User Reviews

Dexter is finally back! After having seen the final episode of season seven, I am quite happy to see that this show seems to be back on track. Though the argument could be made that season five can only disappoint after the magnificent fourth season, season six was a true ride of idiocy and inconsistency. The biggest problem of which was the fact that it kept spinning in a loop -- it had nothing new to offer and the characters didn't evolve. However, in its final moment, the sixth season gave us a hopeful cliffhanger. It's all on the table now.

Luckily, the seventh season didn't disappoint. I thought Debra getting in on Dexter's secret was very well written and executed. The first five episodes, especially the premiere, were full of suspense and excitement, with finally another intriguing villain who blew the Doomsday Killer and Jordan Chase out of the water. My only critique on the first act being the character Louis. I understand the actor had to leave for some kind of Broadway play, but it was disappointing that after such build-up his character was written off so easily.

Episode six and seven were a little less exciting and took the time to explore Hannah, a rather polarizing character, according to Dexter fans. Love her or hate her, I really like what she brought to the table. It was interesting that she was a true soul mate for Dexter, who made him look forward to his future. She added something. Yvonne Strahovski portrayed her with finesse and she wasn't as forced as the Lumen character in season five.

The second act of season seven concludes with "Argentina". One of the best episodes of the season and the reason why Jennifer Carpenter should get nominated for an Emmy this year. However, it was followed by one of the worst episodes of the season: "Helter Skelter". It was disappointing how the great villain, Isaak, was written off so quickly and the episode picked on my suspension of disbelief here and there (more than usual) -- I also thought it fell out of place due to its sudden quick pace. It was like they tried to put material of two episodes in one episode.

Luckily, the closing act of the season was stunning once more, with an explosive season finale. I do have to say that I did not like how the Hannah character was handled in "Surprise Motherfvcker". After having true meaning to Dexter's love life, she downgraded to an egocentric bitch way too easily, in my opinion. Maybe all his forgiven in the eighth season, provided that she returns.

The conclusion of the final episode resulted in a breathtaking showdown between Dexter, Debra and LaGuerta. I was on the edge of my seat and my jaw had dropped to the floor. I absolutely loved the irony of it all. Dexter tries to kill an innocent, solely to keep his ass out of jail. Finally Debra actually kills the innocent person to keep her and her brother's asses out of jail. Wait... Isn't that the exact same thing Dexter and Debra put Hannah in jail for?

Well... A magnificent getting back on track here. I'm already wondering what is going down for these characters in the next (and possibly the final) season of Dexter. Bring it on!

This episode: 9.5/10 Season overall: 9/10 Season Ranking: 4, 2, 7, 1, 3, 5, 6

***Some minor/major spoilers included***

This is easily the best season finale of Dexter since The Getaway, Season 4's final episode. There's tension, chaos, major suspicious things happening drawing attention (to extent; we know how good Dexter is when it comes to not making mistakes... yes, mostly), drama, love, choices, suspense, bullets, blood, and a lot more. The little subplots feel more like actual, prominent main points (Hannah, Estrada, etc), and of course our main part of the story here is Dexter vs LaGuerta, who now wholeheartedly believes that Dexter is The Bay Harbor Butcher. There's a lot involved in this episode, with some of the best acting in the entire series, especially from Michael C. Y'all as antihero Dexter and Jennifer Carpenter as Lieutenant Debrah. I can safely say it's one of the three most... shocking endings we've had, alongside The Getaway and This is The Way the World Ends. I don't think its series finale, from Season Eight is shocking, more depressing and dividing. Some of the best Dexter moments from the entire Seventh season take place in this episode. The scenes with Doakes are brilliant, it was amazing seeing him again! Always angry, always formidable, always suspicious...

