‘Dexter’ series finale debate: Who was the best Debra Morgan love interest?

In celebration of the “Dexter” series finale on Sunday night, this week we have tried to touch on some of the biggest moments and top characters from the show over the course of its eight-season run. There have been times that we have cheered while watching the show, times that we have choked up, and also times (see season 6) when we curse at the television.

Today, the focus is all about Debra Morgan and some of the men that have been in her life. While it may not feel like it given that only a few of them had a long-lasting impact, she has actually had more love interests over the course of the show’s run than any other major character in nine. There are some common threads among them: Four of them are currently dead, and over half of them have been involved with a case at some point. (This may be evidence that Deb does not get out much.) We’re not ranking based on anything other than our own preference, guided by chemistry and the impact we feel like the relationship had on us. Agree? Disagree? We want to hear from you below.

9. Mechanic Sean – Seriously, we saw him for the second episode of the show, and that’s it. We don’t even know Sean’s last name.

8. Andrew Briggs – Featured briefly at the start of this season, he was the man who was with Deb at her very worst. The relationship just wasn’t that interesting save for the drugs, and it had the same ending of many others on this list.

7. Sal Price – See what we’re saying here? Another dead guy, though this one courtesy of Hannah McKay rather than Dexter. The common link here with all three is that they all fizzled before anything could actually become of them.

6. Brian Moser – Clearly, he was the most impactful out of all of the loves that we have mentioned so far, but he is also the deadliest. How can you rank someone higher than this who was the Ice Truck Killer? Exactly.

5. Dexter Morgan – Granted, Dex is the Bay Harbor Butcher, but he never wanted to do anything to physically hurt Deb. Also, her feelings for him lasted for years without her even really knowing about them. The biggest issue in their way? He would never love her back, and many fans grew uneasy at the thought.

4. Gabriel Bosque – Gabriel had five appearances through season 2 as the children’s book author Deb tried to date after being with Brian, and while he was not nearly the presence as the rest of the people in the top six, at least he actually cared about her. She just couldn’t get past her own fears enough to see that he was not obsessed with her case.

3. Anton Briggs – One of our personal favorites, mostly because of David Ramsey’s extremely underrated performance. He was a guy who didn’t have a perfect past, but clearly loved Deb and would’ve done anything to try and make them work out as a couple. The problem? She fell back in love with a former flame.

2. Joey Quinn – Ever since season 5, it’s felt pretty clear that Quinn and Deb were going to be endgame, and it’s hard to object to that. They’re both broken cops in some ways with their share of mistakes, and he honestly has the best chemistry with her out of those left.

1. Frank Lundy – Our personal favorite Deb relationship, and one that genuinely felt like it would have lasted were it not for his shooting back during season 4. In some ways, this relationship had the chemistry we wanted to feel for Dexter and Rita, and it ended in the same tragic way.

If you want to read our other “Dexter” series finale debates, then just click here to take a look at Dexter’s best love interests, and here for a look at some of the most-terrifying villains.

Photo: Showtime