In the episode, Dexter attempts to save Lumen from Jordan Chase, as his sister, Debra, comes closer to uncovering the truth in her investigation.
The episode was directed by Steve Shill, and the teleplay was written by former showrunner Chip Johannessen and executive producer Manny Coto.
He removes his wedding ring for the first time and reflects on what Lumen brought into his life, that someone could see him for who he is and not see a monster, and that nothing, not even darkness, is set in stone.
"The Big One", the Dexter fifth-season finale, was directed by Steve Shill, and the teleplay written by former showrunner Chip Johannessen and executive producer Manny Coto.
Johannessen said this allowed the staff to focus less on Dexter seeking atonement for Rita's death in future episodes and start fresh in a new direction for the series.
[2] The actress said she never predicted that Lumen would break up with Dexter, and she found that scene difficult to act due to the level of intimacy the two characters had built up throughout the season.
[2] She prepared herself for the scene by focusing on the fact that Lumen was healed and that the reality of the murders she committed with Dexter had sunk in.
Stiles said she found Lumen's repudiation of Dexter particularly sad because she knew more about his true self than anyone else, which meant her breakup was a rejection of him as a person.
As a result, while Debra watches police evidence tapes, footage of the crimes committed by Jordan and his accomplices are shown to a longer and more graphic degree than in previous episodes.
Hell, if you watched Julia Stiles' post-show interview, it felt like perhaps she didn't like the way Lumen left the show.
And possibly given us a bit more to chew on as far as Deb knowing that Dexter was a part of something (more the barrel girls and less the Liddy murder, of course).
Reviewer Emily VanDerWerff said: "Another case in point: I realize that the show has been building to Deb's acceptance of Lumen's vigilante kills all season long, and on a show that wasn't transparently trying to stretch out its length with bullshit maneuvers, I might have enjoyed the scene where she runs across the vigilante and has a chance to just let them walk away, then takes it.
It's properly built to, and on its own, it might be a nice little scene, but it also feels completely ridiculous, tossed into the episode solely to give a sense of something happening, while ultimately preserving the status quo.