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Underground > Film, TV & Theatre >

Dexter

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MattShepherd: I WEDDED KALI!

21:10 / 18.11.06

A friend of mine put me on to Dexter a few days ago, and I've just watched the first four episodes -- it's not bad. The premise (mild spoilers!) is that a cop, realizing his foster son is a latent serial killer, trains him from youth to channel his urges into killing only people that escape justice -- largely, other serial killers. He grows up, and winds up being a Miami blood forensics expert.

The show so far follows a basic "extended baddie" arc, where Dexter goes after a horrible person every week but the simmering plot of the Ice Truck Killer rolls on in the background.

Obviously there's a certain goofiness to the premise (one might think that Dad would have tried, y'know, THERAPY before honing his son into being a lethal instrument of serial-killing justice), but they treat Dexter's "condition" with a lot more acumen than I would have hoped. He's not "cool," or even particularly likeable, but the first-person narrative wanders through the fact that he's deeply troubled by himself and his own lack of emotional connection to anything. He dates a domestic abuse victim because he figures she'll have no interest in sex, which is another thing he doesn't really "get."

It's not rewriting television history or anything, but it's solid. Based on a book series I've never heard of, but I'd imagine the source material was strong in the first place.

01:22 / 13.12.06

personally, as I just wrote on the BSG thread, I think this is the best show on American TV right now. at least as far as dramas go. sort of makes HBO stuff look tame by comparison, not that their series aren't overrated anyway.

the writing is excellent and the tension keeps building. I can't wait for the finale on Sunday.

04:57 / 13.12.06

I'm really enjoying this show, and there is not a lot of stuff on TV that I actually watch every single episode of.

The finale will be bitter sweet I think, as they always are. I hope Showtime doesn't take too long to get the next season rolling, I'm a little bit hooked.

00:27 / 19.12.06

that was pretty sweet. almost too tidy, methinks, though. it's interesting that we still don't know who killed Dexter's mother or really much about that event other than the fact he also had a brother there. speaking of which, I was sitting there thinking, "of course. what an idiot I am for not realizing that..."

they set up some pretty interesting things for the second season, too...

13:25 / 19.12.06

***Spoilers***

The big question for me going into the finale was whether Deb would come out of this season knowing Dexter's secret. So far, apparently not. But I'm wondering if her unconscious mind didn't overhear some of Dex and Rudy's conversation. Perhaps something from it will show up in nightmares or come out in therapy.

And if Doakes starts digging around, it doesn't seem like it would take him too long to connect that storage crate with the house they found Deb at and eventually Dexter himself.

Damn, I wish I didn't have to wait a year to see more of this!

21:10 / 19.12.06

**More spoilers**
I thought Deb would have noticed what they were talking
about, but I guess it's a nice thing to keep so it can pop up in the next season. I got the how could I have missed that feeling as well, I was sure there was some kind of connection between them other than professional admiration, but didn't think of them being brothers.

I also thought it was strange that Dexter didn't tell about the family thing to the other cops. Wouldn't someone like Dexter rather have it out in the open than have it discovered by Doakes?

22:07 / 19.12.06

*** still spoilering ***

I also thought it was strange that Dexter didn't tell about the family thing to the other cops. Wouldn't someone like Dexter rather have it out in the open than have it discovered by Doakes?

Yeah, that puzzled me a bit too, but I chalked it up to Dexter wanting to be the first one on the scene so that he could decide for himself what would happen to Rudy.

01:26 / 20.12.06

anyone know if the books are as good as the series?

One other thing I found interesting in the finale was that we never really learn that much about what happened to Dexter's mother -- who did, why, why in the cargo container? seems like there are still alot of things to reveal.

16:09 / 22.12.06

Haven't read the books, but this show was definitely one of my favorite new shows of the season. The creeping unease in the characters, the sort of unfolding of joy in Dexter as he does his dirty deeds and finds other like him, which at the same time seem like a compulsion.

