Set in Miami, the series centers on Dexter Morgan, a forensic technician specializing in bloodstain pattern analysis for the fictional Miami Metro Police Department, who leads a secret parallel life as a vigilante serial killer, hunting down murderers who have not been adequately punished by the justice system due to corruption or legal technicalities.
According to Nielsen Media Research, the episode was seen by an estimated 2.23 million household viewers and gained a 1.0 ratings share among adults aged 18–49.
Dexter (Michael C. Hall) spends the night floating in the waters off Miami and is rescued by a passing migrant boat.
Realizing that Harrison is Dexter's son, Travis decides to use the boy as his sacrificial lamb in his final act to bring about the end of the world.
Sure, there were still plenty of the obvious plot holes that have plagued the show recently and almost no attention was paid to anyone other than Travis, Debra, and Dexter.
"[7] Ken Tucker of Entertainment Weekly wrote, "Dexter closed out its sixth season on Sunday night with an episode that attempted to redeem the uneven, overloaded, even peculiar quality of what had come before it.
"[8] Matt Roush of TV Guide wrote, "This is the sort of game-changing twist a long-running show like Dexter needs to propel it into its final end game, which will occupy the next two seasons.
"[11] Billy Grifter of Den of Geek wrote, "Having just watched "This Is The Way The World Ends", I'm both excited by the prospect of season seven (and eight), but at the same time, concerned that standards appear to be slipping.
"[12] Matt Richenthal of TV Fanatic gave the episode a 3.5 star rating out of 5 and wrote, "Many fans may believe this will make up for an incredibly sloppy, disjointed, suspense-free season.
I have no doubt the producers are banking on that, as sites and message boards and water coolers will now be dominated by talk of where things will go in season seven.
"[13] Claire Zulkey of Los Angeles Times wrote, "I loved the shocking twist and can't wait to see what happens next between Dexter and Deb.
“Deb learns the truth about Dexter” is a card the writers have been holding onto for a long time and I'm glad they finally threw it down.