Dexter’s Frank Lundy Was Secretly The Show’s First Major Mistake

Dexter’s later seasons weren’t nearly as good as its first and FBI Agent Frank Lundy was actually the secret beginning of the show’s downfall.

Towards the end of its original eight-season run, the much-loved thriller series Dexter took a turn for the worse. The conclusion to the story of Dexter Morgan (Michael C. Hall), the vigilante serial killer struggling between the urges of his “Dark Passenger” and “Harry’s Code” of ethics, was unfortunately rushed and unsatisfying. Dexter ended up escaping justice for his crimes as the Bay Harbor Butcher, while his son and girlfriend escaped together in another direction. Additionally, the finale included an unsatisfying death for Dexter’s adopted sister, Debra Morgan (Jennifer Carpenter) after Dexter mercifully turned off her life-support. Yet a big reason why the ending was so unsatisfying can actually be traced back to several seasons before Dexter‘s finale when the show made its first major mistake.

Dexter‘s season 4 saw the death of Special Agent Frank Lundy (Keith Carradine), a plot point that secretly marked the beginning of the show’s slow downfall. Lundy was introduced in season 2 as an investigator for the Bay Harbor Butcher case. At times, he came dangerously close to discovering that Miami Metro’s very own Blood Spatter Analyst, Dexter Morgan, was the prolific serial killer he was hunting. But, Dexter managed to throw him off track and Lundy’s most crucial relationship was instead with Debra. Despite their approximately 30-year age gap, Debra and Lundy developed a strong romantic connection. It was because this bond was so significant that killing off the character actually represented a major misstep for the series, reducing Lundy to an emotional stick with which to beat Debra, rather than providing a crucial character with some much-needed support.

Related: Every Clue That Frank Lundy Knew Dexter Was The Bay Harbor Butcher

Why Frank Lundy’s Death Was A Dexter Mistake

At the end of Dexter season 2, Lundy and Debra were forced to break off their romantic relationship as the Bay Harbor Butcher case was closed and Lundy moved on with his career. After her season 1 trauma of dating and being kidnaped by the Ice Truck Killer, Lundy was a source of comfort and security for Debra. His departure was just another heartbreak for her to face. Lundy made a reappearance in season 4 as he continued his long-time hunt for the infamous and mysterious Trinity Killer, and all was going well for the couple until the fourth episode when they were both shot by the Trinity Killer’s daughter. Debra survived the shooting, but losing Lundy reduced the character to another source of grief rather than the source of strength and comfort he could have been. Ultimately, this treatment became indicative of the failures that defined Dexter‘s later seasons.

How Lundy’s Death Set Up Dexter’s Failure

Many viewers believed Lundy deserved a more meaningful end, marking his death as the first of an unfortunate trend of unsatisfying and rushed character arcs, which continued to be criticized in Dexter’s finale. Following Lundy’s death, things only got worse for Debra. More loved ones died around her, including her sister-in-law Rita. Additionally, she faced a declining emotional state, which led to Debra confessing her love to Dexter, the only stable presence left in her life. She even became a killer herself, shooting Captain LaGuerta to protect Dexter after she discovered his secret. By the time Dexter reached its final season, despite having resumed dating and been promoted to Lieutenant, Debra was clearly weighed down by all the trauma she’d faced. Her character lacked the strong sense of direction that she started off with in earlier seasons which only added to the confused and rushed feeling of season eight.

The effects of Lundy’s death also had far-reaching consequences on other characters. In the series revival, Dexter: New Blood, it’s implied that Dexter carries guilt over Lundy’s death, even though he wasn’t responsible. It’s likely that this guilt actually stems from Debra being his new Dark Passenger, and therefore Dexter was forced to take on her trauma from the death of her former lover. Even though Debra was a strong character burdening her with the death of Lundy on top of everything else ended up being too much, and neither the character nor Dexter was ever able to fully recover from that plot choice.

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