Does anyone care about our storyline?
June 23, 2011 12:15 AM Subscribe
Dexter In 60 Seconds: While the 6th season of Dexter is still a few months off, newcomers to the show might appreciate this quick summation of the series.
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While I've never read them, I have a friend who suffered through the first two or three novels and can't for the life of her figure out how a good show came out of such terrible source material.
posted by lumensimus at 12:47 AM on June 23, 2011 [2 favorites]
posted by lumensimus at 12:47 AM on June 23, 2011 [2 favorites]
GREAT. I love this. I had two different girlfriends who were OBSESSED with Dexter and I quickly grew burnt out and tired of the series.
posted by mrbill at 12:57 AM on June 23, 2011
posted by mrbill at 12:57 AM on June 23, 2011
What - why do some smart people enjoy this show starring talentless ex-porn stars as the only two simpering and shallow female leads?
posted by Mooseli at 1:00 AM on June 23, 2011
posted by Mooseli at 1:00 AM on June 23, 2011
I've never seen the show and have no idea if it's actually as silly as this summary or if this is just a parody. So...not actually helpful to newbies?
posted by straight at 1:06 AM on June 23, 2011
posted by straight at 1:06 AM on June 23, 2011
This seems to be as appropriate a place as any to mention this thing I noticed that sort of relates to Dexter:
The girl who plays Astor (Christina Robinson) looks like a young version of the girlfriend on Burn Notice (Gabrielle Anwar).
posted by phunniemee at 1:09 AM on June 23, 2011
The girl who plays Astor (Christina Robinson) looks like a young version of the girlfriend on Burn Notice (Gabrielle Anwar).
posted by phunniemee at 1:09 AM on June 23, 2011
I've never seen it either, but I always thought this scene was funny. (some Season 2 spoilers, I guess?)
posted by Rhaomi at 1:12 AM on June 23, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by Rhaomi at 1:12 AM on June 23, 2011 [1 favorite]
Mooseli: What - why do some smart people enjoy this show starring talentless ex-porn stars as the only two simpering and shallow female leadsWhat on earth are you talking about? Ex-porn stars, what?
I really enjoy Dexter, although you can only do the "Seasonal Baddie" routine so many times before it gets infuriating. I enjoyed the last two seasons, but nowhere near as much as the first. Really, it's going to be at its best whenever the final season happens, since it means we can get the proper closure and catharsis of Dexter's capture and/or reveal to his family and friends. They've been teasing that for ages, and it's long overdue and the only real reason to keep watching.
posted by hincandenza at 1:15 AM on June 23, 2011
So...not actually helpful to newbies?
Full disclosure: I've never watched a single frame of the show, but after seeing this clip, I instantly felt like, if I *were* to start watching it, I'd have a thumbnail view of how it all worked.
posted by ShutterBun at 1:22 AM on June 23, 2011 [1 favorite]
Full disclosure: I've never watched a single frame of the show, but after seeing this clip, I instantly felt like, if I *were* to start watching it, I'd have a thumbnail view of how it all worked.
posted by ShutterBun at 1:22 AM on June 23, 2011 [1 favorite]
My sister-in-law and her boyfriend rave about Dexter constantly. I've never seen it. How can I be sure this synopsis isn't just a clever ruse to make me look like an idiot if I pretend to know what they're talking about at the next family dinner?
Of course, it could be argued that if I pretend to know what they're talking about just for the sake of family harmony, I deserve to look like an idiot.
posted by amyms at 1:27 AM on June 23, 2011
Of course, it could be argued that if I pretend to know what they're talking about just for the sake of family harmony, I deserve to look like an idiot.
posted by amyms at 1:27 AM on June 23, 2011
I find it kind of funny
I find it kind of sad
The dreams in which I'm Dexter are the best I've ever had
I just finished Season 4. All the non-serial killer stuff was pretty boring. Is Season 5 worth watching?
posted by Lovecraft In Brooklyn at 1:33 AM on June 23, 2011 [2 favorites]
I find it kind of sad
The dreams in which I'm Dexter are the best I've ever had
I just finished Season 4. All the non-serial killer stuff was pretty boring. Is Season 5 worth watching?
posted by Lovecraft In Brooklyn at 1:33 AM on June 23, 2011 [2 favorites]
TVTropes' article introductions are always a good primer for complex or long-running series. Here's their overview of Dexter, excerpted below to save you a few hours:
Dexter Morgan is a blood-spatter analyst for the Miami police department.posted by Rhaomi at 1:38 AM on June 23, 2011 [1 favorite]
He has a loving sister (in a very tomboyish, foul-mouthed way) who is also a cop, a shy girlfriend (with an abusive ex-husband and two children), and a host of interesting co-workers (including a very pervy forensic tech and a boss who wants to sex him up).
He is also a serial killer.
But a serial killer of other serial killers, child molesters, rapists, and other really bad people. So it's all good! Or is it?
Based loosely on the novel Darkly Dreaming Dexter by Jeff Lindsay, the first season of Dexter sees the titular character assisting in homicide investigations, dealing with his girlfriend's issues, assisting his sister in department politics... and cleaning up after the justice system. Adhering to The Code of Harry — his adopted father, a police officer who saw the makings of a serial killer in him long ago — Dexter confines his killing urge to those criminals who have gotten away with their crimes, and does it so carefully and cleanly that he is not likely to get caught.
