Dexter
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Seasons(9) / Episodes(106)
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Dexter is an American television drama series that airs on American premium channel Showtime. Set in Miami, the series centers on Dexter Morgan (Michael C. Hall), a serial killer governed by a strict moral code who works for the Miami Metro Police Department as a blood spatter analyst. (official distributor synopsis)
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Reviews (11)
Season 1: A small, kind and addictive audience scam that looks terribly radical, but is actually just a black-humor throw-down of many accepted clichés. Dexter is not nearly as dark a figure as he would like to be - in fact, he quite obediently conforms to audience expectations and does not embark on the thin edge of ethics – inevitably, Doakes' "post-war" revenge on the Haitian criminal is much more problematic than his rampage. Who would want to judge that adorable darling (the teddy bear my girlfriend dubbed him to be)? Dexter entertained me in the first season, despite the relatively early revelation of who the ice truck killer is and what the deal is with him and the main protagonist. The weird feeling is compensated by excellent actors and perhaps even better written minor characters. And I really enjoy Dexter's family life. I'm not saying that more could not be gotten out the character of a murderous sociopath with a reputation as a great guy, but what the creators have made works and entertains.
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Dexter immediately captivates with its original premise of a “good” serial killer who works on the police, murdering evil serial killers while leading a normal family life, and entertains with its take on silly soap operas as the main character tries to balance his dual life as a killer and family man. Most of the ironic humor rests on Dexter's memorable internal monologues, which he uses to sarcastically crash any melodramatic situations. Personally, I'm not a fan of voiceovers, but I can't imagine Dexter without them. Without them, the inner contradiction of a character who has no emotions and tries to pretend he's just like everyone else could never work. Dexter also amusingly satirizes the usually serious forensic investigations of procedural crime shows like CSI. However, from about halfway through (after the departure of the original showrunner) it starts to suffer from what a lot of long-running shows suffer from: the proliferation of side plots from the lives of minor characters that nobody cares about, as well as the unintentionally comical pathetic moments that the series initially made such a mockery of. The story becomes less and less believable and, as a result, less and less suspenseful. In later episodes, Dexter doesn't adhere so strictly to the strict code that helped him not get caught. He's getting more and more lax, but he still gets away with it. Some major events don't even have the expected serious consequences and are brushed off too quickly. And if that wasn't enough, this is one of the worst endings of any series ever. I don't know anyone who wasn't upset by it. But don't let that put you off, the first four seasons are top-notch.
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Season 1 - 85% - In the core, a small, pleasantly escalating case where too many personal coincidences happen around the main character. And in the bigger picture, it's the first step of a sympathetically sophisticated series that intoxicates viewers with a sweet feeling of knowing more than everyone around the central character, while still being led by the footsteps of an unknown killer. In the end, it's a relaxed and gradual spectacle that once introduced me to the world of cable TV and gave me a criminally grateful character with purely logical thinking and somewhat noble intentions. However, nothing is black and white, and there are many twists yet to come.
Season 2 - 90% - Cold logic starts to crack due to the animalistic force in the form of a seductive stranger, sympathy is increasingly stolen by the uncompromising Debra, and the deserving place in the spotlight belongs to the charming Julie Benz as Rita, who is unnecessarily scorned by viewers. In this season, the creators found the ideal balance that guaranteed the show's position for a few more years, a show that everyone watches (or at least plans to start watching at any moment). And it must be said, deservedly so, because the dynamics of relationships between Dexter-Doakes, Dexter-Lila, or Debra-Lundy can captivate viewers.
Season 3 - 70% - Surprisingly stumbling at a time when all storylines should gain strength. Laguerta, despite occasionally emphasizing her importance too much, fails to impress, and she can't compete with the consistent performances of Deb or Rita. Dexter himself battles with an almost anonymous enemy and embarks on further endeavors with a rather problematic sidekick, Miguel. Here, in the third year of Miami escapades, I had the feeling that the script can dangerously waver and, in the wrong hands, could lead the entire series into unexpectedly murky waters. Fortunately, that didn't happen, and the Skinner case was concluded with credit, leaving only the anticipation for a more nourishing prey, which didn't take long to arrive.
