Showing posts with label TV. Show all posts
Showing posts with label TV. Show all posts

Thursday, 21 April 2016

Pointless Character Death

Hey, long time no see. Blame the damn assignments for uni. Anyway, I want to talk in this blog post about a problem. Something that is a major problem in so many really good franchises, that don't just annoy me, it annoys a lot of people. I’m talking about pointless character death.
Don't get me wrong, I’m totally fine with character death... sort of. But only when it is a necessary death that serves a purpose. When it doesn’t serve a purpose and it was simply done for either shock value or to create tension between characters, it really winds me up.
Take Sam on How To Get Away With Murder, his death was necessary because the entire show is built around Keating and her students getting away with his murder. His death was semi-justified too, he was an absolutely horrible human being, for reasons I won’t get into for people who plan on watching the show, and his death is the premise of the first season.
Another example is Rue from The Hunger Games. Its a horrendously painful character death, but it serves a purpose of sparking off the revolution and forces Katniss to fight back and get revenge on that Capital.
But when a character death is utterly pointless, I just get so annoyed. Recently, I was watching season 10 of Supernatural, and it got to - spoiler alert here guys if you’re not on season 10 - where Charlie Bradbury died. And her death was so completely and utterly pointless and wrong that I was angry about it for days afterwards. Basically, she died to drive a wedge between Sam and Dean, that was it. She died for that single reason, there was no other reason whatsoever. And it was incredibly annoying.
I mean, the writers could have not killed her, and just injured her instead, easily! The whole reason why her death caused the wedge was because she was helping Sam find a cure for Dean and they were lying to him about it. But because she was in danger, Sam had to tell Dean what was happening, and it caused a huge wedge between them because she died. But the same effect would have been caused if the writers had saved her, but she was badly injured instead. She could have easily been badly injured and the wedge would have still been made. Hell, Cas could have saved her, because he can teleport because he’s an angel and the wedge between the brothers would have still been there.
But no, the writers killed her off. And now she probably isn’t coming back. 
This happens time and time again in things, TV shows especially, where characters are killed off for no reason. I understand it when an actor wants to leave, like with Derek and Greys Anatomy, but even then that death could have been avoided. Derek could have simply just stayed in DC and asked for a divorce or something instead of dying in one of the worst character death scenes I have ever seen. I cried after that one. Actually cried, and I rarely cry over character death, I generally end up just getting annoyed.
Because characters aren’t supposed to just die to create tension, or to be a shock that creates hype on the internet. It’s supposed to really mean something. It’s supposed to be like Buffy’s mum, who died to force Buffy to grow up and stand on her own two feet. Like Dobby, who died saving Harry. Like probably Captain America, who’s death will hopefully force Tony to see the extent of what he’s doing and stop the war.
It’s supposed to be like that, not a death just for hype. When it’s for hype, it’s just pathetic, and clear that the writers are lazy and have no idea on what to do with a character anymore. It’s stupid, and I hate it. Now don’t get me wrong, I understand when writers have to rapidly change story lines because actors are pregnant, like in Bones, so they have to write something like Vincent dying to force Booth and Brennan to finally sleep together out of shock or something, so Brennan gets pregnant. That I can totally understand, but surely it doesn’t always have to end in death?
Can’t a character just be injured for once? Or can’t they come back as a ghost? Or decide to move away? Or something that isn’t them dying for once?! Killing someone off isn’t the only way to get rid of them, it is entirely possible for characters to leave through other means and still have it hurt like hell. Look at the Doctor and Rose at Bad Wolf Bay, Christina leaving Greys Anatomy, Zack turning out to be Gormagon in Bones!
All of those hurt like hell, and with Rose and Zack alike, created great plot twists people weren’t expecting. It’s entirely possible to create a feels inducing moment without killing people off. Writers, take note of that, and stop killing people like Charlie Bradbury off. Please, before I lose my mind.
What do you guys think about character death like this? Do you think any of the people I’ve mentioned had a good send off, if so, why? Or are there any other characters you pretend didn't die because their deaths were so utterly pointless? Or did you see a really great character send off that didn't involve them dying? Let me know down in the comments, it would be great to hear from you!