When another serial killer begins sending special messages just for him in the crime scenes — and in his house — Dexter is pulled into a cat-and-mouse game that will force him to reexamine his chosen life...
NOT to be confused with Dexter's Laboratory, though they're both good clean fun for the whole family. Dexter has yet to shout "Deborah! Get out of my laboratory!", but this is obviously a matter of time.
What on earth are you talking about? Ex-porn stars, what?
I really enjoy Dexter, although you can only do the "Seasonal Baddie" routine so many times before it gets infuriating.
Yeah, I'm not sure what that's about because there are not any ex-porn stars or shallow simpering female leads. Actually Deb, Dexter's sister, is probably one of the strongest female leads around on television right now.
Funny though, I was going to bring up the "Big Baddie" thing they've had going on. The other option they could end with, hincandenza, is that Dexter all of a sudden finds his (somewhat lurking) humanity and he's *TA-DA* cured.
Is Season 5 worth watching?
Oddly, yes, season 5 is better than 4. Also, season 4 finale was some cheap weaksuace they used to marinate that show with.
posted by P.o.B. at 1:39 AM on June 23, 2011
I really enjoy Dexter, although you can only do the "Seasonal Baddie" routine so many times before it gets infuriating.
Yeah, I'm not sure what that's about because there are not any ex-porn stars or shallow simpering female leads. Actually Deb, Dexter's sister, is probably one of the strongest female leads around on television right now.
Funny though, I was going to bring up the "Big Baddie" thing they've had going on. The other option they could end with, hincandenza, is that Dexter all of a sudden finds his (somewhat lurking) humanity and he's *TA-DA* cured.
Is Season 5 worth watching?
Oddly, yes, season 5 is better than 4. Also, season 4 finale was some cheap weaksuace they used to marinate that show with.
posted by P.o.B. at 1:39 AM on June 23, 2011
Dexter was a great miniseries that has lasted 4 seasons longer than the premise.
posted by Silentgoldfish at 1:52 AM on June 23, 2011 [2 favorites]
posted by Silentgoldfish at 1:52 AM on June 23, 2011 [2 favorites]
Did it get any better with time? I loved the first season, somehow managed to finish the second one despite hating that chick and the storyline, and finally stopped watching somewhere in the early third season, couldn't stand that west wing latino president's character...
posted by palbo at 2:05 AM on June 23, 2011
posted by palbo at 2:05 AM on June 23, 2011
Fourth season was excellent thanks to John Lithgow, I couldn't make it through the fifth though. Jumped the shark somewhere in there.
posted by mek at 2:11 AM on June 23, 2011
posted by mek at 2:11 AM on June 23, 2011
But a serial killer of other serial killers, child molesters, rapists, and other really bad people.
Incorrect, Dexter only kills murderers. Child molesters, rapists and such are only targets if they've killed their victims at any time in the past and gotten away with it. Anyone slipping through the justice system is an especially tempting kill for Dexter.
Which of course bring sup the inevitable question: is it wrong to root for a serial killer who kills other killers?
posted by bwg at 2:29 AM on June 23, 2011
Incorrect, Dexter only kills murderers. Child molesters, rapists and such are only targets if they've killed their victims at any time in the past and gotten away with it. Anyone slipping through the justice system is an especially tempting kill for Dexter.
Which of course bring sup the inevitable question: is it wrong to root for a serial killer who kills other killers?
posted by bwg at 2:29 AM on June 23, 2011
Which of course bring sup the inevitable question: is it wrong to root for a serial killer who kills other killers?
I have to admit that I don't like Dexter, but I do find it interesting.
Dexter isn't really a portrait of a psychopath - real psychopaths aren't like that. They are selfish, vain, short-term thinkers. What Dexter really is, is that quintessential American obsession, the vigilante. When society fails to bring us justice (so the myth goes), we need someone to step in and do the dirty deed.
My problem is, I really do believe in the law. Not that I think that the courts always get it right (they don't), but I think that they are a much better way of settling social problems than leaving them up to somebody blood-thirsty and self-righteous.
But there are clearly a lot of people who don't feel that way - who want to fantasize about a holy avenger, even if they have to dress him up as Hannibal Lecter. And that interests me, because in that I see in that the age-old specter of the American prophet, that ragged monster that the American law has never quite managed to contain. He is a fearsome sight. Everything he says sounds righteous, until he starts to talk about you.
posted by lucien_reeve at 2:39 AM on June 23, 2011 [5 favorites]
I have to admit that I don't like Dexter, but I do find it interesting.
Dexter isn't really a portrait of a psychopath - real psychopaths aren't like that. They are selfish, vain, short-term thinkers. What Dexter really is, is that quintessential American obsession, the vigilante. When society fails to bring us justice (so the myth goes), we need someone to step in and do the dirty deed.
My problem is, I really do believe in the law. Not that I think that the courts always get it right (they don't), but I think that they are a much better way of settling social problems than leaving them up to somebody blood-thirsty and self-righteous.
