Dexter - Part 5

[Tron Bonne]

Yeah, I personally don't think it's too much to expect more out of a final season of a serialized drama. Especially when it was known that season 7 & 8 would tie directly into one another.

 

[Deserana]

Reposted, the post wasn't showing up on my laptop for some reason...

There's no doubt about it...9 episodes in and my mind has yet to be blown. I expected all the cards to be on the table sooner, and they have waited a bit too long to set everything up IMO. But it's not this abomination of television that people are making it out to be, not by a longshot. It's not THAT far off the mark for Dexter standards. Of course, if the ending fails to have any impact whatsoever and it's all for nothing, then I'll agree with the critics. Until then, there are still the final 3 episodes of this series to watch and judge.

I don't think this show is awful. I mean I still tune in everyweek to see what happens and you just don't do that with an awful show. I could just look at a recap online the day after if I wished. I do however think this is bad for Dexter standards. Even the poorer seasons of the show had a focus.

Season 1: Ice Truck Killer
Season 2: Bay Harbour/Lila
Season 3: Miguel/Skinner
Season 4: Trinity
Season 5: Lumen/Jordan
Season 6: Travis/Deb
Season 7: Hannah/Deb

Yeah there always subplots but those were essentially the focuses. In this season (the one IMO that should have the MOST focus on something) it just tiptoes around everywhere. You could say Vogel but she drifted away for a little while and became pretty insignificant, Zack came in midway through and is now done, Deb's issues are pretty much done, Hannah entered not too long ago, the brain surgeon disappeared for a long time. A plot comes in then is dispatched just as quick.

Now you may think I'm expecting too much and I am. It's the final season. But the main reason is that the writers have had a helluva long time!!! They knew midway through season 7 that this would be the final season. It's not like they were practically finished with S8 and the network dumped the "cancelled" tag on them. They have had time to plan out, structure and create a story that naturally builds and builds to a natural conclusion fitting not finishing just a season but the entire show. To me this feels like none of those things have happened.

If this was still episode 4/5 then yeah I'd admit that maybe I'm being hasty. But there is three episodes left. Can I be blamed for wanting more? I don't see anything coming that will make me think "yeah this conclusion was worthy of 9 episodes of build up".

And by the way this is all coming from someone who enjoyed every season other than 3.

 

[Reek]

Yeah, I personally don't think it's too much to expect more out of a final season of a serialized drama. Especially when it was known that season 7 & 8 would tie directly into one another.

expecting more and being disappointed is completely different then just straight up saying this show is terrible.

Reposted, the post wasn't showing up on my laptop for some reason...

thats been happening to me a lot lately.

 

[Tron Bonne]

expecting more and being disappointed is completely different then just straight up saying this show is terrible.

Yeah, but I was referencing what he was saying, which is basically the first part I thought

 

[Reek]

Yeah, but I was referencing what he was saying, which is basically the first part I thought

i think ive confused myself

 

[BatLobster]

expecting more and being disappointed is completely different then just straight up saying this show is terrible.

Exactly.

Regarding your point Deserana, I agree that most seasons have had a singular focus...until Season 7. Last season to me is where they started juggling all these multiple plotlines that were all vying for the top spot. You had Deb becoming Dexter's accomplice/dealing with the truth, Hannah and Dexter, The Ukrainian mob/Isaac, Laguerta closing in on Dexter. All were crucial to the season in one way or another.

To me this feels kind of like an extension of Season 7 in style. Hannah is also the first "guest" character to return in a later season (alive, anyway), so that further connects the two seasons.

Anyway, I share the concerns most people have now. I thought it'd be kicked into another gear by now. But I'm still hoping this show finds a way to reward my patience in the final 3.

 

[Matt]

This season is just a mess, IMO.

 

[The Shape]

Funny that many of the people in this thread who keep complaining about this season have openly admitted to reading those spoilers that were posted a few weeks back, which must have given away any twists and turns that lay ahead (including the true identity of the Brain Surgeon).

