Line #28 YMMV/Dexter


1	[[foldercontrol]]
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3	[[folder:TV Series]]
4	!! [[Series/{{Dexter}} TV Series]]:
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6	* AdaptationDisplacement: The show is more popular and well-known than the original novels.
7	* AlternativeCharacterInterpretation:
8	** Is Dexter a psychopath that [[NobleDemon is just simply following a code]] or a WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds that is just trying to end his suffering after [[spoiler:he saw his mother being killed when he was a child]]?
9	** Did Harry believe that he was saving a child with psychotic tendencies and possible future murder victims by making sure Dexter only went after criminals and acted professionally, or was he just a bitter cop who used a traumatized child to further his own vendetta?
10	* AntiClimaxBoss:
11	** Jordan Chase. A good amount of focus is put on his wealth, power, and tight security measures, but in the end, Chase abandons all that and confronts Dexter and Lumen by himself at an isolated location. And then Dexter easily gets the drop on him by pulling out a hidden knife.
12	** Isaak Sirko. [[spoiler:He spends much of Season 7 plotting to murder Dexter and being built up as possibly the most dangerous villain the show has ever had, only to eventually offer Dexter a truce and then get unceremoniously killed by [[TheStarscream George Novikov]] (and this happens ''three episodes'' before the season's finale)]]. Apparently, [[EnforcedTrope the writers were forced to do this]] because of Creator/RayStevenson's scheduling conflicts.
13	* ArcFatigue: Quinn's alcoholism after he breaks up with Deb at the start of Season 6. It gets dragged out across the entire course of the season, doesn't lead to any real character development for any of the people involved, and just gets handwaved away at the start of Season 7 with [[spoiler:Anderson]]'s death shocking Quinn into sobering up.
14	* AssPull: Dr. Vogel's involvement in Dexter's development into a killer. Until Season 8, there was no mention of anyone having any part in training Dexter besides Harry, and the Code of Harry was never meant to be psychologically accurate, but the desperate attempts of a cop trying to control his adopted son. Hence, many fans believed that had Dexter been given ''actual'' treatment, [[AllForNothing he would have been relatively normal]]. It seems that Vogel was introduced to completely dismiss all questions about whether the Code was really necessary for Dexter, and to remove any moral ambiguity about Harry's actions.
15	* AudienceAlienatingEnding: Even years after the series concluded, you can still find people warning newbies who've just started to stop at Season 4. Plenty follow the advice, if they even start watching at all due to being turned off by the intense backlash the finale received.
16	* AwardSnub: Jennifer Carpenter's performance in Season 7, especially the final scene where [[spoiler:she has to choose between shooting [=LaGuerta=] and Dexter]].
17	* BaseBreakingCharacter:
18	** Debra teeters back and forth for some. On the one hand she really does love Dexter, but on the other she can be a completely unapologetic bitch, and she has apparently no common sense when it comes to [[HorribleJudgeOfCharacter who she chooses to date]] (her track record so far: a serial killer, an FBI agent who's old enough to be her father and who will obviously have to leave Miami once the case is over, a drug dealing/using CI, and a dirty cop).
19	** Lumen. The fans that can't stand her believe she's a [[FlatCharacter flat]] ReplacementGoldfish for Rita who is [[{{Wangst}} annoying and whiny]], constantly shouting about getting revenge on her rapists at all costs, and for doing things without thinking them through. The fans that love her meanwhile find her a sympathetic WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds and see her as the ideal partner for Dexter who relates to him and actually understands and accepts him in a way that Rita definitely would not have.
20	** Some fans love Rita for being a NiceGirl and think she has good chemistry with Dexter. Others don't like her because (after the first season) she goes from TheWoobie and a BrokenBird to a clingy and annoying girlfriend to Dexter, especially in season 4 where she acts like the typical nagging wife.
21	* BrokenBase: In the Season 7 finale, [[spoiler:Deb kills [=LaGuerta=] instead of bringing Dexter to justice]]. For some viewers, [[spoiler:Deb crossed the MoralEventHorizon as [=LaGuerta=], despite her flaws, was ultimately a good cop doing the right thing much like Doakes]]. For others, [[spoiler:[=LaGuerta=]]] was such a {{Jerkass}} that they saw [[spoiler:her final fate as a KarmicDeath for all the morally questionable things she'd done over the years, painting her as an AssholeVictim and Deb as a SympatheticMurderer. Deb herself is clearly of the former opinion, and never forgives herself]]. A rare case where ''both'' characters can justifiably be said to be getting a degree of DracoInLeatherPants treatment.
22	* CaptainObviousReveal: During Season 6, many viewers guessed that [[spoiler:Professor Gellar was DeadAllAlong]] almost immediately. The writers were simply too obvious with [[spoiler:nobody but Travis ever being seen talking to him]] but still treated it like a shocking turn of events when the "reveal" came.
23	* CatharsisFactor: Zig-zagged. While it's initially very satisfying to watch Dexter kill people who would have otherwise been [[KarmaHoudini Karma Houdinis]], it becomes increasingly frustrating when he kills people who Miami Metro are closing in on, because this has a negative impact on the rest of the main cast.
24	* CommonKnowledge: The phrase "Dark Passenger" is often used to describe Harry's role as SpiritAdvisor to Dexter (and, during Season 6, [[spoiler:Professor Gellar to Travis]]). However, the series itself never uses this term in relation to Harry -- it in fact began using it back in the first two seasons, when Harry only appeared in flashbacks -- with the Dark Passenger being instead described as what drives Dexter's need to kill. It admittedly doesn't help that the publicity materials for ''New Blood'' described [[spoiler:the illusory version of Debra]] as Dexter's new Dark Passenger.