But there are clearly a lot of people who don't feel that way - who want to fantasize about a holy avenger, even if they have to dress him up as Hannibal Lecter. And that interests me, because in that I see in that the age-old specter of the American prophet, that ragged monster that the American law has never quite managed to contain. He is a fearsome sight. Everything he says sounds righteous, until he starts to talk about you.
posted by lucien_reeve at 2:39 AM on June 23, 2011 [5 favorites]
They are selfish, vain, short-term thinkers.
Well, the show sort of tried to address this at first. Dexter didn't kill murderers because they were bad or because it would be morally wrong to murder the innocent, he did it because his dad's code taught him that if he had to kill someone, killing criminals was the best way to avoid being caught. It was almost purely a practical consideration.
They've gotten away from that, of course, but that's how it started. You could never sustain a series about an actual sociopath since it would be rather repugnant but I must admit I found the Dexter of the first few episodes a lot more interesting for that reason. The only way in which he differed from other serial killers was that he had learned how to avoid being caught.
posted by Justinian at 2:43 AM on June 23, 2011
Well, the show sort of tried to address this at first. Dexter didn't kill murderers because they were bad or because it would be morally wrong to murder the innocent, he did it because his dad's code taught him that if he had to kill someone, killing criminals was the best way to avoid being caught. It was almost purely a practical consideration.
They've gotten away from that, of course, but that's how it started. You could never sustain a series about an actual sociopath since it would be rather repugnant but I must admit I found the Dexter of the first few episodes a lot more interesting for that reason. The only way in which he differed from other serial killers was that he had learned how to avoid being caught.
posted by Justinian at 2:43 AM on June 23, 2011
is it wrong to root for a serial killer who kills other killers?
Which is pretty much the point of the show and also why it's generally not that great past the 2nd season. The 3rd and 4th season are almost the same as the first and the 5th is just slightly different and expanded. I don't have high hopes for the new season because it became apparent by the 3rd year it wasn't really going to change much. Overall it's not that bad a show but is getting a bit samey from year to year. Who doesn't love a good antihero?
posted by P.o.B. at 2:48 AM on June 23, 2011
Which is pretty much the point of the show and also why it's generally not that great past the 2nd season. The 3rd and 4th season are almost the same as the first and the 5th is just slightly different and expanded. I don't have high hopes for the new season because it became apparent by the 3rd year it wasn't really going to change much. Overall it's not that bad a show but is getting a bit samey from year to year. Who doesn't love a good antihero?
posted by P.o.B. at 2:48 AM on June 23, 2011
What killed the series for me was the Moloch BS from the books. No idea if that particular flavor of stupid cross-pollinated into the show (it seems to be inoculated with its own stupid), but the threat of it has been enough to keep me far, far away.
posted by robocop is bleeding at 2:56 AM on June 23, 2011
posted by robocop is bleeding at 2:56 AM on June 23, 2011
real psychopaths aren't like that. They are selfish, vain, short-term thinkers.
Not all psychopaths. Ted Bundy admitted to being as such but he also said he believed there were serial killers who were quite successful at what they did and at not being found. The Green River Killer, Gary Ridgway, was doing what he did for 20 years and presumably has upwards of 90 murders to his name. Nope, its not inconceivable at all that some psychopaths really do plan meticulously.
posted by P.o.B. at 3:18 AM on June 23, 2011 [1 favorite]
Not all psychopaths. Ted Bundy admitted to being as such but he also said he believed there were serial killers who were quite successful at what they did and at not being found. The Green River Killer, Gary Ridgway, was doing what he did for 20 years and presumably has upwards of 90 murders to his name. Nope, its not inconceivable at all that some psychopaths really do plan meticulously.
posted by P.o.B. at 3:18 AM on June 23, 2011 [1 favorite]
So it's a one-person The Star Chamber?
(I kid, sorta. I've seen The Star Chamber and cannot remember a thing about it.)
posted by maxwelton at 3:23 AM on June 23, 2011
(I kid, sorta. I've seen The Star Chamber and cannot remember a thing about it.)
posted by maxwelton at 3:23 AM on June 23, 2011
I like Dexter. However, whenever anyone in the show talks about Rita's kids, I hear HASTUR THE UNSPEAKABLE ONE, HIM WHO IS NOT TO BE NAMED. And Cody.
posted by emmtee at 3:36 AM on June 23, 2011 [2 favorites]
posted by emmtee at 3:36 AM on June 23, 2011 [2 favorites]
Julia Stiles was just fabulous in S5. I'm not necessarily a huge fan of all the main ensemble players in the show and I think the writing gets a little tired at times, but I admire the larger creative picture of having the seasonal characters of Smits, Lithgow and Stiles. I've left the last 30mins of the last ep unwatched for a couple of months to keep it that little bit more mysterious for me while it's on a break.
posted by peacay at 3:44 AM on June 23, 2011
posted by peacay at 3:44 AM on June 23, 2011
So...was Mooseli posting in the wrong thread or something? I'm itching to hear what the fuck he was talking about up there.