Why any TV fan, hardcore or casual, would bother to read ANY spoilers of the final season of a television show is beyond me. Of course you're disappointed. You're watching and just waiting to see things that you know or assume will happen. Of course there's no suspense or fun in that. And OF COURSE any spoilers sound worse when reading a few poorly-written sentences compared to actually watching moments play out on screen.

 

[Tron Bonne]

Funny that many of the people in this thread who keep complaining about this season have openly admitted to reading those spoilers that were posted a few weeks back, which must have given away any twists and turns that lay ahead (including the true identity of the Brain Surgeon).

Why any TV fan, hardcore or casual, would bother to read ANY spoilers of the final season of a television show is beyond me. Of course you're disappointed. You're watching and just waiting to see things that you know or assume will happen. Of course there's no suspense or fun in that. And OF COURSE any spoilers sound worse when reading a few poorly-written sentences compared to actually watching moments play out on screen.

Two things:

1. People were expressing disappointment of this season well before those spoilers were floating around

and

2. I think a lot of people were assuming they were fake spoilers, because well...let's just say hopeful thinking. I think you're missing the overall point of what people are finding disappointing. I don't think being on paper or playing on screen helped this situation much personally.

 

[Deserana]

Funny that many of the people in this thread who keep complaining about this season have openly admitted to reading those spoilers that were posted a few weeks back, which must have given away any twists and turns that lay ahead (including the true identity of the Brain Surgeon).

Why any TV fan, hardcore or casual, would bother to read ANY spoilers of the final season of a television show is beyond me. Of course you're disappointed. You're watching and just waiting to see things that you know or assume will happen. Of course there's no suspense or fun in that. And OF COURSE any spoilers sound worse when reading a few poorly-written sentences compared to actually watching moments play out on screen.

Normally I'd agree with every single word here but I have to admit I contradicted myself and read the spoilers. The spoilers themselves weren't that big. The only big thing it said was that Saxon was the brain surgeon (which is something myself and many had guessed). Other than that it was just stuff like Dexter plans to leave with Hannah which was already obvious.

To be clear I didn't read the original ones so apparently due to what I've read I have missed a big spoiler.

My issues are nothing to do with the spoilers. It's the execution. Saxon being the surgeon could have been great. But to me it was done is such a cliched typical murder mystery way. He was always just in it enough so you didn't forget him but was just in it too much for him to not be a spare part. If they integrated him from ep 1 then it could have worked! They had the chance. They planned the whole season. But now to me it's just "why the **** is the guy who just wondered in in episode 5 the main bad guy?".

Funnily enough The Ice Truck Killer is an example of it done right! He is in it just enough so you don't forget but then is brought in gradually to the whole main plot and romantically involved with Deb. Plus the show also gave you some suspects. This season it was really only outta Saxon and Vogel.

I'm all for it if it's executed right. My friend spoiled a big moment of Doctor Who for me, it sounded awful. But when I watched it, it was brought to screen so beautifully that I felt it worked. The reveal of Saxon wasn't anything big. It was just "oh. It's Saxon".

 

[PWN3R]

As a LOST fan there is something about this season that really bothers me other than its overall lack of urgency, stakes and tension: and that is its use of "Make Your Own Kind of Music." Haha, yes I am serious. I will forever associate that song with Desmond and the Hatch. You would think the writers would have known that song was a powerful moment in another popular series.

Yes, I'm nitpicking. But seriously, this season has been disappointing in the extreme. I once called this my favorite show...

 

[BatLobster]

The thing is, I don't believe the Brain Surgeon is truly the big bad of this season. He's more of a device, the truly important character and ultimate obstacle for Dexter is Vogel IMO, and she's been in plain sight since the first episode.

