Dexter on SHO - Page 154

Now, THAT I like...

TV Notes
'The Dexter 2012/2013 Rewatch Project'
By dad1153, AVSForum.com's 'Hot Off The Press' Thread - December 5th, 2011

With "Dexter" gone for God knows how long (there is no guarantee the show will premiere in the Fall now that Showtime will only premiere it with "Homeland" simultaneously) after 72 episodes, why not spend the months waiting for episodes doing something other than waiting for casting news and spreading rumors?

Let's talk about the good old days of Dex and see how the early years stack-up, quality-wise, with the most recent seasons. Better yet, lets explore together how the show's most recent developments color and affect (for better or worse) the legacy on which the show's reputation was built.

Starting Sunday, January 8th (2012) around 10p.m. (just like when we watch new first-run episodes), I'll be posting detailed recaps/trivia/etc. of the first season of "Dexter," starting with the first two episodes of the series back-to-back: "Dexter" (Pilot) and "Crocodile." I've recruited my partner in crime Emyach to watch/contribute as much as he can, but I've taken upon myself to do this regularly year-round until the return of the show in either late 2012 or early 2013 (whichever comes first).

[NOTE: here is a template for the recaps that I'll try to emulate, although it won't be 100% exact or identical. And yes, that's me posting my opinion in comment #75. ]

If you'd like to play along all you have to do is make time in your schedule to rewatch the episode(s) either the week before the Sunday I post the recap or the week after, then just type your impressions. You know, just like we do every week "Dexter" is on and we gather here to talk about it. Heck, you can watch the entire season in one day and can contribute peace-meal as each episode appears.

I'd like to do either one or two episodes per week (preferably one) but I'd like some feedback as to whether we should do two or one recaps weekly. Is one-episode recaps weekly enough, or too little? It doesn't matter if we run into Season 7's debut before we finish all the seasons/episodes since "Dexter" is coming back for an eigth season. Whatever episodes we don't recap in '12 we'll recap in the months between Seasons 7 and 8 in '13. That way Seasons 5-7 recaps will have the benefits of years of distance when we get around to talking about these relatively-recent episodes.

All of these, of course, predicated into whether someone else besides me and Emyach are interested in talking about "Dexter" year-round. Any feedback/suggestions about this idea are welcomed and encouraged. Thank you for reading.

Sincerely,
dad1153

www.avsforum.com

Sounds interesting. I just polished off the series (sans season6) so I'll offer a thought. Skipping credits, previously on dex & end credits will average about 40-44 minutes an episode. You might consider 3 or 4 per week.

Start a new thread

Pinned Weekly Updated lists?
Kill Rating List
Deb Quote List (might be very entertaining)
Others

Nah, once per week will take us through both years between seasons (and keep us hungry).


The idea is to keep this thread alive and thriving year-round with both the weekly recaps and (when they come) new season notes, casting news, promos. videos of panels, etc.

I understand wanting to talk about Dex year round, but this sounds like a different animal from the purpose of this thread. No offense intended, but the title of this thread is Dexter on Showtime HD. You're talking about watching on DVD/BD or streaming and some might not have the ability or inclination to rewatch the whole series. Plus, this thread is 154 pages along already...I think a rewatch should be seperate from a thread devoted to as it happens live episodes, if for no other reason than to help a novice to Dexter to know what he's getting when he goes to the forum. Other than that I like the notion of the rewatch...

+1 A separate thread makes sense. This thread is for discussion of the show as it airs or other relevant information, speculation, etc. between seasons.

3-4 was a 1 sitting idea, not 3 times a week. I.E. the length of a 2-2.5 hour movie IF you skip front/back credits.
Best

I vote for one or two per week max.

I have to agree.
As much as I enjoy Dexter (and I do), I look forward....not backward.
Much more interested in where the series is going, than where it has been....

I'm way late on commenting on the finale, but...ugh...

So the whole reason they wrote the love-angle between Deb and Dex was so that they could use it in the aftermath of those last 10 seconds? Ugh. Just...ughhhh...

Dexter went from one of my favorite dramas in the first couple seasons, to, "Wtf is this?" in the third season, to, "Ahh, this is more like it..." in the 4th season, to, "Well, at least it's not as bad as season 3," in the 5th season, to, "Why am I still watching this?" at the end of season 6. What still irks the hell out of me is that there were so many opportunities and characters wasted during this season. Instead of branching-off into more challenging territory, the writers continually played it safe, and I became more bored and annoyed than anything else.