Does anyone know of any TV shows with ex pornstars in them? Maybe he's just confused about which show we're talking about?
posted by GoingToShopping at 4:11 AM on June 23, 2011
Does anyone know of any TV shows with ex pornstars in them? Maybe he's just confused about which show we're talking about?
posted by GoingToShopping at 4:11 AM on June 23, 2011
I've never seen the show and have no idea if it's actually as silly as this summary or if this is just a parody.
The show may be a lot of things (I'm not a fan of it myself, but my partner loves it), but the last thing I would call it is silly.
posted by blucevalo at 4:25 AM on June 23, 2011
The show may be a lot of things (I'm not a fan of it myself, but my partner loves it), but the last thing I would call it is silly.
posted by blucevalo at 4:25 AM on June 23, 2011
If you really want to threadshit about the show's eventual demise appropriately in a Dexter thread, based on last season, lean in close and just say: "Tick tick tick!"
posted by Nanukthedog at 4:32 AM on June 23, 2011
posted by Nanukthedog at 4:32 AM on June 23, 2011
So, it sounds like Dexter is basically Nexus without the costume or the vootie.
posted by ursus_comiter at 4:50 AM on June 23, 2011
posted by ursus_comiter at 4:50 AM on June 23, 2011
Dexter is the worst show that I can watch. It is pretty dumb, strains credibility, and few of the people are worth caring about. I don't hate it. It is good at that propulsive force that keeps you watching the next episode but it is so much less satisfying than the shows that I watch that are actually good. I watched seasons 1,2, and 4 I think that's it for me.
posted by I Foody at 5:11 AM on June 23, 2011
posted by I Foody at 5:11 AM on June 23, 2011
MIGUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEL
posted by Sticherbeast at 5:15 AM on June 23, 2011 [2 favorites]
posted by Sticherbeast at 5:15 AM on June 23, 2011 [2 favorites]
What Dexter really is, is that quintessential American obsession, the vigilante.
Yeah my main problem with the show is that over the course of five seasons Dexter has moved from complex moral quandry to just being Dirty Harry.
posted by shakespeherian at 5:44 AM on June 23, 2011 [2 favorites]
Yeah my main problem with the show is that over the course of five seasons Dexter has moved from complex moral quandry to just being Dirty Harry.
posted by shakespeherian at 5:44 AM on June 23, 2011 [2 favorites]
That was really funny. Perfectly nailed why I almost stopped Netflixing a half dozen times during seasons 2 and 3, and gave up completely during season 4. The writing quickly got so, so tired. I think the desire to keep the cast small to save money has really hurt that show, forcing characters into all kinds of completely stupid relationships with one another in an attempt to give them something to do.
But, and I say this as a diehard Wire/Deadwood/Firefly fan, the first season of Dexter was very good Showtime, which means it was pretty damn good TV. The setup was new, the main antagonist creepy as fuck and the overall arc relatively surprising and emotionally powerful (don't let anyone spoil it for you, just rent the first season, and then stop there).
posted by mediareport at 5:45 AM on June 23, 2011 [5 favorites]
But, and I say this as a diehard Wire/Deadwood/Firefly fan, the first season of Dexter was very good Showtime, which means it was pretty damn good TV. The setup was new, the main antagonist creepy as fuck and the overall arc relatively surprising and emotionally powerful (don't let anyone spoil it for you, just rent the first season, and then stop there).
posted by mediareport at 5:45 AM on June 23, 2011 [5 favorites]
While I've never read them, I have a friend who suffered through the first two or three novels and can't for the life of her figure out how a good show came out of such terrible source material.
The books are startlingly bad (although I read them anyway). The TV show is much better. I feel the same way about True Blood, although I secretly enjoy those books.
But yeah, it's one of those shows I should have stopped watching--and almost did--but I couldn't bring myself to do it. I watch very little TV--basically Jeopardy and two or three other shows--and if I gave up Dexter, I might want to find something else to watch, and that would just be too much effort.
But this synopsis basically sums it up, except that it's missing the newly-emaciated Irish guy to be a creep and nail Deb once or twice.
posted by uncleozzy at 5:55 AM on June 23, 2011
The books are startlingly bad (although I read them anyway). The TV show is much better. I feel the same way about True Blood, although I secretly enjoy those books.
But yeah, it's one of those shows I should have stopped watching--and almost did--but I couldn't bring myself to do it. I watch very little TV--basically Jeopardy and two or three other shows--and if I gave up Dexter, I might want to find something else to watch, and that would just be too much effort.
But this synopsis basically sums it up, except that it's missing the newly-emaciated Irish guy to be a creep and nail Deb once or twice.
posted by uncleozzy at 5:55 AM on June 23, 2011
Thanks for posting this. Very funny, and we are huge Dexter fans. I thought Lithgow's season was the best out of the five so far. Julia Stiles was very good, but nowhere near Lithgow. Every episode that season was hard to watch, it was so tense.
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 6:35 AM on June 23, 2011
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 6:35 AM on June 23, 2011
Love this show, loved the video.
And yeah, the season with Lithgow is as good as that show gets. I knew the Big Shocking Finale months before I saw it and was still on the edge of my seat because Lithgow was just that good. They will probably never top it, so I was glad to see them not really try to do it with the last season. It was a bit of a letdown but it kind of had to be.