At one point, I thought they were going to go the route of Dexter's early family massacre never actually happening. Rather, Harry "finds" a kid, and sort of teaches him the ways of a serial killer, implanting memories of a horrible event. I fully expected to find out that Harry was a serial killer himself who decided to pass it all down.

And it has just about the best opening ever. I have never found an opening that so perfectly describes and encapsulates its own show.

09:55 / 02.01.07

Looks like a second season is announced, not airing until October 2007, but still. If it's anything like this season I'll be watching it.

About the books, I was thinking perhaps Dexter's eating would be featured more there. There have been a few times that Dexter has talked about food in the series and I got a feeling that was something that might have come from the books, but toned down a lot. I guess it's worth keeping a look out for the books.

17:09 / 02.01.07

I thought this series looked pretty interesting from what was said here. Why, though, did no-one say who was playing Dexter? 26 episodes into a Six Feet Under marathon and having heard about the leading man in Dexter I now really want to watch it.

21:19 / 02.01.07

Oh yes, for anyone new to this thread, Dexter is played by Michael C. Hall, who also plays David Fisher in Six Feet Under.

11:57 / 03.01.07

Best opening titles is completely right. Turning getting up into making breakfast into a montage about serial killing is pretty fucking inspired. Lots of taught rope, and that shot where he pulls his shirt over his head, Red Dragon style.

Watched the whole series now.

I like how Dexter really isn't some totally on-the-ball super-killer who's able to fit in anywhere like some kind of Hannibal the Early Adventures.

The bits when he gets into a social situation and he just doesn't know what to do are so good they're uncomfortable. Like when Rita's ex comes to get his money and Dex says he never knows when to step in.

Anyone think Dex is redeemable? There's points all over the series showing that he's capable of being brief brought out of his serial killer shell: when he goes back to Rita's after the therapy session, or when he's startled by the alligator and he shits one, or when he thwacks Rita's ex completely against his better judgement. There's a human boy inside the scary robot man.

No idea where they're going to take the show now it's main mytharc is gone. Dexter's slow path back to humanity via Rita and the kids?

12:02 / 03.01.07

I fully expected to find out that Harry was a serial killer himself who decided to pass it all down.

It could still happen. There had to be something off about Harry in the first place. Like another poster said earlier, did the guy just never consider THERAPY?

Have to mention the series had a great sense of comedy even when things were grim with Dexter's "great handjob" quip or when Angel, Matsuka, Dex and Debra are talking about the bronco.

12:17 / 03.01.07

Anyone think Dex is redeemable?

I'm thinking yes, especially after the bout of therapy that had him enjoying 'proper' sex with Rita. The sex thing he'd just sort of decided he couldn't do, that not being able to make or maintain that kind of connection was simply a function of his mental problems that he had to live with. Then suddenly this apparently unbreakable barrier was gone and he took a large step towards being 'normal'. Which isn't to say that his desire to kill and inability to empathise could also be 'cured', but it gives hope when something else he thought was an unassailable aspect of this personality was proved to be not so. I don't know if it's intentional or not but that particular episode seem to strongly say "Look, with just two therapy sessions and a bit of insight into the reasons for his condition Dex suddenly makes a leap forward. What could he achieve if he took the therapy thing entirely seriously (as opposed to the kind of intel gathering drive which was his real reason for being there at the time)?"

There's also the fact that he refused to kill his sister, and indeed killed his brother instead to keep her safe. It's left a wee bit vague as to why exactly he did this admittedly, there's no obvious rush of love for Deb over-riding the temptation of the purer life his brother offered, but again it's a choice that an irredeemable psycho-killer might not make, which brings it's own hope.

19:45 / 04.01.07

Thoughts so far, bearing in mind I haven't read much of what's been posted here, 'cause I've only seen one episode:

- PB, it's good, but it clearly isn't a patch on The Wire - The L Word could also give it more than a run for it's money (sorry, had to get that in).