25	* CompleteMonster:
26	** Season 3: [[GunmanWithThreeNames George Washington King]], born [[TheDreaded Jorge Orozco]] and known as "[[FlayingAlive the Skinner]]", was known as "[[TortureTechnician the Blade]]" while in Nicaragua. While in pursuit of a drug dealer who owes him money, he finds anyone who might have information about said drug dealer's whereabouts and questions them while cutting off their skin; one of his victims was [[WouldHurtAChild an innocent boy]]. When Dexter confronts the Skinner, he confirms that, despite the reasons the Skinner makes up for performing his grisly crimes, his only real reason is simply because he likes it.
27	** Season 5: [[ManipulativeBastard Jordan Chase]], born Eugene Greer, has the front of a handsome motivational speaker but in truth is a depraved ControlFreak who directs [[Characters/DexterBarrelGirlGang his friends]] to capture young women to torture and rape for months on end before disposing of them in barrels full of formaldehyde. All the while, Jordan looks on, occasionally holding his watch to the women's ears and whispering, "Tick tick tick. That's the sound of your life running out," to taunt them. Watching the video footage they took of what they did to the women was enough to make [[BlackAndWhiteMorality Debra]] root for the people who were tracking them down and killing them, with Dexter himself admitting that they sicken him. When Dexter and Lumen--the last victim who managed to get away--finally have Jordan at their mercy, he can't resist but get one last taunt out on Lumen about what he did to her, mocking her for being so "pathetic" and "helpless".
28	** Season 8: [[ItsAllAboutMe Daniel Vogel]], aka the Brain Surgeon, began his murderous career at 14 by [[CainAndAbel drowning his younger brother]] so his mother would only pay attention to him. Escaping from a mental hospital, Daniel started a fire in the building in which 7 children burned alive. Traveling to Miami and starting a new life under the name Oliver Saxon, he began torturing and killing people, removing the piece of their brain associated with empathy, even murdering several of his own girlfriends and Dexter's young protege. When Dexter set up a trap for him, Daniel responded by [[{{Matricide}} killing his own mother]] and threatening to go after Dexter's family and step-family, later shooting Debra, mutilating a veterinarian and letting him loose as a distraction while he returned to the hospital to finish her off. Ultimately, his wounding Debra led to her suffering a stroke, forcing Dexter to euthanize her and crushing Dexter's spirit, leaving him an EmptyShell.
29	** ''[[Series/DexterNewBlood New Blood]]'s'' "[[Recap/DexterNewBloodE09TheFamilyBusiness The Family Business]]": The [[MonsterClown clown]] known only as Mr. Wiggles is a particularly depraved [[WouldHurtAChild child killer]]. A {{sadist}} who uses his job to find victims, Wiggles abducts, [[ColdBloodedTorture tortures]], and murders them, with [[CreepySouvenir photos taken as trophies]]. Having killed near a dozen children, Wiggles is killed by Dexter just before he can abduct and murder a new victim.
30	%%
31	%% Bring CompleteMonster examples to this thread before adding any: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=6vic3f9h1cy5qivsenw8llok&page=1. Check the FAQ first to see what would qualify characters for the trope, and if there has been previous discussion on the work.
32	%%
33	* CreatorsPet: Hannah [=McKay=]. Many find her flat, uninteresting, and unlikable, but the writers can't get enough of her. Dexter keeps [[CharacterShilling narrating about how perfect she is]]; Harrison loves her despite sharing almost no screentime with her; she comes close to prison and death near the end of Season 7, but escapes both; [[spoiler:she returns in Season 8 for [[SpotlightStealingSquad another major (and largely reviled) storyline]]; Deb warms up to her despite the events of Season 7; Dexter's love for her helps him ''let go of his homicidal urges''; and in the end, [[KarmaHoudini she escapes to her dream paradise Argentina]]. Scott Buck even considered giving her a spin-off]].
34	* DesignatedHero: Dexter in the later seasons, especially 6 and 8. While the earlier seasons portray him as a morally dark-grey AntiHero, the later ones practically make Dexter a paladin by rationalizing and justifying his every action, no matter how immoral or [[IdiotBall stupid]].
35	* DiagnosedByTheAudience: While Dexter is said to be sociopathic, he is far too restrained and can calculate too well into the future to be one. Some fans consider him to be a blend of a [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schizoid_personality_disorder#The_.27secret_schizoid.27 "covert" or "secret" schizoid]] and a really malignant case of obsessive-compulsive disorder, due to his loner tendencies and the unusually obsessive nature of his homicidal impulses.
36	** There are also quite a few fans and psychologists who have proposed that Dexter may be on the autism spectrum, especially considering his personality as a child (reserved, sensitive to texture and other stimuli, difficulty understanding social cues, and compulsive behaviour). A lot of his seemingly "antisocial" behaviours are actually more consistent for someone with Asperger's or High Functioning Autism, [[AbusiveParents with his violent tendencies likely being a result of Harry reinforcing them.]] Even as an adult, Dexter still struggles with social awkwardness, is incredibly neat and organized, and has trouble with non-verbal cues.
37	* EnsembleDarkhorse:
38	** James Doakes. Despite being a complete JerkAss and having the foulest mouth in the series, he has a large amount of fans and is fondly remembered as one of the high points of the first two seasons. That and he's a complete and undeniable badass who held his ground well as one of the two primary antagonists of Season 2, and had a [[spoiler: DyingMomentOfAwesome]]. After all, he's also the originator of the meme "Surprise, mothafucka!" He was so popular that he was brought back for the Season 7 finale via newly filmed flashbacks.
