Dexter (TV Series) The Big One (2010) User Reviews

Not Tied Up As Much As People Think

[darrenadye-923-463840 · 8/10 · 14 December 2010]

Well I actually really enjoyed this episode, it did feel a bit anti-climatic, especially after the last 4 or 5 excellent episodes but definitely had some strong talking points.

First of all the really big thing for me was at the birthday party when Deb says to Dex 'YOU must be glad now all this is over', could it be that Debs has had her suspicions all along that Dexter was the vigilante. She's one of the best detectives on the force and had met Lumen at Dexter's old house in an earlier episode, surely it wouldn't have taken much for her to realise there was a possibility the mysterious blonde who's turned up in Dexter's life could well be victim 13. I actually thought she had her suspicions about Dexter at the end of last season when she found Dexter at Trinity's house and despite giving him a puzzled look accepted his defence that he'd just arrived to do some blood analysis. This might explain some of her anger towards Quinn when she hears he also had suspicions towards Dexters involvement with the case. Debs later finds Dexter at the industrial estate and again gives him a quizzical look, this woman is not stupid so surely she is starting to put two and two together. The scene where Deb has the two vigilantes at gun point behind plastic is key, not only does she let the vigilantes go she also stops Lumen from breaching the plastic sheet that separates them. For me this shows that she already has a pretty good idea who it is behind the plastic but is not yet ready to face up to the truth This season has really set it up for Debs to be able to handle the truth about Dexter, it's the first season where Deb actually kills some one and when discussing it with Dexter she admits she has no emotion about it because the person she killed was a killer himself. Also Quinn is aware that Dexter is doing something dodgy and has seen pictures of him dumping something in the sea but so far has been convinced by Deb to leave it alone.

There was so much more going on in this episode that I could fill up pages with it but I won't, just to say the scene where Aster asks Dexter at the end if helping Lumen made him feel better about Rita's death he just sits there silently. A lot of people are saying it seems harsh the way he didn't care about Rita but Rita is the one he really did care about, Dexter doesn't know how to deal with real emotion but is channelling all the emotion he had for Rita towards the kids. The episode where he tells Astor he loves her shows this.

Anyway good episode, great series, best show of all time.

The Dark Passenger is Gone

[claudio_carvalho · 9/10 · 10 July 2014]

Dexter is seeking out Jordan and Lumen but out of the blue, his family returns from Orlando to celebrate Harrison's birthday in Miami with him. The he is summoned to investigate the crime scene of where Stan Liddy was murdered. LaGuerta suspects of Quinn and arrests him since he has a blood stain on his boot. Meanwhile Jordan takes Lumen to an old camping area that belongs to him and where his victims have been tortured and murdered. But Dexter locates the real estate that belongs to Eugene Greer and he heads to the spot. Debra follows another lead and drives to the same spot. Dexter finally subdues Jordan and he and Lumen kill the last criminal But Debra arrives in the crime scene while they are still cleaning the knives and the place. Will Debra disclose Dexter's dark secret?

"The Big One" is another stunning episode of this Fifth Season. Jordan Chase is a weak serial-killer, comparing with the others that Dexter has faced in the other Seasons. Debra crosses the thin line between right and wrong following her romantic theory and without identifying the killers, in a great conclusion for the barrel girl's case. Dexter clears Quinn's name in a great conclusion for Liddy's investigation. Unfortunately Lumen's dark passenger is gone in the sad but necessary conclusion of Dexter's love affair. His character would end with human feelings if he stayed together with Lumen and fortunately the author did not kill this suffering character. My vote is nine.

Title (Brazil): "O Mais Difícil" ("The Most Difficult")

It Keeps getting better

[jetkot · 10/10 · 8 January 2018]

Micheal C Hall is an exceptional performer. This author backed role was somehow written only for him. I cannot imagine any other actor playing Dexter Morgan. The Season Finale of Season 5 left me spellbound again. It was an edge of the seat thriller. Debra almost finding out the truth was a dramatic twist. Jonny Lee Miller gave his best shot in the last episode. We could see his psycho side taking over his cool demeanor.

Too unrealistic and a little bit boring

[register-207-826100 · 8 November 2011]

I think the 5th season is the worst of all of the seasons. I don't mean it sucks, but the first 4 seasons were better. The ending of the 4th season was shocking and really great and I hoped that the 5th season would keep the quality level high. But nothing really new happened and it was a little bit boring. The characters didn't evolve (except Quinn I think, he became interesting to me and don't annoy me anymore, although his acting in this episode was strange and stupid). The ending of the season was too unrealistic. For example:

• How did Dexter get the knife he used to kill Chase? Was Chase so stupid not to check that Dexter had a big hidden knife?

• Why did they release Quinn? Apart from blood on his shoe there were many other evidences of his connection to the death of that cop, like fingerprints, calls, his scared behavior and willing to get an advocate, etc.