Season 4 - 100% - The pinnacle of the whole bloody show, which cannot be surpassed in terms of uncompromisingness, nervousness, or breathlessness due to unexpected twists. The Trinity Killer became a symbol for Dexter, the epitome of a first-class villain whom everyone subsequent will strive to match - and they will never succeed. When the storylines around Batista and Joey Quinn finally work perfectly, the outcome is determined. It's a
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Season one: Dexter isn’t the type of series that wins you over at first glance, but the deeper you get into that world, the better it is. It’s main merit is the initial idea. An emotionless serial killer who pretends that he’s “normal" and works as a blood spatter specialist with Miami Police. Genius! How simple, but still something that we’ve never seen before in series form. Plus Michael C. Hall is talented and his Dexter is a nice guy even when he’s chopping his psychiatrist up into pieces. The problem is with the rest of the cast. Some of them are really annoying (I found Dexter’s sister drove me up the wall sometimes), some are fine (Dexter’s dad, the kooky Chinaman or the laid back Angel), but most of them are just boring. As the series goes on, the situation is getting a little better, but they come nowhere near Dexter and his Max Payne-style wisecracks. I’d just like to thank Fars for recommending the series to me. I’m intrigued about what season two will bring. Season two: If it manages to maintain its upward spiral, then this could be the best, or rather highest quality series of all times. Several twists every episode, and a plot that gets better and better. It’s like a dream that you don’t want to wake up from. The lives of others gain real dimensions and you find yourself no longer assessing acting performances or picking at the logic. Everything is convincing and falls in place like a jigsaw that you had as a child. Michael C. Hall is Dexter and the story that unwound during season two is one of, or maybe simply the best that I have yet seen in a series. Season three was confirmed recently and I am looking forward to it. Looking forward a lot... Season three: After the high standard set by season two, I didn’t expect the new episodes to be any better, but I hoped they would at least maintain the quality. And the creators managed this. Thank god. Moreover, Dexter goes off down unexpected alleys and the theme of “friendship" that was central to this season gains a new, different perspective. Michael C. Hall is as excellent as ever, but I’m glad that the other characters too were given better opportunities to show their stuff. The otherwise annoying LaGuerta was pretty nice in the end and Vince’s escapades are getting better and better. Plus, Dex’s new lawyer friend (the excellent Jimmy Smits) is beginning to show his true face, little by little. The only thing that annoys me is having to wait a year. It’s like a good friend leaving the country for a long time, you start missing him. Season four found a clear direction and I am seriously intrigued to see how Dexter deals with it. So see you next year… Season four: Another year has gone by and the freshly married Dexter has put a hellish time behind him. Family takes up all his time and he doesn’t know where to turn. This year they really stepped on the gas in this series. Every episode is literally jam packed with events, surprising twists and an atmosphere that you can cut with a knife. The third series was just freewheeling compared to this, I tell you. Very nice care is taken with the supporting characters too, both Deb and Quinn have great storylines and this year’s killer, John “Trinity" Lithgow, is one of the trumps of this season. The last episode is an emotional shower that I’m slowly recovering from by writing these words and the ending is poetry in itself. Even so, I felt sort of... sad. Season five: You would have said that after the shit that Dex had to go through, the creators would leave him chill for a while (six feet under), but they did this horrendous thing to him. This time they didn’t try as hard as in season four and they play on a more intimate string. Deb is slowly maturing, I’m curious when they drop that Damocles’ sword that’s been hanging over the brother-sister relationship from the very beginning of the series. Quinn has grown into a superb character, I grew to like him a lot during season five and I wonder how things will work out for him in the next season. The new arrival, Lumen, played by one of my favorites, Julie Styles, is a welcome diversification in Dexter’s life and the driving force of the whole season. I wonder what they come up with next. I think there is only one more thing they can take from Dexter, and that’s never going to happen on TV. They just wouldn’t allow it. Or would they...? Season six: What a mess they made of potentially the best theme for this season. The end of the world, God, fatherhood. The ingredients were here, but somebody didn’t do their job right. In the quest for sensation, the screenwriters ran off down illogical paths in the second half. Dexter is careless and almost ill-fittingly emotional, characters are behaving weirdly. The first half is a perfect take-off. About five episodes are exemplary, making the others fall down even flatter. Now Deb is turning into an emotional wreck, which doesn’t suit her, Quinn is super (but has too little room), new boy Mike is just there to make up the numbers. And now for the bad guy/s. The promising plan of two murderers, a master and apprentice, is foiled by a clichéd twist and the unusual extension of the existence of Trevis. The old Dexter would have been done with this pair, chip chop. Why? Because he had no emotions. The ending then finally brought what we were all waiting for, but did it ineptly predictably that the finale of season five looks like a masterpiece in comparison. I hope that season seven mends the reputation of the series because Dex doesn’t deserve such negligence. He wouldn’t like that one little bit. Season seven: At last Deb is drawn into believing in Dexter’s secret antics and the creators again cut deep, mainly toward the end of this season. The main bad guys here aren’t actually bad guys, Dexter is a immeasurably greater swine in comparison. Even the main evil maestro of this season, the Ukrainian Issac Sirko (the excellent Ray Stevenson), whose premature departure left me with an unfamiliar feeling of sorrow. The other bad guy here is Ms Hannah, whose fate (dumb, stubborn Deb!) I didn’t foresee, but it’s quite clever and I hope we haven’t seen the last of her. The whole of this season keeps a high level of quality and considering it’s already seven years that Dex has been cutting up people, it’s unexpectedly inventive and fresh. At the end, we return a lot to my all time favorite season two, but the whole Ukrainian intro also worked well and was, I dare say, even literate. It has a story, action, suspense and a certain dose of reality that season six lost. Reputation mended, excellent and promising ending. I can’t wait for season eight. So that’s what it was about, right? Finding your human streak is a drag? Rather depressive. Season eight: They had the interesting idea of a return of Dexter’s creator and then, same as in season seven, they mixed in various ingredients from previous seasons. The situation around Deb led to a lot of exiting event and the murderer who gouges out brains is fairly original. Everything was fine. But the last season again showed a fallible Dexter, but at least this time he was able to realize it, and he didn’t behave like a psychopath/person together until the finale. Unique. Dexter. I was quite moved.
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The first episodes were slightly above average, but over time it turned out to be an affair to which it’s not difficult to develop an addiction. There’s simply no other series as good, with such a sophisticated psychology and at the same time so masterfully strumming the dark side of the human soul. Review of the final season: it should be said that this is the weakest season. The screenplay is clueless, clumsy, with nonsensical random situations, with even more nonsensical plot twists, and with a logic that has more holes than a Swiss cheese. But then came the final episode, which at least partially corrected the dull impression, when the resolution of Dexter's and Debra's fate got a fantastically emotional charge and was the most logical and only right one (although if I were in the creators' shoes, I would’ve been even more uncompromising). It's admirable how believable the psychological development of Dexter was throughout the series, which has maintained (with some rare exceptions) a continuous quality that many competing TV series could only envy.
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