Television Dexter

[jem]

I think pretty much everyone here will say that. Actually, I think pretty much everyone is. This season started very promising - keeping the previous seasons in mind - as you'll see by the posts here after the first episodes. They've handled Debra finding out about Dexter really really well so far IMO and they seemingly opened up some very interesting plotlines - particularly the Louis one. The following episodes have been a bit disappointing though apart from the Dexter/Debra-plotline and the lowpoint for me was Louis just getting killed off when there was so much potential still to be tapped into.

As with anything though; when you start picking stuff apart you will find flaws. When you find some flaws, you'll go looking for more and you'll find more. As Damien says, if you want to simply just enjoy Dexter you're most likely better off to just stay out of this thread really and be happily ignorant towards the stuff you don't happen to notice/think about yourself. With so many people posting in this thread almost every mistake is highlighted after each episode which can ruin the experience for some.

Personally I've accepted that Dexter (or indeed any other TV show I follow) is not meant to be completely realistic. There will always be things that doesn't add up for a number of reasons. Some of the stuff that has happened in Dexter particularly over the past few seasons are a bit beyond what I'd just say "ah well, that's ok" to though and I expected better. Despite these flaws I still enjoy watching Dexter very much, which is all that matters in the end. If you enjoy the show, don't let people on the internet convince you otherwise with their long list of flaws.

But hasn't there only been 3 episodes? It's seems unanimous that the last one was disappointing, but otherwise, it's been a fairly solid start (by Dexter's recent standards.)

I don't get put off by what others say. I actually enjoy reading the negative comments (and love posting them myself - see Sons of Anarchy thread.) I was just a bit surprised by how negative the posts. The negativity certainly doesn't bother me (in fact I kind of enjoy it in a weird way.)

 

[Wibble]

Obviously they are streamlining the cast after the last 2 disappointing series. I'll give it a chance especially as I didn't like the two characters killed so far. More to go methinks.

 

[jem]

Obviously they are streamlining the cast after the last 2 disappointing series. I'll give it a chance especially as I didn't like the two characters killed so far. More to go methinks.

I also think Louis (or rather his death) will have a further part to play. I agree that it would be massively disappointing if there were nothing more on that angle.

 

[Damien]

Obviously they are streamlining the cast after the last 2 disappointing series. I'll give it a chance especially as I didn't like the two characters killed so far. More to go methinks.

Yeah, they seemed to introduce a few more characters but didn't do much with them. They've got rid of one that could have been promising but hadn't done that much in Mike, but at the same time they've also got rid of someone which might have had more to give in Louis. The way Louis died could actually create more opportunities for storylines and I don't think it is the last we'll hear of him.

 

[Red Pavan]

I enjoyed the first 4 seasons so much, i don't know why i lost interest from season 5 onwards. I think i still have season 5 and season 6 on my laptop, worth trying to get back on this again?

 

[KingEric7]

Definitely. It was a massive let down, as mentioned in my previous post and also in a post shortly after the episode aired. They even used a large part of this season already building him up some more only to kill him off. It was mind-boggling really.

In general the show seems to suffer massively by not having some sort of leader who has an overview. I'm assuming they have someone who's meant to fill this role, but he's failing spectacularly. Both Louis and the black cop (forgot his name due to how little he was involved) both had a lot of potential but neither was allowed to fulfill it.

Aye. They've needed to introduce someone decent to liven things up a little for some time. A Doakes, a Trinity, someone... Dexter alone makes the show worth watching, but it's annoying that they haven't come up with a quality character of significance since Trinity that has actually remained in the series long enough to make a proper impact. You can just tell now right off the bat that there's going to be very, very little to the blonde girl as a character, no matter how integral to the plot she is.