39	** Vince Masuka. One feels there should be studio audience applause whenever he enters the room or says something ridiculous.
40	** Arthur Mitchell was one of the most popular villains in the series. Of course being played by Creator/JohnLithgow probably had something to do with it.
41	** Brother Sam, who is often noted as one of the best characters in season six (if not [[SeasonalRot the best part of the whole season]]), being able to relate to Dexter since they both have darkness inside them. He is also a good representation of how people can change. Reviewers often said that Mos's performance as him stole every scene he was in. [[spoiler: When he [[DroppedABridgeOnHim died]], some thought this was enough to forego watching the rest of Season 6 altogether]].
42	** Isaak Sirko. See RootingForTheEmpire below.
43	** Jeremy Downs. See TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodCharacter below.
44	* {{Fanon}}: Ask just about any fan of the show about the scene in the finale right after [[spoiler:Dexter killed Saxon]], and they'll tell you that [[spoiler:Quinn figured out that Dexter was a serial killer, and possibly Angel did too. It's a nearly unanimous consensus that they let him go anyway because his actions avenged Debra's death, even though none of this is spelled out in the scene itself.]]
45	* FandomRivalry:
46	** A minor one with the ''[[Literature/TheTwilightSaga Twilight]]'' series, of all things. Some fans accuse it of being indirectly responsible for the downturn in this show's quality after Season 4, as a result of Melissa Rosenberg, who wrote many of the show's most acclaimed episodes and is the person who just about every fan will agree should have succeeded initial showrunner Clyde Phillips for Season 5, quitting ''Dexter'' to focus on writing the ''Twilight'' film sequels.
47	** With ''Series/BreakingBad'' during the final season. In the United States, both shows aired during the same timeslot, and their series finales aired one week apart. Some ''Dexter'' fans felt critics were unfairly harsh in comparing the series to ''Breaking Bad'', while others felt the comparison was justified.
48	* FanonDiscontinuity:
49	** Some fans prefer to believe that Deb actually shot Dexter at the end of Season 7, and that [[spoiler:[=LaGuerta=]'s death]] and all of [[SeasonalRot Season 8]] was just his {{dying dream}}.
50	** The backlash to the latter seasons of the show is so intense that some fans have decided to basically write off everything after Season 4, which is widely seen as the series' peak and was the last one to have Clyde Phillips as a showrunner.
51	** And finally, a few fans have become so disillusioned that they interpret the show's final scene ([[spoiler:Dexter living a new life as a lumberjack]]) as the only scene that takes place in reality, with everything else being part of [[spoiler:Lumberjack!Dexter]]'s imagination.
52	* FranchiseOriginalSin: Most of the weaknesses of later seasons were already there in the early ones, but they were less important than the show's new and interesting premise. After the show was around for a while, the details are harder to ignore. Notably, you can find reviews for the pilot that are worrisome about the show's bland supporting cast outside of Dexter and Deb, a common complaint in later years.
53	* HarsherInHindsight:
54	** The Season 8 finale has ruined Dexter's [[spoiler:"I will not kill my sister" MadnessMantra]] in Season 2.
55	** In Season 2, [[spoiler:Doakes]] describes Dexter's urge to kill as being "like a cancer — and in case you haven't noticed, it's spreading." Michael C. Hall contracted Hodgkin's Lymphoma in 2010, before recovering later that year.
56	** In-universe, this statement foreshadows how Dexter's life would affect his friends and loved ones. [[spoiler: This leads to Doakes' death; Rita's murder by the Trinity Killer; Rita's children being PutOnABus; Deb discovering Dexter is a serial killer, killing [=LaGuerta=] for learning the same, reaching the DespairEventHorizon]], and later dying; and Harrison being raised by Hannah after Dexter fakes his death. It's also revealed that [[spoiler:Harry killed himself [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone out of shame]] when he saw what Dexter would become]]. It's pretty clear that Dexter's inability to control his murderous addiction ravages his personal life.
57	** In season 2, Dexter also has several funny {{Imagine Spot}}s wherein he tells Debra the truth about him being a SerialKiller. When she actually finds out in season 7, her reaction is very much like the third one (experiencing a panic attack and breaking down into tears).
58	** The season 3 storyline involving an overzealous neighborhood watch group in a Florida suburb became this in the wake of the death of Trayvon Martin.
59	** A lighter, in-show example is Batista in Season 3 going around having sex with hookers, which ends up putting his career at risk. Cue Season 6, and [[spoiler: that's more or less what happened to Matthews, because of his own penchant for screwing prostitutes]].
60	** Multiple characters throughout the series almost succeed in capturing and exposing Dexter, including Sergeant Doakes and Agent Lundy in season 2 and Stan Liddy in season 5. Given how Dexter starts SlowlySlippingIntoEvil later in the series, if any of them had succeeded, a lot of lives might have been spared, including [[spoiler:most of Dexter's loved ones.]]
61	** Dexter's backstory took on an even darker tone on August 7, 2015, when [[http://www.khou.com/story/news/crime/2015/08/07/deputies-man-used-machete--kill-woman--new-caney-rv-park/31273891/ a real-life woman was hacked to death in front of her two young daughters]].
