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Dexter

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Before I get back to the GoT thread sometime, the series of which I thought had a very disappointing ending it seems that this one did too.

TimovieMan - 13 August 2019 04:00 PM
chrissie - 13 August 2019 03:45 PM

I’ve watched a lot of series so how have I missed Dexter but I have - does the final season make all of the seasons before a waste of time?

Dexter is 4 seasons of brilliance, a slightly lesser (but still great) 5th season, a great first half of a 6th season with a weak second half, a part-great part-bad 7th season, and one clusterfuck of an awful 8th season that has pretty much the worst final episode of any series I’ve seen. The last 15 minutes nearly manage to destroy everything that came before.

Which is ironic, since Michael C. Hall’s series before Dexter, Six Feet Under, may have the BEST ending to any series ever…

Dexter was a great recommendation Tim Thumbs Up  I have since binge-watched & got so hooked!
Loved it! Great characters & quips, the funniest being from Vince accompanied by his laugh when he knew he was being ‘naughty’ & Dexter himself within the narrative (you know what I mean) - I laughed so many times.
The characters that irritated me were all of Dexter’s girlfriends + the 1st one that became his wife but [spoiler]Rita, as annoying a she was (silly voice & needy) to me was a perfect balance along with his son that he recognised that he needed. 

I do agree for the most part of your appraisal of the seasons. For me 1 - 5 were great with superbly thought-out plots which were lacking in the seasons afterwards. The story arc within seasons 6 - 8 felt very contrived with some very cheesy details that really didn’t sit well with Dexter’s character - so perhaps all a clusterfuck?
The absolute ending bothered me less but kind of made sense - Dexter ‘loved’ his sister (a constant in his life) & he should have killed Hannah in the first place as that what he does. He shouldn’t have the ability to be ruled by his heart & he realistically shouldn’t have trusted to leave his son in the care of a killer - it doesn’t make sense! Also, he should have killed Daniel Vogel - it doesn’t make sense that he didn’t. Another contrived ploy. Too Hollywood!

I wanted to believe in the perfect psychopath that only kills bad people & doesn’t have that ‘human’ side that is controlled by his ‘love’ for anyone else other than his son & sister so I’m not disappointed there but….
.....the show has been compared to Breaking Bad. Yes, there are some seasons that do so favourably (1 - 4?) but overall BB began with a focus on a story with a beginning, middle & end & very slickly took you through to a ‘satisfactory’ conclusion but unfortunately Dexter doesn’t do that.
As engaging as it is it meanders you through a thoughtful few seasons to scrapping around with some very bad ideas with interesting details to keep you interested.

 

     
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chrissie - 28 August 2019 03:22 PM

Loved it! Great characters & quips, the funniest being from Vince accompanied by his laugh when he knew he was being ‘naughty’ & Dexter himself within the narrative (you know what I mean) - I laughed so many times.

Part of why the later season weren’t as good is that Dex’s voice-over wasn’t as consistently funny any more.

Apart from Vince (who is indeed hilarious), I also really liked Angel Batista (except in the later seasons where he seemed to get sidelined).
There was a scene in the first season where he talks to Internal Affairs about a shooting involving his partner Doakes (who was also a great character), that just proves how good of an actor David Zayas really is. And I loved his romantic subplot with Det. Gianna in the third season (especially his clumsy phone call). Too bad they nixed that in the fourth season.

The characters that irritated me were all of Dexter’s girlfriends + the 1st one that became his wife but [spoiler]Rita, as annoying a she was (silly voice & needy) to me was a perfect balance along with his son that he recognised that he needed.

Rita wasn’t so bad, and I actually liked Lumen - in part because it was nice to see Julia Stiles in a high-profile role again after she’d pretty much disappeared off the grid. The last seasons however… Hannah McKay was just… poor. There was no chemistry whatsoever between Yvonne Strahovski and Michael C. Hall. Made the whole thing very unbelievable.
Luckily there was the entire Isaac Sirko plotline to keep the seventh season interesting. Fantastic performance by Ray Stevenson and by far the best part of the entire final three seasons.