Tuesday, 29 December 2015

And Then There Was One Massive Plot Twist

Hey everyone, I hope your Christmas' were fun and you got everything you wanted! I had a pretty good time, and have mostly been sitting on my arse doing nothing all week. Well, when I say nothing, I mean watching TV, and my God did I stumble upon one hell of a TV special.
Of course, I'm talking about And Then There Were None, the BBC's latest adaption of Agatha Christie's novel, and over three nights I was utterly hooked on it. I'd been looking forward to watching this show ever since I saw the advert for it a while back, to be honest, I probably would have watched anyway because a) Aiden Turner is in it and I love that man a lot, and b) it's a murder mystery. If there's one thing I love to watch, it's a murder mystery, or really anything to do with murder. So, I sat down and watched it, and I fallen in love.
First of all, the plot is amazing, ten strangers are invited to an island, each one with a secret, and slowly they get killed off one by one, not knowing who is behind it. Each person is killed according to poem that hangs in every persons room in the house, and when a body is found, the ten statues in the dining room reduce numbers. This could have gotten very monotonous after the third murder, possibly even predictable, but it never did. I was on tender hooks the entire time, wondering who was going to die next, and how it was going to be done. For the first two episodes, I resisted looking up the whole poem, but I had to by the end episode, just to see if I could get any clues from it, all I got instead was the creepy factor amping up further.
Secondly, the characters were incredibly cleverly written. Each one is hiding a common secret - they're all guilty of murder in some way or other, and none of them have been caught for it. Between a doctor who drunk on the job during a surgery, to a cop who killed a gay man simply for being gay, every single one has killed at least one person and none feel the least bit guilty for it. And while some characters are sort of likable, you as the audience don't really warm to anyone. Not to say that they all deserved to die (though let's be honest, Douglas' Booth's character was a complete asshole and was pegged to be 'the first to go' from the start) but you don't actually route for anybody, not really. I found myself liking Aiden's character, not just for his face (or his body, dear lord that towel scene was a nice edition, thank you producers that one) but because he was honest. He admitted to his killings, and while showing no sign of remorse, he did show some brain, and some kindness at times. He didn't just think of getting himself off the island, he did try to help the others he trusted to. So I liked him. Which (spoiler alert) made his death quite painful in the end, at least he was second to last to go, so it wasn't too bad.
Nothing is all too obvious in plot line either, nothing is revealed straight away. You have to watch all three episodes to get everyone's story, and to figure out who is behind all this. It is never made clear, or even hinted at, whether the killer is part of the ten or if they is another player in the mix. Trying to figure it out is nigh impossible, as at every turn you find out something new that creates a new theory. I had so many I lost count, and never once was I right in my deductions. At one point I went so far as to think that maybe this was all happening in someone's head, and that this was some sort of psychotic break Shutter Island style, which seemed very plausible. Every theory seemed plausible as I went along, and I never expected the plot twist at the end.
Now, I'm going warn you SPOILERS AHEAD. IF YOU HAVE NOT WATCHED AND THEN THERE WERE NONE, SCROLL PAST THIS BIT RIGHT NOW. I HAVE WARNED YOU.

At the end, just when I thought I would never find out who was behind all the murder (let me tell you right now, if that had happened, I would have hit the roof in anger and this review would be very different) to find out that it was the judge all along - I never saw that coming in a million years! In hindsight, I probably should have, judge/jury/executioner and all that, but I honestly didn't! I immediately discounted him after he faked his death, thinking him as just another victim, and possibly the sanest one of the lot. So to see him actually reveal that he was behind all of it, as a sort of 'get the uncaught bad guys' before dying himself, wow I had never even considered it. I actually screamed a little when I did if I'm honest.

