(US) Dexter Season 5 Episode 12 - "The Big One" (SPOILERS WITHIN)

Amtmann

The season finale. Did it surprise, elate or disappoint? Discuss.

Shankly Gates

Ugh worst season I think.

Lumen: "I have to go now Dexter, my dark passenger is gone". Ah sure thats grand in the season finale eh. I never liked Lumen anyway but a 20 second wrap up of her character and she disappears into one of the many plot holes this season? Thanks writers.

Who do Miami metro think killed Liddy? It wasn't Quinn so who cares? :mad:

I was really hoping it would end showing that Deb knew it was Dexter behind the curtain and that would set it up nicely for a full on season 6 but instead we get that ****e.

I really wanted it to be great...

Gingervitis

Wayy too safe. You could have wrapped up the series with this. A 15 minute coda that resets everything - lazy. Very disappointing overall.
There's hardly any interest in where the next season will go either. Ugh.

niallk

Yep. I agree. The season started out poorly, became mediocre and the last couple of weeks kind of got your hopes up that they could take it somewhere, but alas, they just pressed the reset button.

The whole Liddy thing was a joke. Quinn seemingly willing to keep quiet for Dexter what, because of his love for Deb that he's developed over the last 10 episodes? Is that what they were trying to have us believe? And what, Dexter says "thanks for keeping shtum Quinn, and don't worry, I'll fiddle the blood-work and get you out of this pickle"? It's funny how in other episodes, they would have the blood tests sent out of the station. You would think this would be especially important when the suspect and victim are both cops. All the other evidence pointing to Quinn, (phonecalls, hired equipment), nah just ignore that, because it's not Liddy' blood on his shoe.

To add insult to insult, they have a little cast reunion party at the end, seemingly to celebrate the continuation of some terrible casting choices. LeGuerta and Batista vow to start again. Great! It's going to be fascinating watching you re-start a relationship we never cared about to begin with. Masuka gets a girlfriend, ironically the most believable character development of the season, considering how much of a freak he is. And Quinn shows up, happy and even thankful to Dexter, whom he now knows is a killer.

One of the funnier jokes the writers played on the viewers is having Jordan Chase set a "trap" for Dexter in the shape of a bright yellow JCB in the middle of the road. It's almost as if he knew Dexter would be having an argument with Harry (about how careful to be) at that exact point of his journey. Seemingly he gave Dexter enough credit to know he was going to track him down, but not enough to think he had the eye-foot coordination to hit the brakes.

Also amusing was Deb's absolute confidence in her long-shot theories of a vigilante couple. She didn't even need to check who was behind the curtain. Couldn't possibly be say, other members of Chase's gang. She didn't need to ask who they were, have a glimpse or even get them to confirm that her theory was correct.

All of the above is so frustrating because Michael C. Hall is so good. The writers are getting worse and worse, and most of the supporting cast is terrible. MCH alone, is the reason I am still watching (which is the inevitable question to be raised by fanboys when they read my criticisms). I thought his acting especially in the breakfast scene with Julia Styles was superb as usual, even with the terrible premise of the scene (Eh, I woke up this mornin' an' me darkness is gone, so I'm leavin', right?)

Other plus points in the episode are hard to recall. The guy who played Jordan Chase was good. It's just a pity that he had to wait until 2 minutes before he died before I found him a convincing baddie. He'll still always be known as the catchphrase guy to me. Who knows, the way this show is heading maybe we'll get a catchphrase every season.

I'll keep watching because it's so damn watchable, but I'll refrain from recommending it to anyone.

niallk

By the way, I voted "Poor" but only because I was looking for the negative word as soon as I could. I would change it to "Worst finale ever" as much as I hate categorizing anything as worst/best ever.

Tristram

God, that was awful... :mad::(

edit: please tell me it was all a dream!

Ugh.

Sir Digby Chicken Caesar

**** this show

that scene with deb towards the end, i was sure... i was ****ing positive they were actually going to do it, to justify this entire crappy season

but they chickened out.

amacachi

This thread made me sad in an unexpected way. I usually avoid spoilers til I get home from college but decided it would be safe to read them because I knew tit would be a safe and neat finale, and it seems I was right. Usually I watch on a Monday evening but didn't watch the last episode til Friday and dunno if I'll watch this one.

50/50 on next season too.

