Christ, can't believe I stuck with this show. It all went down hill after season 4. Would have liked Harry to sign off with Dexter in the final scene. Debs deserved a decent send off.
Agreed about Deb.
But, I often hear that a lot of people think this show only had 2 good seasons, and that it was terrible from season 5 forward. But, I do believe if we take the first 5 seasons as a complete whole, pretend that 6 through 8 never happened, we are left with a pretty solid, great TV series. Season 5 takes a lot of shit from fans, but if you really take a second look at it, it's pretty incredible in how it dealt with Dexter and Deb, who are our entire main focus of this whole thing.
Dexter is dealing with the death of his wife Rita this entire season, by trying to help someone else right a horrible wrong in their life, something he is doing himself as well even if he thinks he isn't.
The interaction with his damaged children, notably a young teen girl who has lost her mother, is pretty great too. There is an especially amazing scene with Dexter and Astor at the end of that arc. Not to mention some really nice stuff between Dexter and Harrison's nanny, and him accepting some sort of faith in others and in life. There is a scene where he replaces the little figurine she left to protect Harrison, which is pretty amazing. In later seasons, Dexter's writers obviously forget this wonderful character growth ever happened for Dexter.
And we also get a great guest character in Lumen, who is dealing with her own monster. They get through this terrible time in both their lives together with each others help. Her character is so much more interesting than shallow Hannah, and at the end of their arc together, she cuts Dexter loose because she's ready to begin her healing process without him.
The "bad" serial killers in this season are sufficiently worthy of Dexter's knife, and Jonny Lee Miller provides a thoroughly satisfying creepo ellimination for the season.
But mainly, we see this really wonderful arc of development along the way with Deb, as she realizes good and bad are not black and white concepts in her life. The entire process of her solving this crime is fascinating too. When she realizes she is on the side of this vigilante couple of serial killers, that alone is a great revelation. But then we get this beautiful scene at the end where she lets them go.
Let me just say that again... it is a beautiful moment in Dexter, and the entire series could have ended right there and left us with a pretty incredible 5-season show of solidly good
and incredibly great TV. Sadly it didn't... but that's ok... we can pretend. Oh and I could add that the birthday party end scene is pretty good, and sweet enough for a series wrap for me, when you consider what we got instead.
Anyway, no big deal, just my opinion, season 5 is pretty great. And I believe it's worth a thought and maybe a second look, to those who have been left with a bad taste in their mouth by a show which we loved so much in the beginning.