62	* HilariousInHindsight:
63	** Michael C. Hall's character on ''Series/SixFeetUnder'' was exactly the same nice guy/control freak persona as Dexter (minus secretly being a serial killer), occasionally conversed with the figment of his dead father and was in a complicated on-off gay relationship with a tough black cop (who was bald and had a mustache). Now, try not to see the dynamic between Dexter and Doakes as one enormous mountain of HoYay.
64	** In Season 2, Doakes tells Dexter, "You owe me a new Michelin, motherfucker." Years later, Erik King would work as a spokesman for Michelin.
65	** Michael C. Hall once worked as a [[http://herocomplex.latimes.com/2010/11/21/dexter-star-michael-c-hall-on-knives-stargazing-and-o-j-simpson/ knife seller]].
66	** Shortly after playing Dexter's love interest, Creator/YvonneStrahovski starred in ''[[Series/TwentyFour 24: Live Another Day]]'', playing a character named Kate '''Morgan'''.
67	** After Deb runs into a nude Lila in Dexter's apartment, she calls his [[TheVamp vamp-y]] girlfriend "a gross, English titty vampire". Lila's actress Creator/JaimeMurray actually did end up playing one in the DirectToVideo ''Film/FrightNight2NewBlood'' (her character was actually Romanian, but she kept her native accent). Even more so with Deb calling Lila pale. She would go on, after playing a vampire, to an humanoid alien who happens to be VERY pale in the TV show/video game ''Defiance''.
68	** Before he became an actor, David Zayas was a NYPD officer for over fifteen years.
69	** Creator/AimeeGarcia plays Jamie, the nanny of Harrison working for Dexter who basically has a day job in forensics department. Cut to a [[Series/Lucifer2016 few years later]]...
70	** A mix between this and HarsherInHindsight, but Cody Bennett [[AdaptationalHeroism not being a budding serial killer in the show]] is kind of funny when you realize that his second actor Preston Bailey went on to play [[Film/ChildrenoftheCorn2009 Isaac]], who is most definitely a serial killer.
71	* HoYay:
72	** Season 3 has tons of this between Dexter and Miguel Prado.
73	** There's a lot between him and [[spoiler:Arthur Mitchell/the Trinity Killer]] in season 4.
74	** Brian's interest in Dexter seemed go to a bit past [[spoiler:brotherly love, combining this with some IncestSubtext]]. He kinda crossed the StalkerWithACrush line.
75	* JerksAreWorseThanVillains: This show is filled with various serial killers, rapists and other murderers, and yet even though Rankin is not a killer himself and he had less than five minutes of screentime, [[HateSink you hate this guy]] more being an [[JerkAss unpleasant asshole]] who mouths off to Dexter and [[KickTheDog rudely mocks his recently dead wife,]] which [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fLYb6XLXuBs finally]] causes Dexter to [[AssholeVictim attack and kill him.]]
76	--> Youtube comment: "You KNOW that guy was bad when Harry personally appeared just to congratulate him afterwards."
77	* MagnificentBastard: Isaak Sirko is an [[AffablyEvil amiable]], [[WickedCultured cultured]] gangster and a high-ranking figure within the [[TheMafiya Ukrainian Koshka Brotherhood]]. Sirko travels to Miami after his friend and lover Viktor does not return, quickly discerning from his travel history that he was murdered. Discovering that [[SerialKillerKiller Dexter Morgan]] is the culprit, Sirko proceeds to ruthlessly hunt down his quarry, admitting his respect for Dexter when he proves to be a [[WorthyOpponent formidable opponent]]. When Dexter leads Sirko into a trap, Sirko quickly dispatches the Colombian gangsters Dexter sicced on him, continuing his vendetta against Dexter after he orders his subordinate George to blackmail Detective Quinn so the police's case against Sirko collapses. His prioritization of revenge over profits causes Sirko's bosses to put out a hit on him, but Sirko forces Dexter into an EnemyMine to help him dispatch the assassins sent after him. Even after he's been mortally wounded, Sirko remains dignified to the end, ultimately parting on good terms with Dexter.
78	* MemeticMutation:
79	** "It's all about strategy. Out-maneuvering the opposition." [cut to him trolling or being a {{Chessmaster}} in a PC game] "What are you doing in my office, Dex?" [Dexter looks up and grins, having succeeded trolling] "Winning."
80	** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PBXVYM4zlDg "Surprise, motherfucker!"]]
81	*** And the many things [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=leeP6LgM8H0 it rhymes with]].
82	** And of course, the many gags mixing him with ''WesternAnimation/DextersLaboratory.''
83	** Anything involving Dexter ending the series as a [[spoiler:lumberjack. Especially the [[Series/MontyPythonsFlyingCircus Monty Python]] song]].
84	** "You're sorry? Well, you can take your sorry, and '''shove it up your''' '''''AAASSSSS!!!!!'''''" Partly thanks to Creator/Cs188 using the last part in some of his {{YouTube Poop}}s.
85	** Dexter and Ghost!Harry's habit of NarratingTheObvious was frequently mocked during the show's run.
86	--->'''Dexter:''' Isaak said he was more comfortable at a gay bar. Is it possible Isaak is gay?
87	--->'''Harry:''' Dexter, Isaak said he was comfortable at this gay bar. He could be a gay man.
88	* MoralEventHorizon:
89	** Harry Morgan crossed it when he decided to train Dexter to be the perfect serial killer. He took a child who was severely traumatized, and instead of getting him any therapy when he showed antisocial behaviour, he kept it hidden from his family and doctors. Everything in the series could have been avoided if he did ''something'' to help Dexter develop into a normal person.