Amtmann

A massive cop out on everything: the Kyle Butler angle, the Quinn-Liddy-Dexter saga, the unmasking of Dexter by Deb, everything. The most disappointing episode of all time. I care not for season six now. Dexter is ruined.

I decided not to watch the last 15 minutes. Did I miss anything?

Sir Digby Chicken Caesar

Deleted User wrote: »

I decided not to watch the last 15 minutes. Did I miss anything?

no

Yitzhak Rabin

Deleted User wrote: »

I decided not to watch the last 15 minutes. Did I miss anything?

Quinn cracked under the pressure and told Deb to go to his apartment and look for an envelope with photos in it. Deb found the photos that implicated dexter and lumen....


... oh no actually instead they went for a massive cartoonish everyone lived happily ever after cop out.

Yitzhak Rabin

Maybe...just maybe they'll write this entire season off as a waste of time... and pick it up here they left off in season 4 and the FBI can start to look down the Kyle Butler route?

Although I am very very worried that they are going to go down the route of Dexter becoming 'human' and redeeming himself. If Lumen can do it, why can't i? sort of thing.

Amtmann

So, um, in light of episode 12's ending, what was the whole point of Liddy? Don't say it will be picked up in season six. We all know it won't be.

This could have been so good. Dexter would have been perfect as a five-season show. Season 4: Dexter asks, "can I have it all?" and the answer is no. Then in season 5 it all comes apart for him with the FBI/Liddy investigation exposing his past lies bit by bit. But no. Instead we got Lumen and, er, 'Jordan Chase'. Personally I thought he was a crap bad guy and the whole concept of his little gang of rapists was a little too 'out there'.

Scuid Mhór

disappointing end to a mostly disappointing season but i'm surprised no one has mentioned the conversation between quinn and dexter on their way to liddy's crime scene. thought that was a pretty groovy moment. reminded me of old style dexter. proper doakes-esque feel to it.

shano_88

So disappointing. The finale had the potential to be very good but there were no shocks, no twists or any excitement really.

zimovain

Awful.

DeWitt

The finale came across very rushed. Everything wrapped up way too neatly & quickly to leave the viewer satisfied.

Did we ever find out why Jordan Chase started a gang of rapists? Or is being fat as a child supposed to be enough of a trauma? Also the whole Emily Birch character, what was the reason for her loyalty to Jordan? Did I miss it because it was so dull and rushed or what?

the_monkey

Deleted User wrote: »

I decided not to watch the last 15 minutes. Did I miss anything?

I almost did the very same thing !!

This finale was absolute rubbish, the scene with Deb "catching" them was
such **** I almost threw the remote at the telly , - I mean this makes the Sopranos and LOST finale look good.

RUBBISH - and why has Dexter become such a cheap action show ??

getting away
getting away
getting away
getting away
---almost ---almost --- no BAM ...


caught
caught
caught
caught
caught
caught
caught
almost ---- ah got away !!!!


It's become the A team of late.

It used to be such a good show proper suspence, proper twists and
a desire to watch the next season to see what will happen.


I wonder will they ever get the balls to have Deb discover Dexter ?

One good thing about this sh´te ending is I am in no way impatient to
see s6 start.

Scuid Mhór

Deleted User wrote: »

Also the whole Emily Birch character, what was the reason for her loyalty to Jordan? Did I miss it because it was so dull and rushed or what?

haha i didn't even think about that one. 'c'mon guys, let's kill her off. dexter will be so fixated on saving lumen and lumen will be so happy that she was saved that neither will spare a thought to the betrayal they endured at the hands of emily birch.'

Our man in Havana

Sonya never even bothered to book the magician for Harrison's birthday party.

Nice continuity error in the red car with Harry, Dexter had white gloves orginally and then suddenly was wearing black gloves.

Pretty poor finale in all fairness. I was most annoyed with Deb letting them go. What a cop out!

A big load of bollox imho!

Yitzhak Rabin

It would actually have been quite difficult to have wrote a worse episode. The writers had so many opportunities to create a great set up for next season, and completely and utterly failed to take any of them.

the_monkey

Haddockman wrote: »

Sonya never even bothered to book the magician for Harrison's birthday party.

Nice continuity error in the red car with Harry, Dexter had white gloves orginally and then suddenly was wearing black gloves.

Pretty poor finale in all fairness. I was most annoyed with Deb letting them go. What a cop out!

