Dexter - Season 7 (with Spoilers)

[stj]

The show has increasingly evaded the fact that sexual excitement is an inescapable part of Dexter's killing. Despite any lip service otherwise, Dexter's killing is now at worst a supposedly exciting conflict between a nice killer and an icky killer. Or even a supposedly admirable exercise in vigilantism. Even the first season didn't flaunt it in our faces.

Nonetheless, in the first season, Dexter's killing was his sex life. Rita's sexual withdrawal after life events was in fact part of her appeal for him. When (like the original Dexter character,) she started recovering, she felt confident and sexual enough to give Dexter a blow job. It was a big deal that Dexter could respond appropriately. In later seasons of course, Dexter has cheerleaders thrusting themselves upon him (literally I think in the HS reunion episode, even if ten years later,) and it's no big deal.

So yes, Dexter had sexual feelings for Rita. It was the audience that couldn't cope with marital sexuality I think. But I might be projecting Homeland Season 1, where the hero rejects Morena Baccarin the wife in favor of Claire Danes the lunatic spy. This was so jaw-droppingly wrong I can only conclude that Hollywood was sure its audience could not possibly regard a wife as sexy, instead of a carrier of tiresome obligations (aka "children.")

[Agent Richard07]

Dexter loves Deb and cares for her wellbeing. He was willing to let her shoot him so she could save herself when a choice had to be made between him and LaGuerta.

[Captrek]

Why did LaGuerta tell Deb to shoot Dexter instead of arresting him?

[Mr Light]

Because she's already seen the multiple times he's wormed his way out of getting caught?

[Guy Gardener]

Possibly Maria though that Dexter was going to kill both of them to protect his secret because she was unaware that Debra was already in the fold.

[Captrek]

It wasn't a self-defense situation. What LaGuerta told Deb to do is murder her brother. Maybe she thought he deserved to be murdered, but if that was her reason then how was she any better?

[Guy Gardener]

Premeditated self-defence.

Look it up, it's a real thing.

If Maria believes in an hour, before they get to the police station, that Dexter is going to slip his cuffs and put a knife in her while she's driving... It's only sensible that she kill him now before everything comes to a head.