Dexter Season 4 Finale Destroys Expectations
After 11 weeks of Dexter and the Trinity Killer matching wits, it was time to bring their cat-and-mouse game to an end - especially since Arthur Mitchell found out Dexter's true identity. But as has been the case all year, Dexter got into a few pratfalls before he could finish off his fellow monster. Yet that alone wasn't enough for this finale.
Heading into the finale, producer Clyde Phillips promised a shocking ending that would change the show forever. Much of the way, that looked like it could be Debra finding out who her brother really is - especially after finding his real family. But although she uncovered his relationship to the Ice Truck Killer, Dexter's true secrets stayed safe.
Of course, the big finale ending involved the other overriding theme of Season 4 besides Trinity - family. Despite struggling to balance family with killing all year, Dexter was finally ready to embrace being a family man. He wouldn't destroy Rita and the kids like Arthur destroyed his family - but in the end, Arthur beat him to it.
In the end, Arthur left one final, bloody mark on Dexter - where his origins shockingly repeated themselves. Suddenly, Arthur's parting words about 'fate' and Harry's constant doubts about Dexter saving his family had come true.
The Dexter Season 4 finale was indeed the biggest game-changer they could come up with, other than unmasking Dexter to the world. But the twist was thought up close to the last minute, as Phillips told Entertainment Weekly. He admitted they had a hard time thinking of a cliffhanger, so they came up with this fairly late in the year. In terms of what it means for Season 5, Phillips said that they haven't discussed it yet.
The show was renewed for Seasons 4 and 5 two years ago, so the Dexter team knew they would have an extra year to play with. They now have a killer setup for Season 5, even if it isn't the ideal one for Dexter.
The Season 4 finale capped off the show's most gripping battle since Season 1 - and actually had Arthur Mitchell get to Dexter in a way the Ice Truck Killer never could. Now the Dark Passenger must mourn for the next 9 months, before his even lonelier hunt begins again in September 2010.
Sources
Entertainment Weekly- "Dexter finale postmortem: Find out why they [spoiler alert]"
Watch With Kristin- "Dexter: Oh My God, They Killed..."
Published by Robert Dougherty
Author of a trilogy of Lost books, concluding with "Lost: It Only Ends Once" now available at Amazon and iUniverse. Readers can now go to my Yahoo Sports section to see the majority of my new stories.... View profile
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47 Comments
Post a CommentAll those who are saying that Trinity did not know Dexter's past are missing the point. Rita was killed in Trinities MO, bleeding in the tub. The fact that the baby was in the blood was incidental to Trinity but very relevant to Dex.
Anybody consider the possibility that the neighbor could have murdered Rita?
Rita is to big of a character for them to actually kill. I agree with what other have said Arthur didn't know enough about Dexters Past to recontruct the events. Secondly Dexter put Rita in a taxi so I highly doubt Arthur would have been able to kidnap her. While I admit the current season finale was shocking this is the one time I can honestly say I would be happy if it was just a nightmare.
I think Dexter's kid killed Rita. After all he has his father's genetics.
I so agree...with steve..he should wake from a nightmare because without Rita the episodes seem sort of boring in a way.Rita gives Dexter things to look out for in his secrets and past life..i would love Rita in the 5th season!
It's interesting to see people saying that they're big fans of the show but will no longer watch it because of the death of Rita. I would say give the writers a chance in season 5. I was disappointed as well by her death, but it does open up enormous possibilities for the next season. I would say that I was even more disappointed by the deaths of Lundy and Doakes, as they were interesting and formidable adversaries for Dexter. Moreover, I don't see Dexter simply becoming his "lone wolf" old self again. The emotional ramifications of the loss of Rita will be enormous, and seeing Dexter deal with his psychological issues has indeed been the most interesting aspect of this show. So stay tuned. I'm looking forward to Season 5.
@Clyde - I completely agree. I think Rita added depth to Dexter. The dynamics between them made things interesting. This is a cop out move on the writers part. Pure shock and awe. I was looking forward to them developing her character more and how Dexter was beginning to explore his human side. We'll see next season, but not sure if I feel this so called "reset".
Not sure Rita is really dead. That wouldn't be good for the show; she is an intricant part of the series and keeps Dexter grounded. If I were the writers the opening of next season would have Dexter wake up from a humongous nightmare and see Rita lying next to him on their honeymoon! Shock and awe is good, but this won't be if she is truly dead..
I AGREE, TRINITY DID NOT KILL RITA
HE DIDN'T KNOW DEXTER'S TRUE NATURE, OR HIS PAST. THE BABY IN THE BLOOD COULD ONLY COME FROM DEXTER'S DARK SIDE
It was a great ending, completely unexpected. The worse part is waiting for season 5. I wonder how he will handle being the dark passenger and a single father. Dexter must have hid in the trunk of that car for a long time. Great season I applaud them.