Looking forward to more episodes of the show, but more specifically to the end. I believe the only way it should end is with his sister arresting him.
posted by HostBryan at 7:22 AM on June 23, 2011
And yeah, the season with Lithgow is as good as that show gets. I knew the Big Shocking Finale months before I saw it and was still on the edge of my seat because Lithgow was just that good. They will probably never top it, so I was glad to see them not really try to do it with the last season. It was a bit of a letdown but it kind of had to be.
Looking forward to more episodes of the show, but more specifically to the end. I believe the only way it should end is with his sister arresting him.
posted by HostBryan at 7:22 AM on June 23, 2011
I find it interesting that, because Dexter is the protagonist and is shown repeatedly killing people who are tied down and defenceless - in other words, because the show goes so far in terms of a 'good guy' being comfortable with violence - he has to be basically asexual. He only has a girlfriend for cover, to appear normal, and I don't think he has ever been portrayed as remotely interested in sex.
posted by stinkycheese at 7:26 AM on June 23, 2011
posted by stinkycheese at 7:26 AM on June 23, 2011
He seemed pretty interested in sex in season two.
posted by shakespeherian at 7:38 AM on June 23, 2011
posted by shakespeherian at 7:38 AM on June 23, 2011
I think what creeps me out more than anything is that Michael C. Hall does all those Dodge commercials in his Dexter voice. Gives me the willies every time I hear it.
posted by blucevalo at 7:53 AM on June 23, 2011
posted by blucevalo at 7:53 AM on June 23, 2011
Yup stinkycheese is describing season 1 Dexter. he changes over time.
He does occasionally kill someone who is not a verified serial killer. I can think of 2 off the top of my head -- a pedo who he thinks is interested in his adopted kids a few seasons ago, and a guy in a bar bathroom at the start of the most recent season.
posted by w0mbat at 7:53 AM on June 23, 2011
He does occasionally kill someone who is not a verified serial killer. I can think of 2 off the top of my head -- a pedo who he thinks is interested in his adopted kids a few seasons ago, and a guy in a bar bathroom at the start of the most recent season.
posted by w0mbat at 7:53 AM on June 23, 2011
shakespeherian: Yeah my main problem with the show is that over the course of five seasons Dexter has moved from complex moral quandry to just being Dirty Harry.That nails my frustration; I really liked the Lithgow and Stiles seasons, but turning Dexter increasingly "human" defangs him as an interesting character. I think the potency of the show is how easily we root for a "monster" because we agree with their targets. It's room to explore our own darkness as individuals and a society, but when they bring in the increasingly romantic Dexter, or the Dexter who apparently only kills because his dad forced him (odd, since he was early on shown to be a nascent killer as a child, hence his dad's actions), the eventual resolution will have less punch.
I'd argue the show will be a Lostean cop-out if he gets away scot-free in the end, "cured", content and happy in some suburban home. Even if he changes, even if he stops, he's already taken innocent lives: he needs to be captured, and outed, because the real catharsis is in Deb and his friends/co-workers finally looking at him.
posted by hincandenza at 7:57 AM on June 23, 2011
Yeah the ending to the show needs to be forcing us to choose sympathies between on the one hand Deb & co who are actually, y'know, trying to stop a guy who has killed probably hundreds of people and on the other the guy whose voiceover we've been privy to and think of as the hero, because: holy fuck, that guy is evil, despite his self-justification. That would make for a brilliant and compelling work.
posted by shakespeherian at 8:00 AM on June 23, 2011 [2 favorites]
posted by shakespeherian at 8:00 AM on June 23, 2011 [2 favorites]
I am only up through season four, but bear with me. The first three episodes of Dexter are quite different in tone than even the rest of the first season. When he says to himself "I don't understand ... sexsss" with sort of a sibilant hiss at the end of it, it speaks of an alienated curiosity.
Alienation is the key to the character. He's not supposed to be a DSM-style psychopath or even a literary, Lecter-style psychopath. He was a messed-up little kid bound for a future of trouble, to be sure, but he is His Father's Instrument. Carefully hammered into shape, left with the Code of Harry for that day Harry would die, a tool built by a man who felt impotent and unable to carry out his own very personal brand of justice. (This is a similar theme to Hit-Girl in Kick-Ass.) You can watch Harry withhold and grant attention as the young Dexter grows in just the direction he would like.
Dexter's certainly a functioning member of society: he pays his rent, contributes to society in a meaningful fashion, and so forth. Still, he is completely divorced from his own desires because he has been indoctrinated with the belief that he is a monster with a mission. Friendship, romance, office relationships, these are all held at a careful distance because that is what he has been taught. He is, in a strange way, something of an innocent, unable to discern when he is being played by a romantic interest or a "friend." His struggle for kinship and identity in the first season is almost pathetic.
