Dexter - Part 5

[Deserana]

Oh yeah that's true. Deb just telling the killers to leave really annoyed me.

 

[Reek]

i wonder why they never revisited that. Deb lets the killers go... then she finds out Dex is a killer and completely loses her ****... just to be magically cured in 3 episodes by Vogel's sorcery

 

[Reek]

Dex: You supported 'taking out the trash' but now you don't.

lol

 

[Reek]

[YT]XCboInV2pxY[/YT]

 

[hellblazer103]

it seems that pretty much all of show time's shows (dexter, californication, weeds ,etc . ) have this trend of starting off fantastically, then slowly becoming **** after the first few seasons. i hope shameless and ray donovan don't end up going that direction.

 

[Reek]

I wouldn't imagine Liev sticking around long enough for that to happen... but who knows.

its like they are obsessed with the mid series GAME CHANGERS! WOOO LETS CHANGE THIS **** THATS BEEN WORKING FOR 4 YEARS!

 

[Tron Bonne]

i wonder why they never revisited that. Deb lets the killers go... then she finds out Dex is a killer and completely loses her ****... just to be magically cured in 3 episodes by Vogel's sorcery

The situations were pretty different. It's one thing to theoretically be okay with killers you don't know doing a justified crime, but learning your brother who you've known your entire life is a serial killer is a far different thing.

And Deb was not magically cured, I felt. Her struggle with Dexter's true nature basically spanned a season and a half. I thought that was handled very well. I get that this season has disappointed a lot, but I think we're letting that bled into some revisionist history of what's actually happened before.

it seems that pretty much all of show time's shows (dexter, californication, weeds ,etc . ) have this trend of starting off fantastically, then slowly becoming **** after the first few seasons. i hope shameless and ray donovan don't end up going that direction.

I've noticed this, too. I thought Weeds sort of recovered and become okay, but it never got back to those original seasons.

 

[Deserana]

I just wish someone would have the balls to just say "This is my show, this how it starts and this is how I want it to end" then make it. I'm almost worried to watch something now that wont have an end which eliminates a LOT. I pretty much look away from all shows that have the name J.J. Abrams attached.

Can you imagine how good Dexter could have been if the person who made it just said "This is the story and it will last 4 seasons". Unfortunately probably only Gilligan would have the power to make those sort of choices. I seen writers many times say "Oh this show was only meant to last blah blah blah seasons" and most of the time you can really tell when it was meant to end. Supernatural for example was only meant to last 5 seasons but is now on its 9th!

 

[Reek]

And Deb was not magically cured, I felt. Her struggle with Dexter's true nature basically spanned a season and a half. I thought that was handled very well. I get that this season has disappointed a lot, but I think we're letting that bled into some revisionist history of what's actually happened before.
.

what I meant was that she was doing some hard drugs, pill poppin, drinking, extremely depressed... and it just ups and goes away after a couple of sessions with Vogel? Jennifer carpenter was putting out an emmy worthy performance then the writing just went to crap.

 

[Teelie]

I've noticed this, too. I thought Weeds sort of recovered and become okay, but it never got back to those original seasons.

I agree with that. I quit watching Weeds when it went totally off the original premise into that completely ridiculous arc. Californication is teetering back and forth too. It's still mostly on track but it does deviate and go into these sidelines off track. Dexter completely lost it this last season though so it at least managed to keep on target for almost its entire run.

 

[Reek]

With weeds... when they left Agrestic it started to lose it self IMO. I mena some parts and seasons after that were good... but I feel it lost the charm it had

 

[DyeLorean]

I just wish someone would have the balls to just say "This is my show, this how it starts and this is how I want it to end" then make it. I'm almost worried to watch something now that wont have an end which eliminates a LOT. I pretty much look away from all shows that have the name J.J. Abrams attached.

Can you imagine how good Dexter could have been if the person who made it just said "This is the story and it will last 4 seasons". Unfortunately probably only Gilligan would have the power to make those sort of choices. I seen writers many times say "Oh this show was only meant to last blah blah blah seasons" and most of the time you can really tell when it was meant to end. Supernatural for example was only meant to last 5 seasons but is now on its 9th!

