‘Dexter’ Showrunner Defends Show’s Controversial Season

“Dexter” Season 6 had fans of the hit Showtime series enthralled, scratching their heads and at times crying foul – but the creative team behind the show is defending their choices that saw Debra Morgan develop romantic feelings for the show’s most unlikely character.

(***SPOLIER ALERT!***)

Dexter’s (Michael C. Hall) secret life as a serial killer was finally discovered by sister Deb (Jennifer Carpenter) during a gripping cliffhanger on Sunday’s finale, but this twist is not what most fans are talking about.

During Season 6, Deb came to the realization that she has romantic feelings for Dexter, who is her adopted brother.

“It’s actually an idea that’s been discussed in the writers room years ago, like starting in season 2, because it always felt it — that this character was in love with her brother. And like Debra, we ignored it for a long time and it just kept coming back until we were all in agreement that it was just in the DNA of that character of why she was the way she was. It felt like it was finally time to tackle that issue,” showrunner Scott Buck told Entertainment Weekly.

Deb might have feelings for her adopted brother, but fans should not expect to see Dexter reciprocate them.

“I don’t think Dexter has ever even considered those feelings. I don’t think he’s ever had those feelings for anyone, except, perhaps, a little bit for Lumen. But as far as Dexter being in love with someone, that’s just not the kind of person he is. I don’t think Dexter believes he’s capable of love like the way Debra feels,” Buck explained.

The former real-life husband and wife, who announced their split in December 2010, were onboard with the controversial storyline.

“They were fine with it. They knew it was a big storyline, but had no objections to it whatsoever. They knew it’s part of the show, and are obviously professionals, and would go wherever the character takes them,” Buck told the mag. “I find it kind of interesting that people are uneasy about Deb’s love toward her brother. That on a show about serial killers, it’s the idea of love that makes people more uncomfortable. We did some research on that among adopted siblings: It does exist and it does happen, and it does create a very awkward situation.”

So what can fans expect in Season 7 of the Showtime series?

“We’ll certainly start somewhere very close to that point addressing all these issues,” Buck explained. “One advantage we have is we most likely have two seasons and then we’re out, so we can start working toward the end game. We haven’t even begun to consider who the bad guys are, but we are open to changing formats. We don’t feel like we need to stick to something just because we did it in previous seasons.

Adding, “‘Dexter’ is always a show that’s less about plot twists and much more about characters. Our allegiance is always most strongly to the character of Dexter Morgan. What’s the most satisfying, honest place to take Dexter over the next two years.”

Dexter returns to Showtime in 2012.

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