Dexter

Takes life. Seriously. A likeable and successful Miami PD forensic detective who is very popular and has a happy relationship... But first impressions can be wrong. Dexter just pretends to have emotions, in reality he isn’t capable of feeling anything. And, just by the by, he is also a serial killer who only murders murderers, but as we know, the more you eat the hungrier you get. No, this really isn’t just another variation on CSI. And personally I wouldn’t even this as a criminal thriller. The indescribable acting performance by Michael C. Hall (who played David Fisher in Six Feet Under; this guy seems to have a natural talent for strong roles and working with dead bodies) in the main role will get right under your skin and, although this time he is directly involved in their deaths, so this is a completely different slant. And again he handles it beautifully; without him Dexter wouldn’t work for a second and the entire concept would collapse like a house of cards. A disturbing series that asks controversial questions and, because it’s made for cable, is peppered with rude words. Everything here is brilliant, from the choice of actors, through capturing the special atmosphere of Miami, to the technical aspects, where the soundtrack is the proverbial icing on the cake. The opening credits, reminiscent of Švankmajer, and the flawless “dark" piano during the ending credits complete the picture, convincing you that this series is pure genius. However much Dexter’s psychological profile differs from the book (like totally; in the book he is an absolute screwball on the brink of madness and schizophrenia), it really doesn’t matter in this series. The series makes up for this with detailed storylines involving the other PD members. It almost seems that the creators found inspiration in the Argentinian series Epitafios. This is missing in the book, which is really only about one sick mind. And what about season two? Some drift away in their thoughts, Dex’s cadavers drift away in the sea. Significantly different to season one. And, believe it or not, although it doesn’t look like it at the beginning, it’s even better. FilmBooster hasn’t got enough stars to be able to evaluate this properly. It’s that good. And even season three exceeds the quality bar, although perhaps not as much this time round. Despite this, Dex is still unique and mainly unbelievably real. At least as far as life is concerned. Again, still, again and anew. It loses points mainly in the storyline with the main baddy which is... Just a little tired. And then, not only thanks to the phenomenal Lithgow, season four is the best season of all (so far). Of course, if I took Dexter primarily as a criminal series, I wouldn’t be so enthusiastic, but I take it mainly as a series about life. Sooner or later, we all end up having to deal with Dexter’s relationship, family and social problems, and that is where the power of this series lies. And if I add to that a suspenseful and gripping sarong, then it can only be positive. Although I am convinced that it would have worked well even without that sarong. Surprise, surprise, season five is nothing short of excellent, but for my taste it has strayed too far from Dexter’s struggle with “humaneness" to classic thriller (albeit with wider overlap into other realms than most, even above-average thrillers). The behavior of some protagonists and the police is rather illogical given that this is presented as a thriller; on the other hand, it is fundamental in building atmosphere and suspense. In this season, Dex finds himself a little sidelined and it is the girly Debra/Lumen duo who go through the greatest development. But this isn’t a negative - there is a reason for it - but the screenwriters should have stepped on the gas in the last quarter hour, instead of cowardly putting it into reverse, thereby throwing the entire series back to where it had got to once before at the end of season four. In doing this, while on the one hand they made this season extremely high quality (and very tasteful), on the other, it seems rather like superfluous watered down porridge. I christened season six the “most to-and-fro-est". But that doesn’t make it bad or even average, but it is a bit too much of a patchwork of storylines, all of them with untied loose ends; at the same time it is pleasantly soap opera-style daring (but only if the screenwriters manage not to fumble this situation in the next season). However, a kind of conflict between good ideas and fizzling out takes place in the first two-thirds of this season. While Rita’s departure was logical (and necessary too), and was a great help to the series overall, the (temporary?) departure of Lumen is much more damaging and so the Dexter storyline (again) begins walking in circles, not even interrupted by Dex’s dabbling in religion. Although this is super, this promising storyline ends sooner than it starts to develop into something that might move the story forward. Tying up the storylines from past seasons comes across almost like they had no better ideas (the Nebraska episode) and the main “murder" storyline isn’t completely uninteresting, but the more observant viewers realize how this is going to finish (and it does excellently) long before the outcome. And primarily the whole storyline with religiously motivated murders stays too long on the sidelines and nobody at the police department seems to show the slightest interest in it. And also deus ex machina comes into play far too often, and also the way Dex keeps on making mistake after mistake, but without any real consequences (unlike the first few seasons or other uncompromising series where every action has a corresponding reaction) is a bit annoying. The only thing that I can have no objections to is everything happening around Debra. The way this rather superfluous character (as she was in seasons two and three) turned into the main powerhouse of the series (sorry Dex) deserves respect. And in view of what course this character takes, I retract what I said about the ending of the previous season. It made sense to wait a season for “that". Season seven begins with the best episode of the series and... But nothing comes of it. Although more happens in the side-stories than elsewhere (including the fantastic Stevenson), none of them get adequate space for development. And the reason? The Dex/Debra storyline that steals most of the air time for itself. Is this a problem? Not if they didn’t get done with it in the first four episodes. The series is founded on “this" from the very beginning, and they have been preparing the ground for “this" for six years already. And what do we get? “An entire" four episodes! And considering how they dealt with similar situations in other series (T Shield, Breaking Bad) this is all the sadder. I think the creators got this over with so quickly only so that they could send Dexter toward a relationship that doesn’t move the main protagonist at all forward and therefore for the first time has no reason for happening. Dexter’s change of demeanor to a state of “smug jerk-off ignoring any consequences" doesn’t improve things either. I have already reluctantly come to terms with the fact that Dexter the series isn’t (and probably never again will) be that all-encompassing study that it was originally, dressed up as a crime series merely to attract viewers. But I don’t see why I should come to terms with the fact that it isn’t even a crime series, but rather something dangerously bordering on a badly written telenovela; and the reason isn’t that the central theme of the series this time round is love. If, under the strict supervision of an uncompromising dramatist, they combined the best of the last two seasons, turning them into one respectable season, it would be no disaster for this series as a whole. This way we have one great season and one to be quickly forgotten. Season eight, the final season could have saved the series from going under and save it, despite the quality of the past couple of seasons; it wouldn’t have taken much to make this an uncompromising and unforgettable ending, but that doesn’t happen and so all that can be said of season eight is that it’s exactly the same as the preceding two seasons. And that’s bad, very bad. P.S.: What does it say about me when, the second time I watched it, I realized in horror that that pervert Masuka in season five is wearing the same Desigual shirt that I have in my closet? S1: 4/5 S2: 5/5 S3: 4/5 S4: 5/5 S5: 5/5 S6: 4/5 S7: 3/5 S8: ?/5 (12.10.2006) (minder) (meer)