Is not that easy. There's a lot of thigns to take into account when an idea gets presented to a television network. They don't know how long is gonna last. No writer/creator will know what's gonna happen in 4 seasons of his original idea. Not to mention all the things he's gonna realize as soon as the first reviews come in.

Look at Alcatraz, they probably had a bunch of ideas to explore, but the number weren't good, and they cancelled it after only one season. Elizabeth Sarnoff probably said the same thing you mentioned "this is gonna last 4 seasons and this is what's gonna happen"... until it doesn't, and it ends the show with a cliffhanger that's never gonna be resolved.

Lost it's a great example. It started building something, but they didn't know if what they wanted to tell was gonna last 3, or 9 seasons. They knew mid-season 3 that the show couldn't go on indeterminately (like Dexter) and they set 3 final seasons to tell what they wanted to tell. You can argue all you want about the quality, but the writers did a great thing at putting an end date, with plenty of time to resolve each season and how every plot line was gonna work out. And Lost was even trickier, with such a complex structure.

 

[georgec]

I just wish someone would have the balls to just say "This is my show, this how it starts and this is how I want it to end" then make it.

 

[Reek]

 

[HighFivingMF]

Dan Harmon tried doing that.

 

[Tron Bonne]

I just wish someone would have the balls to just say "This is my show, this how it starts and this is how I want it to end" then make it. I'm almost worried to watch something now that wont have an end which eliminates a LOT. I pretty much look away from all shows that have the name J.J. Abrams attached.

Yeah, it doesn't happen often, but quite a few shows have managed this recently. Breaking Bad, Mad Men, and Sons of Anarchy are all shows that have gone pretty much as intended as far as to my knowledge.

 

[JJJ's Ulcer]

I agree with that. I quit watching Weeds when it went totally off the original premise into that completely ridiculous arc. Californication is teetering back and forth too. It's still mostly on track but it does deviate and go into these sidelines off track. Dexter completely lost it this last season though so it at least managed to keep on target for almost its entire run.

If by "almost its entire run" you mean its entire second half (seasons 5-8) then sure.

 

[Deserana]

Is not that easy. There's a lot of thigns to take into account when an idea gets presented to a television network. They don't know how long is gonna last. No writer/creator will know what's gonna happen in 4 seasons of his original idea. Not to mention all the things he's gonna realize as soon as the first reviews come in.

Look at Alcatraz, they probably had a bunch of ideas to explore, but the number weren't good, and they cancelled it after only one season. Elizabeth Sarnoff probably said the same thing you mentioned "this is gonna last 4 seasons and this is what's gonna happen"... until it doesn't, and it ends the show with a cliffhanger that's never gonna be resolved.

Lost it's a great example. It started building something, but they didn't know if what they wanted to tell was gonna last 3, or 9 seasons. They knew mid-season 3 that the show couldn't go on indeterminately (like Dexter) and they set 3 final seasons to tell what they wanted to tell. You can argue all you want about the quality, but the writers did a great thing at putting an end date, with plenty of time to resolve each season and how every plot line was gonna work out. And Lost was even trickier, with such a complex structure.

I get what you mean. But to me all the best shows are where (for the most part) it's clear the writers are planning ahead. Even if it never gets to that point. Look at stuff like Breaking Bad or even things like Arrested Development. The writers stopped and thought about exactly where the show was going and then a little further, the amount of foreshadowing in both shows to later seasons is amazing. To me it's (on the whole) painfully obvious when a show is off the beaten track.

And that is how Dexter from about Season 5 has felt. I like them all (but 8) but IMO Seasons 1 - 4 have been the only seasons where it felt like a natural progression from what happened before. Everything seems to made up on the spot, most evidently in 8. Characters and plots are brought in and dropped just as quick (The woman beats Quinn as Sergeant and there hasn't been a peep since).

