36% Of People Think This Dexter Moment Went Too Far

With the "Dexter" limited series revival coming in fall 2021, many fans of the crime drama are revisiting the original Showtime series — either to catch up on missed episodes, or to get hyped for what the show has next in store. The OG "Dexter" ran for eight seasons from 2006 to 2013, following the life of the serial killer who only kills other killers Dexter Morgan (Michael C. Hall), his adoptive sister Debra (Jennifer Carpenter), and the team of homicide detectives in the fictional Miami Metro Police Department.

The characters of "Dexter" go through a lot of hardship over eight years, and make their share of mistakes. When the series finale rolled around, however, things went from bad to worse. Many fans hated how the show wrapped up, unable to believe that Dexter would dump his sister's dead body into the ocean, abandon his son, and disappear into the eye of a hurricane, presumably dying – only to then reappear as a lumberjack in Oregon. This is why fans are eagerly awaiting new episodes of "Dexter," hoping for the show to correct past missteps.

No one can know for sure whether the "Dexter" revival will live up to expectations, but fans can at least hope that the minds behind the show won't be making the same errors this time around. While thinking about what we don't want to see in the new episodes of "Dexter," Looper decided to conduct a survey asking fans what they feel is the one moment in the show's history that went too far. These are their thoughts.

Dexter has always had trouble with his emotions — or, rather, the lack thereof. His relationship with Rita Bennett (Julie Benz) is originally meant as a smoke screen to appear normal to his peers, though over the course of the series, it becomes something more. Still, getting married to Rita is yet another way for Dexter to cement his "regular Joe" persona, and proposing to Rita was out of pragmatism rather than real affection. The proposal itself is even stolen, taken almost word-for-word from a woman who murdered the object of her affection.

In Season 3, Episode 4, "All in the Family," a man named Jack is found dead in his home. Also there is a woman named Fiona Camp (Julie Ann Emery), who's covered in the victim's blood. Fiona claims to be Jack's fiancée — although she barely says a word after that since she's in shock. The detectives soon discover that Fiona is the one who murdered Jack, and their romantic relationship was all in her head. Dexter is so fascinated by Fiona's delusions of love that he even uses her words in his marriage proposal to Rita in order to appear sincere. 

Given the context of the words Dexter uses to convey his "feelings" for Rita, it's understandable that the scene would leave fans uneasy, and why 15.30% of the 621 respondents to Looper's poll chose this as the "Dexter" moment that went too far. 

It's clear that fans of "Dexter" really love Rita, even if Dexter himself doesn't realize his own feelings for her until it's too late. After Dexter finds Rita dead in a bathtub in the Season 4 finale — making her the final victim of the Trinity Killer (John Lithgow) — the Season 5 opener shows Dexter shutting down completely. Unsure how to react to the death of his partner, Dexter leaves his sister to make the funeral arrangements while he takes some time alone.

As he's struggling to come to terms with Rita's death, Dexter reminisces about meeting her for the first time — on their first date. Deb set them up, believing the two to be a good fit, and Dexter goes along with it for the sake of appearances. And yet, while Rita is trying to get to know him, Dexter's attention is elsewhere. He chooses a restaurant not for the romantic setting, but because he's stalking his next victim. In the middle of their conversation, Dexter excuses himself to follow a man into the parking lot and drug him before tossing him into the trunk of a car. He then returns to Rita and abruptly ends the date, using the excuse that he has a stomach bug.

It's not the most auspicious start to their relationship, yet somehow, Dexter manages to mend things with Rita with just a phone call. Still, Dexter using his date with Rita to stalk a kill didn't put him in the best light, which is why 22.06% of poll respondents chose this as the "Dexter" moment that made them the most uncomfortable.

"Dexter" Season 7 introduces viewers to Hannah McKay (Yvonne Strahovski), the woman who went on a Bonnie-and-Clyde-style murder spree with her boyfriend, Wayne Randall (Dan Buran), when she was a teenager. Decades later, Hannah claims that she was Wayne's hostage, not his partner — although, as Dexter notes, the evidence suggests otherwise. Convinced that Hannah is lying about not participating in Wayne's bloody trail of terror, Dexter decides that she would be the perfect person for his killing table. However, when he does actually have her strapped down and at his mercy, Dexter decides to cut Hannah free ... and have sex with her instead. This is what over 36% of "Dexter" fans who responded to Looper's poll chose as the moment that went way too far.

Hannah is obviously a very beautiful woman, but it's an incredibly bizarre choice for Dexter to do this. It's made clear when he first meets Hannah that there's an attraction there, and perhaps he's drawn to her being a killer like him. But for Dexter to go from cold to hot so quickly is kind of a shocker. 

It could also be that, well, a lot of "Dexter" fans just don't like Hannah, and that's why this moment makes them feel queasy. In a Reddit thread from March 2020, many fans voiced their displeasure for the character. "She tried to kill Deb for God's sake," user u/redditneonate pointed out. "Dexter is supposed to be a cold blooded killer but he turns into a lovelorn puppy when Hannah is around." In the same thread, u/ShinyAsPizza said, "He literally killed his brother for trying to hurt his sister, I have no idea why Hannah was spared."

Whatever the reason, it's clear that this moment is the one "Dexter" fans felt overstepped a boundary. Other scenes listed in Looper's survey include Deb suddenly professing her love for Dexter (which received 13.20% of the vote), and Dexter capturing Doakes (Erik King) and framing him as the Bay Harbor Butcher (which earned 13.04% of the vote).