I'll probably still watch these final two seasons, but it's definitely no longer must-watch. Now I'm just watching because I've already invested so much into it.

I hate to say it but I think the only reason the show is going on past its prime is because of syndication. Dexter died the day CBS aired a "clean" version of season 1.

Excellent point.

Hey dad just curious why wouldn't Dexter and homeland keep the same monthly time slot as now? Sept thru Dec?
1 or 2 per week to start, see how it goes. I say keep it in the Dexter forum. You can always add a link to send it someplace else.

I am sure it will. I don't know why he's assuming it wont.

Didn't that have decent ratings too? And are they gonna continue it? If they are, that makes me a sad panda.

Speculation based on M.C. Hall's committment to star on a Broadway show in early 2012, plus the fact both shows (each with their own set of stars, production schedules, deadlines, etc.) have to now coordinate. I wish both shows the best of luck but I think it's a 50-50 shot their debut schedules slip by a couple of weeks/months.

NYT reported that Big Fish on will be postponed until spring of 2013.

'The Dexter 2012/2013 Rewatch Project'
Ep.101: 'DEXTER' (Pilot)
By dad1153, AVSForum.com - Jan. 8, 2012




Plot Summary: Dexter takes part in the investigation of a serial killer who drains his victims of blood. He also takes care of a couple of criminals, and his romantic relationship may be going to the next level (Source: IMDB)

Premiere Dates: 10/01/06 (SHO), 2/17/08 (CBS)
Writer: James Manos, Jr. (Teleplay)
Director: Michael Cuesta
AVS Comments: jabbathespud got the ball rolling (click link and scroll down to read first-ever reactions to a new "Dexter" show from... us!).

• • • • • • • • • • • •

So, tonight's the night... I picked a date, and I pick you!