Hannah is behind bars, but of course, knowing Hannah, she manages to 'escape.' Dexter wants Estrada all to himself, the other who participated in the dismembering of Dexter's biological mother, Laura Moser. What I love about this episode is its shocking and violent ending, not quite as gruesome as The Getaway, but it's still a massive crack to the skull. I enjoy the interrogation scene with Maria and Dex a lot, and I love how Deb interferes because, at the end of the day, she truly loves her brother. Admittedly, I was never fond of the whole being in love with Dexter thing, but because of how well and talented an actor Carpenter is, I don't mind it so much. They handled it... okay, it is strange but then again, it's still a TV series about a forensics expert in blood spatter murdering people who have escaped justice as he follows a specific code, talks to his father who isn't there, and doesn't really feel anything emotionally, with all the guts, gore, carnage, comedy, and horror you can think of. Far fetched? A little, but amazingly written and executed overall. Dexter is a top five series of all time for me. People who say they're a fan of just the first four seasons, I don't get it. Subjective, preference, of course.. but season seven is written very well and has some amazing episodes.

I think this is my favourite episode of the Season Seven, and it's in my top 10 Dexter episodes (I think I'd rank it as my seventh favourite episode of the entire series honestly). There's a lot to indulge, but it's presented well and there's a lot to grasp at the end. It's crazy that, after all this time, the one who kills LaGuerta is Deb. Wow. And the way it's done, the writing, the acting... it's so, so good. It makes me a touch sad that some people don't see the promising episodes of the last four seasons. Sure, 5, 6, and 8 aren't nearly as good as 1-4, but 7 truly is, and this episode captivates you, you're engaged, and you're left wondering what is in stake for the remaining parts of the series and just what will happen.. to Dexter..

This is an amazing episode ending a great season. Deb's life is starting to fall apart after learning Dex's dark secret at the end of the last season. She is sucked into her beloved brother's web of violence and lies.

The last 10 minutes are simply spectacular, probably among the best TV scenes of all time. Jennifer Carpenter proves what a gifted actress she is. She apparently ad-libbed for this and it was so brilliant the director decided to keep it in.

The end is tragic as we see Deb's.final descent into evil. We know she will be in hell from now on. Her beliefs, principles and everything she has dedicated her life to are shattered. I will never forget her face at the moment when her heart breaks.

Dex admits more than once he destroys everything he loves. His sister is his lodestar and he has killed her.

Unbelievably powerful.

I know, maybe the seasons up to the fourth were better written. But never before was something this huge done. Season 4's ending was fantastic, but it was more of a tragic consequence of Dexter's way of life than anything else. In this episode here, the tension was almost palpable. The season had its flaws, but it built up to a torn Dexter, a free and dangerous Hannah and an insanely confuse Deb, and that is the major, the ultimate consequence of Dexter's life.

And, despite my not liking her at all, LaGuerta was the one to conduct the story to one of the most heart wrenching episodes of this show. The expression on her eyes when she was talking to Deb was amazing, and she showed her detective skills are still sharp after all these years. Then she went, like a fuse leading to a bomb, to the container, and there it all happened. The bomb exploded. I had literally my hand in my mouth to keep me from screaming or something like that. Despite all its flaws, a show which is able to do this masterfully, like few are, is a great show.

Of course it would be even more interesting for a twist to have Deb shoot Dexter - maybe he could survive and run from everybody in the last season, it's an interesting perspective. However, the one we're presented with, albeit more predictable, is no less enthralling. Deb did it, did it for her and for the brother she loves more than anything (she has proved that by now, has she not?), and she sure as hell won't be able to live with it. She is completely broken, and it is all Dexter's fault, like it or not. He was too absorbed by Hannah's "magic" to turn all his attention to Deb this season, and it was understandable - he discovered love in and for all his self, after all -, but now he won't be able to do that.

How will they live together? How will they live at all? How will they explain what they've done to the world and to themselves? Oh, season 8 packs a tremendous punch in its perspective, and I hope they deliver even better than how they've done this season, so Dexter can end like few shows do - better than ever before.

This must be hands down the most depressing ending ever for any season of Dexter so far. The way it ended was a little predictable but how it came to that point and how it actually happened was totally unexpected.

From the beginning, the episode has been gripping and by the end, it had literally had me breathless and making me think of what happens the next minute. The performances were amazing and this episode is one fine piece of writing.

But on the flip side, the happenings were so crowded that it did take a second for me to figure out and get the heart of what was happening. The ending, though intense was not exactly executed well. It must have been given a little more screen time and a little more attention to detail.

Either way, Season 7 ends with yet another cliff hanger and a few unanswered questions and Dexter and Debra finally celebrating the new year.

