What if the Final Seasons of Dexter Didn’t Suck?

[Note: There is a semi-spoiler in this post, but it will come as no surprise to anybody who has been watching this season. This season will be equally unenjoyable with or without this knowledge.]

With the show’s series finale last Sunday,  I think it’s safe to say that Dexter will never rediscover the magic of the first four seasons.  It’s no coincidence that the show’s decline corresponds with the gradual depature of major creative forces: Daniel Cerone, Clyde Phillips, and Melissa Rosenberg. Cerone left the show after season 2, with Phillips and Rosenberg following after season 4. 24′s Chip Johannsen took over as showrunner for season 5, and the results weren’t terrible. Then came Scott Buck. More like Scott #uck, am I right?

Juvenile jokes aside, the final seasons of Dexter simply were not very good. Many fans, myself included, wanted a trial and/or a season of Dexter on the run. We wanted to see the most interesting storyline that the series could offer: what would happen if Dexter’s perfectly constructed little world were to fall apart? Semi-spoiler: we don’t see any of this.

Along with other fans, I can’t help but wonder what would’ve happened had the trio of Cerone, Phillips, and Rosenberg stuck around for the entirety of the series. It’s very easy to complain or even deconstruct the past 4 seasons and explain why each failed, as nearly every fan who has stuck around to the end has probably already done. But what if I can do better? What if the series’ finale perfectly capped off a ride that remained thrilling throughout its entirety? What if the final seasons didn’t suck?  Michael Barryte from YouTube’s Belated Media answered this question for the equally, possibly more, maligned Star Wars prequels.

Over the next few weeks, I’ll start from season 5 and pretend I took over showrunning duties. Every season of Dexter had good elements. I’ll concot a better narrative from these elements. The characters deserve better, as do the fans.