All I'm saying I just want a creator to have the nutsack to just map out everything "this is where character A is at the beginning and this is him at the end of each season yadda yadda yadda", plan season by season but also make each one its own beast (like a franchise film series) then just pitch the whole thing. If it gets cancelled before fine the show may be crap if not it should just carry on till it's natural end.

It may just be the US but being from the UK I'm used to things being short and sweet. Life On Mars, Ashes to Ashes, The Office, Extras, Fawlty Towers, The Inbetweeners, Green Wing, The IT Crowd, Black Books, Spaced, Spooks, Luther etc etc all shows that (for the most part) were short and whether they were intended to be the end or not they certainly felt natural. Rarely has a show properly lived out it's welcome but in the US I can see many on the road to doing that or have done it for example I don't see an end in sight to The Walking Dead, Revolution, The Big Bang Theory and others.

Dexter would have been the perfect show to just be like "This is how it starts and this is how each season would go" but it doesn't work like that, ratings come first and that's so infuriating to me.

 

[Teelie]

If by "almost its entire run" you mean its entire second half (seasons 5-8) then sure.

It was uneven through those seasons but this last season was where it truly lost its place and seemingly the entire fanbase.

 

[TheBat812]

I get what you mean. But to me all the best shows are where (for the most part) it's clear the writers are planning ahead. Even if it never gets to that point. Look at stuff like Breaking Bad or even things like Arrested Development. The writers stopped and thought about exactly where the show was going and then a little further, the amount of foreshadowing in both shows to later seasons is amazing. To me it's (on the whole) painfully obvious when a show is off the beaten track.

And that is how Dexter from about Season 5 has felt. I like them all (but 8) but IMO Seasons 1 - 4 have been the only seasons where it felt like a natural progression from what happened before. Everything seems to made up on the spot, most evidently in 8. Characters and plots are brought in and dropped just as quick (The woman beats Quinn as Sergeant and there hasn't been a peep since).

All I'm saying I just want a creator to have the nutsack to just map out everything "this is where character A is at the beginning and this is him at the end of each season yadda yadda yadda", plan season by season but also make each one its own beast (like a franchise film series) then just pitch the whole thing. If it gets cancelled before fine the show may be crap if not it should just carry on till it's natural end.

It may just be the US but being from the UK I'm used to things being short and sweet. Life On Mars, Ashes to Ashes, The Office, Extras, Fawlty Towers, The Inbetweeners, Green Wing, The IT Crowd, Black Books, Spaced, Spooks, Luther etc etc all shows that (for the most part) were short and whether they were intended to be the end or not they certainly felt natural. Rarely has a show properly lived out it's welcome but in the US I can see many on the road to doing that or have done it for example I don't see an end in sight to The Walking Dead, Revolution, The Big Bang Theory and others.

Dexter would have been the perfect show to just be like "This is how it starts and this is how each season would go" but it doesn't work like that, ratings come first and that's so infuriating to me.

The problem is that writing is an organic process that changes over time. I agree you need an overall goal/theme to shoot for and follow, but you have to be loose. Ie, breaking bad changed a lot from their original intentions, but the overall place the story was meant to go (in a broad sense) is the same, and they were able to play off the momentum of the show to know when they'd reach the end.

 

[The Demon's Head]

Clyde Phillips (The original Dexter showrunner) did a Reddit AMA, and he agreed with most of the fans' complaints- http://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/1mkv67/i_am_clyde_phillips_showrunner_of_dexter_and/

 

[Upset Spideyfan]

He said he's going to give what his ending would have been after the finale airs.

 

[DJ_KiDDvIcIOUs]

Well all I know is I only have to sit through one more episode and if those spoilers are true..... boy howdy I don't think I will tell anyone this show goes beyond season 4. I'm glad I have another show that has one more episode left after this one so if they leave me with a crappy taste in my mouth it will be quickly washed away

 

[Ghostvirus]

Okay guys. Lets all try to get to that site on Monday, & some one please post the original ending the Clyde was going to do.

I am really curious.

 

[Ghostvirus]

HA! Clyde Liked LOST. FU HATERS!