A big load of bollox imho!

What a cop out indeed, All this season it was hinting that Deb would find Dexter, and the promo for this episode had a false scene in which she did find him with the knife in his hand !!

Someone mentioned they are going down the safe road where Dexter will
redeem himself and release the dark passenger just like Lumen did, if this is the case it will be the biggest cock up of a series since LOST.

He needs to get caught, it needs to be a tragic ending, it needs to end with him on death row , or strapped to the chair .

Ron DMC

1) What the hell happened with the Santa Muerte killers? Deb shot one of them but isn't the other guy still out there? Did they just drop the case?

2) Aside from the rest of the season, there were too many 'happy' coincidences in this episode too: a) Crashed car at the camp that was stolen from the other crimescene, are they not gonna connect those two facts. b) Dexter having that knife from his kill kit on him before getting out of the crashed car (and Chase not checking him for weapons). c) The plastic sheeting conveniently seperating Deb from the 'vigilantes'.

3) LaGuerta is stupid as we know, but come on, even if the bloodwork got him off, is she really that dumb not to have thought that Quinn asking for a lawyer and being connected to a dodgy cop with a van full of surveillance gear MIGHT have had something to do with Dexter seeing as he was reluctant to give up on that investigation for so long? I mean, jesus.

4) Actually, forget it, I could go on, but there's no point, it was clearly not a very good season overall. A smattering of semi-decent episodes doesn't make up for a rubbish season in general.

Here's to season 6, let's hope for real consequences to Dexter's actions, instead of the him being the jammiest fucker in the world.

Töpher

Haven't read any of the comments yet, just took a quick gander at the poll... not looking forward to watching this.

ballsymchugh

terrible terrible ending.

i'll only watch season 6 if dexter turns up to work dressed as the terminator or robocop. it's jumped the sharks in this season.

Amtmann

Haddockman wrote: »

Sonya never even bothered to book the magician for Harrison's birthday party.

Nice continuity error in the red car with Harry, Dexter had white gloves orginally and then suddenly was wearing black gloves.

Pretty poor finale in all fairness. I was most annoyed with Deb letting them go. What a cop out!

A big load of bollox imho!

Why did you vote that it was excellent so?

Peyton Manning

They really stepped up the whole "Oh noes, Dexter is gonna get caught here........oh wait, he avoided it" this series. Lost count of the amount of times it's happened.

Absolutely horrible finale, so so disgusted.

mdwexford

Season was an embarrassment, last season i thought every episode was amazing, couldnt wait for next weeks episode and the finale was class. This was just predictable tripe, ugh, im disgusted.

Our man in Havana

Furet wrote: »

Why did you vote that it was excellent so?

Mod error there. johndoe99 is the only vote.

If you count the terrible votes, only 8 people are listed, but there are 9 votes.

I used my mod powers to correct my error.

Smurfpiss

Jesus you guys are harsh!
I have to say I'm pretty disappointed... but I really liked Julia Stiles character, and I got the impression she only signed on for one season, and they had to just shove her off the show like that.

I was expecting more creepiness from Sonya, not sure what to think of her besides just a convenient way of getting Harrison out of the way.

Didn't like the end of Liddy, and Quinn getting off the hook is far fetched at best, but him knowing that dexter is a killer is interesting at least.
I think Deb might suspect Dexter, she said something interesting at the end...

But jesus yeah if i see one more ohhhhh he's gonna get caught moment I'll scream.

He really should just get busted. I want to see the pieces all fall in to place.

sink

To me it looks like the writers did want to take it in brave new direction. The entire arc of the season was setting it up so that deb would have to choose between her brother the serial killer or her boyfriend the honestish cop. Dexter having to choose between bringing his sister into his web of lies, turning himself in and confessing all his sins, or running for it.

I bet it was some studio suit who didn't want to risk possibly turning away a few viewers and got them to re-write the ending and play it safe.

Needless to say the ending sucked balls.

SDTimeout

I'll only take a positive for this. As my BJJ training was canceled and Arsenal are toothless. I do not want any more negativity after finishing watching that.

Season 3 wasn't the best and they gave us Season 4.

Please god do this with season 6. I echo the comments of i will watch it. I feel sorry for the people i have told to watch it, knowing they have to reach this point.

Minstrel27

A fittingly **** end to a sub standard season. I will give season 6 a chance becuase most shows had a season of absolute ****.

