There are few shows that suffer from as much controversy as Showtime’s Dexter when it comes to the series finale. However, Michael C. Hall is hoping to clarify a few things.

During a Reddit AMA, the actor took a moment to address why the creative decision was made to keep the famed serial killer alive at the end of the drama.

Said Hall:

Given what he’d been through, and his attempts to have his cake and eat it too in regards to indulging his compassion to kill AND have a more authentic life, his self-imposed exile did resonate.

I think Dexter came to believe that… anything he touched would eventually be destroyed and so he felt he needed to let it all go. Of course, Dexter is also a pragmatist and a self-preservationalist so he didn’t do himself in. But rather put himself on hold.

While it’s understandable Hall wants to do everything he can to clarify the ending of the series for fans, there’s little he can do to undo the damage it did. In the end, the series spent eight years promising an ending that would see Dexter make the ultimate sacrifice to save those around him – and becoming a lumber jack is far from that ultimate sacrifice.

The explanation of “having his cake and eating it too” also proves the creative team is failing to grasp an understanding that saying Dexter learned nothing means the entire arc of the series was, in fact, for nothing. Dexter was always that guy. He was always an “I want everything,” guy. So, by ending the series with him still wanting everything (saving his loved ones AND living), it means he’s actually learned nothing about what it means to be human; thus defeating the entire purpose of the drama itself.

Of course there will always be rumors Showtime ordered Dexter remain alive in hopes of launching a spin-off series. However, unless someone comes out to confirm that rumor as fact, all we will have to go on are these excuses trying to explain an ending that never should have occurred – not in what was once a shining spot in the world of premium cable television.

Dexter is currently available in its entirety on Netflix.