SPOILER FREE ZONE STARTS AGAIN HERE.
Truly, And Then There Were None was a brilliant thrill ride of a TV show. Combing suspense, gore, murder and wonderful plot twists into a beautiful three hours. It distinctly reminded me of an old fashioned How To Get Away With Murder mini series, set in the space of a few days instead of a few months. I love every single second of it, and wish to see more things like this in the future! BBC get right on it, I need more!
Did anybody else see anything good over the holidays? If so, let me know, I need more things to watch to distract me from my essays and currently not much is working. Also, if you watched this show, let me know some of your theories, were you as shocked as I was when the killer was revealed? Let's start a discussion going, I sure as hell don't want to let this show end so soon!

Wednesday, 28 October 2015

Jekyll And Hyde Under The Sofa... Not.

I'm slightly late, blame being busy this week, but I finally got round to watching the pilot of ITV's Jekyll And Hyde... And I hated it.
Well, hate is a strong word, let's say I was... very disappointed. I saw the trailer for the show months ago and got ridiculously excited, I'd read the book at A Level and really enjoyed it, so a TV show should surely be great, right? The trailer looked good, lots of murder and dark themes, Jekyll and Hyde, what could go wrong?
Apparently, everything. The first mistake was putting the show on at 6pm on a Sunday, making it 'family viewing,' with such shows, writers can't go too scary, can't get too dark. The show has to be sanitised so children don't get traumatised, and there is nothing wrong with that. But when it's applied to concepts such as Jekyll and Hyde, it's a recipe for disaster. Half of the creepy nature, blood, guts and gore is immediately taken out so the entire show is family friendly, meaning some of the main themes of the story is watered down.
Now I usually don't mind that so much, I can handle watered down family friendly murder. But the writers of Jekyll and Hyde have missed the mark of watering down by a mile, instead making the show an incredibly cheap imitation of the original story, filled with cartoon violence (not one punch actually landed on a character, yet they still went flying every time) and very sanitised murder (I either missed the blood or it simply wasn't there). To say the least, it made the show laughable.
And if the lack of violence wasn't bad enough, the story line was somehow worse. Cliche doesn't begin to cover it (oh I ran into a girl, I'm instantly attracted to her, oh look she dropped her purse I must run after her) and the acting was horrendous. I couldn't take Jekyll seriously, or anybody else for that matter. Even Richard E Grant couldn't save the cast's bad acting. The only physical change in Jekyll when he switches to Hyde is an appearance of eyeliner and a few veins, despite the fact that you hear bones cracking. The shots of the original Hyde show a deformed man, I was expecting something like that, not just some eyeliner. Eyeliner doesn't make a man evil, it barely even makes a noticable change in face.
Even the idea of Jekyll being the decent of the original isn't that interesting. Wow, Jekyll or Hyde had descendants who inherited the curse, and this one doesn't know it until the lawyer tells him. How interesting. Totally intriguing. I'm hooked. NOT. The writers were clearly trying to put a spin on the original so it's not just another Jekyll and Hyde remake, but they missed the mark but a very, very long mile.
To be perfectly honest, the show could have been brilliant, writing a show about the descendant of Jekyll or Hyde, cursed with the same condition as the originals could be amazing, but the writers didn't quite get the right tone for it. And I think I know why.
It's back to the show timing again. Shows like this should not be put on during a Sunday afternoon, they should be on post the watershed, where the real story can come out, with no need to worry about scaring young children. Putting the show on during mid-afternoon is a terrible idea. To do a show like this right, post-watershed with a twisty plot line, with murder and mayhem is honestly the best way to go. Otherwise you have a show with all the right ideas, but it gets so watered down so it turns cliche and predictable, which is a real shame when it could be such a great show.

Saturday, 23 August 2014

Twice In A Month - Wow!