•One of the reasons I wanted to review both the first and second episode of "Dexter" together (see post below) is that I strongly believe you need to watch both to get the full impact of the new series. The pilot does a good job establishing/setting-up the characters & premise (especially the Dexter and Harry backgrounds) and pretty much creating a tone of dark humor that is largely sustained for the rest of the series. "Crocodile" is where the opening credit sequence is first shown (an inseparable part of the show's myth, IMO), the geography of the locations (Dex's apartment and lab, Miami Metro squad, Rita's home, etc.) is firmly established and the regular writers/producers match and expand on what the pilot started. Watched together "Dexter" and "Crocodile" establish, in a movie's length, the foundations on which the entire series has been built. While the pilot is strong-enough on its own, with the added heft of "Crocodile" its a killer (no pun intended) one-two punch.
•Only episode of "Dexter" to date that starts without the now-classic opening credits sequence and title song. We instead get the show's name over black, then a red-tinted water reflection of the moon and the 'main title' song from the soundtrack. The 'SHOWTIME Presents' credit is the only one that's been featured in every single episode.
•Dexter's first words, 'Tonight's the night...', became an instant catch-phrase. The show has managed to insert 'tonight's the night' somewhere in every "Dexter" season premiere since except for S5 (because of the shock of what came at the end of S4 not making it possible... would have been totally out of character).
•"Dexter" premiered on 10/1/06 on Showtime and got 'more than a million viewers,' Showtime's highest-rated premiere in two years. Over the course of the first season the show averaged 733,000 viewers per episode, one of Showtime's highest-rated original shows at the time (Source: Variety).
•This episode also aired (edited for network TV) on CBS at 10 p.m. on Sunday, 2/17/98, as part of CBS' contingency plan because of a 2007 Writer's Strike depriving the network of new episodes of its own shows. It got 8.1 million, the most viewers "Dexter" got during its CBS run (Source: Variety). Between the Showtime and CBS airings this remains the most watched "Dexter" episode of all time (and likely to remain that since CBS has expressed no interest in continuing to air the show on network TV since the Writer's Strike ended).
•C.S. Lee (Mazuka) is the only actor from the main cast that isn't a 'regular' (name in the opening titles). At this point (and for the rest of the season) Lee is listed as a 'Guest Star' along with other actors (like Christina Robinson's Astor and Daniel Goldman's Cody) that don't appear on-camera often enough or have enough lines to merit 'regular' status.
•Yes, that's Mags Bennett her own self, Margo Martindale, as Camilla the friendly clerk that Dex brings doughnuts to. She was a semi-regular character on the show until the middle of Season 3.
•Michael Cuesta directed the first three episodes and five episodes total during the first season. His direction gives the first three episodes a consistent look/feel. Mr. Cuesta cut his teeth directing "Six Feet Under" episodes (where he worked with Michael C. Hall before) and has since directed episodes of "True Blood," "Blue Bloods" and (last year) four episodes of Showtime's new hit series "Homeland."
•"Dexter" is the only episode written (as a teleplay adaptation of Jeff Lindsay's novel) by James Manos, Jr., who wasn't part of the show after it was picked to series (though he kept an 'Executive Producer' credit for S1 and retains the title 'Developed for Television by' credit in every episode... the same way Bryan Singer gets an EP credit in every "House" episode for directing the pilot but hasn't had anything to do with the show for years).
•In a premium cable series that has lacked the singular-vision creator hand of a David Chase ("The Sopranos") or David Milch ("Deadwood") James Manos, Jr. and Jeff Lindsay are as close to original father figures as "Dexter" has. Jeff wrote the original book and established the rules of this particular world (which the pilot and first season are pretty faithful to), James gave color and personalities to supporting characters that were undefined in the written page (as seen through Dex's tunnel-vision POV) and both established the macabre-but-playful dark humor tone that has been the franchise's hallmark. Every episode after the pilot follows the leads/patterns set up by these two 'father figures.'
•"Sopranos" connection: James Manos, Jr. worked for one season (its first) on "The Sopranos," where he also co-wrote one episode ("College," regarded as one of the better episodes in that show's history). Something else "Dexter" has in common with "The Sopranos" (besides Manos, Jr. and being their network's highest-rated original programs)? Both have self-titled pilot episodes named after the programs' name, instead of the traditional 'Pilot' moniker for the first episode before going to series.
•Personal anecdote: a couple of years ago, while working with a client on a TV project we were putting together at the TV Production company I work for, the topic of "Dexter" came up. I mentioned James Manos, Jr.'s name and this client says he knows him and if I wanted to talk to him. I'm not a star-struck type of person so I turned down the offer but the client still pulled out his cellphone, dialed it and said 'James, I'm sitting here with the world's biggest "Dexter" fan.' He handed me the phone and on the other side was Manos, Jr. I apologized for taking his busy time and exchanged pleasentries for a couple of minutes ('So, why can't you last more than one season on these great shows you work on?' I asked in jist) and handed the phone back. Except for a small guest-appearance by an old college friend on a S2 episode this has been the only contact with a "Dexter" cast/crew member I've ever had.
•We learn Dex's favorite food: pork sandwiches.
•Dexter's first-ever on-camera victim, Mike Donovan (who molested and killed choir children), is taken hostage by Dex in a very similar way that Dex took Travis hostage this past season (wire around the neck from behind the driver's seat). Guess S6 had a lot more shout-outs to S1 than just the mentions/inclusion of the Ice Truck Killer sub-plots.
•Later in the episode there's an almost-throwaway scene where Dex sees the "widow" (though she doesn't know it) of Mike Donovan showing up at Miami Metro asking about her missing husband. It's a not-so-little detail (the victims/family members that Dex leaves behind by taking justice in his hands) that the show would pretty much forget/put behind as it went along.
