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Warner: Spoilery spoiling spoilers ahead--although it shouldn't matter because I've never seen anything this contrived or predictable. I'm going to start by apologizing for this thread. It's here for no other reason than to give me a place to cry publicly for the death of a TV series. For those of you who pay for Showtime or know how to use the interweb machine, the bomb finally dropped in the new Dexter season last night: Gellar is not real. He's a figment of Travis's lurid imagination. This has (or should have) been obvious to viewers since about episode four. The writers desperately attempted to smear red herrings over the script, yet Gellar never once interacted with any other character aside from Travis, and had been reported missing from his college years ago. The stupid, lazy, predictable reveal has now become the low water mark of the series, and in my opinion its death rattle. The shark jumping really started in season five, which was largely panned by the fanbase. As an Original Gangsta Dexter fan from way back in season one (before it took off), I have a hard time expressing my disappointment. Dexter started out on par with The Wire and the Sopranos, a heart-pounding show with significant 'literary' depth. However, like most artistic endeavors that aren't pre-planned to last a certain length, we've reached the point where full-on contrivance has taken place of motivation, and coincidence has replaced smart plotting. In one episode this season, Dexter happens upon one of his childhood serial killer icons--the stupidly named 'Tooth Fairy' killer from Oregon. How does Dexter find him, you ask? By walking into a random retirement home in Miami, Florida (not a lot of those in Miami), searching their computer system for residents from Oregon (not a lot of snow birds in Miami), and viola, there he is. That this sort of convenient tripe ever got past an editor is shocking, but it embodies the laughable quality of this season. It was reported about a month ago that the Dexter saga might not run a final two seasons. Why? Because Michael C. Hall wanted a million per for his iconic portrayal of America's most loved serial killer. The studios were only willing to part with about three quarters of that. A deal has now been reached, but it doesn't matter. The fact that such a thing could determine how much of a show remains is telling. It means the show has officially reached the point of existing for no other purpose than it's Showtimes most valuable property, and will not be parted with until they have milked every dollar they can from its carcass. This saddens me, as Dexter is literally the only show I follow anymore. Watching it degrade itself into increasingly childish, predictable, and overused scenarios is painful. I guess they're right when they say no good thing lasts forever. I handled the LOST tragedy okay. I guess I'll have to brace myself for another dismal finish.