I'm going through The Wire now finally, and the difference in quality between characters is actually staggering even for ones that aren't actually involved too heavily. This is to be expected I should imagine given the differences between the two series (Dexter is first person pretty much, so naturally the emphasis is going to be mostly on him), but it takes watching a series like that to fully realise how shite the likes of Quinn, Batista and La Guerta actually are. Quinn in particular...ridiculously cliche and pointless.

 

[Cina]

I enjoyed the first 4 seasons so much, i don't know why i lost interest from season 5 onwards. I think i still have season 5 and season 6 on my laptop, worth trying to get back on this again?

Because it's a steaming pile of dog shit in comparison.

 

[crappycraperson]

I think pretty much everyone here will say that. Actually, I think pretty much everyone is. This season started very promising - keeping the previous seasons in mind - as you'll see by the posts here after the first episodes. They've handled Debra finding out about Dexter really really well so far IMO and they seemingly opened up some very interesting plotlines - particularly the Louis one. The following episodes have been a bit disappointing though apart from the Dexter/Debra-plotline and the lowpoint for me was Louis just getting killed off when there was so much potential still to be tapped into.

As with anything though; when you start picking stuff apart you will find flaws. When you find some flaws, you'll go looking for more and you'll find more. As Damien says, if you want to simply just enjoy Dexter you're most likely better off to just stay out of this thread really and be happily ignorant towards the stuff you don't happen to notice/think about yourself. With so many people posting in this thread almost every mistake is highlighted after each episode which can ruin the experience for some.

Personally I've accepted that Dexter (or indeed any other TV show I follow) is not meant to be completely realistic. There will always be things that doesn't add up for a number of reasons. Some of the stuff that has happened in Dexter particularly over the past few seasons are a bit beyond what I'd just say "ah well, that's ok" to though and I expected better. Despite these flaws I still enjoy watching Dexter very much, which is all that matters in the end. If you enjoy the show, don't let people on the internet convince you otherwise with their long list of flaws.

I think there is a difference between giving leeway to a TV show and being blind to it flaws.

Even BB takes a lot of liberties and you have to suspend belief for certain events. In terms of being strictly realistic, only Wire, Mad Men and perhaps Sopranos qualify.

Problem with Dexter is not that they try to pull off outlandish stuff but that standard of writing has clearly gone down. There was minimal or non existent character growth for about 3 seasons. It is common theme with Showtime shows- see Weeds, Californication for more proof. Even in the current season, some of the dialogues are cringe-inducing though the overall direction of the show is trying to course correct the mistakes of the past.

 

[Count Orduck]

Has this fallen victim to Showtime's refusal to let a good thing end? They're a great network for producing quality series (almost as good as HBO), but unlike HBO they don't know when to let things end - once they're on to a good thing they milk it and milk it until it's so shit it's unrecognisable. Seems like the same thing has happened here.

 

[Solius]

It kind of annoys me that Deb hasn't asked more questions. Like "So you were the Bay Harbor Butcher? What happened there? Why was Doakes involved? Who else have you killed that I'd know of? Did you kill Trinity? Did Rita die because of you?"

Surely they'd be logical things to ask and be in the forefront of your mind.

 

[Cina]

It kind of annoys me that Deb hasn't asked more questions. Like "So you were the Bay Harbor Butcher? What happened there? Why was Doakes involved? Who else have you killed that I'd know of? Did you kill Trinity? Did Rita die because of you?"

Surely they'd be logical things to ask and be in the forefront of your mind.

Yeah, especially the Bay harbor Butcher thing, surely she should know that from his blood slide collections.

 

[Solius]

She did kind of bring it up and he was like "Deb come on..."

AND THAT WAS THE END OF THAT.

 

[JohnLocke]

So far it had been an improvement on the previous season but the days of it being a quality programme are long gone and won't be coming back either. It's a shame really. Fringe has gotten seriously shit as well.

Has it been announced if this is the final season?

 

[esmufc07]

No there's going to be an 8th

 

[Amir]

I think some of the criticism is over the top. It's still a good show, the start to the season has been good in my mind and the real test will come later. Three episodes just aren't enough to measure it up.

