By George & Josh Bate
Dexter: Original Sin recently concluded with its tenth (and hopefully not final) episode, surprising fans with how much fun it was dive into the past of everyone’s favorite serial killer. Now, with 10 seasons depicting the life and kills of Dexter Morgan, we’re taking a look back and ranking each season from worst to best.
10. Season 8
Ask most Dexter fans and season 8 will almost always finds itself at the bottom. The final season of the original show, season 8 has the much maligned, ridiculed, and unpopular finale that has gone down as one of the worst in the history of television. Deb’s death, Dexter letting go of Harrison, and his isolation in the Oregon wilderness all happen in quick succession, and they’re all extremely depressing. They all paint Dexter as a villain, just as the ending of New Blood did, which makes it even more surprising that the writers of the sequel series saw the reaction to this finale and essentially decided to remake it, albeit with some logical story tweaks.
By that time of the season, season 8 is already completely off the rails. Everything turned south long before the finale, as this conclusion starts out on shaky ground right from the first episode. Deb’s trauma after killing LaGuerta makes sense, but almost feels too dark and heavy for a show like Dexter, which has always successfully balanced the proceedings to make a unique, somewhat light-hearted tone, but it’s just too much here.
9. Season 6
Seasons 3, 5, 7 are all unique. They stand out, even if not everything works. The same can’t be said for season 6, however, which returns to a single killer format. It isn’t a mystery as Colin Hanks’ Travis Marshall is revealed as the villain right away, and the only bit of suspense comes from the twist that Professor Gellar is dead, and Travis has been imagining his presence the entire time. It’s a good twist in the moment, although it becomes painfully obvious looking back. The religious theme throughout this season is interesting and holds a lot of potential, but the writers don’t really tap into that nearly as much as they could. In many ways, this season is bogged down by just how much the religion theme comes up; it’s not an exaggeration to say that 95% of all conversations and scenes relate back to religion, which becomes incredibly tiresome very quickly, especially as the writer’s don’t have anything particularly meaningful to say about the topic. Now, no one really expects that from Dexter as a show, but if they were going to go so deep into that rabbit hole, the writers could have at least introduced some commentary on the subject, but none exists. It’s a disappointing season, but definitely not the worst of the bunch.
8. Season 7
The most unique Dexter season structurally, season 7 doesn’t have one main plotline. Instead, there are several running all at once, like Ray Stevenson’s Isaak Circo and his revenge mission against Dexter. There’s also the aforementioned return to the Bay Harbor Butcher story as LaGuerta learns the truth about Miami Metro’s expert blood spatter analysist, which ends with the payoff of the brutal, shocking death of Maria at the hands of Deb. Arguably the biggest sin (pun intended) Dexter commits as a show is that the audience never gets the payoff of seeing all of the Miami Metro team learn who he truly is, and LaGuerta’s storyline in this season is about as close as they get in the original run. Dexter: Resurrection is sure to have some more of that, though, which is exciting for hardcore fans.
Still, season 7 fails to come together as a whole; as unique as the idea is, the stories simply aren’t strong enough throughout the course of the season, despite some memorable high points like Dexter and Isaak’s conversation at the bar. This is also the season where Hannah McKay is introduced, which doesn’t help at all. McKay is also a killer and Dexter’s new romantic partner, but she’s far too evil to be likable. She kills innocent people, so it makes little sense why Dexter would let her go from his table, let alone begin a relationship with her. Dexter has many love interests over the span of the show, including Original Sin and New Blood, but Hannah McKay takes the cake as the worst of the lot, as she in many ways is a symbol of the show’s downward trajectory in its latter half.
7. Season 3
Season 3 is one of the more divisive Dexter outings. There is, once again, a change of formula, as Dexter takes on an apprentice in the form of Migel Prado, played by Jimmy Smits. Prado eventually shows just how unhinged he is, meaning that Dexter once again has to kill one of the only people who are truly accepting of his inner darkness. Of course, Prado is more using Dexter to learn how to unleash his own demons, so it isn’t as selfless as Brian’s acceptance, for example, although even he was a killer too. This season is notably weaker than the previous two, which makes it stand out as the weak link of the first half of the show, but it’s still enjoyable. Jimmy Smits is excellent as the villain, playing a man who the audience wants to like, just as Dexter does, but ultimately can’t given how off the rails he goes.