•When stalking Jamie Jaworski at his valet work Dex mentions that, because of the former's killing of a woman, two kids are left without their mother and their lives are utterly destroyed. Excuse me, but isn't that what Dexter ended up doing to Astor and Cody because of his careless pursuit or Arthur Mitchell in S4? Of course Dex doesn't know that, but still!
•It goes without saying, but six years removed from present time everybody in the cast (except for David Zayas, James Remar and Lauren Vélez) looks so young and baby-like. Jennifer Carpenter looks 10 years younger as a Vice/Homicide cop than what she looked like on the show last year!
•I love how the show makes it obvious (without outright coming out and saying it) that murdering criminals is an aphrodisiac substitute for Dexter. When he mentions that the ritual of setting up a kill room is 'intoxicating' Dex's face is practically orgasmic.
•The notion of a sex-free Dexter (he calls the ritual 'empty... undignified') is an interesting notion the show quickly abandoned when, soon after, Rita's repressed affection starts coming out. An asexual serial killer without desires would have been an interesting concept because, without attraction, maybe his interactions with the likes of Miguel or Lumen would have been darker/different/less obvious. By making sure Dexter is heterosexual (because of who he's been intimate with) there's a whole different Jeffrey Dahmer aspect to Dexter's personality that the show totally abandons... not that the network/writers of the show would have liked to 'go there' since the show was a hit from the start.
•In retrospect, Dex wrapping his face with plastic when taking down Jaworski smacks of (a) Dex being a little bored (why else would he cover his face when he was going to get rid of his victim), (b) the writer/director being a little 'artsy' (ala "S7ven") or (c) the crew/actor still not sure how much blood would splatter from a victim and making Dex wear protection to be safe. Neat image though.
•Harry's flashbacks, dramatically, are what keep the pilot's narrative grounded and makes as sympathize with the murderous lead. James Remar invests his 'father knows best' scenes with enough heart and conviction that we totally buy something that, in reality, is pretty unbelievable. Without these Harry flashback moments present-day Dex would be too smart-ass and unpleasant to be around with. It's a credit to the show's economy of words/scenes and the acting/directing that, even without fleshing out the entirety of the season's story arc, the flashbacks tell us enough about Dexter's background to keep us invested in him even though the things he says/does are monstruous.
•The flashback when teenage Dexter is confronted with Harry about the bloody knives he used to kill animals is the turning point of the show's myth. It's the moment Harry decides to channel Dexter's urges into killing bad people that have escaped the law. The scenes in Seasons 5 and 6 when Dex confronts Harry (i.e. himself) for what was done to young Dex are referencing this scene when Harry mentions, casually, that what got into Dex was too soon and messed him up too much.
•Early storyline mistake the show quickly backed away from: Maria LaGuerta's infatuation with Dex. Even not knowing how Maria evolved (not much really) into S6 there's just something so icky and wrong with the idea of Dex and LaGuerta together. This leads to one of the funniest scenes in the pilot when, because he hasn't quite mastered the social skills thingie, Dex doesn't deny quick-enough that he isn't 'boning' LaGuerta. This sends sister Deb screaming out of the room.
•Best character introduction: they're all well-introduced (although Batista is just there doing his thing) but Doakes' entrance, first words with Dex and easy establishment of their animosity ('I'm watching you') and mutual respect (Dex's 'why in a building full of cops...?' line) are all classic. You could say Erik King's days on the show were numbered from the moment they shot the pilot because the animosity between Dex and Doakes had to come to a head.
•Speaking of Doakes, there's a scene in this episode where Dex takes Rita on a date and she and other Miami partygoers are smashing crabs on a table. Dex mentions (and the camera shows) that it's ironic how civilized and normal people can engage on such savage but socially-accepted behavior while he has to keep his 'monster' (i.e. his true self) hidden in plain sight. It dawns on me now that, up until the last few episodes of Season 2 when Doakes is in the cage on the cabin, almost the entirety of the first two seasons of "Dexter" is us (the audience) being seduced by Dexter's actions, explanations and soothing narration into seeing our normal everyday world through Dex's eyes. In theory the kill room scenes are where we're supposed to see 'the real Dexter' and find him as grotesque and monstruous as the people he's killing. Early on S1, because the baddies Dex snatched were so evil and/or because Michael C. Hall is just so damn good at making Dexter sympathetic, audiences (myself included) fell in love with the romance/thrill of a vigilante serial killer killing only other, worse killers. The crab-smashing scene in the pilot is the first time I realized 'hey, the show wants me to see normal things through Dexter's twisted perception... and it's working.' And this precious spell would last, uninterrupted, until the end of S2 when Doakes (technically an innocent person) saw Dexter worried, out of control and troubled as he would look like to a normal person... basically, like the insane lunatic monster that he always was, is and likely will be until the end of his life. Don't know, saw the crab-smashing scene this time and it rang clear as a bell to me.
•Miami Metro's squadroom, Dexter's lab and the door to his apartment (door opens outward instead of inward) look different than the rest of the series.
•Cute moment during the credits: a Latin dance song plays during the first part of the credits (mostly the cast, who still don't have an opening for their names to appear in front of) but, when it says 'Music: Daniel Licht,' the playful song ends and the spooky closing credits theme ('Blood') begins. Neat.
•DEBism of the episode: (about LaGuerta not listening to Deb's ideas about catching the blood-less killer): 'She's dumber than the boat people. Throw her a f***ing raft'
•DEX's favorite quip: 'The problem with eating and driving, which I love to do, is not being able to employ the 10-2 hand position on the wheel. It's a matter of public safety. But there's always a sacrifice.' Runner-up: 'My parents are dead. I didn't kill them... honest!'