Two blogs in a month, wow, I think I may be ill!
Nah, I'm joking... But I need to do a blog on Peter Capaldi's debut as the brilliant Doctor in Doctor Who, because wow. I am in awe of him. He was BRILLIANT!
Now, without giving much away with story line, the episode 'Deep Breath' includes Sontaran's, T-Rex's, gags, darkness, so many references to the 10th Doctor and so much more. It was absolutely brilliant, Stephen Moffat ticked nearly all the boxes in introducing a new Doctor.
The madness of the regeneration, hints of how the new incarnation will be, an interesting story, brilliant one liners, everything! Beloved old characters came back, or at least from what I can tell. Admittedly, I haven't seen anything of Matt Smith's Doctor apart from his work in the 50th, and his initial work just as he regenerated from David, so I missed a lot of Drax and his crime solving friends. But I liked them a lot (got a lot of Sherlock Holmes vibes from Vastra too - go Stephen for the references and technically making WhoLock happen) having always enjoyed badass women and Sontarans.
But the best thing about the episode was the references to David Tennant's (my favourite - if you hadn't guessed) Doctor, an old story line partially revisited, a few more references peppered through the episode. I saw this at the cinema so the previous explanation from Strax of regeneration and all the mentions of David, including images, made me a rather happen Whovian!
Though, back to the main point, what is Peter Capaldi like as The Doctor?
To put it shortly, he is The Doctor. Instantly, he is The Doctor, without a second's hesitance, he is The Doctor. He is sarcastic, witty, powerful, demanding of attention and steals each scene he's a part of. Capaldi is effortlessly The Doctor, the man of so many faces, centuries old and full of knowledge of the world, questioning of every situation. He is exactly how I want a Doctor to be, mad, yet controlled. Knowledgeable, but in wonder of the world, the universe. In short, I love him. Not as much as I love David Tennant, but it's early days yet, I could grow to love him just as much. He's got the makings of an amazing Doctor, and I for one cannot wait for more!

Saturday, 4 January 2014

Sherlock Is Back!

