip and summary from that episode. Dexter. Didn't. Kill. Doakes. And he wasn't going to either. It's right in front of your fucking face, moron.

Yes, yes I did. Fuck that hick.

[–] fzane (1021) 2 years ago

Yeah, and taking into consideration that Dexter. DID. KILL. LOGAN! Now we know that Dexter was likely just playing with Doakes to see his reaction. So, you have exposed yourself as someone who is ok with beating another person to death just because of something they said? Yeah ok bud, remind me to keep my children away from you (psycho!)

[–] acidraindrop (3055) 2 years ago

OP is criticizing a decision made in this season.
It doesn't make sense to use that decision to re-interpret a scene from a previous season.

[–] fzane (1021) 2 years ago

You must have missed the fact that I also pointed out how Dexter murdered someone who didn't fit the code in the previous seasons as well:

"the hillbilly Rankin who insults Rita (after her death) in front of Dexter. Dexter kills him in a fit of anger displaying that he is in fact not simply a vigilante, but a cold blooded murderer"

There is no coming back from this murder. Dexter IS a psychopathic murderer capable of flying off the handle, and killing anyone on a whim.

[–] acidraindrop (3055) 2 years ago

I'm focusing on the original point, which involves that crucial misunderstanding about Logan vs Doakes.

(I actually think your hillbilly example isn't a poor example in the context of this conversation but I don't want to involve myself in this argument and white knight someone else on an ignorable tangent.)

This was your original reply:

The moment Doakes was onto him, he should have left town, but instead he decided to try and mess with someone who didn't have it coming to them.

And it's not appropriate to keep arguing the above, by claiming that Dexter was going to kill him because Dexter killed Logan.

[–] fzane (1021) 2 years ago

Well, both points are relevant, and co-dependent. It doesn't matter if Dex "said" he "might" turn himself in. Talk is cheap; It's a person's actions that define them. So, if you couple the fact that Dex was able to bypass his "code" and murder that Hillbilly, and ALSO murder Logan, you can start to judge what he would have eventually done to Doakes in order to keep driving down that road with his Dark Passenger.

[–] kuatorises (7467) 2 years ago

"Now we know that Dexter was likely just playing with Doakes to see his reaction."

What is wrong with your brain? I am literally showing you proof. From the summary of that episode:

"When Dexter decides that he is indeed going to turn himself in, he gives himself a day to get his affairs in order, including signing over a living trust to Debra. He also spends an afternoon on his boat with Rita and the kids, "

[–] fzane (1021) 2 years ago

Com'mon, if you really believe that, then why didn't he turn himself after the fact? I mean if he already made up his mind, why would Doakes's death make him change it back?
I'll give you the answer: because he was never serious about turning himself in, and that's why he was able to murder Logan (b/c he was not planning on getting the death penalty). He was probably actually planning on faking his death! He already demonstrated to be capable of that, so that's what he would have most likely done based on his MO.
With the Rankin and Logan murders, the writers themselves confirmed that Dexter was a murderer willing to kill innocents to either avoid getting caught or to just plain take out his aggressions, but you just can't grasp the idea since you were duped into rooting for him. I realized much earlier in the series that I was watching an "anti-hero", but you just kept on going....It's sad really.
Case closed.

[–] kuatorises (7467) 2 years ago

If I "believed" that, LMAO?! Idiot, the man spent the episode with his family and updating his will! "Believed" hahahahahaha!

He didn't surrender because he didn't have to anymore. He was off the hook. How are your comprehension skills this bad?

[–] fzane (1021) 2 years ago

Oh making a will? Got news for ya! That's ALSO what ya would do if you're about to fake your own death too! Welp, so much for that. You have literally nothing but hearsay, and I have actual actions (Rankin, Logan, and he actually faked his death once!) that Dexter did to confirm he is an indiscriminate murdering psycho. Maybe you don't realize it, but putting up a façad is how psychopaths actually lie to themselves as well as others. He was obviously playing a role, and going through the motions. If what you say were true, Dex would have had NO REASON to kill Logan since he would have been FINE with turning himself in. How do you reconcile that?! You can't; You're DONE!
Case is closed!

[–] maximmm (3154) 2 years ago

lol
If he ever killed anyone, it's only because they deserved it or in self defense.
You are dealing in absolutes - thou shall not kill and all that.
How dare you?!!! Greta much?

I am a lot more pissed off when a person sits at a bus, takes out a knife and cuts off the head of a random person sitting in front of him. 7 years later, he's free out and about. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Killing_of_Tim_McLean

In fact, no country goes as easy on serial killers as Canada - no death penalty for serial killers who murder and rape ten women - and they are let out early - lol
So you have to wonder - what is justice and injustice? Who should we be rooting for?