90	** Lila, in an attempt to get Dexter back, roofies herself and frames Batista for date rape after they had rough sex. When Lila is asked why, all she has to say is "Because I am your soulmate, not Rita, ME."
91	* {{Narm}}:
92	** Remember back in season 2 when Harry stopped Dexter from jumping off a building? Harry asks Dexter why he wanted to die, and Dexter's response was a soap opera-worthy, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JqX83oG7n2Q&t=871 "I don't wanna die! I'm just trying to figure out some way to feel alive!"]]
93	** Also in S1 and again in a flashback, Harry enters the garage furious that Dexter went hunting without supervision. Less than three in-universe minutes later, Harry pulls the about-face of the century, telling Dexter that it's acceptable to kill people sometimes. The complete lack of subtlety is strange.
94	** In season 6, Travis' latest victim is cornered on a boat. Realising the danger, she turns to leave, only to have Travis enter the scene and declare:
95	--->'''Travis''': Hello, whore.
96	** Later in Season 6, Travis Marshall makes a painting of Satan with Dexter's face. It looks hilarious.
97	** Season 6's road trip with the ghost of Dexter's brother. The scene where they're fighting is reminiscent of the Narm-tastic Superman Vs. Himself fight in ''Film/SupermanIII''.
98	** In Season 7, Isaak Sirko's criminal organization is called the "Koshka Brotherhood," which [[BilingualBonus literally translates from Russian ]]to the "Kitty Brotherhood." That is, [[FridgeBrilliance until you realise]] there's another word for 'kitty', and that other word [[DoubleEntendre usually means something else]] -- which is even funnier, considering Sirko is an ArmouredClosetGay. Overcompensating much?
99	** Hannah [=McKay=]'s accomplice Wayne Randall jumps in front of a semi truck in Season 7, resulting in a [[SpecialEffectsFailure special effects failure]] accompanied by a comical "splat" sound effect.
100	** The Season 8 episode "Every Silver Lining" opens with a video where Harry talks about Dexter's psychopathic tendencies, and then later starts crying. It's supposed to be heartbreaking, but it's hilarious.
101	** Harrison's treadmill accident in Season 8, from the poor editing to the obviously older stuntman to the kid's "OW! OW! OW!" acting, gave many viewers a good laugh.
102	* ParanoiaFuel: In Season 7, when Dexter is snooping for evidence to use against computer programmer Louis, he learns that Louis once retaliated against an old boss by planting ''child porn'' [[MoralEventHorizon on his computer, and reporting him to police]]. Given the NeverLiveItDown ramifications that comes with even being accused of such a crime, knowing that any decently skilled hacker with a grudge can ruin someone's life so quickly can make anyone uneasy. The fact that there are RealLife cases of this only exacerbates viewer anxiety.
103	* TheProblemWithLicensedGames: ''Dexter: The Game'' and its sequel, released for mobile devices and PC, came out in the early 2010s, but you would never know that from how cheap they look and sound. Michael Hall reprises his role as Dexter and [[DullSurprise sounds bored out of his mind]], the gameplay is comprised of very simplistic minigames involving directional sweeps or "Simon Says", and the sleuthing isn't very difficult.
104	* ReplacementScrappy:
105	** Quinn, to some. Many consider him Doakes-Lite, without the EnsembleDarkhorse status.
106	** The two women Dexter has been involved with since [[spoiler:Rita was killed]]. [[BrokenBird Lumen Pierce]] and [[BlackWidow Hannah McKay]] are both beautiful blondes who are as affectionate toward him as Rita, yet have the added convenience of knowing about and accepting his dark secret (something he feels Rita never would have been able to). A few of his brief flings have also been with attractive blondes. None of these women have been as well-received as Rita.
107	* RetroactiveRecognition:
108	** Julie Ann Emery guest stars in one episode in Season 3, and would go on to have fairly prominent roles in ''Series/BetterCallSaul'' and ''Series/{{Preacher}}'' the following decade.
109	** [[Series/SwitchedAtBirth Vanessa Marano]] in Season 4.
110	* RomanticPlotTumor:
111	** Various seasons are afflicted with this, such as 2 and 5, but the granddaddy of them all must be Season 4. We're repeatedly taken away from what is arguably the best A-Plot of the series to concentrate on [=LaGuerta=] and Batista's relationship. It's particularly galling because there's no buildup to this romance: they're already lovey-dovey by the start of the season, and Batista's previous relationship is merely handwaved away. Oh, and this plotline affects the A-Plot in precisely one instance. Even worse is that it brought together [=LaGuerta=], whom many fans can't stand, and Batista, who is a fan favorite and perhaps the most likeable person on the show.
112	** And there's Hannah [=McKay=], whose relationship with Dexter in Seasons 7 '''and''' 8 took focus away from more interesting characters like Isaak Sirko and Evelyn Vogel. It eventually grew to the point that it became Dexter's main arc, while his killing hobby and his fight with the antagonist felt more like the B-plot.
113	* RootingForTheEmpire:
114	** Dexter, obviously. Only [[CallBack in our darkest dreams]] would we want this man to walk free, but the show makes it all too easy to sympathize with him anyway.
115	** A substantial amount of fans were heartbroken when [[spoiler:Brian Moser was killed by Dexter]], despite the fact that his master plan involved [[spoiler:offing deuteragonist Debra, Dexter's beloved foster sister]]. Some even prefer him over Debra.
116	** Creator/RayStevenson's great portrayal of the three-dimensional villain Isaak Sirko stole the show and outshone Dexter for a considerable portion of viewers. Dexter lampshades this during a TheOnlyOneAllowedToDefeatYou monologue when he wants some hitmen to fail.