• Why did Lumen leave? After killing a few people she suddenly became a good girl? And what about her love to Dexter? Her departure looks too unrealistic.

• Why didn't Debra look at the Chase's killers? Wasn't she curios at all? And what, she decided to release the serial killers? Too unrealistic.

• Why didn't Quinn tell anything to Dexter and do anything about him? He should know it's Dexter who killed the cop and what, he thinks it's just OK, let's just live further? And what he thanks Dexter for? For killing the cop and making people think it's Quinn who killed the cop? Yeah, thank you Dexter, you are a great guy!

• It's been told that Debra solved the crime. What actually did she solve? There was no real evidence that Chase was a killer and they didn't even find his body and the guys who killed Chase and his friends. So what did she solve?

• Sometimes when I see too much of Dexter's emotions I just don't believe it. Like when he begins to tremble when Lumen tells him she's gonna leave. He is a serial killer and we were shown that he had no emotions, so I don't believe such man would tremble or cry so easily.

I could continue but I think that's enough. I understand that it's just a movie, but there should be a limit and, damn, is it so hard to make it more realistic? Is it so hard to have critics who will search for various unrealistic or silly moments and then improve it, figure out something else?

I would like the 6th season to be the last one. And it has to be shocking, like the 4th season. Now it's just getting all the same and I think it's time to end the series or there should be something REALLY HUGE, major turn, something really new and totally unpredictable. Yes, the seasons were good (especially four first ones), but basically the story is almost the same.

PS. Sorry for my English, I'm not a native English speaker.

Luminous flux

[GameAndWatch · 8/10 · 28 June 2014]

I was surprised by this season, I didn't expect it to be so good. The end of season 4 was shocking, but Trinity was a little gruesome for my tastes.

There are formulaic elements here as others have mentioned. Like having a department insider pursuing Dexter and Deb doing most of the leg work. There are a few loose ends. The side story didn't really go anywhere, but did turn Deb into a killer. Batista's relationship troubles where a little nauseating (they aren't the most convincing couple).

The Lumen story was great though.

There were a couple of silly moments: a few too many head blows and momentary losses of consciousness. Bordering on a generic action finale (Dexter tumbles stolen car, to escape to standing villain).

Jordan didn't really get enough screen time. Perhaps Chase and the bucket murders shouldn't have been so clear cut. Is Jordan evil or not? This could have been played out further. Even Dexter dithering over whether Jordan is an implicit player in the killings.

There is a nice ambiguity at the end of the season. Does Deb know or not about Dexter and Lumen? We all have our blind spots.

Regarding other reviewers quibbles:

The case would most likely have been tied up with the DVD evidence linking the torture chamber to Chase's estate: perhaps not him explicitly; but his disappearance would have garnered enough suspicion.

Quinn has always been a bent cop, so I'm sure he'd be prepared to turn the other cheek for Debra. Linny wasn't the nicest person after all.

It was nice to see Dexter get a few moments of happiness with someone that perhaps had an understanding of who he is, but there wasn't much mileage in keeping Lumen around for another season. She needed to go, to move on.

I just re-watched this season, and enjoyed it almost as much second time round. Highlights were Liddy, Masuka's theory, Boyd and St Bridget.

It could hurt taking Dexter too seriously. Like most fantasy TV it requires a little leap of faith.

It reminds me of The Silence of the lambs.

[hang-32861 · 10/10 · 1 January 2019]

The demons (lambs) were both nightmare to them, but finally the nightmare was gone. "You can't make up one thing for another". I love this episode as I like The Silence of the lambs. Besides, humanity and feelings are naturally expressed if you watch this episode carefully, which also made this episode one of my favorite.

I figured out why Dexter season finales kinda disappoint me

[goat-04054 · 8/10 · 7 January 2022]

What I don't like about this season finale (and this goes for the previous four season finales as well) is that it wraps everything up, for the next season to go back to square one. There's almost no real progression in the story. Every season starts with Dexter not really knowing what to do with himself, he then finds someone he hunts down and after offing that person he gets in some sort of trouble and the season goes on from there. Then he finds the one, main killer/villain of that season and at the end of the season this killer ends up on his table.

Now ofcourse, the seasons have much more to bring to the table than this, but this is pretty much how all seasons go. In my opinion this is what keeps this show from being one of the best. Because shows like Breaking Bad, Dark, and Better Call Saul evolve every season and that (ofcourse among other things) is what makes them really great. There's well thought-out story being told there. Dexter is starting to feel like a typical show, where every season has the same structure.

The only big thing this show has going for it are the characters, because they are all really well-written and entertaining.

Dexter Morgan: They make it look so easy. Connecting with another human being. It's like no one told them it's the hardest thing in the world.

[bombersflyup · 10/10 · 21 October 2018]

The Big One is about many things, mostly choices, none of which Dexter has any say in. Jordan Chase traps Lumen and Joey's taken into custody when Liddy's body is found.