(Pics courtesy of this website)

'The Dexter 2012/2013 Rewatch Project'
Ep.102: 'CROCODILE'
By dad1153, AVSForum.com - Jan. 8, 2012




Plot Summary: Dexter assists detectives Batista and Doakes in investigating the murder of an undercover officer. Debra discovers a piece of evidence in the Ice Truck Killer case that helps her get ahead. (Source: DexterWikia)

Premiere Dates: 10/08/06 (SHO), 2/24/08 (CBS)
Writer: Clyde Phillips
Director: Michael Cuesta
AVS Comments: tomwaitsrulz had the honor (scroll down after clicking to see other after-the-show-aired reactions from... us!).

• • • • • • • • • • • •

I've got to be home in time for Letterman, so let's get this over with.

•First episode with the now-classic opening sequence (shown in this link without credits) which was an immediate sensation. Interestingly, while the Showtime telecasts have the 'Previously on Dexter' recap after the intro and before the episode's title, the home video releases of the show reverse this order.
•This episode aired (edited for network TV) on CBS at 10 p.m. on Sunday, 2/24/98 opposite the Academy Awards telecast on ABC. It got 6.5 million viewers (Source: Variety).
•For nostalgia's sake here's the AVS Forum CBS "Dexter" thread for those that started watching the show because it was shown on network TV.
•First script written by Clyde Phillips, the closest thing to a leader/showrunner "Dexter" had during the four years he was there. Phillips left the show in 2009 at the end of Season 4 to spend time with his East Coast family. You can safely say he left the show on a high creative note.
•The shape/geography of the show's standard locations (Miami Metro squadroom, Dexter's lab, LaGuerta's office, etc.) take shape after looking different in the pilot episode. They haven't changed in the six years since. Even the little parking area outside Miami Metro where a lunch truck parks is there, only covered completely while forensic techs strip apart the ice truck.
•In these first two episodes Dexter's 'rock star' as a blood splatter analyst is established. Unlike the admiring intern or Mike Anderson in S6 mentioning over and over how good Dex is here the only audience to Dex's performance are cops who don't give a damn or the dismissive Doakes. It reminded me of when James Bond would survive an incredible adventure only to be given s*** by 'M' and his bosses for some trivial stuff. Sometimes its more fun when the incredible and talented 'rock star' of an unglamorous profession is ignored, and that's the vibe Dex's geek act gives.
•Dex's second favorite food (after pork sandwiches): bananas.
•First appearance of Geoff Pierson as Capt. Tom Matthews (who was just mentioned in the pilot as being friends with Harry and the person that moved Deborah to Homicide temporarily from Vice). His relation with LaGuerta (whom Velez had nailed down since the very beginning) remained pretty consistent.
•The humid Miami weather gives the sweat in the actors' face (and on their clothes, particularly the back of Dex's shirt) a degree of authenticity and present day 'noir' that it lost since S2 when production moved to Los Angeles. It's dearly missed.
•Another little touch this early in the show I like that they no longer do is having Batista and LaGuerta speaking Spanish (not just words but entire conversations), with Dex throwing the ocassional mangled Spanish word to his Latino co-workers. Between the language, the music and the on-location photography this first season of "Dexter" truly feels like its showing us a Miami that we don't watch anywhere else (especially the L.A. based "CSI: Miami").
•It's easy to forget that, back in 2006 when S1 premiered, there were a lot fewer HDTV's on the market (many of them not even 1080p capable) and that Showtime wasn't even carried in HD by all service providers. For the few that got to see it at the time in 1080i "Dexter" was (and still is) a demo-worthy display of high-definition photography. On Blu-ray (which I'm using for these recaps) the show is razor-sharp and looks gorgeous.
•When swimming in the canal at the start of "Crocodile" Dex is wearing shoes while in the water (we see them when he comes back aboard the Slice of Life). The hell?
•We meet the first of what will be a long line of bad men Deborah dates, falls in love with and dumps (or die), Shawn the mechanic. Reason this time the relationship doesn't work though is that Shawn is married, so Deb was right about dumping this married loser.
•We see Dexter testify in court during a case, something I can't conceive the current version of the show bothering to even consider doing. Except for scenes with Miguel Prado on Season 3 I don't recall another trip to the courthouse for Dex during the rest of the series. Anybody remember any other scenes of Dexter in court testifying for the people?
•Under questioning in court Dex testifies that he's worked as a forensics analyst for 12 years on 2,103 cases. Can you imagine when/if Dexter is caught and his extra-curricular activities exposed? The cases he worked on would be compromised and the legal ramifications for Miami Metro staggering. Could this factor into whether the show will wrap-up with Dexter's secret revealed or not?
•Impossible coincidence #1: Dex 'just happens' to see a sad family in court after testifying, which leads him to the drunk driving killing trial of Matt Chambers ("True Blood's" Sam Trammell) that he eventually targets when he's found not guilty. And Dex 'just happens' to find out online all the info of the many people Chambers killed under different identities in different states. Something the FL state proseutors didn't bother doing to bolster their case even though Dex did it... why again?