"Is this the new beginning? The beginning of the end?"

1. Dexter is arrested but released 2. Laguerta is suspicious of Debra 3. Deb kills Laguerta

Flashbacks of Doakes was a good choice. He was a good character that really shined in the earlier season. This episode was really a lot of payoff if you think about it. None of this would still hit as hard if it's been... 5 years since you watched season 2. For me, it's only been a month so the payoff is crazy. The references to the earlier seasons tap into this word of Dexter in my head and it triggers a lot of emotion. Our favorite serial killers world was about to crumble down and Deb saved it (I think). And I guess it makes sense that the writers decided to include a romantic undertone for her to justify the lengths that Debra has gone to protect Dex. To her right now, he is the only person she cares about no matter how complex he is or how complicated their relationship is.

This was an excellent finale. Maybe one of the best finales that we've got since season 4. But how would Dex get away with this? Only way to find out...

Dexter meets Hannah in the prison and she admits that she tried to kill Debra. Dexter and Hannah are in love with each other, but they do not trust in each other. Hannah calls Arlene and asks her something. LaGuerta arrests Dexter at home, but the evidence was planted by Dexter as part of a scheme to discredit her. Hannah goes to the court and he does not feel well and is sent to the emergency of a hospital; then she flees. LaGuerta summons Debra and shows a DVD that Mike Anderson has collected in a gas station showing her buying gas. Dexter finds Estrada and Debra tells him the findings of the Captain. Angel gives a New Year party in his restaurant and Debra notes that neither LaGuerta nor Dexter are there. She goes to the container where Dexter is forging a crime scene showing that LaGuerta and Estrada killed each other. Debra has a surprising attitude.

"Surprise, Mother**cker!" is the last episode of this season with a great twist in the end. Maria LaGuerta becomes obsessed to find the Bay Harbor Butcher since she has found the blood slide. She insisted to try to prove the innocence of Doakes and prove that Dexter is a serial- killer. In the end, search and you will find. Let's see the behavior of the unstable Debra in the next season. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "Surpresa, Desgraçado!" ("Surprise, Mother**cker!")

*****SPOILER AHEAD*******

I don't think Deb would be the same ever again :(

To say that Laguerta's death broke me more than Rita's is insane but so true! :( because Deb is the one who did to protect her brother. At this moment, I stopped rooting for Dexter.

This episode begins with Dexter, he visits Hannah in jail. Hannah kisses Dexter, his mouth bleeds. Dexter got arrested by LaGuerta for the murder on Hector Estrada. Maria her evidence is not enough to arrest Dexter any longer. LaGuerta was behind Estrada's parol. Dexter framed LaGuerta. Hannah is on trial today, she got a pill from Arlene. Hannah got a shock because she took the pill, she has been brought to the hospital. Dexter follows Florencia, Hector's wife. Maria has evidence that Debra has something to do with the Church fire, she is near to get the timeline of that night. Dexter poisoned Hector. Dexter broke in to LaGuerta's appartment. Dexter wants to kill LaGuerta to not get arrested. Dexter leads LaGuerta to his container. Dexter killed Hector by sticking a knife right trough his heart. Hannah escaped out of the hospital and placed a plant in front of Dexter's appartment. LaGuerta entered the box. Dexter poisoned LaGuerta. Deb arrived at Dexter's box. Debra shot down LaGuerta, she died instantly. Amazing final episode of Dexter Season 7, what a great Season this was. So much action and kills. LaGuerta died after Debra shot her. What will this mean for Debra's life. And what will these events mean for Dexter?

very big blunders--------

1.from the starting of episode without confirming blood results captain of Miami pd just goes to arrest dexter. 2.from the sky a video tape came from the night of season 6 finale. 3.hannah escapes custody Miami pd from hospital like she is wonder woman they skipped the part how she did that . custody of murder charge. 4.Hector Estrada get jacked by Dexter in broad daylight at park like no one gives damn if someone is getting injected and then gets unconscious within seconds after that put in back of car by dexter. 5. At the end dexter calls captain of Miami pd who pops by herself no one else with not even 2 policemen backup .

from expectations i will 1/10 , dexter disappointed me. so7eo1 dexter is excellent.but after that they changed the characters basic nature which is kill only 2-3 kills in whole season , then unnecessary love with another killer who killed 1 sex offender 4 innocents and reporter at the end .and 0 police work shown in this season mafia thing wasn't good either .very boring season.