Warning! Spoilers ahead!
Okay, I think i'm calm enough to write a review of the long awaited third season of BBC Sherlock, kicking off with 'The Empty Hearse.' To say the least, I was excited for this, I've been a very passionate Sherlock fan since the first episode aired, and I've been waited for this since Sherlock fell to his 'death' two years ago. So yes, I was excited, getting to the point where I was literally warning everyone I knew for weeks that if they dared disturb me during this, I was going to be biting their heads off. I was almost unplugging the phone, to make sure nothing disturbed my enjoyment of this episode, which in hindsight, was a good idea, seeing as the phone rang half way through.
But anyway, back to the review of The Empty Hearse. The episode started where The Riechenbach Fall left off, with Sherlock on the roof of St Bart's, talking to John on the roof, before he jumped. Then, we saw how he did it, using a bungee cord and Moriarty's body disguised as his own to fool John into thinking he's actually dead, when in fact he's bounced back up through the window and KISSED Molly Hooper (lucky, lucky woman) before walking off into obscurity. So then it turns out that this is just a theory by Anderson, who's lost his job due to his obsession with how Sherlock survived the fall. Lestrade turns him down and tells him he's feeling guilty for being involved in Sherlock's death, but Anderson is insistent, Sherlock is alive, he believes in Sherlock Holmes! Lestrade remains suspicious and tells him Sherlock is dead, he fell to his death and there is nothing bringing him back.
We then see John standing at Sherlock's grave, holding hands with a mystery woman, before seeing Mrs Hudson, he hasn't been round very often, it's been too hard for him to come over, because he isn't over Sherlock's death. Mrs Hudson believes him and John announces that he's met someone, and he's planning on marrying them. Mrs Hudson takes this as John has moved onto another man, leading to a very funny 'I'm not gay!' conversation, though Mrs Hudson still believes that John and Sherlock were a couple. (Bless that woman, I believe they're a couple too.)
And then another person is introduced, someone is running through the woods, in tatty clothes and long, messy hair, there's a helicopter chasing them, as well as people on the ground! Eventually, the figures falls and gets surrounded, and we then see this strange man being tortured by a Serbian man. The tortured man's face is not shown, but it's clearly Sherlock, as he starts deducing things about his torturer, making him run off to see his wife in the act of cheating on him. There's been another man sitting in the shadows, who comes over, telling the tortured man in chains that there's a terrorist plot in London, and his little brother needs to come back to London. Finally there's a shot of the tortured man's bowed head, it's Sherlock, and he smiles!
Obviously Sherlock is straight back to London and as he talks to Mycroft, he has a moment of looking like Khan with his sleeked back hair, and we start to see the 'new' him. He's definitely more bulked up, and a bit more human as he talks about popping out of a cake to surprise John, though he's still Sherlock underneath, with his lack of understanding of John moving on with his life. We also see more of this new nature when he goes to tell John he's alive, and this is really where Mark Gattiss out does himself with his research into what the fans wanted with a hilariously funny attempt to surprise John, involving a ridiculous French accent and a drawn on moustache, ending with a 'long story short, not dead.'
Martin Freeman is amazing with his reaction to Sherlock being alive, he doesn't faint like he does in the book, but instead reacts violently three times, leaving Sherlock with a bust lip and a bloody nose. Mary is also an instant hit with me, as she is a bit cheeky, and instantly likes Sherlock, and is clearly good for John too. I immediately warmed to her, before the episode aired, I was unsure of her and whether she would come between John and Sherlock (I ship those two a ridiculous amount) but she proves within minutes of her first appearance that if anything, she'll push them together more, and maybe provide some sanity between the two with their hectic lives.
Now I won't give anymore away, you'll have to watch the episode yourselves, but it is brilliant TV, and well worth the wait. Season three is shaping up to be different to the first two seasons, Sherlock is very different, he's more human for sure, and now up for a laugh. Mary is taking up a bit more of John's time, but other than that, the show is essentially the same. Sherlock and John, solving crimes in 221b, Sherlock is still a (lovable) smart arse, John still sasses him, Mrs Hudson is still not their house keeper and Mycroft still sticks his nose in, but this feels more homely, big things have changed, but the show is essentially the same. Though it's slightly worrying over whether Sherlock is back on drugs again, seeing as he is so much more human, and having auditory hallucinations. And we have a new nemesis in our midst, but where would the series be without it?
But in all in all, the episode is well worth the wait, it's funny and sweet, and heart warming in places. I can not wait for more from the series, and as they said in the seven minute preview from Christmas; The Game Is Back On!

