6. Dexter
Originally I had reserved this spot for The Vampire Diaries. At the last minute though I exchanged it for Dexter, which aired its final season this year. The choice was easy too, since I recently viewed the final season in its entirety at the request of a friend who has been a long-time fan of the series.
Though I know that most people weren’t pleased with how things ended, I appreciate the difficulty that goes along with wrapping up a show and the burden of meeting the expectations of so many loyal fans with conflicting opinions. With that in mind, I think that Dexter did a commendable job.
Leading up to the finale, Dexter had to come to terms with his evolution as a killer, which unbeknownst to him was partially orchestrated by a third party, Dr. Evelyn Vogel (Charlotte Rampling). This development was the catalyst for Dexter’s final challenge to himself. Before he could flee the country with Hannah (Yvonne Strahovski) and his son, and spend the rest of his life experiencing everything that happily ever after entailed, he would best the latest serial killer to victimize Miami. In a final twist, the killer turned out to be Vogel’s son, and more of an equal than anyone Dexter had faced to-date. In his attempt to defeat him, Dexter had to face the harsh reality about his own dark nature and made a decision that would effect everyone he loved.
If you’ve been a fan of the series for the long haul, then the ending may have either completely caught you off-guard or seemed like a very tragic high note. Personally, I am leaning toward the latter. Dexter Morgan (Michael C. Hall) suffered a grave loss, but he ended with the perfect crime – faking his own death.
I also really like that the series left itself open for further development. The current trend is to see shows brought back from repeat purgatory for fan-fueled feature films, and Dexter has left itself in a perfect position for that.
Showtime consistently offers fans some great viewing options, and while there were definitely other shows on the network worth noting, the final season of Dexter was no less than exemplary, for me at least.