Dexter meets with Hannah in prison and the two cannot talk until someone has to break the tension. She does not seem happy about being in prison saying she poisoned Debra because she wanted to stay with him. He wants to embrace her but she does not seem interested in him. She tells him his secret is safe in her. Dexter seems to get emotional claiming he connects mostly with her. She tells him that they can get away if the pen goes away. When they kiss she shows she can hurt him by biting him and making him bleed. Hannah calls her friend looking for some help because she cannot handle living in prison. Harrison seems to have shared a connection with Hannah and misses her. LaGuerta comes to the door with an arrest warrant for him. Everyone seems shocked by this but Dexter seems fine with the cuffs around his arms as he is taken through the police station. Non of the police seem OK with this arrest but LaGuerta continues to move him through. Dexter continues to say he is not the bay harbour butcher but LaGuerta continues to say he is responsible for murder. LaGuerta is told that the shirt that was found in the bag was from back in 1973. She feels set up and now one believes a word she says. LaGuerta does not seem happy with Dexter really wanting him to responsible for the murders. Debra stops by Dexter's house wondering about the next time someone comes close to finding out his true identity is. Dexter drops by Hector's wife's house but he is not there and Dexter is told to go away. Tom comes to visit LaGuerta wondering what her next move is gonna be to get her respect back. She is able to accept the position she has put herself in so Tom agrees to help her gain some respect back. Debra is Hannah's arresting officer and Hannah tells her the punishment she will face is knowing her brother is a murderer. Hannah's friend hands her something when Hannah's is denied bail. LaGuerta decides to go to Angel's party so she can apologize to Dexter. Hannah while being brought back to prison chokes on what she swallowed and is brought to the hospital. Dexter follows Hector's wife while Debra and LaGuerta talk. LaGuerta starts to question Debra and shows her a video of her at a gas station near the church. LaGuerta thinks Debra is lying so it's up to Debra to tell the truth about that night. Debra then admits that LaGuerta has been under some stress which has made a mistake. LaGuerta also thinks she has made a mistake which makes Debra know worried. LaGuerta feels safe in her job again after talking to Debra. Dexter catches Hector but gets a call from Debra. In the hospital Hannah wakes up. Dexter does not know what to do next but says LaGuerta does not have much against them. Hannah is able to escape from the hospital while Dexter searches in LaGuerta's house. Dexter sees that LaGuerta has forms that show her being there when the church went on fire. Dexter then comes to the decision he must kill LaGuerta next but Harry tells him that this is like a murder he has ever done before. Dexter thinks back on how he acted around Dokes. Dexter gets LaGuerta to go to the docking station using Hector. He still decides to kill Hector While talking to Hector, Dexter realizes that he is not a special killer but like any other killer. Hannah leaves behind a flower for Dexter while LaGuerta arrives at the port. LaGuerta finds Hector dead so Dexter puts LaGuerta out. When Dexter's plan seems to go good Debra interrupts his killing of LaGuerta as she wakes up. LaGuerta wakes up and tells Debra to shoot Dexter. Debra holds the gun to Dexter but instead of killing him she kills LaGuerta which just breaks her character even more. Dexter and Debra return to the party as if nothing had happened. Shocking end and amazing episode overall with Jennifer doing such amazing work. I was not expecting the end but at some stage Debra had to break.

EPISODE GRADE: A (MVP: Jennifer Carpenter)

(S7. E12) My Reaction / Review for Dexter Season 7 Episode 12 ''Surprise, Motherfffker!'': Episode 11 was good and I gave it a rating of 8.8/10. Let's see if this one is better or worse. Hannah says that Dex's secrets are safe with her but I don't believe her. She could use the information about Dex to get out of jail. Laguerta arrested Dex, what the hell? He didn't kill Estrada, last time he looked very alive. Laguerta is apologizing for ''framing'' Dexter, I love it. So Dex is thinking about killing Laguerta? That's hardcore. Finally, Dex kills Estrada, nice. Deb shot Laguerta? I did see that coming, nice. Goodbye Laguerta. Overall a great episode, my rating is 9.3/10.

