Analysis of information sources in references of the Wikipedia article "Debra Morgan" in English language version.
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Another case in point: I realize that the show has been building to Deb's acceptance of Lumen's vigilante kills all season long, and on a show that wasn't transparently trying to stretch out its length with bullshit maneuvers, I might have enjoyed the scene where she runs across the vigilante and has a chance to just let them walk away, then takes it. But it's such a nakedly desperate attempt to bring someone THAT MUCH CLOSER to catching Dexter without actually doing so that it rankles. It's properly built to, and on its own, it might be a nice little scene, but it also feels completely ridiculous, tossed into the episode solely to give a sense of something happening, while ultimately preserving the status quo.
It's clear Dexter's writers have absolutely no clue how to hold Dexter's feet to the fire, but it's never been more clear than with the death of Deb, which is supposed to be the most significant trauma Dexter has dealt with since he became who he is, yet it occurs completely on his terms. Deb dies after Dexter has already made the decision to leave her behind anyway, and only after she demands that he absolve himself of any responsibility for anything that has happened to her. Saxon's bullet doesn't kill her; it allows Dexter one more opportunity to exemplify what passes for heroism in the Dexter universe, ending Deb's life his way, and disposing of her body in the manner most satisfying and symbolic for him.
Nope. Bad, dirty, wrong. Who conceived of this horrific development, and why? Deb falling for Dexter — her brother by adoption, but her brother nonetheless — was a low point in Season 6, a season filled with low points. It was icky and embarrassing, the culmination of six seasons of Deb getting fucked over by the writers. Thankfully, this plot was mostly abandoned once Debra learned her brother is a serial killer.
It would have been nice if Deb's death also somehow accomplished something for her character's arc and struggle which have been so compelling over the last couple of seasons. Instead, Deb was just in the wrong place at the wrong time and got shot by a psycho that Dex decided not to kill—whoops
Jennifer Carpenter is always great as Deb, and the relationship she's got with Dexter on that show is such a joy to watch.
How heartbreaking was Deb, instantly running over to the body, crying her eyes out, holding LaGuerta? There's just always something about a silent scream, or when they drop the audio on a really emotional and traumatic scene, that makes it even more poignant. And my deep appreciation for all that Jennifer Carpenter has given us this year has now grown exponentially.
Jennifer Carpenter cries a lot on this show. For a tough, foul-mouthed cop, Deb pretty much tears up when someone puts too much relish on her hot dog. But Carpenter always, always makes it feel genuine - as if each breakdown is coming from a totally different emotional place. And it's not like we'd ever think the Emmy voters would give a gold statue to an actress playing a character who regularly screams things like "Motherf***ing suckbag," but this was Carpenter's Emmy episode. That was her scene. And she did it so damn well. And within it, and her confession, we sort of learned the underlying reason for Deb never truly rejecting Dexter even after she found out he was a man addicted to ritualistic murder.
I did like the little "reversal," that played out here - with Deb being the one headed into the demon's lair to rescue Dexter. Of course, she didn't know she was saving Dexter. And (of course) Dexter didn't really need saving, now did he? The twist of Deb letting both "Number 13" and her "Boyfriend" go was definitely earned, but it was a little hard to believe that she was also fine not seeing who they were. That translucent construction plastic was pretty convenient, but it was also necessary I suppose since we needed to have a scene were the audience could see Deb hold a gun to Dexter, and have us think that he had no way out, but then have Deb let her "vigilantes" go and still have Dexter keep his secret. Keep his secret mostly, right. "You must be too," Deb said to Dexter at Harrison's birthday party, after she told him that she was happy. "Now that this is all over, I mean."
Some of you may notice that the review score has been changed, which was based on overnight reflection/rumination. I really did think that Deb's death worked well and found that I wasn't emotionally checked out of the show as much as I expected to be. I lowered the score down though after basically realizing that a decent ending to a confused, sloppy season didn't make up for the fact that this just wasn't the ending anyone, including myself, would have ever wanted.
While the two aren't related by blood, it was considered too weird for viewers because they grew up together and were as close as any biological siblings on television. Debra bought into the idea that she was in love with Dexter for a short time (the two actors were married for a time away from the show), though the plot line was dropped when she caught him killing someone, turning their story in a better-received direction.
Deb's death felt like a slap in the face to both Deb herself and to longtime viewers. Deb had so many unspeakable things done to her, from being seduced by the Ice Truck Killer to watching Frank Lundy die in front of her and falling in love with her adopted brother, and Dexter just killed her off for shock value. Deb, of all people, deserved a happy ending in Dexter, yet she was just used as another sign that Dexter hurts everyone he gets close to. She deserved an ending like the one Original Sin gave her, but the prequel series came far too late to fix Dexter's mistake.
The saddest thing about Dexter is that it once had so much potential. In the early years, when he was pitted up against The Ice Truck Killer, or the one policeman who knew he was a serial killer, or John Lithgow's monumentally creepy Trinity Killer, Dexter could be gripping. It knew where it was going. But then, through the interminable Julia Stiles years, and Colin Hanks's bodged twist, and Deb falling in love with Dexter, then finding out the truth about him, then becoming a murderer herself, then turning into a coke-addled sex fiend for about three seconds, then suddenly just carrying on like none of that had even happened, that potential slowly evaporated away to nothing.
I'll stop here and shower praise on two performances from the season: Jonny Lee Miller was perfect in the role of Jordan Chase (how creepy was that scene where he lunged at a tied-up Lumen?!?); and Jennifer Carpenter shined as Deb. She made us feel her pain, struggling to do her job as a cop with how to react as a human being to the heinous crime she was investigating.
I also really admired Brown's portrayal of a young Deb Morgan. She was always one of my favorite characters in the original show, and that stayed true in the spinoff. Her sarcasm and comedic lines were always a standout for me in the original, and I felt that Brown brought the same energy to the role that Jennifer Carpenter did when she originally portrayed Deb.
As Dexter stands on the deck of his old condo, looking out to the water with the storm on its way, he realizes that his newfound emotions come with a price. "I just want it to stop," he says. That's how I suspect many viewers feel about the show itself. My anger as the episode ended has turned to something else already — relief in seeing a once-great series finally laid to rest before it could get any worse. Dexter — and Deb, and all of us — deserved better.
Plus, I have to once again praise Jennifer Carpenter for her incredible performance during that scene as well as the writers for providing her with such honest and poignant dialogue. This was the first time I felt profound sympathy for Debra regarding her newfound feelings for her brother; I mean seriously. "You're a serial killer and I'm more fucked up than you!" The poor woman.
Finally, I suspect many Dexter defenders will jump to declare that Deb's vegetative state and subsequent euthanasia by her brother as well as her burial at sea is fitting and apt and poetic, and if that's what you think, well, if you can't do the math on that, I can't help you. This is even worse than Rita's death because there's no time to explore the consequences, not that the show would anyway. If there were a ninth season I bet the first episode would see Miami Metro dedicating a drinking water fountain to Deb then the rest of the season would follow Dexter helping someone who kind of looks like her revenge kill a bunch of rapists.
