Dexterwas one of Showtime’s most acclaimed series for a reason. From Michael C. Hall’s excellentperformance as Dexter Morgan, the serial killer with a code to follow, to every season’s different villain, the show always kept audiences at the edge of their seats. Nevertheless, seasons five and six failed to meet the tension delivered by season four – it’s hard to beat the confrontations between John Lithgow’s unparalleled Trinity killer and Michael C. Hall’s Dexter. Just as the show seemed to be hitting its downfall after its peak, season seven premiered. From long-awaited reveals, to unexpected character arcs, to villains that almost brought Dexter to his defeat, season seven showed fans that their favorite show still had a lot to unpack. Here are the reasons why season seven is one of the best seasons of the series.
Debra’s Downfall
Debra Morgan is Dexter’s foil. For every right or wrong turn Dexter makes, his adoptive sister is right behind his tracks, almost discovering hisserial killer secretlife on multiple occasions.Season seven starts on a high notewith the aftermath of Debra discovering Dexter murdered Travis Marshall. Dexter manages to convince Debra that the kill was in an act of momentary insanity, and she agrees to help him cover his tracks by setting ablaze the church where the crime takes place. Still, this doesn’t deter Debra’s investigative instincts, as she dwells deeper into Dexter’s motives, quickly discovering that he is the Bay Harbor Butcher. While she initially considers turning him over to Miami Metro PD, Debra’s love for Dexter gets the best of her judgment, as she instead keeps a watchful eye on Dexter’s every move, forcing him to move in with her. This only works for so long, as Dexter’s dark passenger can not be controlled — and Debra surprisingly starts to see eye-to-eye with him.
After seeing Speltzer walk away from murder on a technicality, Debra feels catharsis when Dexter steps in and pays justice in his signature style. Debra’s conflict increases when she meets Hannah McKay, a serial poisoner who also manages to escape the law through a loophole. Frustrated and falling down a rabbit hole due to her crumbling trust in the justice system (and her unrequited love for Dexter), Debra asks Dexter to do what he does best and put Hannah on his kill table. Debra’s conflict peaks when she must choose between killing Dexter or LaGuerta, impulsively choosing the latter and hitting a point of no return.By the end of the season, Debra is no longer Dexter’s foil but a mirror image.
Related:The Best Episodes of Dexter, Ranked
Dexter Meets His Match
While Dexter easily defeats minor villains throughout the season such as Speltzer, he meets his match against Isaak Sirko. Sirko is a mobster whose astuteness and killing skills are on par with Dexter — except he has a whole gang at his disposal. Sirko develops a personal vendetta against Dexter after his lover, Viktor, is disposed off by Dexter earlier on in the season. Driven by love and tragedy, Sirko will stop at nothing to destroy Dexter. Ironically, Dexter’s own complicated relationship with Hannah McKay makes Sirko sympathize for Dexter, seeing him as a man capable of love, despite his exterior cold-blooded nature. Needless to note, had Sirko wanted to, he could have easily ended with Dexter.
Dexter Experiences True Love
Fans were shocked when the Trinity Killer killed Rita. But ultimately, Rita was just a scapegoat for Dexter to have a semblance of normalcy in his life: he was always unsure of his feelings for her. Hannah McKay changes the whole dating field for Dexter. Dexter takes Hannah out on dates, meets her dad (granted, he ends up killing him later on in the season), takes her home to meet his son, Harrison, and they have a lot in common… like being serial killers. Hannah sees Dexter exactly for who he is and accepts him, leading Dexter to feel genuine romantic feelings for the first time ever. He’s even pitted against Debra, one of the few other people he feels a sense of love for, when his relationship with Hannah surfaces. Dexter chooses Debra after Hannah attempts to poison her, but that doesn’t invalidate his feelings; Dexter turns Hannah over only because Debra’s life is in jeopardy.
Related:How Dexter Stands Out From Other Serial Killer Shows
LaGuerta Uncovers Dexter’s Secret
Many villains have discovered Dexter’s secret throughout the series of the show, but rarely have Dexter’s closefriends and familygotten a clue that he’s a serial killer. WhenLaGuertadiscovers a blood slideidentical to those used by The Bay Harbor Butcher, she senses foul play. In a twist of events, she asks Debra (who at this time already knows Dexter’s secret) to help her investigate further into the case in an attempt to clear the deceased Doakes’ reputation. As LaGuerta’s investigation unfolds, she not only discovers Doakes is innocent—but that the Bay Harbor Butcher is none other than Dexter Morgan, Doakes' initial lead. LaGuerta resorts to all sorts of tactics to trap Dexter, who despite being close to getting caught, manages to outsmart his boss. Nevertheless, LaGuerta comes so close to revealing Dexter’s secret that he’s forced to almost break his code in order to silence her.
While Debra delivers the final lethal blow to LaGuerta in a moment of desperation, that doesn’t change the fact that LaGuerta got dangerously close to exposing Dexter’s secret and Debra as his accomplice; LaGuerta almost changed the entire course of the story had she succeeded in her goal. LaGuerta’s discovery, Isaak Sirko’s lethality, Hannah’s allure, and Debra’s tragic downfall make Dexter Season 7 a game changer that continues to rank as a fan-favorite.