The 12th and final episode of the penultimate season of Dexter ended with a predictable bang.

After watching this episode I was netiher left excited nor disappointed. it left me satisfied. This season has had a weird way of introducing subplots that either vanish convineitnly go away or they themselves become the main plot of the season. The whole Issak and the Koshka brother hood plot was interesting to me but I did not like how it was concluded. Same goes for the resurrection of the bay Harbor butcher case storyline. i have never liked Cpt maria Laguerta, I have never appriciated er acting or her characters story lines. They are always depressing and boring. For her to suddenly, irrationally arrest Dexter seemed a little far fetched, regardless of how much she wanted to catch Dexter.

Regardless of that, the rest of the episode was alight, I really though Hannah would make more of an appearance then i thought she would. i honestly thought she would be a major part of this finale and ultimately bring Dexter down, forcing next season to be less formulaic with dexter on the run. Anyway, I was surprised to see she survived the season and escaped. I am assuming she will be back but time will tell.

I also felt the season was either building up to the death of Angel or Deb. But instead it was a nice surprise when they both survived.

The final (well, second to last scene) in the shipping container when Deb walks in had me fearing that it would be an almost repeat of last seasons great cliff-hanger. I honestly couldn't tell what Deb was going to do, she could have even killed herself in that moment, or at least have the cliff hanger to suggest she may have. Instead, for some reason, she shoots the Captain, instead of, you know ... just walking out and leaving Dexter to do it. She'd feel guilty but not as horrible as she's going to be feeling now that SHE is the one who killed her. i felt that to be a pretty lame 'twist' but hey, I didn't see it coming though did I?

P.S - it was interesting seeing the baby sitter talking in a very ... dirty and yet some how sexy fashion. Interesting.

Yet again the writers continue to inject story elements that are simply not believable. The ridiculous nonsense with Laguerta and her crusade to exonerate Doakes reached the critical mass meltdown phase in this episode. Anyone else who had conducted herself the way she did would have been relieved of duty on the spot. And Matthews caving in to her demands is yet another example of a non-believable story element. And the deal with Hannah's escape just adds to the carnage. The final straw is Deb's reaction in the shipping container. Carpenter is a horrible actress on a good day but this train wreck performance takes the cake. This show simply cannot get out of its own way. Someone needs to M99 this series, chop it up, and dump it in the ocean.

Dexter is a tremendously exciting and watchable show; one of my favorites ever. Season 8 has had some great things, but all things considered I have to classify it as one of the weaker seasons. It's all to do with how Deb's discovery of Dex's true nature was handled. It wasn't handled in a convincing manner that was true to Deb's character. She would not have been able to just basically turn an accepting and blind eye to what Dexter was doing. She would at the very least have demanded that he tell her everything he's doing, and every detail about any case he'd had a hand in before, because this would be the only way to run damage control on his activities. She would have understood that, if they didn't share all this knowledge, things would soon spiral out of control, as indeed they did.

So why did the writers not handle this more realistically? It's not because it would have ruined the potential for new and cool stories. I must attribute it mainly to laziness and lack of imagination. It's a shame that they didn't want to take the character portrayals to their logical consequence, and it hurts the show. It underscores its lack of realism.

Then there's the ending. Were anyone in doubt that Deb would shoot LaGuerta? Not really. If she had shot Dexter, *that* would have been unexpected. And, of course, what we want from a truly good and exciting story *is* the unexpected. So yeah, I was rooting for her to shoot Dexter, and disappointed when she didn't. I often have a problem with the main character being killed at the end of a show for no proper reason other than moral preaching (as in Big Love, for instance), but in Dexter's case, with a lifestyle that was always getting more and more extreme and indefensible, it actually makes sense, is just, and provides closure, to kill him off. And for his sister to be the one to do it would have been excellent pathos. But no. I guess he had to be kept alive for the next season. Well, then, we'll have to wait another season for his inevitable demise. I will, of course, keep watching.

But, I repeat, this was one of the weaker seasons, and it did not have me as excited as most of the previous ones.