6. Season 5
The season all about how Dexter responds to Rita’s death, season 5 works relatively well for a number of reasons. For one, Dexter doesn’t just move on from her death right away; Rita’s absence is felt throughout the entire season. Moreover, the twist that there is a whole group of serial killers rather than just one is an interesting spin on the Dexter formula, as it adds a lot of unknown to the story. How does Dexter manage to take down an entire group of killers on his own? Well, the answer to that question is also one of the season’s strengths: the presence of Lumen. A new companion for Dexter, Lumen is traumatized by her near death experience with the serial killers and seeks revenge, which Dexter gladly helps her in. It isn’t just his blood lust that motivates him to join her, though. Dexter feels incredible guilt over the death of his wife as he knows he could have prevented it, and he helps Lumen in an attempt to heal some of those intense emotions. Fans have long since suspected that Dexter isn’t a psychopath or sociopath as the show defines him as, and this season proves that, and shows just how strong of a lead character he is.
5. Original Sin
The newest of the group, Original Sin is far better than it had any right to be. What started out as a questionable attempt to continue the franchise even after Dexter’s death eventually became something far different. Dexter is alive, and his life is flashing before his eyes, hence the return to his roots. The make or break of Original Sin is the casting, which they nail spectacularly. Patrick Gibson is great as Dexter, sharing a general resemblance with Michael C Hall while achieving the character’s little quirks and awkwardness to a tee. The same goes for Deb, played by Molly Brown, who carries over the mannerisms and special qualities that make the character unique in the first place. Christian Slater was the most questionable of the leading cast, but he grows into the role of Harry Morgan with each passing episode, so even though he doesn’t look or sound like James Remar, the essence of the character is still very much there.
There are two ongoing plotlines in the first season of Original Sin, one of which is the investigation into a serial killer who appears to be refining his style with every kill. That killer is ultimately Brian Moser, who is worked into the story with some incredible creativity. The previous assumption would have been that Brian only found Dexter again shortly before the events of the first season, but Original Sin shows that he knows about his little brother long before that. The explanation of why he doesn’t contact Dexter (for now, anyway) is solid, leaving any potential plot holes plugged. Moreover, it’s a pretty surprising twist in the moment, as few expected Brian to play a role in this season, but it makes complete sense that he would. After all, he is a crucial part of Dexter’s background, so it feels logical that a prequel series would dive deeper into his character.
Ultimately, Original Sin is ingenious in many ways. The writers have essentially found a way to continue the original run of the show, but before things started to turn messy (Deb and Dex’s love plot, the death of the former, Hannah McKay, etc.). It’s almost a reset of sorts, yet one that doesn’t retcon anything. Dexter: Original Sin is a prime example of how to tell a prequel story, so the writers deserve great credit for that, even when most initially dismissed the concept of the show as lazy and repetitive.
4. Season 1
Season 1 is very different from the rest of the series in many ways. For one, the presence of Brian Moser, aka Dexter’s older brother, is a crucial plot point in this season, but is rarely addressed moving forward. Dexter largely shakes off and moves on from the fact that he had a hidden brother lurking the streets of Miami for years stalking him, making season 1 feel more isolated. That doesn’t affect the quality of this season, however, as it serves as the pitch perfect setup for the rest of the show. The audience is immediately attached to Dexter, doesn’t want him to get caught, and sees the good in him even when he can’t see it in himself. The crucial component of any film or show is the main character, which the writers succeed with greatly here. There’s some good twists, too – Deb’s boyfriend is actually Brian, which is pretty much impossible to see coming unless you’ve read the book. The fact that Dexter even has a brother is a surprising reveal as well, so this season definitely keeps the audience on their toes more than some of the later ones, which opt for a more open villain and story (Jordan Chase as a serial killer is immediately known to the audience, for example).
