#dexter analysis

But I’ve noticed they all have one of three main lines of thinking and I am going to take the time to unwrap and debunk these.

1.

“Harry saved thousands of people and only did it because he was scared of Dexter!” Wrong! Dexter saved thousands of people by doing the action of killing serial killers, Harry actually does much more harm than good even as a police officer. As a police officer, it’s revealed by Debra that he slept with most if not all of his informants in exchange for them not getting arrested or getting someone else out of jail, he’s a sleazy rapey coercive cop and also was the reason for Laura’s death which caused both Brian and Dexter’s mental instability. People say this because Dexter’s code is incorrectly named ‘Harry’s code’ because Harry was the one who described the code to him, but he certainly wasn’t the one who made it. Their main argument is debunked in season eight where it’s revealed Doctor Vogel is the one who made the code and Harry is just the one who groomed him into it. So if we’re following their line of logic, Vogel saved thousands and she deserves a fucking nobel peace prize. Along with the whole, ‘Harry was scared by Dexter’, scenario, it just couldn’t happen. If Harry was scared of Dexter, like he was of Brian, he would have given Dexter away the second he showed signs of violence the same way he did with Brian. Harry was grossed out by Dexter at most, he was only scared of Dexter once he was a fully functioning adult and he realised that he did a play a part in Dexter’s success as a serial killer.

2.

“Harry was disgusted by Dexter and only taught him the code out of desperation.” Half of this is true, the second half definitely is not the case. If Harry was ‘desperate enough’ to resort to the code, he wouldn’t have told Dexter to lie to his psychiatrists and would have gone through the proper channels and procedures to help children like Dexter even if they were shitty at the time. The code was about control, it was about training Dexter like a dog so he could show off his mentally stable family, get sympathy points for being ‘such a good dad’ to his adopted bereaved son and also work out a half baked solution for Dexter’s actual problems and urges. The code was not formed of desperation, it was formed out of an experiment of an under qualified neuropsychologist and a man who wants to have his cake and eat it too. If Harry was desperate, we would have seen him trying everything he could to help Dexter grow into a healthy social, emotional and overall life but he didn’t because conditioning Dexter would be less time consuming and straining for HIM. The code of Harry is about making Harry’s life easier, it was never to actually help Dexter.

3.

“Dexter would have grown up to be a serial killer anyway without Harry, and that’s why he neglected Debra too” Loud incorrect buzzer. Dexter showed no signs of becoming a serial killer at a young age other than killing animals, which many mentally stable people do, most of his ‘pyschopath symptoms’ just seem to be an indication of a high prey drive shown through the average human traits of aggression, tool use or persistence hunting. As much as people love dogs and cats and all other pet animals, unless the dog is actively helping them hunt, people with high prey drives will kill dogs, especially stray or especially active and annoying dogs. Dexter shows more signs of developing autism, ASPD and/or DID rather than pyschopathic traits in children, and there is also no excuse for how he raised Debra given he hardly parented Dexter either except for shouting at him, calling him a weirdo and giving him murder lessons.

i think more people would do well to remember that rita is a mother and an abuse victim, who grew up with at least one parent (her mother) who is intensely controlling. i’d go so far as to say she has an innate “fawn” response, and her actress plays it off well with these rictus grins that seem to almost be reflexive, and her motive throughout everything is to 1) be better than her mother was and 2) to make sure her kids live a somewhat good life. after paul, the pos ever, dexter is a welcome respite despite his flaws, and the fact that he’s kind to her kids is a massive point in his favor. she is willing to forgive him for so many things because she thinks that’s the best she can achieve — and dexter isn’t a horrible husband, either. we know that one of his primary drives is to be understood, and that causes all of his worst problems in the series (lila, trinity, deb, ostensibly harrison in new blood and harry in og sin, etc).

Harry left a hole in both Deb and Dexter’s hearts. But while Deb craves validation, Dexter is searching for someone to guide him and accept him. Harry never did the latter. And what’s crueler is that Harry encouraged Dexter’s sadistic nature but still didn’t accept it, which culminated in his evilness reaching full actualization. Now, who he is cannot be changed, but it cannot be accepted either. Harry has trapped him in eternal isolation.

Let me say this--- if you're a follower that hasn't gotten up to season 8 yet.... there might be slight SPOILERS in this small analysis.

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I've watched a more dark episode tonight because of a rp with a Brian rper I am having currently. Now--- I pulled up the episode where he and Brian are getting rid of Nick... Debra calls, briefly interrupts Dexter. A thought occurred just then: Deb is Dexter's constant source of light in the series.However, when this source of light disspates--- as it does in the end of the series when she is pulled from life support and dies--- we see Dexter 'saddened' ( I put this, because I think Dexter emotionally is a very difficult subject) while holding her.

I don't think it's entirely from her death alone, now I rethink about it. Oh god no. I think it's partially because the light was taken away from him with her death--- and since he indirectly 'feels' responsible about her death---, he thinks at that point that all there is within him is darkness. Thus.... all the more reason to fake his death and a new life.

Also with this interpretation--- I think it links back to what Vogel said about Dexter earlier in the season. The line about the selfishness.

The more I watch season 4....

Let's start off with the obvious, shall we?

He has a double life--- two separate lives, that have been conjoined most of his life, but have been falling apart these last two seasons. That reason: Because of Hannah. She's there in the show to prove that Dexter is unable to juggle both worlds--- and that's further exemplified by the fact of a certain someone's death in the 10th episode. (I won't say who, just.. because of spoilers. xD)I think he's feeling less and less in control of his two worlds as this season starts to come to an end.

She represented his darker half of life, I feel--- while Harrison represents the lighter half of himself. Now Harrison and he get mixed up in the end of season 7. That's another instance of his two lives getting all mixed up.

Hell, that's been happening all of the seasons.

Difference is, that in previous seasons, he felt more put together, more in control, more able to handle this kind of stress. Also, because he was more unable to see how others' lives were being affected around him. This season he is more able to think that (feeling is a complete different thing for him, picking his emotions apart would spawn another 5 paragraphs) and to think more clearly.

But yes. The fact of everything starting to crumble this season--- is forcing Dexter to realize all of this, I think. All the twists and turns--- hell,m his girlfriend is even wanted. It's more thrown into his face than it has ever been. He has to move out of Miami-- because otherwise, he wouldn't feel in control (something extremely important to him, that has been missing all season long I think), and he wouldn't be able to live with Hannah.

..Uhm... I think that's it for now. xD