[–] fzane (1021) 2 years ago

Your mind is very clouded from rooting for this guy all these years. Yeah, so Matt was drunk with his friends, played chicken on a boat, and unfortunately got some people killed. He was young, and dumb, and we all do really dumb stuff in our youth. Some of us drive really drunk, and could have very easily killed everyone in the car, but we got lucky. Do we all deserve to die b/c we made some dumb mistakes when we were younger? No way. Matt's crime was one of bad judgement. Dexter has no right to kill him. Matt has to live with that mistake all his life, and that can be punishment enough. Also, God will deal with Matt when he passes over as well. Don't start that Matt deserved to die just because he shot that deer! That punishment in no way fits the crime! You really need to step out of the stupor that this show put you into over the years. Rankin didn't "deserve to die" just b/c he mouthed off to Dexter. Oh, and yeah Logan didn't deserve to die either. You're backing a fucking psycho who is playing God? Think man! Yeah I said it! You deserve to hear it; Maybe that will snap you out of your funk! The writers themselves are trying to say that Dexter's "Dark Passenger" was actually the "Driver", and he needed to die! No one deserves to play God. I'll leave you with this quote from the Bible (something you should be paying attention to instead of getting a hard on for your "hero" Dexter):

What God says about revenge?
Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord.

[–] maximmm (3154) 2 years ago

Umm.... again, you are now quoting the bible. I'm not religious.
As for Dexter, he most certainly made some big mistakes - the largest one being the killing of the cop in the end. Matt's killing - there's no doubt that his dark passenger made a move after 10 years of staying quiet. Furthermore, his gig was up. He was found out - he could no longer pretend to be dead to avoid prosecution - the manhunt would ensue of massive proportions after this. That would very much change the entire scope of any following seasons, where he would be the hunted instead of being the hunter, which is yet another reason to end it all.

[–] fzane (1021) 2 years ago

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[–] fzane (1021) 2 years ago

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[–] fzane (1021) 2 years ago

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[–] fzane (1021) 2 years ago

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[–] TheArgentinian (6654) 2 years ago

tl;dr?

[–] kuatorises (7467) 2 years ago

Pardon?

[–] TheArgentinian (6654) 2 years ago

I'm asking for a summary.

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/TL%3BDR

https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=tl%3Bdr

[–] kuatorises (7467) 2 years ago

What the fuck do you think the OP is?

[–] TheArgentinian (6654) 2 years ago

are you ok? taking your meds today?

[–] kuatorises (7467) 2 years ago

You've responded to this thread 3 times. Saying it was too long for you to read. Yet you sit here and repeatedly tell me it's too long to read? Why the fuck are you here? Read the post and comment or don't read it and move the fuck on.

[–] TheArgentinian (6654) 2 years ago

k.

(BTW, do you know what that means, grandpa?)

[–] maximmm (3154) 2 years ago

I don't think Harrison is the good guy - we all know he's fucked forever and will probably kill countless people in the future, presumably with a code - that's where the show ends. Those who think Harrison has been rehabilitated by killing Dexter are delusional - the dark passenger is akin to a second personality - the urges will come back - there's no indication that anyone with a personality of that sort can be rehabilitated on their own. Dexter, presumably, didn't kill anyone in the last 10 years only because of routine - something he's learned over the years. Harrison will be doing all this on his own without a mentor to guide him - dark passenger will take over at some point and there's no doubt about it.

[–] kuatorises (7467) 2 years ago

You can't say Harrison is "the bad guy" based on something he might do some day.

But let's say that he is, so the finale of this show was two villains facing off? I go back to my original comments, who the hell am I cheering for? What is the point of the show? A bunch of unlikable people facing off against one another? As someone who rooted for Dexter most of the time during this show's run, I can't anymore. So now it's two unlikable people facing off in a showdown I don't know if I care about.

[–] maximmm (3154) 2 years ago

I'm gonna be honest with ya - I was still rooting for Dexter until the final episode where his character was written in a manner not in tune with what we've seen before. I suspect most other people were as well.

At the end of the day..... much like leads in gangster films, Dexter is a tragic anti-hero. They nearly always die in the end.
As for Harrison, I'm just telling you that his future is bleak - he has the same traits as Dexter, but no more guidance, so he is likely to end up killing a lot more innocents moving forward than Dexter ever did.

[–] kuatorises (7467) 2 years ago

"so he is likely to end up killing a lot more innocents moving forward than Dexter ever did."

This is a totally baseless comment.

Rooting for Dexter and against Harrison is simply illogical.

[–] maximmm (3154) 2 years ago

lol
I wasn't rooting against Harrison. I was rooting for both of them making their way out of town and Dexter teaching Harrison how to control his dark passenger. As thing stand, this did not materialize and Harrison is unlikely to control his dark passenger on his own - so many innocents will die as a result.

If you wanted a conclusive end to Dexter and his serial killer bloodline, you'd want both of them to die.

If you wanted them to continue the Dexter's vigilante ways and clean up the streets of serial killers and murderers unpunished by the law, you'd want both of them to get away (or at least Dexter).

The current ending is such that Harrison will not get the proper guidance from Dexter - so vigilante route is no go. Rather, Harrison is more likely to start killing innocents when he loses control, as the dark passenger gets more powerful (from what we are being taught, most serial killers become active when they become adults - not children, which implies the dark passenger is not as dominant in younger people).

I hope I've clarified a few things for you. Cheers.