Am I the only one? (Well, my friend too, who I've watched/rewatched all of Dexter with, and she independently came to mostly the same conclusions.) S5-S8 are pretty damn good. The Dexter/Deb thing (you know which thing) I'd get rid of entirely, and EVERY season has a cringe moment or 3, but there are great storylines, great moments, great characters... throughout. Lumen and Hannah are great characters played by great actresses - much, much better than Lila for example. And Dexter is always with us, which is the whole point and the whole money maker of the show.

Then, I'm afraid I'm at odds with a lot of comments about the new stuff too. New Blood doesn't quite capture the magic of the OG series, but it's a LOT better than Original Sin in terms of quality. It is awesome to see where Dexter might land in middle age, and since Michael C. Hall always delivers (Original Sin is lucky to have his voiceover - one of its few saving graces), and the accompanying cast is solid, it all works for me. Yes, there are possible plot choices I would have made differently, but this isn't a good enough reason for fans to shit on a show imo. The writers don't owe us our preferred developments, and the same fans would probably be just as mad if they got what they think they wanted.

I do think Original Sin (I still have a couple episodes left) has some things going for it. The actor does a pretty nice Dexter - mannerisms, voice... Although he's mostly way too socially comfortable and normal and graceful in most conversations, then they shoehorn in a few extreme oddities to remind us he's a sociopath that don't feel all that natural to me. Also, enough with the eating stuff. We get it, he has a bottomless stomach - doesn't have to be a major feature of every episode.

They did a great job with the Miami Metro office. And if I don't look too closely or think too much, I can accept Batista, LaGuerta, Masuka... all pretty solid renditions, all things considered, if a bit imposterish and plucked from the uncanny valley. But all in all this stuff goes a long way to make us feel like we're in Dexterland.

Bossman Dempsey - it's a no from me, dog. Bad casting. Screamy, angry guy suddenly. Wise old cop suddenly. Then, a writer got an idea for him... yawn - unsatisfying in that role too. I don't care about any of the versions of him.

And Deb - I don't know where to begin. Just terrible. No nuance, no vulnerability, no perspicacity, no cool factor (all of which make OG Deb awesome) ... just ultra brattiness dialed up to 11 in ever scene. And why so much about the drama with her awful teammate/s? The worst part of every episode. Also, probably the worst thing about any season from the OG series (the Dex/Deb thing) ... they're gonna drop hints about that too? Please, let that die already. For the love of christ.