- I wouldn't say Dex is redeemable - this guy kills people for fun - but a dose of humanity sans psychopathy may well be on the cards, in that a) he only kills baddies, and b) the first ep sets up the potential for him to be able to feel: he may well have a sex drive and his repressed past may well be holding back his emotional self (popular pseudo psychology, dontchaknow).

- The way the show filters the world through Dex's psychopathy looks set to be it's principal hook. For now I'm having fun, but I wonder whether Dexter will keep my interest in the long run.

Loving Dex and Doake's relationship

11:44 / 23.02.07

The first season of this was, hands down, one of the best seasons of television I've ever seen. I never in a million years thought it would be that good.

I was actually quite upset when Michael C. Hall lost the Emmy to Hugh Laurie. Much as I love House, in 3 seasons, he never came close in terms of acting.

I'm actually quite confused that there is no DVD release coming.

17:15 / 23.02.07

Popping in to say that I thoroughly enjoyed the poo out of this series. It's a nice genre piece - a gen-u-ine thriller on yer actual telly - that has the added bonus of being an ongoing series where things like character, themes and relationships can really be explored. Where you can learn to proper love the characters involved. And, you know, I do think Dexter is very lovable: he brings poetic justice to nasty nasty baddies, he - in all but name - sorta loves his sister, he's a big geek (for blood, but hey!), he is baffled and bemused the kind of obnoxious behaviour that most of us fail to notice because it's become invisible through its sheer ubiquity, he works hard at his relationships even when the going gets tough, he's good with kids, and he's principled. What more do you want? That fact that he's a sociopath just makes it... er... fun.

Our Lady Has Left the Building

18:10 / 15.07.07

I've just seen the first episode on FX and am seeing a lot of potential in this. Hall is great in this, so far the fact that he's a serial killer is the least interesting part of this to me, it's the coping mechanisms he uses to try and pass as a normal person, and what happens when they misfire and give him bad data, he claims to be unemotional and uninterested in sex, yet talking about the Ice Truck Murderer gives him the horn and he tries to make out with damaged girlfriend, later, he's completely oblivious to the fact his Chief wants to jump his bones something bad. He somewhat reminds me of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time in that disconnect. I'm definitely going to keep watching.

Shiny: Well Over Thirty

19:06 / 15.07.07

Hmmm I didn't want to bump this thread seeing as it's horribly spoil-tastic for those that have just started watching in the UK, but seeing as it's been bumped now, here's my thoughts.

After seeing an ad for this somewhere I decided to download the whole series on the off chance it might be good. At the time I had no idea Dexter himself was played by Michael C Hall, or I probably would have downloaded it months ago, thanks to my long term David Fisher crush. He was in the ad I saw as well - so it's a testament to how fantastic an actor he is that I didn't recognize him straight away. In fact even once I worked out it was him I had to check IMDB to be sure.

Anyway what I loved about the show, whilst trying not to be too spoilery, was that one is never quite sure exactly how damaged Dexter is. I mean other than the urge to kill people of course, I really wonder if Dexter is actually quite as messed up and inhuman as he thinks he is. I mean the whole business with his being unemotional, and disconnected from humanity - surely most people feel like that from time to time, to a greater or lesser degree. Indeed part of the horror and the wonder of the show is that it realy makes one think about exactly what it is, if anything, other than the obvious killing people thing that makes Dexter so different from everyone else.

In fact SPOILERS
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The episode towards the end of the series in which Doakes murders a guy who it turns out he knew was a monstrous murderer in cold blood, and gets away with it, really, really invites us to contemplate what the difference between him and Dexter is in a way that's made all the more compelling for the fact that Dexter himself has almost no involvement in the plot thread, other than to act briefly as a pretty straight up forensics guy.
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End Spoilers

Oh and in my opinion Dexter totally does have a lot more emotional range than he thinks he does. At least I hope that’s intended and not just down to the extreme difficulty of writing and performing as someone who is genuinely dead inside.

Anyway can’t wait for the next series.

