 | Dexter is the new drug of choice
rating: 5
What an amazing series...I don't subscribe to Showtime and purchased the first season on a whim...based partly on reviews and partly because I missed seeing Michael C. Hall on Six Feet Under when it ended...and I am SO glad I did! It has become the most addictive series I have ever watched on television...period! I watched the first season at a one or two episode pace till the season was done...but the second season was so different and edge of your seat thrilling, that I had to finish it as soon as possible! I love how the writers make you LOVE and empathize with a serial killer.You want him to succeed and get away with everything he does. I was sad to see a major character killed off for plot's sake at the end...but understand how it was necessary to lead to the final act of murder that Dexter needed to commit to tie up this season perfectly. Now my question is HOW on earth will the third season keep up the wonderful momentum and in what direction will they take Dexter now?
I can't wait to see...but will probably have to until the third season is available for purchase...and then it will be a marathon viewing!
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Fearless
rating: 5
I've already mentioned my tenuous link to the Dexter crew in my review of Season One, so I'll just skip to why I love this show so much: because it's fearless.
This season takes many of the established tropes that make Dexter's life (Michael C. Hall) as a vigilante/serial killer plausible and tosses them out the window. Everything that was a minor annoyance in the first season is amped up to 11. Dexter's dumping ground for corpses, a quaint little spot in the ocean that nobody ever noticed, gets noticed. Officer Doakes (Erik King), who was openly hostile to Dexter, becomes a very real threat. Harry's Code, which keeps Dexter on the mostly-straight and somewhat-narrow path, comes into question. LaGuerta (Lauren Velez) stoops to new lows to get her old job back. And Dexter's sister Debra (Jennifer Carpenter), who was always annoying to begin with, moves in with him to become even more annoying.
The show doesn't forget its past. Debra is traumatized by the fact that she almost married a serial killer; the characters regularly forget the incident and stumble over apologies as they make insensitive remarks. Dexter greatly misses his serial-killer brother, the only person who understood him. Until he finds a new soul mate: Lila (Jaime Murray).
Lila seems to rub a lot of people the wrong way (or the right way, if you like brunettes). She's gorgeous in a goth fashion, completely uninhibited, and madly in love with the Dexter she doesn't see. She's also a complete loon. All these attributes make her a perfect fit for Dexter...except Dexter is very much a family man, a killer who would never harm children, who despite his violent excesses surrounds himself with the trappings of family. Lila throws in sharp relief what vestiges of Dexter's personality are decent, and as such she's a perfect foil for season 2.
The other breakout character is Doakes. Once Doakes unearths Dexter's past, the two come to an understanding. Throughout the season are philosophical arguments that detail each man's past in a game of one-upmanship. Who is worse: the special ops soldier who murders people he's ordered to kill, or the vigilante who uses free will to determine whom he executes? We don't get a clear answer, only more questions.
There are some entertaining nods to the field of serial killer investigation. Don Foster (Author Unknown: On the Trail of Anonymous) gets a shout-out...and is soundly, brutally mocked for his language analysis, sorry Don. So does Bob Ressler (Whoever Fights Monsters) in the form of Special Agent Frank Lundy (Keith Carradine). An awkward but believable subplot develops between Lundy and Debra, just further exemplifying that none of Dexter's heroes are one-dimensional, but fully developed and all too humanly flawed.
We tore through this season on our Netflix list, clearing out our queue to ensure we could watch all the DVDs back to back. The show is that good.
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Awesome
rating: 5
Man, This show is soo addicting. Glad I decided to purchase.
If you don't know or have heard of this show.......GET IT AND CLEAR YOUR SCHEDULE.
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I Like This Serial Killer -Sick Huh?
rating: 5
While some scenes are spotty, this is a top show for the year and very fascinating. The thinking of the lead is a dark pleasure and darkly amusing.
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3+1/2 stars ==== I'm a fan, but I was disappointed
rating: 3
The first season of "Dexter" blew me away -- it was just so odd and difficult and implausible, engrossing and delicious, clever and suspenseful. Michael C. Hall, in particular, gave such a bravura performance that we could even forgive dead spots in casting such as actress Jennifer Carpenter (who plays Dexter's sister, Debra, and who I find singularly unappealing...)
Anyway, Season Two was a major letdown, and while I had to see how it all came out, it was bit of a chore to watch all the way through. Having created a brilliant premise, and met with great critical acclaim, the show's producers seem to have been at a loss for how to keep all the plates spinning in the air, and this season had a slight shark-jumping feel to it. More importantly, week after week, the writing felt uneven, picking up momentum and losing it again without establishing a consistent rhythm -- if we the audience were a fish that was being reeled in, these folks kept giving us too much slack. Also, what is it with the lame female actresses on this show? Brit export Jaime Murray did the impossible: she was even more annoying and less appealing than Jennifer Carpenter! Wow. And, jeez, I hate to say it because I think he's a great actor, but it almost felt like Michael Hall was coasting on this one... The brilliant actor-within-an-actor-within-an-actor kachina doll performance of Season One gave way to an almost one-note characterization this time around.
This is certainly worth checking out, but all in all, it was quite surprising to see how abruptly the tone of the show shifted from one season to the next: hopefully Season Three will get things back on track. (Axton)
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