Monday, 25 November 2013

The Weekend Of Fandom

Well this weekend has been one for the books hasn't it? First of all, on Friday, The Hunger Games - Catching Fire came out, and then on Saturday the 50th anniversary of Doctor Who special was shown, AND Sherlock season three went from being up in the air for air dates to COMING SOON. Guess what? I saw both... twice. Simply because both of them were THAT good! I loved both immensely, but today I want to focus on Doctor Who, as I am a very, very big Whovian.
Now I will come right out and say it, I haven't watched Doctor Who since David Tennant left. I'm sorry, but it's not because I'm a petty person and my childhood ended the day he regenerated, it's because I don't like Matt Smith as The Doctor. To me, The Doctor should have this... presence, if you will, that commands respect and shows that it is The Doctor in charge, and to me Matt doesn't have that. In my personal opinion, I find him more of a whining child trying to pretend to be a big tough man when he isn't that in the slightest. Now that's just my personal opinion, if you like Matt, awesome, go ahead! Personally for me, I don't like him, so I have mostly skipped out on the last few seasons of Doctor Who.
But that didn't stop my interest in the show, I still love to watch the old seasons with David Tennant and Christopher Ecclestone, and have long awaited the 50th to relive my childhood. I got so excited for it I dug out my sonic screwdriver, Doctor Who bedsheets and old TARDIS tshirt, and spent an entire week practically bouncing in excitement for this. So as you can imagine, by the time Strictly ended on Saturday, I was nearly wetting myself with excitement, I nearly unplugged the phone to make sure I wasn't disturbed, and boy I was not disappointed!
Okay, that's a slight lie, at first, I wasn't all too impressed, possibly because it was all about Matt and I was getting bored of his acting, but when David turned up, I was SOLD. Possibly because I would accept David at this point in any shape or form in this show, but mainly because David is an amazing actor, and I do really love his work. Anyway, as soon as David turned up, mass fan girl squeals erupted from me and for me, that's when the 50th got interesting. I couldn't believe that David Tennant hadn't played The Doctor in years at this point, from the second he walked on screen, it was like he'd never left. He walked on screen, with all his carefree fun attitude, with that hint of power and commanding nature that has resonated with me for years.
We got to finally see why Queen Elizabeth 1st hated him so much, as we saw in The Shakespeare Code. So many questions got answered, and so many laughs were to be had (personally, any joke at Matt made me laugh... sorry). Things like The Doctor's getting trapped in the prison cell and nobody checking the door until Clara burst through and such had me giggling to myself the whole way through.
But oh the ending, the ending, finding out about the Time War, and setting up the Christmas special, which I'm not going to be spoiling, in case you haven't watched it yet. But wow! And the appearance of Peter Capaldi for a full 8 seconds had me, and the rest of the nation for that matter, screaming in excitement. (I'm all for his Doctor, from the one line he said he looks incredible) and the appearance of an old Doctor too was all a pleasant surprise. Overall really, the 50th is something that is not to be missed, I absolutely loved it, and it sets up so much for the next few seasons, that will change The Doctor completely. I for one can't wait!
The only thing that disappointed me was the lack of Rose Tyler, though Billie was fantastic as The Moment. A stand out moment has to be David Tennant's last line, a repeat of 'I don't want to go' had me nearly in tears all over again, but I feel like it was poignant to his regeneration, repeating his last line as The Doctor, sort of foreshadowing his own death.
Overall, an amazing 50th anniversary, there were a few moments where I was doubting the story line, but it still have me gripped throughout, and it was lovely to see some old faces, and some new, and to relive my childhood again. Good job Moffat!
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Now as an after thought... Sherlock trailer straight afterwards. Was SO not expecting it to be confirmed as 'coming soon.' and so after all the emotions of the 50th, that ended me so much I barely knew what to do with myself for the rest of the evening! Good job BBC, now hurry up and give me my Sherlock! I NEED TO KNOW HOW HE SURVIVED THE FALL!