Harry reserved his "real" (if still flawed) parenting for his natural child. Dexter is just a tool. His struggle over the series is to recognize what a monster he might not be and that he has been played from the start by Harry.
posted by adipocere at 8:10 AM on June 23, 2011 [3 favorites]
Alienation is the key to the character. He's not supposed to be a DSM-style psychopath or even a literary, Lecter-style psychopath. He was a messed-up little kid bound for a future of trouble, to be sure, but he is His Father's Instrument. Carefully hammered into shape, left with the Code of Harry for that day Harry would die, a tool built by a man who felt impotent and unable to carry out his own very personal brand of justice. (This is a similar theme to Hit-Girl in Kick-Ass.) You can watch Harry withhold and grant attention as the young Dexter grows in just the direction he would like.
Dexter's certainly a functioning member of society: he pays his rent, contributes to society in a meaningful fashion, and so forth. Still, he is completely divorced from his own desires because he has been indoctrinated with the belief that he is a monster with a mission. Friendship, romance, office relationships, these are all held at a careful distance because that is what he has been taught. He is, in a strange way, something of an innocent, unable to discern when he is being played by a romantic interest or a "friend." His struggle for kinship and identity in the first season is almost pathetic.
Harry reserved his "real" (if still flawed) parenting for his natural child. Dexter is just a tool. His struggle over the series is to recognize what a monster he might not be and that he has been played from the start by Harry.
posted by adipocere at 8:10 AM on June 23, 2011 [3 favorites]
Dexter seasons one and four are two of my favorite television seasons ever. Two was pretty good...I love Doakes, but I just wanted to punch Lila repeatedly in the face and be done with it. Three was terrible, despite all the MIGUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUEL.
Haven't seen five yet. I hear it's terrible.
posted by Sticherbeast at 8:14 AM on June 23, 2011
Haven't seen five yet. I hear it's terrible.
posted by Sticherbeast at 8:14 AM on June 23, 2011
Five is meh. I eventually enjoyed it, but it took me a while to get on board with Stiles, who seemed to be determined to act as hard as she could.
Dexter has a decent cast and outstanding lead, but it suffers from a desperate need for an end date. The last season should be exhilarating, but it's increasingly spinning it's wheels until it gets there. You could feel the reset button being pressed hard at the end of 5.
posted by yellowbinder at 8:27 AM on June 23, 2011
Dexter has a decent cast and outstanding lead, but it suffers from a desperate need for an end date. The last season should be exhilarating, but it's increasingly spinning it's wheels until it gets there. You could feel the reset button being pressed hard at the end of 5.
posted by yellowbinder at 8:27 AM on June 23, 2011
Haven't seen five yet. I hear it's terrible.
It wasn't terrible per se, just bad compared to all seasons previous. Let's run it down:
1. Fumbled aftermath to the HUGE SPOILER DEATH at the end of Season 4. After having Dexter tapdance his way out of the law's crosshairs multiple times over 4 seasons, the writers suddenly make the inexplicable decision 2 or 3 episodes in to just have the FBI drop a huge murder case that Dexter (who's been acting VERY suspiciously) is at the center of. Five episodes in and it's barely an issue anymore.
2. Crappy new characters. I didn't mind the Julia Stiles character, even though she embodies the series' well-worn "Dexter's apprentice" trope. I'm referring to the Jonny Lee Miller character, who was tasked with delivering perhaps the least-inspired villain catchphrase in television history: "Tick tick tick...that's the sound of your life running out." The Peter Weller character seemed kind of unnecessary as well; the surveillance storyline would've been stronger if it was Quinn doing it on his own.
3. More of Deb's stupid-ass relationship woes. Can she date anybody without it becoming some kind of ill-advised life-wrecking drama?
4. More of the LaGuerta/Batista marriage fiasco, in which an unmotivated B-plot contrivance finally becomes totally insufferable. I would've traded any of their scenes in seasons 4 and 5 for solid character development for some neglected secondary characters — Masuka perhaps, or the underused Latina cop-turned-detective, or maybe even LaGuerta or Batista alone.
That said, I'm still excited for Season 6, if only because it looks like they might finally kick in the "Deb finds out" endgame. But probably not.
posted by Strange Interlude at 9:00 AM on June 23, 2011
It wasn't terrible per se, just bad compared to all seasons previous. Let's run it down:
1. Fumbled aftermath to the HUGE SPOILER DEATH at the end of Season 4. After having Dexter tapdance his way out of the law's crosshairs multiple times over 4 seasons, the writers suddenly make the inexplicable decision 2 or 3 episodes in to just have the FBI drop a huge murder case that Dexter (who's been acting VERY suspiciously) is at the center of. Five episodes in and it's barely an issue anymore.
2. Crappy new characters. I didn't mind the Julia Stiles character, even though she embodies the series' well-worn "Dexter's apprentice" trope. I'm referring to the Jonny Lee Miller character, who was tasked with delivering perhaps the least-inspired villain catchphrase in television history: "Tick tick tick...that's the sound of your life running out." The Peter Weller character seemed kind of unnecessary as well; the surveillance storyline would've been stronger if it was Quinn doing it on his own.
3. More of Deb's stupid-ass relationship woes. Can she date anybody without it becoming some kind of ill-advised life-wrecking drama?
4. More of the LaGuerta/Batista marriage fiasco, in which an unmotivated B-plot contrivance finally becomes totally insufferable. I would've traded any of their scenes in seasons 4 and 5 for solid character development for some neglected secondary characters — Masuka perhaps, or the underused Latina cop-turned-detective, or maybe even LaGuerta or Batista alone.
