How Dexter Should Have Ended (Spoiler Alert)

Dexter is one of those premium cable shows that's easy to get hooked on. The twists and shocking moments that made Dexter a hit were admittedly lacking in the series finale that aired last night.

Amongst all the theories leading up to the final episode, the writers took a decidedly calm approach to capping off the end of the show.

Sure, Debra dies, but that wasn't as shocking as the fact that Dexter himself does not. It would seem to the average Dexter watcher, that as a serial killer, that innate urge to kill would never leave Dexter and to leave the show with him alive would leave open the possibility for more people on his table.

So the lumberjack Dexter approach really missed the mark.

Instead, I would like to offer what I thought was the best of the conspiracies leading up to the final episode. There are a number of fantastic and gut-wrenching plot twists that could have made last nights episode much better.

My favorite is the concept of a puppet master psychopath.

From the start, we knew that Dexter was a serial killer and that he had been given a series of rules to control his urges. Throughout the series, he meets other serial killers like the Ice Truck Killer and Trinity, who kill under their own devices and end up under Dexters knife. But what if there was someone who had the murderous rage all along but couldn't stomach the actual killing? After finding out that Dexter was out there knocking off killers, this character used Dexter as a pawn, directing him towards every kill. In the last episode as Dexter, Batista and Quinn review the tape of Dexter killing off Vogel's son, who walks in with that signature laugh? Vince Masuka.

He explains that killing the 'brain surgeon' was the final kill and that he, Masuka, had been subtly directing Dexter towards almost every kill from day one. Mind.

Blown.

Before you fly off the handle, consider this:
1.) Masuka's past is pretty much a mystery. The writers never really built up a history of Masuka (nor many other characters), but it wouldn't really be necessary considering what a plot twist it would be for him to be the puppet master.

Perhaps he was also in the storage container for some reason?

2.) Masuka worked next to Dexter everyday. It seems that someone so close to Dexter would ultimately figure out that he was a serial killer...

even if he just happened to see something on his computer while going on to look at porn.

3.) Masuka is the perfect sleeper. If the show is all about keeping people on the edge of their seats, then revealing that Masuka was the real psychopath would have been an absolute mind blow.

4.) Masuka was into bodies, but not didn't have the stomach for violence. On a couple of occasions in the past we see Masuka freeze up when it comes to harsh confrontation.

Without the stomach for it, Masuka uses Dexter as a pawn and directs him to his kills.

So for a plot twist, Masuka being the real psychopath would have been a clearing awesome ending to a great show. Instead, the writers decided to end the series in a very disappointing and obtuse way. Even though everyone's expectations were likely too high, the final scene of a bearded and grizzled Dexter left nothing good in the minds and hearts of fans.

Will Dexter keep killing? Will he get in touch with Hannah and Harrison someday? Will someone from his past find him unexpectedly? This ending felt alot more like the end of a season instead of the end of a series.

But, perhaps... that was the intention.