PhiloCypher

I was kinda hoping it would end with either Dexter being caught and there being a very public trial next season where he is hero worshiped by the public ala that dream sequence in season 2 or alternatively Lumen being caught/allowing herself to be caught for the murders to protect Dexter as he has a kid and a job she feels is important with the next season seeing Dexter in the unenviable position of having to give evidence at her trial while at the same time trying to find some way to derail it and save the woman he loves from deathrow .

OctavarIan

The final 10 minutes were almost unbearable. The writing was so trite I couldn't believe it.

Just think, all of season five was for that. The writers felt that was the best outcome for the season that carried on from Trinity's legacy. Wow

But they got their ratings.

To those saying detractors are being too harsh... There is some utterly amazing television out there and Dexter just last year was up there near the top. People have every right to be harsh in their criticism; this season was a total washout.

ixoy

Well I thought this was better than season three...

Still a weak (but not awful) ending. Too many cop outs, too many missed chances. Deb zoning in on them but then walking off being the worst. As pointed out above, for all she knew Dexter could have been about to slice Lumen and she let him get back to it when she walked away.

Also Dexter does blood analysis, but wouldn't there be other DNA traces in the van? Then again Dexter can break into cars in daylight and knock people out in public so I don't know why I'm looking for that sort of attention to detail.

I really really think they should have had Deb find out it was Dexter. It would have set up such an interesting angle for a sixth season. Instead we've made no character progression of interest. I'll watch it next year but I'm not enthusiastic. Oh John Lithgow how we miss you.

Shane St.

davy78x wrote: »

Ugh worst season I think.

Lumen: "I have to go now Dexter, my dark passenger is gone". Ah sure thats grand in the season finale eh. I never liked Lumen anyway but a 20 second wrap up of her character and she disappears into one of the many plot holes this season? Thanks writers.

Who do Miami metro think killed Liddy? It wasn't Quinn so who cares? :mad:

I was really hoping it would end showing that Deb knew it was Dexter behind the curtain and that would set it up nicely for a full on season 6 but instead we get that ****e.

I really wanted it to be great...

agree 100% with this

FreeOSCAR

Felt sick watching that.

Probably the worst season of television I've watched all year.

jor el

Ron DMC wrote: »

1) What the hell happened with the Santa Muerte killers? Deb shot one of them but isn't the other guy still out there? Did they just drop the case?

I can't actually remember if that, and the story other Latino cop that shafted Deb, ever got resolved. It seems as though these were two different seasons the way it was split.

Ron DMC wrote: »

2) Aside from the rest of the season, there were too many 'happy' coincidences in this episode too: a) Crashed car at the camp that was stolen from the other crimescene, are they not gonna connect those two facts.

No, you just know that there will be no connection between crime-scene A and kill-site B. In fact, you can be pretty sure there will be not a single mention of either of these ever again. I think Angel summed it up quite aptly by saying "Am I the only one that cares about this murder?". Yes, you are.

Ron DMC wrote: »

3) LaGuerta is stupid as we know, but come on, even if the bloodwork got him off, is she really that dumb not to have thought that Quinn asking for a lawyer and being connected to a dodgy cop with a van full of surveillance gear MIGHT have had something to do with Dexter seeing as he was reluctant to give up on that investigation for so long? I mean, jesus.

Very lazy writing. The whole last 15 minutes was just a continuation on that theme too. This has gone the way of Lost, too much going on to ever write a good way out of it, so they're just going to keep digging in the hopes that no one notices when they fall out the other side.

Ron DMC wrote: »

Here's to season 6, let's hope for real consequences to Dexter's actions, instead of the him being the jammiest fucker in the world.

I really thought they were going to set up the motherfucker of a final series, but having Dexter come out from behind the sheeting, and confess to Deb that it was him (and Lumen, to a lesser extent). I was just waiting for it... but nothing, except a big cop out. It would have been some real character development to see how Deb would deal with this, how it would effect their relationship, and how it would creep over into their work lives, and the whole story for the next season could have been fantastic. That really was the way to go with this. Dexter needs to end, and soon, and in a big spectacle way with him being found out (at the very least by Deb).

ixoy wrote: »

Well I thought this was better than season three...

Small mercies, but true enough. A very up and down season, with a good build up in the finale, but bad let down ending.