117	* TheScrappy:
118	** [=LaGuerta=] is easily the most hated character in the main cast, and it's hard to find fans who actually like her. She has little to no redeeming qualities and only gets worse over the years, even losing her few likable traits from the early seasons. She manages to combine a willingness to [[ManipulativeBitch screw over her own colleagues]] for the sake of her career with an [[NeverMyFault absolute refusal to take responsibility for her own actions]], while not even being particularly competent at her job to [[BunnyEarsLawyer make up for it]]. Even if she's portrayed as a HeroAntagonist in her last season and Debra killing her is considered Debra's MoralEventHorizon, many see [=LaGuerta=]'s death as a TakeThatScrappy.
119	** Quinn is widely seen as a boring, incompetent JerkAss replacement for Doakes who should have been fired by Miami Metro countless times. Him being a DirtyCop doesn't help.
120	** Astor, due to developing from a CheerfulChild to a BrattyTeenageDaughter. She seems to have mellowed out by season 7.
121	** Hannah [=McKay=], with whom Dexter ''inexplicably'' falls in love and can't bring himself to kill, even though she more than fits his code.
122	* SeasonalRot:
123	** Season 5 gets a lot of flak for the [[TheScrappy Lumen character]], the weak resolution of many plotlines, and overall disappointment at the entire season finale.
124	** Season 6 is largely considered even worse, due to poor pacing, severe character derailment, and a badly handled plot twist many viewers saw coming from miles away.
125	** Despite a promising start, Season 8 quickly got off the rails, thanks to its unfocused RandomEventsPlot, a multitude of B-plots that fans cared little about, the return of Season 7's [[TheScrappy scrappy love interest]], and an overall lack of urgency or finality. The fact that it also aired alongside ''Series/BreakingBad'''s universally beloved final season only made all of the aforementioned flaws and others that much more glaring by comparison. It got to the point that the ''Dexter'' [[Website/{{Reddit}} subreddit]] posted a ''Breaking Bad'' discussion thread post alongside the season finale discussion thread. It subsequently became more popular than the finale thread and had a domino effect of converting /r/Dexter into a ''Breaking Bad'' subreddit. That post is still, to this day, the second-highest upvoted post on /r/Dexter.
126	* SpecialEffectFailure:
127	** The snakes in the Season 6 premiere. It is quite obvious that they are CGI.
128	** The treadmill scene. When Harrison trips while using the treadmill, an obviously older stunt double takes his place during the accident.
129	** The hurricane in the series finale. Abnormally calm waters, cheap lightning effects, CGI mist, sharp shadows under a supposedly overcast sky... [[SarcasmMode Yeah, that's realistic]].
130	* SpoiledByTheFormat: This has majorly affected season two, years after its original airing. [[spoiler:The season's main conflict has Dexter dealing with the aftermath of his dead body stash being discovered by local scuba divers, which brings an FBI manhunt to figure out the Bay Harbor Butcher's identity. The obvious conclusion newer viewers will guess is that Dexter somehow gets away with his crimes, since there are six more seasons that come afterward.]]
131	* {{Squick}}:
132	** Right off the bat, the Ice Truck Killer's M.O. (that is, bleeding out his victims dry and cutting up their bodies into mannequin like pieces) was pretty squick-tastic. Even more so when he chopped off Tony Tucci's hand and lower leg, [[spoiler:then proceeded to fit him for prosthetics for the very body parts he cut off]]. (That one is more [[RewatchBonus re-watch squick]], as the viewer doesn't know [[spoiler:Rudy Cooper is the Ice Truck Killer]] at the time.) Finally, his delightful rendition of ''Deck the Halls'' as he wraps a hooker's limbs in bows and wrapping paper.
133	** An unlimited supply related to the Trinity Killer. Most notably, [[spoiler:Becca (Arthur/Trinity's 15 year old daughter) essentially offers to move in with Dexter and be his willing sex slave if he'll take her away from her dad. Dexter is [[EvenEvilHasStandards horrified]] at the prospect, and promptly says no. Sally, Becca's mother and Trinity's wife, overhears the conversation and begs Dexter not to tell Arthur about anything he has done or will do with Becca. Dexter promptly tries to explain that he would never take advantage of an underage girl, but Sally understands it to mean that Dexter won't tell Arthur and is visibly relieved. In other words, Sally can handle her only daughter being sexually abused, but not Arthur's temper.]]
134	** In Season 6, a lot of people found [[spoiler:Deb realizing she has romantic feelings for Dexter]] more than a little off-putting, [[spoiler:even if they aren't biologically brother and sister]].
135	** Deb's spaghetti sauce. To put it lightly, it doesn't look like tomato sauce. It looks like blood, which is even grosser when we're given a close-up of Dexter eating it.
136	* StrangledByTheRedString:
137	** The fourth season's opening episode features a brand-new relationship between Lt. [=LaGuerta=] and Sgt. Batista, which apparently developed entirely in the gap between seasons, despite no previous chemistry other than a standard-for-the-precinct friendship. Batista was even involved in an entirely different (and more developed) relationship as of the last episode of the previous season which vanished without a trace sometime in the meanwhile. [[RuleOfDrama Overstated drama]] immediately ensues over everything from policies against office romances necessitating secrecy to overblown arguments over shared bank accounts and Batista fighting in bars to defend [=LaGuerta=]'s honor. Meanwhile, neither the show's primary nor secondary storyline is even remotely affected by any of this, and the rest of the cast largely ignores it. It just takes a lot of screen time in Seasons 4 and 5. Then in Season 6 they are suddenly ''divorced''.