The last half of the episode, truly wonderful. Michael C. Hall's range tremendous. From the control within the balancing act to work it out and come through, to the elation with Lumen on the boat, to the fragile anger in the kitchen, to the anguish of loss at Harrison's birthday. Quinn stepped up in season five. He has so much information on Dexter, but it's not worth jeopardizing what he has with Deb, because he sees what we the viewer do. Lumen kinda uses Dexter and lied while in her best interest. It's not like she just realized these things about him. I see many negative reviews and I agree with Jordan Chase not being up there with the baddies of previous seasons, but I love this episode and especially the first of the season.

The Last Death

[ZegMaarJus · 9/10 · 15 April 2021]

This episode begins with Dexter, he is making a plan to save Lumen from Jordan. Dexter his family returned from Orlando, the kids want to stay this summer. The police found Liddy his body. Maria sees blood on Quinn his shoe, he is a suspect for killing Liddy. Dexter crashed with his car on the way to Jordan and Lumen. Jordan points a gun on Dexter after his crash. Jordan brought Dexter to his place. Dexter sticks his knife in Jordan's feet. Dexter strangled Jordan. Lumen sticks the knife right trough Jordan's heart, he died instantly. Deb arrived at the house. Dexter and Lumen are locked in. Debra decided to let the suspects (Dexter and Lumen) go without seeing them. Lumen tells to Dexter that she has to leave. Harrison his birthday party is today. Quinn and Debra are back together. Lumen left Miami. An amazing final of Dexter Season 5, the last member of the rape crew has been killed. Lumen left Dexter because her mission has been succeeded. I'm excited for next Season!

Solid finale to an underwhelming season

[soccerball-48728 · 8/10 · 25 April 2021]

I did not feel like Jordan Chase was a worthy adversary for Dexter. Lumen was okay, but not as good as Julie Benz. There was some great acting in this season, however it lacked the same intrigue as 1,2,3,4.

The end

[jotix100 · 9/10 · 28 July 2011]

Dexter, getting ready to deal with Jordan Chase, gets the surprise visit of his family from Orlando. They have decided to celebrate Harrison's first birthday in Miami, instead as in Orlando, as Dexter would have loved it. He feels momentarily derailed into what he really wanted to do. He must find Jordan, as he will lead him to Lumen. The way to know more about Jordan, is by getting a file his sister Deb has in her office. In the document he learns that Chase's real name is Greer. He begins tracking his possible hideout, a property that is register to his real family name.

Deb kept looking into the victim's DVDs. She has no clear idea yet as to who the thirteenth victim is. At this moment, the police is notified of the murder of Stan Liddy, found in the van he used for surveillance while he was tailing Dexter. As the police gets to the scene, we watch a worried Quinn trying to expunge the few phone calls received from the dead man. Maria knows by then there were calls to Liddy's cell from Quinn and asks him to explain. She also discovers the blood stain in his shoe. Quinn becomes a suspect. He has better come with a good explanation.

Jordan Chase decides to take Lumen, tied up inside the trunk of his car to a secluded camp he owned in the outskirts of the city. When he stops for a red light, a street vendor recognizes him from his television presentations. Coming to say hello, he hears noises coming from inside the trunk. Later, he reports it to the police, something that Deb follows on her own, after seeing the report.

Dexter gets confirmation of a property owned by Greer and decides it is worth looking into. What he does not count is in the tractor on the road that causes him to crash his car into it. Luckily, he is able to come out with only a scratch. As he enters the house, he is overpowered by Jordan Chase. He is brought to the same room where Lumen is being held. The television celebrity is set to kill them both, but little does he realize Dexter will be able to free himself and trap him. Lumen is set to do the killing.

Deb, following her intuition, goes to check the street vendor's report. She is told in Spanish the direction Chase was going. She enters the camp, spotting the house right away. Going through the rooms, she finally goes to the room where Jordan, fatally stabbed was left. Deb realizes the vigilante, or the thirteenth victim is on the other side of a heavy plastic division where Lumen and Chase are putting away their killing equipment. Deb, who must have felt pity for what the women had been through, decides to warn the two figures to go away. Dexter and Lumen experienced some tense moments while Deb was on the other side, but both are saved by Deb deciding Chase deserved what he got.

Later Dexter is able to exonerate Quinn by clearing the blood he scraped from Quinn's shoe as not belonging to a detective. Lumen and Dexter, dumping Chase body parts into the water, realize they must part. Lumen is not equipped by the kind of life she lived while in Miami, so she wants to go home. Dexter and the family meet for the birthday of Harrison.