I do agree for the most part of your appraisal of the seasons. For me 1 - 5 were great with superbly thought-out plots which were lacking in the seasons afterwards. The story arc within seasons 6 - 8 felt very contrived with some very cheesy details that really didn’t sit well with Dexter’s character - so perhaps all a clusterfuck?

I quite liked Brother Sam (yet another off-beat performance by Mos Def), and I just *loved* Isaac Sirko. But yeah, other than those two: pretty poor seasons.

The absolute ending bothered me less but kind of made sense - Dexter ‘loved’ his sister (a constant in his life) & he should have killed Hannah in the first place as that what he does. He shouldn’t have the ability to be ruled by his heart & he realistically shouldn’t have trusted to leave his son in the care of a killer - it doesn’t make sense! Also, he should have killed Daniel Vogel - it doesn’t make sense that he didn’t. Another contrived ploy. Too Hollywood!

The whole Deb’s in love with Dexter plot was very contrived, imo, and I hated the screenwriters’ indecisions at the end. First they make it seem like nothing is more important than Hannah (which never rang true) and his son, but then he stays for his sister, pretty much abandoning his girlfriend and especially his son. Then when his sister dies, he commits suicide by sailing into a storm, which apart from a piss-poor special effect was just contrived.
But they didn’t stop there. No, their indecision takes it to the next level with [spoiler]Dexter surviving and for some reason not going to see his kid, but starting a new life as a lumberjack.[/spoiler]
They had the gall to not just let him go to South America and have something of a happily ever after, but they lacked the balls to just have him die, and the result merits a reaction that pretty much boils down to this:

I wanted to believe in the perfect psychopath that only kills bad people & doesn’t have that ‘human’ side that is controlled by his ‘love’ for anyone else other than his son & sister so I’m not disappointed there but….
.....the show has been compared to Breaking Bad. Yes, there are some seasons that do so favourably (1 - 4?) but overall BB began with a focus on a story with a beginning, middle & end & very slickly took you through to a ‘satisfactory’ conclusion but unfortunately Dexter doesn’t do that.
As engaging as it is it meanders you through a thoughtful few seasons to scrapping around with some very bad ideas with interesting details to keep you interested.

I pretty much agree. Grin

     

The truth can’t hurt you, it’s just like the dark: it scares you witless but in time you see things clear and stark. - Elvis Costello
Maybe this time I can be strong, but since I know who I am, I’m probably wrong. Maybe this time I can go far, but thinking about where I’ve been ain’t helping me start. - Michael Kiwanuka

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TimovieMan - 28 August 2019 05:12 PM

Apart from Vince (who is indeed hilarious), I also really liked Angel Batista (except in the later seasons where he seemed to get sidelined).
There was a scene in the first season where he talks to Internal Affairs about a shooting involving his partner Doakes (who was also a great character), that just proves how good of an actor David Zayas really is. And I loved his romantic subplot with Det. Gianna in the third season (especially his clumsy phone call). Too bad they nixed that in the fourth season.

I liked Angel too but Det. Gianna was in my mind [spoiler]a bitch & a ‘bully’ from the start that overlooked a few rules when it suited but otherwise for the most part a sincere & dedicated officer of the law who didn’t deserve to be shot - well if you asked me to choose between an upstanding woman & my brother I would have done the same. 

The characters that irritated me were all of Dexter’s girlfriends + the 1st one that became his wife but [spoiler]Rita, as annoying a she was (silly voice & needy) to me was a perfect balance along with his son that he recognised that he needed.

Rita wasn’t so bad, and I actually liked Lumen - in part because it was nice to see Julia Stiles in a high-profile role again after she’d pretty much disappeared off the grid. The last seasons however… Hannah McKay was just… poor. There was no chemistry whatsoever between Yvonne Strahovski and Michael C. Hall. Made the whole thing very unbelievable.