138	** Season 7 had Dexter and Hannah [=McKay=]. They have some chemistry and then hook up (right as Dexter was a about to kill her no less), and about the only thing they have in common is they're both serial killers. It's back in full swing in Season 8 when Hannah shows up again out of nowhere, and she and Dexter are back together within two episodes. Even Dr. Vogel, an expert on psychology and human behavior, [[CharacterShilling can't stop gushing about how utterly perfect they are for each other]].
139	* TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodCharacter:
140	** Emily Birch. Viewers were intrigued by Creator/AngelaBettis and the possibility of there being a female member of the Barrel Gang, or at least that there was more to her and Jordan's relationship. She's around for two episodes before Jordan unceremoniously kills her off.
141	** Louis Greene. The character started out having a creepy interest in murders and in Dexter, and many fans were curious about his plot by sending an Ice Truck Killer victim's hand to Dexter. However, Louis ends up revealing himself to be a pathetic little man who wants revenge only because Dexter criticized his video game, and the character is [[spoiler:quickly discarded at the beginning of season 7 by Isaak, without causing any serious consequences for Dexter.]]
142	** Isaak Sirko. He is introduced in Season Seven as more than a match for Dexter, and has a sympathetic motivation for wanting to kill Dexter. [[spoiler: Then, he is unceremoniously killed off a few episodes before the season finale]], when he could have easily been the ''final'' villain of the show. Even though the actor was forced to leave early for another project, the writers could have easily written him out of the season without killing him, allowing the character to return for the final season.
143	** Evelyn Vogel. Introduced in Season 8 as a psychiatrist who helped shape Dexter into a serial killer because of her rather twisted philosophy on psychopaths, she starts getting less screen time halfway through the season, and [[spoiler:is eventually killed off anticlimactically]]. Many fans now see her as pointless and blame the writers for not using her to her full potential.
144	** Zach Hamilton. For three episodes in Season 8 he's built up as a possible successor to Dexter, [[spoiler:and then he's suddenly killed off and forgotten.]]
145	* TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodPlot:
146	** In Season 1, [=LaGuerta=] has a crush on Dexter and flirts shamelessly and constantly with him throughout the season, much to his discomfort. This also happens in the first book, but as the book ends with [[spoiler:her dying]], the writers simply dismiss this subplot from Season 2 onwards and she never shows any love interest to him again. Some fans think that, instead of discarding this, the writers could have maintained that character trait so that Dexter could manipulate her more often in the future when necessary, especially in Season 7, when [=LaGuerta=] decides to reopen the Bay Harbor Butcher case.
147	** At the beginning of Season 2, Rita seemed to have been suspicious of Dexter after finding his involvement in Paul's imprisonment. Many fans thought it would've lead up to Rita eventually finding out Dexter's secret, however instead it lead her to believe he was a heroin addict (which didn't make sense for many reasons).
148	*** In that same vein, many thought Paul's similar suspicion was somewhat rushed at the end when he suddenly died. This is especially notable because this is the season when Dexter was under suspicion as the Bay Harbor Butcher and could've had Paul play a role in this.
149	** Although Season 2 is unanimously considered one of the best seasons in the series, in retrospect many fans believe that the entire plot of the FBI investigating the Bay Harbor Butcher and Dexter in a race against time to escape their pursuit would have worked infinitely better if it had been the plot of the final season of the series.
150	** After Season 4's tragic ending, many viewers looked forward to a darker, more dangerous Dexter in Season 5. Instead, the season was about Dexter finding a new love interest and hunting down another group of villains, and he was more or less back to his normal self by the end.
151	** In Season 6, some fans were irked that "[[EnemyWithin Ghost Brian]]" barely lasted two episodes.
152	** Everything that happened in Season 7 can be described in this way. Let's recap: Debra found out the truth about her brother, a member of a foreign criminal syndicate wants to get back at Dexter, [=LaGuerta=] reopened the Bay Harbor Butcher case, and Louis wants to make Dexter's life hell for petty reasons. All of this could have caused an exceptional season, but unfortunately, the writers chose to discard two of these plots in the middle of the season and preferred to give more focus to Dexter in love with the criminal Hannah.
153	** The Season 7 finale opened up a lot of possibilities regarding an investigation into [[spoiler:[=LaGuerta=]]]'s death and Dexter's secret eventually being exposed. Disappointingly for many people, Season 8 ignored those, focusing instead on another ho-hum serial killer hunt and the return of [[TheScrappy Hannah]] [[RomanticPlotTumor McKay]]. And even the latter could have been interesting since Dexter and Hannah had ended Season 7 on bitter terms, but in Season 8 [[spoiler:they resumed their relationship with absolutely no signs of any grudge]].
154	* UnintentionallyUnsympathetic:
155	** Dexter himself. HunterOfHisOwnKind or not, he's still a SerialKiller. Exacerbated in the later seasons, where instead of targeting killers who got off on technicalities, [[DestroyTheEvidence he creates the technicalities during his day job]] so he can [[TheOnlyOneAllowedToDefeatYou have them to himself]].
156	** Joey Quinn in Seasons [[SympatheticInspectorAntagonist 5]], [[TheAlcoholic 6]] and [[DirtyCop 7]]. On the one hand, he's meant to be a complex antagonist. On the other hand, most of his own problems are entirely self-inflicted. Therefore, it can be hard to root for him.
