Summary

• Deb's love for Dexter made sense due to their deep connection & chemistry beyond sibling bounds.
• Jennifer Carpenter knew Deb's feelings from the start, adding organic depth to their relationship.
• Deb's love for Dexter set up the series' future, changing their dynamic forever even after her death.

A major non-serial killer twist in season 6 of Dexter involved Deb falling in love with Dexter, which was maligned by fans but this odd revelation actually made sense. Dexter Morgan - Miami Metro Police Department’s blood-spatter analyst who moonlights as a vigilante serial killer - is the older adoptive brother of Debra Morgan, whose policeman father Harry took in Dexter after finding him at a crime scene. The two were raised as siblings, but Deb was always envious of being left out of her father’s priorities as he taught Dexter how to evade being caught from his serial killer life.

Deb and Dexter always had a close relationship, one that Dexter never really had to fake or use as a cover story in his life - he truly felt connected to Deb as his sister. Similarly, Deb had a difficult time maintaining relationships with people and letting others get close besides Dexter, who was always there for her unconditionally and incurred many of the same losses she had. After a string of failed relationships, Deb realized in therapy she didn’t just love Dexter as a brother, she was in love with him. While the revelation is a little bit Game of Thrones Lannisters, a little bit Cruel Intentions step-sibling romance, Dexter’s adoptive sibling relationship acknowledged the romance’s taboo nature and never implied it will be acted on or truly reciprocated by Dexter.

Deb Being In Love With Dexter Shockingly Makes Sense

He Was The Only Constant Source Of Good In Her Life

While Deb being in love with Dexter is still unconventionally taboo because they were raised as siblings, being non-blood relatives made it possible for her to realize her feelings were more than just a brother-sister bond. Deb being in love with Dexter makes sense. She constantly talked about how he was the only person she had and the only person she could rely on. It helped that the show was clearly never going to actually make them into a real couple, it was just a storyline designed to further Deb's character at the time.

The Morgans always had a certain level of chemistry that extended beyond a normal brother-sister relationship.

After the string of guys Deb dated that ended up including a serial killer, murdered FBI agent Frank Lundy, and a confidential informant, going to the shy, dependable Dexter guy was logical. Dexter himself even pointed out that he was the only person Deb had been able to consistently say that she loved. Since season 1, the Morgans always had a certain level of chemistry that extended beyond a normal brother-sister relationship.

Jennifer Carpenter, revealed to Red Carpet News TV she always knew Deb was in love with Dexter on some level.

While it may have seemed to be unintentional chemistry, Debra Morgan’s actress, Jennifer Carpenter, revealed to Red Carpet News TV she always knew Deb was in love with Dexter on some level, so she played it like that from the start. In this way, it felt even more organic, especially since the chemistry connected behind the scenes since Dexter and Deb’s actors, Michael C. Hall and Carpenter, were married for a few years during the show’s run.

How Debra Being In Love With Dexter Set Up The Future Of The Series

It Changed Their Dynamic Forever, Even After Deb's Death

The two were always connected and even though their deep connection could never go anywhere, they were the saving graces in each other's lives. For Dexter, it was always having someone he actually cared about and made him appear more normal, while for Deb, he was the one person with whom she could maintain a consistent relationship. While their familial relationship was strained after Deb found out Dexter’s secret, she still always loved him for everything they had gone through together - though realized she wasn’t in love with him in a romantic sense anymore.

Dexter finally saying the words “I love you” before allowing her to die.

The storyline of Deb being in love with Dexter was almost a distraction throughout season 6, which perfectly set up the season's big twist. The finale saw Deb walk in on Dexter killing someone, which changed everything. The idea of her loving him was never really brought up again because this was more important but their bond still grew over time. It culminated in the season 8 finale with Dexter finally saying the words “I love you” before allowing her to die. Deb’s death ended up as the catalyst for Dexter to abandon Hannah and Harrison. It's also a huge part of why Deb was able to return as Dexter's Dark Passenger in the New Blood sequel series.