The end of the 2010 season was not all what one expected. Steve Shill directed the last episode which follows closely what the creators of the series wanted to give it. The chapter was written by Manny Coto and Chip Johannessen, both producers of "Dexter". There are many unresolved issues which is basically what most of the fans wanted to see. The Fuentes brothers and the Santa Muerte murders are not closed because the emphasis was put on the presence of Julia Stiles, the guest star and the case of the women killed by the gang lead by Jordan Chase.

In spite of the things still pending, "Dexter" remains one of the best shows of the genre.

Gave it a 10 of 10 because...

[asasieta · 10/10 · 20 December 2020]

Only things I liked about this episode is the cop, Liddy, was killed. Finally! He was annoying, I couldnt stand his cocky attitude, and he just wouldnt go away. Also Lumen left. I love Julia Stiles, but I hated this character so much. She was too whiny and I couldnt figure out why she just couldnt listen to dexter, but noooooo... she wanted to do the opposite and it always got dexter in too deep.

A fantastic show, an average series.

[gmb81063 · 6/10 · 14 December 2010]

I have thoroughly enjoyed watching Dexter, every season has had its significance and has kept you at the edge of your seat. However, and unfortunately, series 5 - which I have just finished watching - has a sort of pointless feel to it. When other series had some sort of huge impact on Dexter's life, this was just Dexter trying to make himself feel better about, as he sees it, getting Rita killed.

Lumen is a decent character, and I did feel sympathetic towards her and what she had been through but I never saw a future for her and Dexter, not at one point. The whole plot of Series 5 was, in fact, very interesting and thoroughly entertaining. However, what lets that down is the fact that the series finale was a total anti-climax. Many thought that series 5 was the last series, well, it's obvious that it was supposed to be, but they realized that this is not the way it should end, so probably re-wrote the script so a series 6 could be made, so were forced to come up with a quick idea of how to end this series.

A positive I have picked up from this series is that I have began to warm to Quinn as a character, he's become a genuinely interesting person who adds a lot to the show, and his relationship with Deb is compelling.

I know I'm not alone in thinking that series 5 was an unfortunate glitch in the fantastic television series that is Dexter, it was a bit of a let-down. However, how I see it is it that we get another series with another 660 minutes worth of a program that I'm genuinely in love with, and so are many others.

If you ask me what should be done with series 6, well, they should just focus on the characters that have already been developed, rather than bring in anyone else, other than a new villain. This should be the final series, and I feel if they bring in a new character like Lumen, series 6 will fall short, like series 5 unfortunately did.

So, in conclusion: Series 5 was throughly entertaining, a very good plot with some decent characters like Lumen and Jordan Chase. I feel that Quinn has become a very interesting character and has added a lot to the show. Unfortunately, this series had no real significance to it, other than showing Dexter does have some genuine emotions, and shows hope of maybe one day getting rid of his "Dark passenger." I definitely am waiting with genuine anticipation for Series 6, but can only hope they can give Dexter the send-off it deserves.

Thank you for reading.

Say, what DID ever happen to the other Fuentes brother? (Loose Ends)

[rwk2 · 4/10 · 13 December 2010]

I hate it when cops are depicted as morons in movies or on TV. There are major leads here that no one is exploring. What about the car Dexter crashed, the one he stole from the marina the day a cop was found dead nearby? That shows that someone, either directly involved in the case or on the periphery, was there, stole a car, and drove it straight to where Deb THINKS Jordan Chase was killed. Speaking of, what exactly did she solve anyway? There is no body, there are no suspects. There probably isn't even any evidence, knowing how thorough Dexter is. Chase just disappeared, exactly what she has been trying to prevent. But now there is an upside-down car crashed at the scene. The investigation isn't over, the cops haven't closed anything out. If anything there is now a huge question mark between Chase and Liddy. Since Quinn was in custody, who else could it have been?

And the cops figure out it's not blood on Quinn's shoe, so... they just let him go. Off the hook. Even though his fingerprints, and ONLY his (plus the deceased) are on the van. And the equipment was checked out in his name. And he was a known contact. And the last person the victim called. What? The blood would have placed him at the scene, sure. BUT HE WAS ALREADY PLACED THERE. They need to examine his connection if for no other reason than it's pretty shaky for a guy whose just off of suspension to be requisitioning surveillance equipment off the books.

Even stranger is that Deb remembers her imprisonment and near-death experience at the hands of the Ice Truck Killer and thereby lets whoever happens to be doing vigilante killings in her town off the hook. Oh, wait, it's her brother. Can't let a cop actually learn everything possible at a crime scene. No way, she can't be intelligent about it. She already determined Chase hung out with questionable losers, maybe two of them are behind that plastic sheeting? No need to check it out. The vigilante image she's painted in her head is all the proof she needs. So Lumen and Dexter get a warning. Basically permission to keep killing people.

On the plus side of things Lumen is off the show. On the downside, it comes out of nowhere and makes completely no sense. Apparently now that all of her rapists are dead she's fine with someone else doing serial killing to avenge innocents but she herself can't do it anymore. That's it. No better explanation than that. She's out, she's done with Dexter, she's gone from Miami.