Shlippery

II feel like i'm repeating everyone else already, but I've been gettin a few buddies to start watching Dexter...they're just getting to season 4 now, but after that finale, I really wanna tell them to stop at season 4's finale...I really, really, really hoped season 5 would end with a redeeming bang, especially after the masterful season 4...it really ruined my day , I really wanted a spectacular finale, but they held back..a lot.

the worst thing is there wasn't even a cliff hanger, or any sort of bombshell to get me in anyway hyped for whatever is to come.

Just a happy ending.

This is like a time one of those rage faces would come in handy..

amacachi

Watched it on the way to college, bleh. Sleeping would've been a far better use of my time.

PhiloCypher

Ron Dmc has already noted many of the obvious plot holes but for completists sake heres another one , Deb Discharging a bullet at the Camp Jordan Crime scene , presumably when she calls it in she tells them she has found the barrel girl crimescene abandoned so how does she explain the bullet that Horatio and his plucky CSI sidekick Calleigh Dusquesne would no doubt find ? accidental discharge ?

gavmcg92

I don't get it???
Earlier on this week I heard that they had started to film season 6 but from looking at that finale it would seem that they have come to a close.
In my opinion it ended too neatly with a nice reunion... Where was the twist or even the open ended story to set up next season... there wasn't any.

I think a season of Dexter in prison would be nice.. similar to that of Dr.House in the insane asylum. I think that would add a nice texture to the already deflated story. Come to think of it... this season would have been a nice set up for that proposed story with Deb handing over her brother to miami metro... hahaha I should be a writer...

displaced dub

Hi All

First time commenting here as i didnt even know there was a Dexter thread.

i have lived for Mondays for years to get my Dexter fix, Last seasons finale shocked me and had my head spinning for a week, it was genius.

But this season was to be fair Sh*te, that last episode was really the worst finale i have ever seen. I thought with 15 minutes to go with Chase dead and Deb on the other side of the plastic that we were in for another excellent ending but they fudged it... I was expecting Dex to inject Deb and escape or even get caught.

No real cliff hanger now for next season.

seadnamac

I can only echo what the majority have been saying. Absolutely horrible season, completey and utterly pointless.

Surely this has not gone unnoticed by the critics in America? Any links to any reviews?

the_monkey

seadnamac wrote: »

I can only echo what the majority have been saying. Absolutely horrible season, completey and utterly pointless.

Surely this has not gone unnoticed by the critics in America? Any links to any reviews?

I was thinking the same, I did a search yesterday and found none ...

maybe today ...

edit yes - http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/12/13/dexter-watch-annoyed-by-the-season-finale/?partner=rss&emc=rss

Amtmann

the_monkey wrote: »

I was thinking the same, I did a search yesterday and found none ...

maybe today ...

edit yes - http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/12/13/dexter-watch-annoyed-by-the-season-finale/?partner=rss&emc=rss

Thanks for the link but what a crap review. It barely scratched the surface. Most online reviews of the various season 5 episodes were little short of fawning. :rolleyes:

tvnutz

I think a lot of the reviews have been very positive which is mind boggling. I thought that perhaps something would happen in the finale to save this season. Deb finding out that Dexter was killing the Jordan Chase rape gang would have been a great step. What she has gone through and admitting that she felt some people deserved to die,it could have worked. She didn't have to know Dex was a serial killer,that maybe he just did these few muders for Lumen. Then as time went on she might start figuring out he was still killing.

But it was just a total letdown. I never despised Lumen and I like Julia Stiles,but as someone mentioned the character was not developed properly and then suddenly she is gone in a 10 second wrap up to her character.

The writing was so sloppy as well,so Dexter lied about the blood. Is Quinn just going to leave that alone? He knows the blood was Liddy's so what reason would Dex have for lying? Apart from that there was the equipment booked out under Quinn's name,the fingerprints all over the van,the phone calls from Liddy's phone.So what if the blood didn't match? There was so much other evidence but the cops decide to ignore all of that? Shocking writing.

Also as someone mentioned,the bullet Deb shot off,was that not questioned when going over the crime scene later on? No explanation needed for that?

This season was always going to be hard because last season was so brilliant. But how could they possibly fall so far? I got more excitement and was on the edge of my seat with the most recent episode of Nikita than anytime in this entire season of Dexter. They should do a Walking Dead and fire all the writers after that season.