3. New Blood
Dexter: New Blood – the reboot/sequel that earned rave reviews from fans until the final moments of the last episode. This show adopted a more prestige television style than the original run, making the audience feel that this Dexter story should be taken more seriously than the ones that came before. This is certainly seen in the darker tone, although the writers are careful not to make it too grim. New Blood still has the classic Dexter charm, but is paired with the pain of how the character ended up in Iron Lake in the first place, from Deb dying to letting Harrison go. Speaking of, Iron Lake is a magnificent setting for this sequel as it differs so substantially from Miami. Dexter, or Jim, as he’s now known as, feels like a crucial member of the town, as does Harrison when he arrives. The timeline may have been tweaked slightly to make Harrison an older teenager rather than a 12-13 year old, but it was for the best. Harrison is the plot of this season, essentially, as Dexter fights to win back the approval of his only surviving family. Jack Alcott plays a moody teen incredibly well, conveying all of the anger and trauma that Harrison has endured while still showing the good in him.
Unfortunately, though, all of this is substantially hindered by (some would say destroyed) the “death” of Dexter at the hands of his son. Dexter acts somewhat out of character in most of this finale, showing a darker and more vicious, cold-blooded killer side of him that the audience has never seen before. It’s jarring and feels like a lazy attempt to paint Dexter as a bad guy when there likely isn’t a single viewer watching that thinks of him in that way. This isn’t just an ending where fans don’t get what they dreamed of for a conclusion; this is a full-blown redefining of a beloved character, telling the audience that he’s evil, destructive, and better off dead. Now, viewing this finale back with the knowledge that Dexter has been revived, it feels slightly less egregious. He certainly still behaves in a way that he never has before, like killing an innocent in Logan, but Dexter asking his son to kill him does represent a full circle character development. Dexter, once the loner killer with no true friends and only Deb to call family, has built (and destroyed) an entire life for himself, including a child. Gone is the self-centered, never get caught approach that Harry instilled in him. Instead, it’s replaced with selflessness as Dexter acknowledges that his son might be better off without him in his life. That, combined with Dexter being alive, makes this ending somewhat tolerable, but the season as a whole still stands out.
2. Season 2
Season 2 follows up the debut outing with a story less focused on another serial killer like The Ice Truck Killer. Instead, the killer in question is Dexter himself, the Bay Harbor Butcher. The many, many bodies found at the bottom of the ocean in the bay immediately means that the whole of Miami now knows of the existence of a prolific vigilante serial killer, which puts into question Dexter’s future as he tries desperately to get the FBI and Miami Metro off of his trail. Season 2 is arguably the most suspenseful of the Dexter seasons, with the possible exception of the last three episodes of season 7 (which is just a continuation of the Bay Harbor Butcher plot anyway). Every scene, every episode is nerve-wracking; it always feels as if Dexter is one step away from breaking the first rule of the code – getting caught. For a show about a character harboring (no pun intended) such a deep secret, a story of him almost being found out coming in just the second season is certainly unique. That development is typically reserved for later seasons/movies; take The Dark Knight trilogy, for example. Bruce Wayne’s secret identity as Batman isn’t known to Commissioner Gordon until the final moments of the third film; meanwhile, Dexter’s true nature is under threat very early on, making it a close second in this ranking.
1. Season 4
What most would rank as top of Dexter stories, season 4 features the unnerving John Lithgow as the Trinity Killer, a vicious murderer who Dexter crosses paths with. Season 4 has *a lot* to it, from Dexter’s arc of being a new father/suburban family man, how he balances that with his career in forensics, and the big elephant in the room – the many, many vigilante murders he commits when he sneaks out late at night. Amidst all of that is Michael C Hall’s antihero befriending Lithgow’s Arthur Mitchell in a wayward attempt to learn how to juggle his family life with his killer instincts. What makes season 4 so good isn’t just how well Dexter’s arc is executed over the course of 12 episodes, nor is it the chilling performance from Lithgow. This story works so well, and is ultimately the peak of the entire series (so far), because the title character makes mistakes (a whole lot of them), and he suffers from them in far more shocking and painful ways that anyone could have imagined. Rita’s death is the ultimate consequence of Dexter choosing to place his urge to learn how to kill and get away with it while still having a home life, as he had several opportunities to kill Arthur throughout the course of the season. Arthur even tries to commit suicide at one point, and Dexter stops him from doing so. Moreover, the surprise death of such a core character of the show now feels like a thing of the past in television, given the desire to make spin-offs, sequels, prequels, etc. Killing off Rita was brave, and Clyde Phillips and co. deserve tremendous respect for the decision.