 

[Bear Attack]

No, it's a crap show now. Aside from Debra and Dexter, none of the characters have any significance or bearing on the direction of the plot. The core of the story advances at a snail's pace and the penumbra is just consisting of pointless arcs that lead to nowhere. And when they do try to extend the prism of possibilities like when they introduced Mike or Louis, they end up dead. It is clear as day that the show has outlived its gimmick but the sheer fact that the writers are severing everything that has the potential to be intriguing only to satisfice for the ho-hum anti-drama we've seen for the past three seasons angers the hell out of me.

 

[Cina]

I think some of the criticism is over the top. It's still a good show, the start to the season has been good in my mind and the real test will come later. Three episodes just aren't enough to measure it up.

People said the exact same things at the start of season 5 and 6.

It's pretty clear that the writing is just very poor now and overall they don't have a clue what they're at.

 

[JohnLocke]

No there's going to be an 8th

I kind of feel compelled to finish it as I've came this far! But I don't really look forward to watching it now.

At least at this rate things can only get better.

 

[kouroux]

I miss that feeling when I was watching Season 1 and 4 for the first time.

 

[That'sHernandez]

Personally I think this season started poor and has continued poorly. It's all been one big borefest and I'm only watching the show now because I have come this far, I have to see it to the end now.

 

[Count Orduck]

I miss that feeling when I was watching Season 1 and 4 for the first time.

Best two seasons by a long way, by the sounds of it.

 

[Scrumpet]

Can't really be bothered watching the latest episode. I think I might be done, I don't really care what happens in the end at this point.

 

[kouroux]

Last episode was very good in comparison to last week's

Spoiler

That Spelzer killer was creepy.Best thing about this season so far is the character development regarding Debra.
Batista remembering he's a detective who can think

 

[Dargonk]

Just seen the latest one. I thought it was very good, building things up nicely

 

[kps88]

I enjoy all the criticizing I get to do whenever I watch an episode.

- Deb made one hell of a leap there when questioning bull man. "So you're mum was attractive...I bet you have all sorts of fecked up mommy issues".

- So if someone doesn't say "yes" after being read his rights, anything he says after that during an interrogation is not counted? Couldn't they have detained him for resisting arrest and trying to assault four police officers?

- Female Mike! Seriously what's the point? Did she win a contest or something where she gets to utter a couple of lines? Might as well have just kept male Mike around or have Quinn roam solo.

I enjoyed the Dexter scenes a lot more this episode though. Probably my favourite episode of the season.

 

[Desert Eagle]

It used to be frustrating how bad the storylines and writing was on Dexter, now I just take it for granted.

 

[Dargonk]

- Female Mike! Seriously what's the point? Did she win a contest or something where she gets to utter a couple of lines? Might as well have just kept male Mike around or have Quinn roam solo.

I did wonder who she was. Seemed to just randomly appear in a few scenes.

I think the reason this episode was one of the better ones is because it was largely build around dexter and deb and her coming to grips with the whole killer thing. It didn't have as much air time for the part time players/detectives

 

[Damien]

I enjoyed that.

It kind of annoys me that Deb hasn't asked more questions. Like "So you were the Bay Harbor Butcher? What happened there? Why was Doakes involved? Who else have you killed that I'd know of? Did you kill Trinity? Did Rita die because of you?"

Surely they'd be logical things to ask and be in the forefront of your mind.

And some of those questions were asked last night

Spoiler

and it looks like the first question will be explored upon more next week

. I understand the frustration but I like that she's gradually piecing things together even though realistically the first thing she should have thought of was Trinity and Rita when he told her who he was.

- Deb made one hell of a leap there when questioning bull man. "So you're mum was attractive...I bet you have all sorts of fecked up mommy issues".

She was just trying to get him worked up, even though what she said didn't make sense.

