Dexter faces impossible odds. Meanwhile, as a hurricane threatens Miami, Dexter becomes determined to do things his way.
- Asshole Victim: Oliver Saxon.
- Bittersweet Ending: Heavily on the bitter side. Dexter kills Saxon, but Debra entered a persistent vegetative state as a result of her gunshot wound, leading Dexter to take her off life support. Coming to believe he only brings his loved ones misery, he fakes his death in Hurricane Laura and begins a new life alone.
- Burial at Sea: Dexter does this with Debra's body.
- Faking the Dead: Dexter fakes his death in Hurricane Laura and begins a new life alone as a lumberjack on the west coast.
- Grand Finale: The series finale.
- Heartbreak and Ice Cream: After reading about Dexter's "death," Hannah takes Harrison for ice cream.
- I Want My Beloved to Be Happy: After Debra's death, Dexter comes to believe he only brings misery to his loved ones and fakes his death to ensure Hannah and Harrison live in peace.
- Killed Off for Real: Debra Morgan.
- Mercy Kill: Dexter removes Debra from life support so she doesn't have to live in a vegetative state.
- Pyrrhic Victory: Dexter killing Saxon doesn't change the fact that the latter's shooting of Debra has put her into a persistent vegetative state.
- Rule of Symbolism: Dexter fakes his death in a hurricane that shares it's name with his biological mother.
- Trash the Set: Dexter's boat, the Slice of Life, is destroyed in Hurricane Laura.