That said, I'm still excited for Season 6, if only because it looks like they might finally kick in the "Deb finds out" endgame. But probably not.
posted by Strange Interlude at 9:00 AM on June 23, 2011
just have the FBI drop a huge murder case
Isn't that how every case in the show gets resolved? At some point during the season Dexter starts working against Miami Metro Homicide, sabotaging their case, so that he can kill the baddie himself, and then after no one can find the baddie they go 'Oh well, guess he left. ON TO THE NEXT CASE' and I don't get why the citizens of Miami haven't started a huge protest against their inept police squad who can't catch anyone, ever, even the serial killer who was one of their detectives, or the serial killer who dated one of their detectives, or the serial killer who was best friends with one of their forensics guys.
posted by shakespeherian at 9:05 AM on June 23, 2011 [1 favorite]
Isn't that how every case in the show gets resolved? At some point during the season Dexter starts working against Miami Metro Homicide, sabotaging their case, so that he can kill the baddie himself, and then after no one can find the baddie they go 'Oh well, guess he left. ON TO THE NEXT CASE' and I don't get why the citizens of Miami haven't started a huge protest against their inept police squad who can't catch anyone, ever, even the serial killer who was one of their detectives, or the serial killer who dated one of their detectives, or the serial killer who was best friends with one of their forensics guys.
posted by shakespeherian at 9:05 AM on June 23, 2011 [1 favorite]
A Masuka spin-off would be amazing.
posted by stinkycheese at 9:30 AM on June 23, 2011
posted by stinkycheese at 9:30 AM on June 23, 2011
1. Fumbled aftermath to the HUGE SPOILER DEATH at the end of Season 4.
Season 4 had hardly anything to add to Dexter or any other character. There were no real character arcs and it was stagnant. The finale was the only subject matter that they really played with. Sorry, Lithogow is great but he certainly didn't make up for the same retread of what we've already seen. "Who's going to win in this game of Cat & Mouse?" That was season 4, same as season 3, and season 1. Who here seriously thought that the "Big Baddie" would get away this time?
2. Crappy new characters.
We've already seen the Lithgow character twice before and he gets a pass? Meh, good acting hardly saves a show if the writers are failing to produce good storylines. Sure Stiles was kind of the apprentice which we've seen before, but this is the first time he has an outside reference for "justification" rather than validation.
3. - Yes, the show is a bit samey, just as the all the previous seasons were.
4. - You complain about added character depth but want more character depth in other characters? Matsuka is basically Quagmire, nothing really special there.
posted by P.o.B. at 11:36 AM on June 23, 2011
Season 4 had hardly anything to add to Dexter or any other character. There were no real character arcs and it was stagnant. The finale was the only subject matter that they really played with. Sorry, Lithogow is great but he certainly didn't make up for the same retread of what we've already seen. "Who's going to win in this game of Cat & Mouse?" That was season 4, same as season 3, and season 1. Who here seriously thought that the "Big Baddie" would get away this time?
2. Crappy new characters.
We've already seen the Lithgow character twice before and he gets a pass? Meh, good acting hardly saves a show if the writers are failing to produce good storylines. Sure Stiles was kind of the apprentice which we've seen before, but this is the first time he has an outside reference for "justification" rather than validation.
3. - Yes, the show is a bit samey, just as the all the previous seasons were.
4. - You complain about added character depth but want more character depth in other characters? Matsuka is basically Quagmire, nothing really special there.
posted by P.o.B. at 11:36 AM on June 23, 2011
It wasn't terrible per se, just bad compared to all seasons previous.
You must have forgotten seasons 2 and 3.
posted by mysterpigg at 11:59 AM on June 23, 2011
You must have forgotten seasons 2 and 3.
posted by mysterpigg at 11:59 AM on June 23, 2011
The first three episodes of Dexter are quite different in tone than even the rest of the first season
That doesn't surprise me. The show's original developer/writer/director, James Olmos Jr, left the show very early in the first season because of creative differences with Showtime.
I've read about his original pitch for how season one would have ended, and what season two would have looked like, and it was very intriguing and very different from what we actually got. Dexter's problems with hitting the reset button at the end of every season and watering down Dexter's inhumanity, whether they bother you or not, began with the departure of Olmos.
I've still kept up with the show, because even at the worst of times it's kind of agreeably silly, but it hasn't been really good since season two. If you want a good show about a sympathetic character doing very bad things, where actions have consequences and nothing ever happens quite how you expect, go watch Breaking Bad.
posted by EmGeeJay at 12:29 PM on June 23, 2011
That doesn't surprise me. The show's original developer/writer/director, James Olmos Jr, left the show very early in the first season because of creative differences with Showtime.
I've read about his original pitch for how season one would have ended, and what season two would have looked like, and it was very intriguing and very different from what we actually got. Dexter's problems with hitting the reset button at the end of every season and watering down Dexter's inhumanity, whether they bother you or not, began with the departure of Olmos.