This season just... didn't go anywhere. They had a lot of great leads to follow and didn't do justice to any of them. Aside from the Fuentes killer still on the run (and speaking of, did they just drop that investigation or what? Shouldn't there be a ton of press clamoring after that story still?) all the loose ends are tied up neat and tidy. LaGuerta and Baptista are back in wedlock. Quinn is dating Deborah. Quinn knows something about Dexter but is keeping his mouth shut for now. Dexter's three children are back to live with him for the summer (which will probably get real annoying real quick). Basically this season was a waste. Nobody learned anything new, nobody grew at all, and nothing new was revealed.

Here's my two predictions for next season: the other Fuentes brother will track down Deborah to extract vengeance while simultaneously some new cop/fed addition to the cast will look a little more closely into the case of Liddy and start piecing some of these glaring clues together.

Season 5: The overall sweep of the season is good but messy & convenient writing means that it is only "good" when other seasons were "great" (SPOILERS)

[bob the moo · 13 June 2011]

I try not to read about television shows I've not seen just for fear of spoilers, but I had heard from a few people that the fifth season of Dexter was really bad or that, at best, it was just not particularly good. As a result of this I sat on it for a while before getting round to watching it – in no rush to ruin the previous 4 seasons of great television because of this 1 supposed stinker. Watching it I was genuinely surprised by the strength of feeling because in no overall way is this season "bad", although I'll be the first concede that it is no more than "good" because of several weaker aspects that previous seasons have done well.

I expected to hate the plot – particularly as the "Dexter's apprentice" side developed, but yet it engaged me, provided plenty of good threads, plenty of twist, plenty of tension and developed the characters a little along the way. This was all good although none of it ever really threatened the best seasons – so, for example, although it was tense, it wasn't as consistent or as well-built as it had been in the previous season. However it worked and of course it helps that I care about the characters and already have a vested interest in the show. The other-worldly feel to the show is still there and all the trimmings that makes this show work still worked, but the problem is in the writing.

Ignoring the overall plot, there is a lot wrong with the writing this season that hurts it badly; sometimes the pace and tension of the stories cover it but often it is evident. It occurs from the start. Rita's death in season 4 now feels like it was more for convenience than anything else – she is out of the way and the writers don't have to worry about giving her material for the sake of it. But what about those kids – they also need lines and time? Well the script dumps them at the grandparents most of the time – it helps the plots for sure but it poorly handled. Even Harrison is basically dumped on the ever-present Nanny. I understand why they did it because with all the time pressures on Dexter it is getting harder to make his freedom of movement as convincing as it has been, but it smacked of being too fast and I felt the family had been dumped rather than removed.

This sense of "convenience" continues with the other threads. Quinn is freed because of one spot of blood as if the fingerprints, phone logs and other things connecting him to Liddy's murder were somehow not evidence as well. One of the Fuentes brothers gets away but we never hear any more about that. Dexter steals a car 100 yards down the road from one murder scene and then crashes it at another murder scene (leaving blood and DNA in there) but this is not really made a big deal out of (and is also covered by the action of the conclusion as well). I could go on. I'm happy to suspend disbelief with this show because it always had felt weirdly not of the real world and I'm not looking for plot holes but there just seemed to be so many of them and so many bits of convenient (lazy) writing that it was hard not to see them. I had said to my partner towards the end of the season that the writers will not want to have Lumen carry over into next season as another character to juggle – but I hadn't expected them to get rid of her by simply standing up and saying "right I'm off". That scene is helped by good acting but it did feel a bit like Poochy's "my planet needs me" moment from the Simpsons.

Speaking of acting, it is great as usual – just in this case it is better than some of the writing deserves. As before Hall finds so much in his character and puts so much in his face and micro-expressions that isn't in the script. Where narrations can often be a lazy tool for telling us what is going on, Dexter continues to use it well and Hall also does great with that delivery. I like Carpenter more and more each season and her plots were reasonably OK here. Likewise Harrington (Quinn) has better plots and his character is better – given the mutual "what does he know" thing between him and Dexter, I'm looking forward to his character in the next season. Miller is OK as this season's guest villain but no more than that – he certainly doesn't compare with Lithgow in season 4. I like Zavas but his material is weaker, mainly because he is tied up with Velez, who also doesn't have as much to work with this time. Lee continues to be good comic relief.

The fifth season is not bad by any means, but I can understand the response from some because it is below the high standard of the show. I still enjoyed it, still liked the story and the tension of it but the plot holes and lazy writing throughout really did spoil it for me a little bit. Good but not great – I hope season 6 can rediscover the magic that previous season made look so easy.