•Impossible coincidences #2 and 3: the two times Dex goes out to eat (first on the date with Rita, Deb & Shawn; second time when Deb calls him to celebrate her promotion to Homicide) he finds drug-dealer Guerrero either shopping for crabs or drinking/releaving himself on the same eateries. I thought for a moment that Dex chose the locations so he could target/follow Guerrero, but its clear (more clearly the 2nd time when Deb calls him and asks him to come over) that Dex wasn't in control of where he'd be when Guerrero 'just happened' to be on those same locales. Suddenly the 'magic blood' from S5's 'Hello, Bandit' that gets the ball rolling on that season's 'big bads' doesn't seem as outlandish and pulled-from-nowhere as it initially appeared. These impossible coincidences have been part of the show since the very beginning.
•Nice to see Dex prioritizing having a little celebration with his sister (after she calls him) than killing Matt Chambers. The S6 Dexter Morgan would have probably ditched Deb's call and offed Chambers ASAP to get back to Harrison and the babysitter.
•Whoever cast Devon Graye as teenage Dexter deserves a pay raise. The young actor's uncanny resemblance to what we can imagine a young M.C. Hall looked like (minus the moles!) goes a long way to sell his scenes with James Remar during the Harry flashbacks.
•Considering Deborah the cop introduced Rita the abuse victim to Dexter it's a shame there was very little interaction or scenes between Jennifer Carpenter and Julie Benz for most of the show's run. I can only think of a couple of throwaway scenes in Seasons 2 (when Deb substitutes for Dex on a date with Rita) and 4 (when Deb comes to stay at Dexter/Rita's home after she and Lundy are shot) when Deb and Rita actually talked like friends. The one scene in "Crocodile" where Rita and Deb are together the focus is entirely on either Shawn the mechanic or Dex spying on Guerrero.
•Lovely little moment: when a drunk Matt Chambers walks back to his car after Dex had drinks with him at the bar (Dex exposing himself by being out in public while chasing?) there's visible behind Matt's car a family with kids getting into a vann. Subtle, uhh?
•The scene where Dex Luminols his face and illuminates it (Lumen?) with an ultraviolet in his lab is a very weird one-off moment without dialogue. Just weird for weirdness' sake.
•Speaking of Ricky Simmons (the dead undercover cop whose body spurred the blood that Dex was trying to clean from his face with the Luminol), toward the end of "Crocodile" Doakes mentions to LaGuerta that Ricky's wife was going to ask him for a divorce once he came out from work. Since we know Doakes was having an affair with Ricky's wife (who passes away) it's an interesting 'what if' for Doakes' life if Ricky's wife hadn't died, had gotten her divorce and would have been free to be with Doakes.
•There's a bit of the insulting hand-holding writing that characterized S6 when Dex mentions in VO that LaGuerta is attracted to him. Unlike S6 though in "Crocodile" the hand-holding is only for a couple of scenes and then it's over and done with.
•Dexter's line about being able to do all his killings and getting home in time for Letterman but not being able to understand his girlfriend's needs sounds like something that came out of the Jeff Lindsay novel (or the author's sardonic style of humor), not the type of organic black humor that the show eventually nailed. I for one cannot picture Dex ever watching Letterman and finding him (Dave) funny or worth tuning into. Line sounds good though, so it was written and delivered by M.C. Hall like a champ. Plus it plugs the late night talk show host of Showtime's sister network CBS.
•Since the latest season of the show 'went there' with the Dex-Deb relationship it's comforting to find out that, when rewatching these old episodes, the knowledge of where things went doesn't affect the enjoyment or the perception of the relationship between these two as loving brother and sister. Early in "Crocodile" there's a scene when Dex is trying to have breakfast while Deb starts looking at ties for Dex to wear to court. They look cute together. I can see Scott Buck's point that, after all the events and traumas that Deborah will go through over the next six seasons, she would be rocked and traumatized-enough to come to see her brother in a loving way. Still, since "Dexter" can never go back to these brother-sister moments given the events of the S6 season finale, it's fun to relieve the on-screen (and off-screen too) chemistry between M.C. Hall and Jennifer Carpenter that was there from the very beginning.
•At this point in the series (two episodes in) the creative foul-mouthed Deborah Morgan we've come to love isn't here. It's just Deb talking trash and Doakes spewing uncreative-but-forcefully-uttered 'motherf***er' and 'f***' insults. I'd almost forgotten that, in Doakes' absence after S2, Deb's creative bad language was tailored by the writers as a way of keeping the energy of profanity brought by Doakes alive but with Carpenter's creative wordplay substituting for the energy Erik King brought to his role. The 'DEBisms' I'm listing are more of a formality based on where Deborah's creative insults evolved to because, this early in the show, they're pretty tame by latter-era "Dexter" standards.
•DEBism of the episode: (talking to Dex on the phone): 'So, Miami is the haystack and the ice truck is the needle, right? Then brother, I just found the f***ing needle'
•DEX's favorite quip: 'If God is in the details, and if I believed in God, then he's in this room with me. I just wish he'd brought an extension cord.'