I also am glad the reveal wasn't some huge revelatory moment, since I thought Cassie's boyfriend being the killer and true Brain Surgeon was pretty obvious after episode 8. I mean, yeah it's kind of cliche murder mystery, but I don't feel it's the type of thing the show has shown to be above historically, really. Nothing is worse than an easy to predict twist masquerading as a mindblowing twist (Doomsday Killer I'm looking at you!).

To me the real surprise came in Episode 8, when Zach had a chunk of brain missing. It caught me off guard because I had more or less believed that Yates was truly the Brain Surgeon and that part of the story was over. Once I knew the Brain Surgeon was still out there, Cassie's boyfriend became the no. 1 suspect by default.

 

[Reek]

DO NOT WATCH THE PREVIEW FOR NEXT WEEK!

Wow. talk about a spoiler and how they blatantly make it obvious what happens. be warned guys.

 

[BatLobster]

That is exactly why I don't watch the Dexter previews. They're cut in way too obvious a manner sometimes.

 

[georgec]

I think the worst preview was in season 4 when they blatantly showed Trinity's daughter grabbing a gun, then Deb saying, "No!" followed by a gunshot and zoom in on Quinn's face outside the building.

What are Showtime's promo editors thinking? Why do they spoil everything?

 

[Reek]

george, this preview is right up there with that one IMO... it doesnt actually SHOW it but it is pretty goddamn obvious... and it is definitely not to throw us off...

 

[The Shape]

I think the worst preview was in season 4 when they blatantly showed Trinity's daughter grabbing a gun, then Deb saying, "No!" followed by a gunshot and zoom in on Quinn's face outside the building.

What are Showtime's promo editors thinking? Why do they spoil everything?

Showtime has been doing the same **** with Ray Donovan, too. Watching the previews makes it a waste of time to watch the follow-up episodes. It's sad.

 

[DyeLorean]

What a sloppy show. The plot holes are getting increasingly terrible.

If it is any consolation, if Dexter and Hannah do indeed come to Argentina -I live there- I will personally try to kill them for this awful last season.

 

[DyeLorean]

As a LOST fan there is something about this season that really bothers me other than its overall lack of urgency, stakes and tension: and that is its use of "Make Your Own Kind of Music." Haha, yes I am serious. I will forever associate that song with Desmond and the Hatch. You would think the writers would have known that song was a powerful moment in another popular series.
.

Yeah, yeah, totally. There are a million songs out there, why use the same one?

 

[Reek]

So now that we know that isn't Vogel in the brain surgeon video earlier this season, who the hell is it?

 

[DyeLorean]

Funny that many of the people in this thread who keep complaining about this season have openly admitted to reading those spoilers that were posted a few weeks back, which must have given away any twists and turns that lay ahead (including the true identity of the Brain Surgeon).

But that's just one of the problems right there, the reveal should be a big thing, and it's so anticlimatic. It's done with a Dexter's monologue and a ****ing face recognition software. It's terrible.

 

[Liam_H]

I have to say Dexter with his face recognition software was hilarious.

 

[Reek]

ohh nevermind that ws just Saxon walking on the camera... for some reason I though the camera was already picked up

 

[The Demon's Head]

It's not Dexter that's ****ed up, It's the Code. Dexter was a tramuatized little kid, and what was Harry and Vogel's response? Train him to become a serial killer, who only kills "Certain kinds of people" and then chops them off into little pieces.

The first two seasons never lost sight of that, making Dexter's kill scenes extremely disturbing. Remember how excited Dexter used to be before a kill? This wasn't your messed up version of Batman. This was Harry's monster. And Harry realized it, which is why he commited suicide.

Season 8 had a lot of potential by introducing Vogel. Dexter could've asked her so many questions. Instead, it's all shrugged off, Vogel keeps saying Dexter is a "Psychopath" (although not the perfect "Psychopath") And the writers keep treating Dexter as a Superhero.

 

[georgec]

Dexter's monologues used to be funny and insightful. Now they're boring, lame narration for the absurd and poorly written plots.

MCH just looks so tired of the role.