Great end to a great season

[KLFL_be · 9/10 · 7 January 2024]

I found season 5 to be a welcome step away from the seasons prior, while still pertaining the classic Dexter flair. The most defining thing about this season is its fine focus on character and emotion compared to the more plot and action driven other seasons. Some people say it's boring, but I find it fascinating and complex. And the nice thing is that the whole season is wrapped up nicely in this final episode

The season starts with the gut wrenching aftermath of Rita's death. Overall the opening is agonising and Hall's acting is superb. I really enjoy the lack of direction in the early episodes as we witness a grieving father coming to terms with the result of his own actions. The start is also not devoid of drama as another key factor is established that persists throughout the season; Quinn's suspicions about Rita's death. This helps the story progress and keep tension high while also allowing the grief time to breath.

Some people seem to find Rita's death to not have enough time of Dexter grieving and being sad for it, but I sorely disagree as it's actually a factor throughout the season and multiple episodes are dedicated to her death's aftermath. I find that this season struck the perfect balance of allowing apt processing for the tragedy while not halting to a stop and moving the plot along at a snails pace.

What the whole season is really about is Lumen's story, and if you don't enjoy her then this season is definitely not for you. Personally, I found Lumen to be a heartbreaking and raw character with a lot of personality, and thoroughly enjoyed her. Watching her metamorphosis over the season and Dexter's companionship with someone truly like him that hasn't ever happened before is beautiful and the eventual separation of the two in the finale even further exasperates Dexter's grief, emotions and emotions that have been bubbling through each episode. Lumen was an enjoyment for me and I loved her presence on the season. Maybe introducing a new girl right after the death of the most beloved character was too bold a move, but I find Lumen to be more of a device to convey Dexter's loneliness and desire for companionship after loss than a romantic interest, but I could be wrong here.

The only real nitpick I have is with the central antagonist Jordan Chase. He works quite well actually, and the aspect of a famous guy in the eyes of the public being a complete scumbag is a good take. He's also certainly different to Miguel which is great. It's also fun to watch Dexter and Lumen pick off the 5 men which allows for Lumen's character depths to be exposed. However, Jordan Chase is in all ways inferior to the likes of the other main bad guys of the other seasons. He has nothing on Trinity, Doakes, Rudy and even Miguel is a far more interesting manipulator than him. Jordan's a bit of a small fry and is beaten without much issue. He serves his use as a bad guy very well and is great for allowing Lumen to grow, but he's just not as groundbreaking as the ones before him. However, I'm okay with the less phenomenal antagonist as it keeps the focus on where it needs to be: the emotions of the main characters; especially Dexter. There's also other threats to keep the tension alive like Liddy, who's a bit 1 dimensional but works as an alarming threat.

The finale fully pushes the main ideas of the season to the end. Dexter and Lumen's companionship comes to an end as she is finally at peace with her life and wishes to move on. This is a painful moment for Dexter and Hall's performance is yet again phenomenal as he is again stripped of anyone who can understand him. The ending is sombre as a representation of the emotional context of the season, and I found it great. This was a fantastic season of Dexter, with drama, tension, emotion, and action all to boot. For me it's one of the top seasons of the entire show so far, and very underrated.

S5.E12 - When the Darkness is Gone [9.5/10]

[panagiotis1993 · 9/10 · 20 September 2023]

(S5. E12) My Reaction / Review for Dexter Season 5 Episode 12 ''The Big One'' - season finale: Episode 11 was great and I gave it a rating of 9/10. Let's see if this one is better or worse. Astor and Cody will spend the summer with Dexter, that's awesome. Chase has gone complete bananas, I knew he was a psycho since the very start. Now it seems like Quinn did it but we all know that he is not responsible for Liddy's death. The last thing Dex needed was a car accident. I feel bad for Quinn, I know he was working against Dex but I hope that they will realize that he is not a killer. Get him Dex, get him! Oh boy Deb found the camp. That was close, damn. Dex and Lumen are the cutest, it sucks that she will leave him alone. Im so glad Quinn is free again. An amazing episode to end a great season. My rating is 9.5/10.

Let down

[fokuro · 7/10 · 4 January 2013]

Unfortunately, a major let down. For me, at least. I do not watch Dexter expecting it to be extremely realistic, or its plot to be perfectly tied, because almost every show has flaws, and a show as good as this has had very few of them throughout all the past season.

Well, not in this one. I'll not point all the big mistakes made in writing, because many people have already discussed them, but they all contribute to a season where NOTHING was added. Well, if anything, Dexter is in major trouble now, having been connected to Trinity and, of course, the girls in the barrels case (he stole a car and left it with his DNA in the crime scene!!!!). Oh, and I might add Liddy as well.

Don't get me wrong - the acting is superb, the season was good, but it did nothing to no one, unless, in the next season, they choose to follow all this major loose ends created by the lazy writing of this one. This is Dexter, and I have been made to expect A LOT more from it. So that's why I say it's a major let down. We went from Rita's death to Harrison's birthday, but if we could wipe this season out, in terms of real character development (needless to talk about Lumen, she came and now she's off forever) nothing would be really missing.