157	* UnexpectedCharacter: [[spoiler: Harrison became this when he was confirmed to be returning in the reboot as a young adult.]]
158	* TheUntwist:
159	** The major plot twist in season 6 (see CaptainObviousReveal above) was so blatantly telegraphed that some people thought it was too obvious to be true and, thus, were surprised when TheReveal came.
160	** During Season 8, some viewers predicted that the [[HiddenVillain Brain Surgeon]] was [[spoiler:Evelyn Vogel, or at least someone working directly [[TheDragon for]]/[[BigBadDuumvirate with]] her]]. Neither of these turned out to be the case, as [[spoiler:Vogel was never a villain at all]].
161	* VindicatedByHistory: Season 3 received mixed reviews at the time of release, being compared unfavorably with the first two seasons, both considered superior. The situation worsened after Season 4 was hailed as the best of the series. But then the series went into a awful SeasonalRot, with the second half of the series being extremely divisive among fandom, to say the least. Nowadays, Season 3 is considered by most fans as a great season that, despite some obvious problems with pacing and script, still has a lot more genuine qualities than the last four seasons of the series.
162	* WinBackTheCrowd: Season 7 was generally more well-received than 5 and 6, thanks to an interesting villain and especially a major change to the status quo.
163	* TheWoobie: Several, though Rita and Lumen take the cake.
164	** Astor and Cody. By the end of the series [[spoiler:as far as they know their biological parents, their step-father, their aunt and their younger brother are all dead, leaving their grandparents as their only surviving family]].
165	** IronWoobie: Deb, [=LaGuerta=], Batista.
166	** StoicWoobie: Dexter himself.
167	** JerkassWoobie: Doakes, Christine Hill, Brian Moser and Isaak Sirko.
168	[[/folder]]
169
170	[[folder:New Blood]]
171	[[YMMV/DexterNewBlood New Blood YMMV page here.]]
172	[[/folder]]
173
174	[[folder:Books]]
175	!! [[Literature/{{Dexter}} Books]]:
176
177	* AuthorsSavingThrow: Literal example. Book!Dexter [[spoiler:dies (maybe; WordOfGod states it's up to the reader to decide if he does or not)]], bringing closure to the character in a way the TV Series didn't.
178	* AlasPoorScrappy: Poor [[spoiler:Deke]], we hardly knew ye. As well as [[spoiler:Deb's old partner, Samantha...]]
179	* AngstWhatAngst: Deb, concerning Dexter and what he does [[spoiler:until the fourth book, and even then it's restrained]]. Justified in that she is a badass and we don't see how she deals with her life by herself.
180	* CompleteMonster: [[TortureTechnician Martin Henker]], or [[MadDoctor Doctor Danco]], from ''Dearly Devoted Dexter'', is a disturbingly cruel man from Doakes's past. Discovering his psychopathic tendencies in medical school, Henker enlisted in the military and participated in the UsefulNotes/ElSalvador civil war solely to torture prisoners. Betrayed by his unit, Henker returned to the U.S. to hunt his former colleagues, kidnapping them to play a twisted game of "Hangman". Henker would not only inject them with brain damage-inducing chemicals, he would first [[TongueTrauma cut off their tongue]] and [[AnArmAndALeg remove a limb]] for every wrong answer, which would always happen since his victims are unable to communicate, placing a mirror in front of his victims so they could see everything. Forcing a man to watch him dismembering Doakes, Henker tried to make Dexter his next victim before [[spoiler:his death at the hands of Deborah]].
181	* FranchiseOriginalSin: Many fans were [[BrokenBase displeased]] over the GenreShift in the third book, but in the first book there is mention of how [[EvilDetectingDog animals don't like Dexter]], which is hardly scientific. There's also Dexter's ability to "sense" other killers, described as both of their "Dark Passengers" snarling and snapping at each other, much like the [[ScrappyMechanic "Predator's Taint"]] rule in ''TabletopGame/VampireTheRequiem''.
182	* SugarWiki/HeartwarmingMoments: Or as close as this series gets to one. Dexter is perfectly willing to go after [[spoiler:the man who stabbed Debra]] despite, for all he knows, being only guilty of ''attempted'' murder.
183	* JerkassWoobie: Deborah, despite her tendency to push Dexter around and make him do whatever she wants, is handling the fact that Dexter is a serial killer after years of thinking he's always dependable and normal, she nearly dies a few times throughout the series, and her boyfriend Chutsky, who she's with for several years, ends up abandoning her and she ends up alone.
184	* {{Squick}}: "Jennifer's Leg", the fourth book. [[spoiler:A modern artist hacks off chunks of her own leg, videotaping it the entire time, before cutting it off entirely.]] The fun part? It's also {{Foreshadowing}}.
185	[[/folder]]
186
187	[[folder:Comic Books]]
188	* CompleteMonster: ''Dexter: Down Under'', by Jeff Lindsay et al.: [[PoliticallyIncorrectVillain Bruce Grigsby]] is a racist white millionaire and founder of "Citizens for a White Australia". Harboring hatred for any immigrants, Asians in particular, he begins murdering entire families of immigrants, including [[WouldHurtAChild children]], during the nights. At one point, he kidnapped Asian farm workers who lived near to his isolated ranch, and put them in cages inside his barn. From there he would release them one at the time and [[HuntingTheMostDangerousGame hunt them]] on his ranch, often threatening their families to make them do whatever he wants. When Shawna Wiggs and Dexter Morgan start following trails of his murders, he captures them and makes them his "prey" in his next hunt on his ranch.

Context YMMV / Dexter