In my mind Rita was the best for Dexter (as whiney as she was) & Lumen - I wish she’d came back as she knew some of his background & was as sound as a pound herself after the revenge which made her a great partner for Dexter actually a very agreeable & non-confrontational guy for the most part.
No, I really didn’t like Hannah & agree it was very unbelievable that Dexter got so obsessed - that wasn’t him.

I quite liked Brother Sam (yet another off-beat performance by Mos Def), and I just *loved* Isaac Sirko…...

I liked Brother Sam too but just another guy from a terrible background that made good. Yes, was he the one that made Dexter think that there may be light?
Isaac Sirko He’s the gay guy? I didn’t think being gay would be a big deal until I thought perhaps not if you’re a major player in the gang scene.

There were far too many living people within the last few seasons that knew Dexter’s secret - it shouldn’t have been & Debra should have suspected rather than caught him. 

     
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chrissie - 29 August 2019 10:54 AM

I liked Angel too but Det. Gianna was in my mind a bitch & a ‘bully’ from the start that overlooked a few rules when it suited but otherwise for the most part a sincere & dedicated officer of the law who didn’t deserve to be shot - well if you asked me to choose between an upstanding woman & my brother I would have done the same.

I think you’re talking about LaGuerta. I was talking about “only in this for half a season” Det. Barbara Gianna.

The characters that irritated me were all of Dexter’s girlfriends + the 1st one that became his wife but [spoiler]Rita, as annoying a she was (silly voice & needy) to me was a perfect balance along with his son that he recognised that he needed.

Isaac Sirko He’s the gay guy? I didn’t think being gay would be a big deal until I thought perhaps not if you’re a major player in the gang scene.

The thing that makes that a big deal is because he’s Ukranian, where that’s very much frowned upon. Maybe not as bad as in Russia, but probably close to it.

There were far too many living people within the last few seasons that knew Dexter’s secret - it shouldn’t have been & Debra should have suspected rather than caught him.

Yeah, having her finding out first-hand pushed the series in a direction it shouldn’t have gone in.

     

The truth can’t hurt you, it’s just like the dark: it scares you witless but in time you see things clear and stark. - Elvis Costello
Maybe this time I can be strong, but since I know who I am, I’m probably wrong. Maybe this time I can go far, but thinking about where I’ve been ain’t helping me start. - Michael Kiwanuka

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Joined 2012-03-24

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TimovieMan - 29 August 2019 04:27 PM
chrissie - 29 August 2019 10:54 AM

I liked Angel too but Det. Gianna was in my mind a bitch & a ‘bully’ from the start that overlooked a few rules when it suited but otherwise for the most part a sincere & dedicated officer of the law who didn’t deserve to be shot - well if you asked me to choose between an upstanding woman & my brother I would have done the same.

I think you’re talking about LaGuerta. I was talking about “only in this for half a season” Det. Barbara Gianna.

I’d completely forgotten about Det. Gianna hence the mistake so thanks for the link! Yes, it’s a shame that she didn’t hang around.  Smile

     
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I am considering to start watching Dexter hmm

     
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The ending didn’t really make sense to me either. It was a decent and interesting series. I probably would only consider the 1st season to be “a masterpiece”. After that there was plenty of things to nitpick about, but the series still carried almost to the end. I would consider watching the 1st season again but don’t really feel like the rest would be worth of my time.

Some people made comparisons to Breaking Bad. In my opinion Dexter was actually a much better person than Walt and he could have been deserving of an actual happy ending, but I never really loved Hannah either, so the hinted happy ending was going at least slightly in the wrong direction. Death would have been a better option, or anything else really than this sudden urge to become a solitaire lumberjack…

Walt was kind of a douchebag in the begin with and he kept spiraling into more and more selfish, shit person. I was already hoping him to just die during 4th season and felt that the 5th season was mostly dragging out the story already. But the series conclusion was surely much more satisfying than what Dexter had to offer. The bad guys died and most of the good guys got out alive.

     

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