'Netflix show's twisted ending left me in mourning after I watched it 20 years too late'
Recently, I've started binge-watching the original series of Dexter, and the ending of one particular episode has left me in a state of grief. Okay, maybe I'm being a bit dramatic, but it did shatter me. Any Dexter fans likely knows what I'm referring to, but if you're yet to watch the show and want to avoid any spoilers, look away now.
Consider yourself warned. Obviously, I'm referring to the shocking twist in the season four finale episode, The Getaway. Dexter, which originally aired from 2006 to 2013, chronicles the life of Dexter Morgan, a serial killer with a moral compass, who works as a blood spatter analyst for the Miami Metro Police Department by day, maintaining his "normal" persona while satisfying his urge to kill by night.
Dexter, played by Michael C Hall, is led to believe he's a sociopath and a "monster" by his adoptive father, police officer Harry Morgan, who discovered him as a three-year-old child, sitting in a pool of his mother's blood after she was brutally murdered in front of him.
Harry notices Dexter's violent tendencies and emotional detachment and, instead of seeking professional psychological help for his clearly traumatised son, he teaches him "the code".
Dexter harbours a desire to kill, but only those who fit Harry's code - they must be murderers themselves. Over the years, he carries out ritualistic killings of numerous violent criminals who seem to have slipped through the justice system's net.
As the series unfolds, Dexter's actions continue to catch up with him - to devastating effect. In some cases, he even sabotages evidence to let culprits slip through the law's grasp, just so he can savour the thrill of killing them himself.
This is most evident in season four, where we're introduced to Arthur 'the Trinity Killer' Mitchell, portrayed by the brilliantly terrifying John Lithgow. His performance was so compelling that he bagged a Golden Globe award for his role as the chilling serial killer.
Now, given the show has been around for years, some spoilers are inevitable - I'm bracing myself for the much-maligned ending, and I already knew that the main antagonist in the first season was Dexter's long-lost brother.
But what season four had in store for viewers took me completely by surprise.
By this stage in the series, Dexter is married to Rita - brought to life with a delightful blend of sweetness and charm by the talented Julie Benz.
Initially, Dexter was attracted to Rita to help maintain his façade of being a "nice, normal guy", but as the story progresses, it becomes clear he genuinely cares for her. I adored Rita and hoped her influence on Dexter would have a positive effect on him.
However, Dexter's fixation with the Trinity Killer led to her downfall.
After a tense game of cat-and-mouse, during which Dexter adopts a false identity to get close to Arthur Mitchell and his family, things begin to fall apart.
Mitchell soon realises Dexter isn't who he claims to be and tracks him down. The Trinity Killer visits him at the police station, where he casually peruses photos of his own violent crime scenes without a care in the world.
Dexter sends Rita and their son away on a belated honeymoon to ensure she's safe from the sadistic killer.
After some serious tension, Dexter seemingly prevails - he traps Arthur Mitchell on his trusty table and kills him, tossing his hacked up body parts into the ocean.
We've seen this scene before - Dexter is nothing if not consistent when it comes to how he completes his crimes.
When he returns home, he discovers a voicemail message from Rita saying she forgot her passport so had to return home to get it.
He calls her, but her phone rings in their house. Dexter walks into the bathroom and there, in a harrowing full circle moment, is his son sitting in a pool of his mother's blood.
Rita is laying dead in the bathtub, the water crimson - one of the Trinity Killer's trademarks.
I was hysterical.
The show did an excellent job of convincing us Dexter had won and got the better of the Trinity Killer.
As the show is years old, I have nobody to talk to about this gut punch of a twist so I scoured social media and saw it's still a widely discussed episode to this day.
I know it's not an episode I'll ever forget, no matter what direction the show - and its subsequent spin-offs - takes from here.
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