I do hope season 6 will put the show back on its tracks (while also at least trying to solve the plot holes left by last season and this one, which of there are plenty), because it has a lot more to offer, and I want to watch it.

(Yes, I'm writing this in 2013, problem?)

Disappointing End to an Otherwise Great Season

[Plamen_Nenchev · 4/10 · 13 December 2010]

After a whole season of twists, turns and a gradual build-up of suspense, yesterday's season finale just... fizzled out like a pricked balloon. May be my expectations were inflated by last year's season finale, may be the series of 5 or 6 consecutive episodes that were simply great led me to believe that the finale could be just as great, but The Big One was simply not on par. It was a rip-off of the final episodes of the first three seasons - and a bad one at that.

Dexter (the show - and, to same extent, the main protagonist) seems to be stuck in a rut. Dexter finds a psychopath, Dexter tries to make friends, Dexter finds that the psychopath is actually not a kindred spirit, Dexter kills the psychopath. At the same time - cop hunts Dexter, Debra is close to discovering the truth about Dexter, Dexter miraculously escapes. This is what happens in every season. Then the slate is wiped clean in the finale and we are back to square one in the next season. The scheme is actually great and it worked gorgeously in the first season, but by the fifth season, the whole format is beginning to grow a bit stale.

I actually thought that the producers had figured this out - considering last year's magnificent finale (which broke all rules and conventions) and the setup with Lumen this year. Unfortunately, I was proved wrong. With some minor modifications, we got the same scheme as usual - clean, neat, predictable, familiar and boring as hell.

Everything was wrapped up so nice and clean - Chase was dealt with in five minutes, Liddy/Quinn in even less, Lumen just woke up and decided she was a Mary Poppins again and couldn't be chums with serial killers (yeah, right), Debra didn't see anything again (this is getting extremely original). Well, real life is not nice and clean but messy, confused and confusing and the failure of the producers to see this is getting extremely annoying.

Take a look at this season's finale of Breaking Bad - it is simply mind-blowing!!! It is messy, unexpected, unpredictable, FANTASTIC. Hell, take a look at your own season finale last year. Let Lumen be Dexter's girlfriend. Or let her leave him - but after some serious character development showing exactly why she wants to leave him (inner conflict, guilt, whatever), not because Julia Stiles' contract expires and you have to kick her out of the show in the fastest way possible. Let Debra finally find out about Dexter. Play with her reaction to it. This can give you at least half a season of GREAT episodes. Do SOMETHING with the characters at last! There is zilch character development, I have the feeling that all of them are permanently stuck in season 1. Stop being so afraid of doing something. You will simply bore the audience to death. There are just so many times you can repeat the same thing again and I am afraid you have already reached the limit.

4/10 - and that is even generous of me.

Clichéd and cheesy

[x-m13 · 14 December 2010]

this whole season was just NOT the Dexter we knew....it changed everything, right from the very nature of Dexter himself, since when does he curl up in a ball or cry? we were all a little bit happy to see our dark vigilante started to find some peace, but that's not how it should have been. Afet four seasons with Rita and the children, all it took was a few kills with a raped girl and now he knew her better than anyone, and she was even making him change??

not to mention one big change this season...fate and luck seemed to be doing Dexter a HUUUGE favor throughout the season, everything falls in place...from him getting an upper hand on his enemies to making a simple escape like it was a tom and Jerry cartoon.

Dexter is my all time favorite show, but season five trashed it, badly....maybe the incoherence throughout the season would have been much easier to forget if the finale wasn't too clichéd and cheesy.

this show had a great four season run, season five took the darkness out of Dexter and it didn't even feel like he was the center of the show anymore, i really hope season six doesn't ruin it anymore cause it will probably be the final season of the show, and i don't want him to go out with such a bad exist...not when he had such a great entrance and a great run for most of it.

Dark passenger

[dannylee-78082 · 7/10 · 12 January 2022]

1. Lumen kills Jordan 2. Deb lets Lumen and Dex go 3. Lumen leaves

End of season 5. Deb letting them go was a surprise - there has been no indication that that was gonna happen. Bit of a lackluster finale compared to previous finales. After Lumen leaves, Dexter is distraught and is again hungry for human connection. Maybe he needs a therapist.

Despite the ups and downs of Dexter, Dexter goes out with another solid season albeit not as strong as some. I feel like it lacked the drive that it had from previous seasons. Come to think about it, the Fuentes brothers was merely just a setup for the department drama and was not significant at all. It's difficult to make a good season 5 and hasn't been done many times in tv history. All things considered, Dexter still has the ability to keep the audience engaged for its unique setting and very strong performances by Michael Hall. It must not be very easy to be playing a serial vigilante with difficulty of expressing or feeling emotions. Season 6 here I come!

