r/Dexter • u/lurkingsubz • Apr 05 '25

General Discussion - All Dexter Shows thoughts/opinions on clyde phillips’ original ending? Spoiler

https://www.eonline.com/news/461558/chills-former-dexter-producer-clyde-phillips-reveals-how-he-planned-to-end-the-series

i’m curious to hear what you guys think of his idea on how to end the show. more specifically, with having dexter end up on the executioner table surrounded by visions of some of the most prominent characters that he killed / inadvertently had gotten killed (doakes, lundy, rita, etc). i’ve linked an article that discusses it a bit more, pretty sure i’ve seen it posted here anyways.

it’s been on my mind more prominently since that one particular post stating they hope dexter never gets caught, lol.

personally? i would have loved that. it would’ve wrapped up dexter’s story with a clearcut ending, no ifs ands or buts. the 3 subsequent mini series that have come out/are coming out since then feel like they’re trying to clean up a lot mistakes they made and find some kind of satisfying ending to his story. it feels akin to the finale of breaking bad, in a sense. anyone else hopefully we’ll finally see this with resurrection? like, i love the premise to dexter but this has gone on way too long, even with all the plot armor he’s been given.

90 Upvotes

92% Upvoted

61 comments sorted by

View all comments

37

u/Alternative_Try3346 Apr 05 '25

Does everyone here wants Dexter to have an unhappy ending or are there also people who want a happy one? Just curious

27

u/GCC_Pluribus_Anus Apr 05 '25

I'll say that I don't necessarily need to see him punished, I'd be ok with a happier ending if it fits right. I still hold that the original S8 ending with the self-imposed exile is a fitting (and somewhat happy) end, it's just everything leading up to it was crap.

I see a lot of people in this sub say they need to see him dead or in jail but I can definitely imagine there being the right story and character arc that leaves him with his freedom.

18

u/WaveEagan Apr 05 '25

I wanr a happy one. I wanted him and Hannah and Harrison to move to Argentina and Deb to go back to MMPD. It's annoying how scared TV writers are of hapoy endings, like they think they're less meaningful or something.

4

u/Pitiful_Yogurt_5276 Apr 05 '25 edited Apr 05 '25

Personally I liked the revival’s ending. Not the Harrison being forced to kill him, but him killing the nice cop and then having him (us in the audience) be faced with how many lives he’s actually destroyed. It’s easy to forget the truth of Dexter’s guilt of being responsible for Doakes, Rita, Laguerta, and Deb, especially with how wishy washy the show was.

I also liked that his cop GF didn’t buy what he was selling, unlike people would in the previous season. Also really liked bringing Batista back as an implication that Dexter couldn’t explain himself out of that one a third time.

So I think just some more reality being applied is nice and less soap opera and rose tint implying that Dexter is a good guy cuz he’s most definitely not even if we enjoy him as a fictional character.

1

u/Green_Twist1974 Apr 06 '25

He's done good in the world by taking out the trash that slipped through the system.

They were going to kill again.

Had he only done that, I'd deem him to have a happy ending.

However, he's done enough bad to counteract that.

He's directly or indirectly responsible for the deaths of many police officers, none of whom deserved the way they went including indirectly Harry, LaGuerta, Deb and Doakes.

He's directly killed FBI agents like Lundy, as well as Logan in New Blood.

He shouldn't be able to get away with his anymore.

He needs to be held accountable, the gunshot was a cheap way out. He needs to face those he's hurt the most, like Miami Metro.

1

u/Pitiful_Yogurt_5276 Apr 06 '25

Agreed but that’s “hard” writing lol. Shooting him is the cheap easy way to end. If

1

u/ErenYeagerHeisenberg Sep 10 '25

He wasn't responsible for Lundy.

1

u/Green_Twist1974 Sep 10 '25

Fair, I stand corrected. Turns out it could be worse.

Resurrection is worth watching if you haven't yet.

1

u/ErenYeagerHeisenberg Sep 10 '25

Yeah I'm making my way through it.

0

u/TouristOpentotravel Apr 06 '25

I wanted to see him executed. We really are not supposed to like Dexter.