06:00 / 19.07.07

The first two episodes of the second series are available via BitTorrent if anyone's interested. Mind you, I'm not entirely convinced of the wisdom of watching them given that the series proper doesn't begin airing until the end of September...

Shiny: Well Over Thirty

15:59 / 31.07.07

Not that I'm recommending doing it of course, since EVAL, but apparently the first two episodes of series two have been leaked and are extremely available for bittorrenting right now. Y'know just mentioned as an item of curiosity of course.

16:38 / 31.07.07

Thanks for telling us this first, Shiny.

14:07 / 01.08.07

The Doakes thing is 100% gonna get picked up. I'd be supersurprised if it were just a throwaway bit of interestingness.

As for Dexter's emotional range, I'd be in for another bout of supersuprisement if it turned out that the writers weren't presenting him as rather a lot more than "dead inside" deliberately. It's about identifying with the character, innit? No good trying to carry multiple, lengthy series on the back of a truly remorseless, ice-cold psychopath - everyone would hate 'em, and consequentially the show would offer very little scope for drama.

lille christina

15:34 / 03.08.07

I've read the books (after I started watching the tv series) and I have to say the tv version of Dexter is a bit better than the books are. Both "Darkly Dreaming Dexter" and "Dearly Devoted Dexter" are written in a first person perspective, so you only know what Dex knows (and thinks, lol) but in the tv series you get more angles which makes it a bit more exciting.

I just finished reading the 2nd book "Dearly Devoted Dexter" and I've seen the 2 first episodes of the 2nd series (I won't spoil by telling but they are excellent).

In the 2nd book they talk a lot about Dexters eating habits and the thing between Doakes and Dex is getting more and more tense. If you (like I) can't wait until october for more Dexter then I reccomend the books they are fun, exciting and easy read.

Shiny: Well Over Thirty

20:50 / 03.08.07

I've just got done watching those two episodes and I agree as to their excellence. Without going into spoilers I'll say I was impressed with how well the two episodes worked watched as one block - it was almost like watching a two hour Dexter movie, also I think they work as a skillful bridge from series one, to what I suspect will be the meat of series two.

With regards to the books, I've heard that Dexter is a significiently darker and more disturbing figure than in the TV series, and I can easily see how this could be the case. This makes me in two minds about them - I'm certainly interested, but I was wondering are they really much darker, or more brutal than the TV series, and do they have that little chink of humanity and humour that doesn't exactly balance out the darkness of the TV show, but certainly serves to make it palatable?

lille christina

22:58 / 03.08.07

Yes, tv-Dexter is a little bit less of a "neat monster" than book-Dexter. I think that is because you're practically in his head all the time, seeing it from his perspective only, when you are reading the books. In the 2nd book he feels and fears his human site and that he might like it.

The books are a tiny bit darker and more brutal although they -just like the tv series- don't describe the murders in detail, which is something I like about Dexter. I don't think it is necessary to show all the blood and the cutting.

I don't want to spoil anything for those who haven't read it but find it to be hard to discuss it without describing it more thoroughly.

My boyfriend hasn't read the 2nd book yet, but I'm looking forward till he does. It's so frustrating when you have a really cool story to tell but you can't because it'll spoil others' expirience of reading it. Damn you Jeff Lindsay!

Shiny: Well Over Thirty

05:50 / 04.08.07

The books are a tiny bit darker and more brutal although they -just like the tv series- don't describe the murders in detail, which is something I like about Dexter. I don't think it is necessary to show all the blood and the cutting.

Thanks. That's probably what I needed to hear - the possibilty of detailed, and lurid descriptions of the blood and cutting was one of the things that made me a bit nervous of the novels. I'll probably see if I can lay my hands on the books when I'm at the book shop this afternoon.

Our Lady Has Left the Building

18:42 / 01.10.07

I've finished on the first series and I have to say I think it's the best thing on telly at the moment, or was when it was shown a week ago. Ask me that when it's being shown at the same time as Doctor Who, Heroes and a new series of Babylon 5 that wasn't shit, then you might get a different response, but it livened up my summer no end.