The big one indeed

[lingerer-1 · 5/10 · 13 December 2010]

the big relief of Lumen gone away (hopefully forever)! I want to keep this short, so the good news first: the bigger than life bond between Lumen and Dex that had been built up this whole season breaks. How? Lumen wakes up one day and doesn't feel like doing "it" any more.

OK, you now may think this happened a bit abruptly and doesn't make any sense at all. So does Dexter and so do I, and it seems the whole Lumen cr*p was a big hoax. Dex feels betrayed (just like me) and judging his face in the last scene he'll be back next season to get his mind straight in his old manner after this disappointment.

The dialog in this episode is particularly bad and I honestly must say I'm glad this season is over. The big shocker from last year's finale, Ritas death was wasted for the mere purpose of Dex having an empty house for a season. Now knowing Lumen had no significant purpose either, I start wondering what the writers think of their audience. I expect some interesting and believable (not necessarily realistic) character development with continuity. You can call it "maturity" if you like.

Continuity was a big issue this season, characters and relationships slaloming from episode to episode without direction or purpose. Right till the end.

Not so big one but still enjoyable.

[Jesvar · 7/10 · 1 August 2011]

What can i say?, I'm a fan of the series but there where to many lose ends on this season, all the situations with Dexter getting softer don't really bother me, it's OK, we have to remember that he is trying to get rid of his "Dark Passenger" but something really noticeable was the almost absence of nudity, i know you are going to say that I'm a pervert or something but my point is, real people walks naked in their homes, have sex on a million places, erotism its present everyday on our lives, first 4 seasons managed this really good but season 5 did not, it kind of remind me when you see on film a couple about to make love and suddenly they cut the scene or terror movies that never let you take a good look to the monster or when they kill someone and you don't see how or a good shoot of it at least, it's something that doesn't feel right to me, like it's not real, one of my favorite scenes is when finally Dex and Rita make love, it was breathtaking really, felt so real to see the characters exposed like that, happy and loving each other so when Dex found her in the tub it was shocking. I'm going to keep watching this show anyway, it's obvious they rushed to finish the plot on season 5 but there is season 6 on the way and maybe they have some surprises for us.

Very disappointing end

[laurenthoutent · 1/10 · 30 December 2010]

I found this last episode VERY disappointing for many reasons 1- Lumen so irritating. 2- Baddie so unbelievable 3- So many plot holes on story, time line and locations 4- The red stolen car... come on... car stolen on a crime scene, crashed on the baddie's lair and no one seems to have noticed. 5- Detective on her own, with no back up going to a potentially lethal situation 6- Blood on the shoe... wrong blood, no problem, OK Quinn you go home. 7- Murdered ex-cop, case closed? 8- Dexter had a large bump on his head at the accident, gone miraculously by the time of the party 9- Sister cop in the middle of a room (has she got eyes on the back of her head), letting two assassins go 10- Body disposed of so easily...

I enjoyed the previous series but NOT this one. Did "Lumen" had a drink of vinegar before saying any of her lines? She was so miscast (in my opinion)

Sorry to be so negative, but it was so disappointing.

Season Five Review

[southdavid · 7/10 · 11 March 2021]

The climax of the fourth season of "Dexter" saw a dramatic change to the dynamic of the show, with the departure of Rita and with-it Dexter's dream of cosy family life. To reflect the change, we have a season with a much darker and grimmer subject matter than this show, about a serial killer no less, has gone before.

Now a single father, Dexter (Michael C Hall) tries to juggle his grief for Rita (Julie Benz) with looking after his son, maintaining his job and finding time for his dark passenger. His investigations into a local murderer, Boyd Fowler (Shawn Hatosy) result in his rescuing Lumen Pierce (Julia Stiles) who has been chained, raped and tortured by Fowler. Together the pair uncover that he is part of a group of friends who have done this before, numerous times. As they conspire to finish them off, Dexter shows parts of his life to Lumen that nobody, since his late brother, have seen.

As I said, even for a show where the hero is a murderer the plot about the fate of the women, and the video tapes that we see and hear small sections of felt particularly grim. I'm not sure "Dexter" really suits that level of bleakness as, most of the time, it's more like black comedy - even a farce at times.

A couple of the other plot strands are really starting to stretch the bounds of credibility, particularly the ex-cop, played by Peter Weller, that Quinn uses to track Dexter. He then tries to use that information to bring Dexter in, but that evidence is illegally obtained, so the case is never going to make trial. Quinn must at least suspect going forward that Dexter murdered Quinn, but instead the reach some sort of accord, which again, doesn't really make sense if he thinks that his girlfriends' brother is a killer, he wouldn't let it lie. I wish we could settle a little more on what LaGuerta's actual personality is, I'm all for a complex character but she just seems to turn on a dime every season.

Though I probably enjoyed this season the least, so far, I'm still not at the point of thinking that the show has turned bad.