I've still kept up with the show, because even at the worst of times it's kind of agreeably silly, but it hasn't been really good since season two. If you want a good show about a sympathetic character doing very bad things, where actions have consequences and nothing ever happens quite how you expect, go watch Breaking Bad.
posted by EmGeeJay at 12:29 PM on June 23, 2011
I've read about his original pitch for how season one would have ended, and what season two would have looked like, and it was very intriguing and very different from what we actually got.
Can you describe his original pitch?
posted by hilaritas at 12:49 PM on June 23, 2011
Can you describe his original pitch?
posted by hilaritas at 12:49 PM on June 23, 2011
Matsuka is basically Quagmire, nothing really special there.
The most unrealistic feature of the show is that Matsuka still has a job.
I really like the show and hope that it's wrapped up while it's still going strong.
posted by John Farrier at 2:30 PM on June 23, 2011
The most unrealistic feature of the show is that Matsuka still has a job.
I really like the show and hope that it's wrapped up while it's still going strong.
posted by John Farrier at 2:30 PM on June 23, 2011
Dexter has two seasons of being a really strong show that could have been Breaking Bad. Then, in season 3, it basically turns into Murder, She Wrote, and it stays that way going forward. All the moral ambiguity goes out the window and the show just turns into Batman vs. this year's celebrity bad guy, wash, rinse, repeat. But Michael C. Hall kills it and the celebrity bad guys tend to give standout performances that rise above the material -- after watching Smits and Lithgow, to say nothing of Juila Stiles (who never before impressed me personally, but did here) and Peter Weller (with whom the show wiped its ass, more or less, but who stole the show every time he was onscreen), I can't wait to see what Edward James Olmos brings to it. Do I wish the writing were half as inspired as the players? Well, kinda...
posted by kittens for breakfast at 3:11 PM on June 23, 2011
posted by kittens for breakfast at 3:11 PM on June 23, 2011
Here's a link with more details of Season Six, nothing I'd really call a spoiler:
TAKE IT!
posted by stinkycheese at 3:32 PM on June 23, 2011
TAKE IT!
posted by stinkycheese at 3:32 PM on June 23, 2011
TBH, at this point Breaking Bad they're writing it into a corner where it's becoming less enjoyable. I'm definitely more excited for that upcoming season though.
posted by P.o.B. at 4:05 PM on June 23, 2011
posted by P.o.B. at 4:05 PM on June 23, 2011
John Farrier: "The most unrealistic feature of the show is that Matsuka still has a job."
Only slightly less unrealistic, but with a lot more potential to be fun, is my theory that Masuka is fully aware of Dexter's secret and ignoring the evidence because he agrees with Dexter's principles. Or maybe because he's a serial killer himself. Or maybe he's afraid he'll become the next victim. Or is in love with Deb and afraid she wouldn't be able to continue being Miami Police if Dexter was caught.
posted by Riki tiki at 4:11 PM on June 23, 2011
Only slightly less unrealistic, but with a lot more potential to be fun, is my theory that Masuka is fully aware of Dexter's secret and ignoring the evidence because he agrees with Dexter's principles. Or maybe because he's a serial killer himself. Or maybe he's afraid he'll become the next victim. Or is in love with Deb and afraid she wouldn't be able to continue being Miami Police if Dexter was caught.
posted by Riki tiki at 4:11 PM on June 23, 2011
Dexter is lifestyle porn for angry geeks who feel too much and angry geeks who feel too little.
posted by Lovecraft In Brooklyn at 4:25 PM on June 23, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by Lovecraft In Brooklyn at 4:25 PM on June 23, 2011 [1 favorite]
Enjoy the books, mostly. Will the show ruin that for me?
posted by IndigoJones at 5:48 PM on June 23, 2011
posted by IndigoJones at 5:48 PM on June 23, 2011
Enjoy the books, mostly. Will the show ruin that for me?
Nah. I enjoyed both. It's like Double Dose Dexter. They're different stories.
posted by IvoShandor at 11:02 PM on June 23, 2011
Nah. I enjoyed both. It's like Double Dose Dexter. They're different stories.
posted by IvoShandor at 11:02 PM on June 23, 2011
I hope Season 6 gets Dexter back to his original premise, perhaps turning down a darker path and getting more gritty.
posted by bwg at 5:01 AM on June 24, 2011
posted by bwg at 5:01 AM on June 24, 2011
Michael C. Hall does all those Dodge commercials in his Dexter voice.
Damn! Just yesterday morning I was driving to work and thought "The guy doing this commercial has that same deadpan delivery and reminds me of the Dexter voiceovers."
I'd not watched the show in long enough to realize it WAS the guy who plays Dexter.
posted by mrbill at 2:20 AM on June 25, 2011
Damn! Just yesterday morning I was driving to work and thought "The guy doing this commercial has that same deadpan delivery and reminds me of the Dexter voiceovers."
I'd not watched the show in long enough to realize it WAS the guy who plays Dexter.
posted by mrbill at 2:20 AM on June 25, 2011
Thanks, Ivo
posted by IndigoJones at 5:16 PM on June 26, 2011
posted by IndigoJones at 5:16 PM on June 26, 2011
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posted by IvoShandor at 12:43 AM on June 23, 2011