The best part was once the Ice Truck Killer was identified, the whole subplot of him trying to understand Dexter was wonderful, his concern that the room of blood freaked Dexter out rather than delighted him, and because of his emotional state, completely oblivious to how much he's pissing Deb off by talking about it. And of course, that's his downfall in the end, because he's unable to empathise with Dexter, otherwise he'd realise that trying to get him to kill his sister is precisely the wrong thing to do to try and get him to flip to the darkside, because she's not a bad person. The ITK just doesn't understand the moral code.

The fact that both Dexter and the ITK think they are empty and emotionless when they aren't, but their different emotional states are logical is wonderful.

I hope the plot with Rita discovering the shoe doesn't mean the abusive husband somehow gets out of jail. I have no problems with bumps appearing in that relationship but he's one arsehole I don't really want to see again, and I think that now he's sewn doubt in her mind that's hopefully it for him.

lille christina

18:49 / 02.10.07

Ooh! Ooh! I think we'll all have so much to look forward to, now that season 2 has started. And Also "Dexter in the dark" is on the book shelves...weeeeiiii !

13:08 / 07.10.07

Dexter is such a nice guy! If he hadn´t his emotional problems, I wonder if he had the heart to kill all those serial killers.

I´ve skipped most of the thread, since I have two episodes of the first season left.

Often, actors remind me of someone, and I have to puzzle it out, or otherwise it detracts me from paying attention. Dexter´s face and his voice remind me of Billy Bob Thornton. But there is another actor, who he reminds me of much more.

Have you ever seen the Canadian TV show Regenesis [official site, wiki link]? I´ve seen the first three seasons. The series rocks and is about scientists of NorBAC (The North American Biotechnology Advisory Commission). Dmitry Chepovetsky plays Bob Melnikov, a briliant scientist with Asperger´s. See the parallels? He´s pretty much Dexter without the good looks, sex and murders,
slight spoiler

and like Dexter later in the series he starts to feel emotions which throws him for a loop.

end slight spoiler

If you like Dexter, check out Regenesis. Of course, the series is very different (although it also has a recurring serial killer), but the show is exciting, cerebral and for adults only.

And back to Dexter:
A friend always praised Six Feet Under, and after seeing Dexter, I´ll have to check it out at last. This is such a good actor! I really take interest in what is happening to him (which doesn´t really happen with the characters on Heroes, 24, BSG, for example). I´d continue watching it, if Dexter got healthy and stopped his murders. I still haven´t figured out, if what he does is evil, or if there might be some good to it, since he stops these murderers cold. There are other ways to handle it, as he has shown with his girlfriend´s ex (though admittedly that guy isn´t a serial killer).

14:35 / 30.10.07

Soooo, anyone else finding Jaime Murray's pouty pouty lips ever so slightly irritating.

I know she's supposed to be super sexy and enticing, but it's starting to do my head in.

09:13 / 31.10.07

I couldn't stand her in Hustle, can't stand her here either. In Hustle she was also supposed to be super sexy, but I don't find her all that sexy so it just looks weird to me.

10:55 / 31.10.07

I'm finding Jaime Murray's performance to be both convincing and interesting. So, yes, she does work for me as an enticing sexual figure, but I also think it is the right way to explore Dexter's sexuality, or lack thereof. That is, his utter innocence with respect to her flirtation with him - a fairly forward flirtation, in fact - means that he feels no guilt and more importantly has no awareness of the jealosy that Rita is experiencing and will continue to experience.

I love the way that he doesn't recognise that the emotional bond he feels with Lila stems in part from a sexual attraction. True, it is also rooted in the acceptance and understanding that he gets from Lila due to the fact that she has an insight into his dark side...but for Dexter this *is* sexual, only he doesn't know it.

12:23 / 31.10.07

It's not that I don't find her convincing, or indeed a worthwhile component, it's just that she's driving me mad.

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