Sunday, 6 October 2013

Dexter: The Finale

I have just finished watching the last episode of Dexter (late, I know, but school has been getting in the way of my TV watching schedule) and so I thought I'd do a review of it, because I have a lot of thoughts on the ending.
Now, the first half, I loved, I loved it to pieces. It was another classic Dexter episode, with the added 'Oh no, is Deb going to die?! I don't want Deb to die!' because, personally, I loved Deb. She had her short comings, her love life being one of them (because I don't care her and Dexter weren't related, her being in love with him was WEIRD and a bit incestuous, and so gave me the creeps) but overall, her character I enjoyed watching (maybe because she stood up for herself and swore a lot, unlike a lot of conventional female characters on TV).
Another thing I loved, was the suspense of whether or not Dexter was going to kill Saxon, and if him, Hannah and Harrison would get out of Miami without being caught. I was routing for the three of them to get out alive, and for Saxon to end up in a body bag. One last kill, for the greatest TV serial killer I've seen. And the kill, oh the kill was perfect! Watching Dexter stab Saxon in the neck, slightly symbolic of how Dexter has knocked out previous victims, was brilliant, and had me whooping at my screen in joy... and then the show went a bit down hill.
Now, I understand why Angel and Quinn let Dexter off for killing Saxon, because Deb was their friend, and in Quinn's case, lover. They wanted revenge for Saxon putting her in the hospital, fair enough. That bit I dealt with, and kinda agreed with, because where would the fun be if it was Dexter's own friends catching him out after a kill like that? At least when Deb found out, that had been a dramatic in-the-middle-of-a-massive-kill reveal! But, then, when Dexter got to the hospital, that's when I started to switch off and get very disappointed. The flashback to Harrison's birth was all very sweet and lovely, a nice reminder of where Dexter has come from, but as Dexter said goodbye to Deb before turning off the machine, I was a bit disappointed. To me, it felt like Dexter gave up a little on her, and was getting rid of her so he could get out of Miami with no ties there.
So as he carries her onto the boat, I'm still not feeling any kind of emotion as to his actions yet. For me, it was all a bit too symbolic of Dexter's old life, saying goodbye to the old, and hello to the new. And then, Dexter said something I can not forgive him for. He said he had to leave Hannah and Harrison forever to protect them from him. The line is so cliche and reminds me so much of Edward Cullen I nearly slapped my hand to my head screaming 'moron!' Yes Dexter, you are a dangerous serial killer, yes people around you die. And yet, Hannah can look after herself, and you've done a fine job of keeping Harrison out of trouble for years now, this does not mean you get to up and leave them! Deb died because she was a cop, doing her job, not because of you being a serial killer! She was recovering from the trauma of finding out who you are, but Hannah already KNOWS who you are, and Harrison needn't find out. So there is no need to leave them to live by themselves.
But, being the big 'hero' if you would call Dexter that, he drives towards the storm, and dumps Deb into the sea, again, symbolic of his other kills. She sinks, which wouldn't actually happen, as bodies float in water, but never mind, Dexter is still alive, mourning his sister. So, what does he do next? Drive towards the storm, facing certain death. At which point, I am screaming at the TV again 'NO DEXTER! GO BACK! GO BACK TO HANNAH AND HARRISON!' which of course, he doesn't hear. Someone invent a TV show where you can personally choose what the character does, please?
Anyway, so flash forward to Hannah and Harrison, who are looking at the news on the internet, where there's a report that Dexter is dead. She's upset, but she hides it from Harrison, and takes him out of the cafe, never to be seen again. We all think its over, but then we see a lumberjack yard, what's going on here then? We see none other than Dexter! He's alive! Woooo! But wait, why is he there, is he on a kill mission? What's going on? Why is he hiding in a room, which looks a bit like his own room, and why does he have a beard?  There is no-one talking, not even Dexter's voice over, or Harry, his Dad who guides him on these things, talking. Not even a bit of music, just the sounds of the construction site outside. Dexter sits down, and stares at the screen for a few seconds, then the screen goes black. No explanation on what's going on, where he is, how he survived the storm, nothing. Just the lumberjack yard and the beard. Leaving a lot of questions. And naturally, I was not impressed.
I wanted a big, fantastic, mind meltingly awesome ending, where either Dexter get's his comeuppance for being the real Bay Harbour Butcher. Or maybe him actually getting away with Hannah, living a normal life with her, as she seems to calm his 'Dark Passenger.' But no, we got Dexter 'protecting' the ones he loved, by hiding away from them. With no explanation as to whether or not he still was killing (he proved in an earlier season he couldn't stop, so was he still killing, if so, was he still following the code, and if that was true, how was he checking these people were bad people?) how he survived the storm on his tiny boat, that clearly got smashed up, as we saw in a previous scene, or anything of the sort. I would have taken watching everyone die in a mass shoot out, or something similar over the ending we got. I'm highly disappointed in the ending, and I really wished it had been better. Dexter had been such a good show, that I had highly enjoyed watching, but this ending just wasn't up to par with the rest of the show.