Interesting kill with Dexter abandoning his routine and disposing of his slides as well.

 

[wr8_utd]

Absolutely loved that episode. Easily the best of this season imo and the best for quite a while. Loved the kill.

 

[Wowi]

I enjoy all the criticizing I get to do whenever I watch an episode.

- Deb made one hell of a leap there when questioning bull man. "So you're mum was attractive...I bet you have all sorts of fecked up mommy issues".

- So if someone doesn't say "yes" after being read his rights, anything he says after that during an interrogation is not counted? Couldn't they have detained him for resisting arrest and trying to assault four police officers?

- Female Mike! Seriously what's the point? Did she win a contest or something where she gets to utter a couple of lines? Might as well have just kept male Mike around or have Quinn roam solo.

I enjoyed the Dexter scenes a lot more this episode though. Probably my favourite episode of the season.

It's about riling up the suspect really. Not sure what's unrealistic about it.

Without knowing the laws that well, I'm pretty sure you can't interrogate a suspect without reading him his right and making sure he understands them. I actually thought they did quite well explaining why he was let go "he received a hard knock on the head so could've been unconscious for a little bit".

Thought it was a very good episode. Debra is obviously accepting Dexter's way more and more whether she likes it or not and now Dexter got rid of his trophies which Debra hated.

Still not sure what I think about the Eastern-connection really. I think it has potential, but they just keep putting in some very poor scenes. The bit about him checking the picture and crying at the end? What the feck. Quite interesting that Batista wasn't completely useless for once and realised it was a staged suicide though.

 

[KingEric7]

- Female Mike! Seriously what's the point? Did she win a contest or something where she gets to utter a couple of lines? Might as well have just kept male Mike around or have Quinn roam solo.

I enjoyed the Dexter scenes a lot more this episode though. Probably my favourite episode of the season.

Have I missed something here? Who's this?

Was ok this latest one. Preferred the first one, but it's building towards something that could be good. It's a bit soppy at times with all the talk between Debra and Dexter coupled with the dramatic music, but it's getting going at least.

 

[Kinky Melinky]

Really enjoyed that episode. Bull man was really creepy. What a suck fecker

 

[ha_rooney]

Very good episode, best of the season so far.

The scenes between Dexter and Debra are still the highlight, she finally seems to accept him for who he is. Although, I hope they don't revisit the incest angle again.

I still don't care for the Ukrainians and their pursuit of Dexter, I actually found Speltzer more interesting. Dexter's imitation of Speltzer before he kills him

Batista correctly suspecting a cover-up is out of character for him.

 

[Kinky Melinky]

Very good episode, best of the season so far.

The scenes between Dexter and Debra are still the highlight, she finally seems to accept him for who he is. Although, I hope they don't revisit the incest angle again.

I still don't care for the Ukrainians and their pursuit of Dexter, I actually found Speltzer more interesting. Dexter's imitation of Speltzer before he kills him

Batista correctly suspecting a cover-up is out of character for him.

Pissed myself laughing at that. It was brilliant.

 

[Kinky Melinky]

I'm kinda glad there's less of LaGuerta in this season. She annoys me. I just find her boring but what might be interesting is how they play out her investigation into the slide she found at one of Dexter's kill sites

 

[Wowi]

Dexter's imitation of Speltzer before he kills him

That was incredible Speltzer was a quite good character really, but would probably have grown tired of him over time. Proper creepy though and played the role very well.

 

[Kinky Melinky]

Batista correctly suspecting a cover-up is out of character for him.

He actually used to be a police officer

 

[kouroux]

The Spelzer killer was very well done.Too bad they didn't try to develop the reasons that made him do that crazy kill routine of his.

 

[KingEric7]

Pissed myself laughing at that. It was brilliant.

"Fuuuuuck, fuuuuuck"...

Rewound that so many times.

 

[kouroux]

how fecking ridiculous is this outfit

Spoiler