(Pics courtesy of this website)

WOW! Your output simply staggering. Don't think anyone here is going to match that, but I did have a few notions when rewatching.

Yes, the blu is marvelous to look at and listen to. One of the best for sensory delight alone.

So here we see the development of our character. He states early on that he has faked his way through human interactions VERY WELL, and indeed I was struck with the lengths they went to, showing Dex smiling his way through the boat excursion post-kill, waving and smiling on his balcony, smiling and engaging his many coworkers and associates (we are led to think his social base is much broader here than the impression we later get), and his family interactions are just what we would expect from a loving dad figure, with the good-natured rough-housing with Cody and playful repartee with Astor.

In later iterations of the Dexter persona, they depict his confusion and utter helplessness to determine proper interaction. One reason the whole imparting of Rita's death wearing Mickey ears was so jarring and out of place. But even here in the early going (episode two), we have a seemingly glaring contrast between what we are supposed to believe about Dexter versus what plays out. Dex informs through VO that he is at a loss for what to do or say when his girlfriend is insecure, yet not much later in just such a display, he strokes her hair away and says that things (sex) have to be right for both of them, or it won't be right for either -- just the perfect set of words to calm and sooth Rita. All done very instinctually, very deftly, and with great confidence.

Speaking of the voice over, I was struck with how in episode one Dexter is talking explicitly to the audience -- very self-consciously video-journal or documentary intimate with those watching his story unfold. Don't get that kind of a sense later on that I recall -- seems more like he is musing to himself I think. But here it is very effective in making us the voyeuristic confidants. When Dex confides to us he did not kill his parents, honest, this is humorous intimacy that mixes the monstrosity we have just witnessed with lighthearted jest, and we are drawn in almost imperceptibly and irresistibly into Dexter's inner circle, sharing the joke and gratified for it. Nicely done.

More character building via VO includes that he is a very neat monster -- Harry taught him to think like a cop and cover his tracks. Dad has mentioned the thrill Dex gets from the rituals of setting up the kill room. Again stark contrast from later approaches, techniques, modes of operation. This is what I talk about when I mention the meticulously structured character traits -- his fastidiousness, attention to detail, covering his tracks, thinking like a cop, the thrill of the kill itself being largely bound up into ritual and preparation. The later divergence from these seemingly immutable, long-established character traits did not always strike me as appropriate.

Dex tells us he does not have feelings but if he did, he would have them for Deb. This kind of flies in the face of everything else we are being shown -- his tenderness, caring, smiling, engaging demeanor -- even explaining the blood spatter to LaGuerta and Doakes, he is animated, demonstrative, accessible, likeable. With the kids he is at ease and playful, with Rita smooth and empathetic -- hard to buy this all comes from the need to fit in -- he is not only fitting in, but expending enough energy to be a shining star. We are led to believe he is very like us internally in spite of what he claims, which is why when they want to revert to Dexter feels nothing, it does not ring true.

Now some unfortunate story-making. The whole interrupted ITK theory -- that that one cut demonstrated he was interrupted and that there was a witness -- wha???? First of all, that is just about the most ludicrous premise I can imagine. That false cut could be for a hundred reasons NOT including interruption. Presumably the cutting preceded the wrapping in paper -- meaning all cuts performed, then wrapping begins. So to have parts that were wrapped means the cut was something other, right at the outset. Later we are granted the insight from Dexter through Deb that the killer would not have had time to wrap if he were suddenly interrupted, but the sequencing issue is even more obvious than that, plus the whole ridiculousness of thinking there is a living witness who just needs to be prodded a little bit: "Well, you know, I thought that was odd -- those cuts that guy was making on that drained body, but he diverted my attention and I sort of forgot about it...."

