The end of a serial killer killer

[Kato]

So... Dexter is over after eight seasons and... Well, it was a lot of ups and downs.
Overall, I have to say I liked the show even if there was a whole bunch I think would have worked better, including the finale.

e.g. at first I thought I would feel better with the final scene but then it felt... really pointless. Except it told us he didn't kill himself. But then it went on much longer than I felt was needed and... okay?



So, Playground, what's you opinion on the show? (I guess there are quite a few of us who started it and dropped it at some point but, oh well)

[Xondoure]

I got through the first season. Lost interest whenit was revealed that the killer was Dexter's brother. It went from an interesting story about two twisted minds playing a murderous game of chess, to some rather trivial story about how they understand each other so well because they're related and witnessed the same event. Borrrringgg. And it killed my ability to believe the show would go anywhere but increasingly cliched and "dramatic" plot twists. :smallsigh:

Season One spoilers, which I'm not sure are worth spoilering. But eh, erring on the side of caution.

[Dusk Eclipse]

I haven't finished watching all the series, but so far season 4 is best season.

Trinity is just so damn terrifying! Everything he does, even when he is feigning being a normal decent human being (heck specially when he is doing it) I he manages to keep himself unsettling... man what a great villain.

[LaZodiac]

Did it have any of the spiritualism/mysticism stuff that was in the books?

At least, I heard the books had that stuff, anyway.

[Kato]

I got through the first season. Lost interest whenit was revealed that the killer was Dexter's brother. It went from an interesting story about two twisted minds playing a murderous game of chess, to some rather trivial story about how they understand each other so well because they're related and witnessed the same event. Borrrringgg. And it killed my ability to believe the show would go anywhere but increasingly cliched and "dramatic" plot twists. :smallsigh:

Season One spoilers, which I'm not sure are worth spoilering. But eh, erring on the side of caution.
Yeah, there usually was like one twist per season... most often related to the killer of the season (duh).
The first season killer was surely not the best... I guess if it didn't catch your interest it's not for you but it might be worth having another look if you just didn't like that part.


I haven't finished watching all the series, but so far season 4 is best season.

Trinity is just so damn terrifying! Everything he does, even when he is feigning being a normal decent human being (heck specially when he is doing it) I he manages to keep himself unsettling... man what a great villain.
Ah, while I like Trinity i... am not as in awe of him as I think pretty much everyone else was. He#s good, possibly the best season killer but not like... mind blowing to me.

It's been a while but wasn't his back story like Dexter's "I had a traumatic event and now I'm a serial killer". Except Dexter is more like a sociopath where he really is on the large just a killer...



Did it have any of the spiritualism/mysticism stuff that was in the books?

At least, I heard the books had that stuff, anyway.
I only read Double Dexter and Dexter by Design which aren't really strong on the supernatural side either but... no. While the first season from what I heard is pretty close to the book they don't have anything supernatural in the show and they drop the Dark Passenger phrase in season three or so, iirc.

[Dienekes]

Watched it all, season 1 and 4 are the best. This season was... ehh. Some good parts, some not as good.

Here's a break down for those interested.

Season 1: Good introduction, cool characters and a very fun game of cat and mouse between the brothers. And while them being related was a bit cliched it served as a great way to introduce one of the central themes of Dexters character, how much of his personality is determined by his serial killer nature and how much just wants a normal life. In the end, killing his only real relative served to firmly establish him as staying in normal society and murdering the only one who really understood him. Good start.

Season 2: Ugh... Lila. This season was a mess. Partially this season showed it's hand too fast. Having all his murders discovered could have made up a great season. Having Doakes obsession overwhelm him and lead to a confrontation between Doakes and Dexter could have made a great season. Instead we focused on Lila, the psycho girlfriend who was about as interesting as a girl talking about the new shoes she just bought. I didn't care about Dex's little love triangle, I thought the having someone truly understand him was too recently played the season before. Parts of this season should have been scrapped completely, and other parts pushed back to later seasons. In my mind Doakes being the big one, having the tension between the two of them build over 2 or 3 good seasons before erupting could have made a great Sherlock vs Moriarty moment (and one where we're supposed to root for Moriarty at that).

Season 3: Ehh a less passionate version of season 2. Nothing as annoy as Lila, but nothing as good as the Doakes locked up scenes. Prado was passable, not great.

Season 4: Lithgow blowing it out of the park. The creepiest most successful villain that the show had. Instead of playing up that Trinity can somehow approve and understand Dexter (which had been getting old) they instead went with Dex can learn something from him. Also one hell of a way to end a season.

Season 5: Mostly just picking up the pieces from last season. Probably too early to bring in another love interest. Villain not nearly as good as Trinity, but was clever enough. Better than Lila. Also, really love that this season spat on the revenge isn't worth getting moral. Always disagreed with that one.

Season 6: Dexter tackles religious fanaticism! It wasn't bad, Adama could be pretty intimidating for a dead guy. Another great finale.

Season 7: Ugh, Hannah. Not as bad as Lila, but still not particularly interesting. Don't know why Dexter fell for her, except that the writers decreed it to be so. Honestly, I barely remember this season. Hannah didn't interest me, but Laguerta was doing interesting stuff. The same interesting stuff that Doakes was doing better in season 2, and from a more compelling and interesting character. Still great ending.

Season 8: This should have been the big blow out. A villain that was better than Dexter at his own job. Dexter's full past revealed. His family coming apart! What we got? Ehh. Saxon was caught and captured 3 times? More? He wasn't a good final villain at all. Secret mother coming out was pretty meh a concept. The kid Dex was training was annoying for the 2 episodes he showed up and did nothing interesting in. Debra's arc was pretty compelling though. I also totally called in the first episode of the season that it would end with Dexter killing her, I just didn't think it would be a mercy kill. I'm sort of, vaguely disappointed I guess, of how the whole thing ends. Dex realizing that he's toxic to his family? Fine. Debra's death? Great, well done scenes. Seeing Dexter just sitting alone, without any of the happiness he once had in his life? Nice shot to end on. But as a conclusion it just seemed lackluster, and I can't put my finger on why.


Did it have any of the spiritualism/mysticism stuff that was in the books?

At least, I heard the books had that stuff, anyway.

The concept of the Dark Passenger being a demon or something that was not naturally apart of Dexter? Yeah that only shows up in one book of the series and is never talked about again after. It was dropped in the show.

However one of the seasons had a couple spiritual/mystic inspired serial killer trying to bring about the apocalypse. They were just the normal type of crazy though, nothing actually mystical about them.