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The original Dexter series is a critically acclaimed psychological thriller that aired from 2006 to 2013 on Showtime. The show's protagonist, Dexter Morgan, is a forensic blood spatter analyst for the Miami Metro Police Department who leads a double life as a serial killer, targeting criminals who have escaped justice.
The show was created by James Manos Jr., based on Jeff Lindsay's 2004 novel, Darkly Dreaming Dexter. The later seasons evolved outside the book's storyline but retained many original characters. Although the series received mixed reviews through its 8 seasons, it has evolved as a cult classic over the years and has won several accolades including two Golden Globe Awards.
In the last episode of season 8 titled Remember the Monsters? The protagonist faked his death and left the Police department to lead an anonymous life. He did this because he felt that his actions hurt the people he loved and he wanted to protect them from himself.
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Read along to learn about the ending of the show in detail.
Dexter ending explained: The Bay Harbour Butcher faked his death and left his past behind
The ending of the original series was highly controversial and left many fans divided. In the last season, Dexter and his lover Hannah McKay planned to leave their dark past behind and escape to Argentina with his son, Harrison.
However, his adoptive sister Debra was shot by serial killer Oliver Saxon, and although she was initially not in danger, the complicated surgery left her in a permanent vegetative state. Since he had let go of the chance to kill Saxon when he had the time, he was wracked with guilt and decided to 'end' his life as The Bay Harbor Butcher.
In the series finale, he took Debra off life support and carried her body on his boat, the Slice of Life, dropping her in the middle of the sea. This ritual was an ironic callback to the fact that he used to dispose of his victims the same way, indicating that he considered her a victim too.
The Bay Harbor Butcher then steered his boat directly into a hurricane, and only the remains of the boat were discovered leading everyone to believe he died. Miami Metro subsequently closed the case on him.
What happened to Hannah and Harrison?
In the finale, the couple planned to board a plane out of the country with their fake passports. Meanwhile, investigator Jacob Elway was tailing Hannah, determined to capture her and she hid in the bathroom to escape him.
To divert the attention, Dexter framed Elway with a fake bomb threat which also led to the shutdown of all airport terminals. He made Hannah and Harrison get on a bus to leave the city.
He had planned to leave with them, but he got the news of Debra's injury and went to the hospital. After Saxon was taken in custody, Dexter killed him in the interrogation room and even though it was recorded, he staged a self-defense scenario and was cleared.
Meanwhile, Elway was still tracking Hannah and in a final escape attempt, she injected him with a syringe filled with a tranquilizer. In the last scenes of the show, Hannah is seen in Buenos Aires with Harrison. She was seen reading an online news article reporting her lover's death and is visibly emotional indicating that she does not know that he faked his death.
Dexter takes up a new identity in the series' tragic end
Debra’s death is the breaking point for the protagonist of the series. He concluded that his loved ones like Rita or Debra were doomed to suffer or die because of his presence in their lives.
In the series' climax, it is revealed that he survived the hurricane and moved to a remote logging town in Oregon, where he works as a lumberjack under a new identity.
In the 2021 spinoff series titled Dexter: New Blood set 10 years after the events of the last episode, it was revealed that he had moved to the fictional town of Iron Lake, New York, and worked as a clerk under the name Jim Lindsay.
The prequel series of the classic show titled Dexter: Original Sin premiered on December 13, 2024, on Paramount+ with Showtime. Another spinoff series of the franchise was also announced in July 2024.
All 8 seasons of the show are streaming on Netflix and Prime Video.