So that whole thing was insane -- that that theory ever got developed, even as a stupid theory from stupid LaGuerta, come now. Also I was struck by the silly string Dexter set up in the cokehead murders -- I mean, presumably the strings are meant to show where squirts or cast-off emanated, then becoming drops on the wall, but with all that cast-off splatter Dexter reenacts room-traversing motion of killer and hand and knife, so the drops obviously do not come from a single point, so what's the deal with the mic stands and strings? -- TV visuals I suppose, but throughout the series whenever they are showing what a rock star Dexter is at his job, he most often seems like flim-flammer, not rock star at all -- kind of reminds me of fast-talking undercover Eddy Murphy in Beverly Hills Cop -- he is supposed to be talking so fast and slick that no one notices he has no clothes.

Another thing that was off was that Jaworski character -- guy is a lowly valet, but has a for-profit website that allows him to advertise. He makes and stars in video content but at night steals copper plumbing? I don't think so. Those things are incompatible to say the least, let alone where he finds the time to pursue those avenues. And along the lines of Dad's impossible coincidences -- the first ITK body was in the pool at Deb's undercover sting operation -- now we forgive that because we know maybe Rudy set it up just that way, but the second one right outside Dexter's date locale? No way Rudy could have known that presumably, so that does not seem right.

I'll close for now on the Harry scene with Dex where he says Dexter is a good kid, OTHERWISE IT WOULD HAVE BEEN A WHOLE LOT WORSE [than just killing animals], BUT THEN he goes on to suggest in that same conversation that Dexter start to kill "deserving" humans! This confirms to me the evil Harry angle. He suggests what is good about Dexter is precisely what he will steer him away from. Various other character-defining aspects of these early episodes are that animals don't like Dexter -- especially dogs, they recognize him just as he can recognize any killer. We shall see how that plays out as we go, but that dovetails with Harry emphasizing that Dexter be very sure about his kills -- ABOVE EVERYTHING! Yet even early on we see with the drunk driver that being sure is perhaps not so important -- after all, we have a few articles about the guy being arrested, but these led to nothing apparently, so what does that prove? -- that the guy did it? Even if he did, the guy is maybe a negligent homicide waiting to happen (actually only one person in the articles died), and this is different than the serial murderers we are later shown as the favorite targets.

BTW, I'd forgotten that there was so much variation on the kills -- by saw? by cleaver? -- then we see the famous stab.....

Oh, forgot to mention the early (very early) foreshadowing of the later Dex/Deb romance angle. Here the first time we see Deb in uniform, Dexter says he liked her other outfit better (what he was calling the sex suit). Deb laughs it off, or shrugs it aside, by calling him a sick "so and so," then immediately goes to other business. Interesting.

It foreshadows nothing. Brother/Sister giving each other Sht all the way to S06E11 or so.

Don't quite get the "S06E11" reference [edit after the fact: I guess it means "Season 6, Episode 11"?], so maybe my understanding incomplete, but:

Foreshadow: To present an indication or a suggestion of beforehand.

Don't know about anyone else, but I think for myself when doling out general playful antagonistic repartee directed toward my sister, I tend to stay away from saying I liked her better when she was dressed in what I previously referred to as a "sex suit". Just would seem to possibly be open to more misinterpretation than I might think was appropriate especially with not a blood relative. Such jests are made millions of times daily I'm sure as a way of probing female responsiveness through deniable humor, but indicate definite interest, which is not to say Dexter was necessarily (or at all) expressing this, but therein lies the room for misinterpretation, that such jabs are made all the time to determine how realistic the imagining.

Of course I understand that it may be very possible that with some families, brother/sister sex jabs intimating attraction might be quite the norm, and maybe here all that was being indicated, but seemed just this side of suggestion in the course of establishing good-natured ribbing. Others will see it differently, I'm sure.

Another tidbit I forgot in conjunction with evil Harry suggesting Dexter should start killing folks that deserved it, was the earlier conversation on the boat wherein young Dexter confided he had not already killed people because he knew mom and dad would not like. Then as we see, eventually Dad likes well enough to give blessing (even suggesting it), so off we go....

Some few more little bites: Matthews' supreme preeminence established early as he inserts a vice cop, Deb, into a homicide investigation. Not sure of the likelihood of that by policy, but in exchange with LaGuerta claims that he promoted her, seeming to take all or most of the credit for that as well.

Dexter was not needed for the ITK on-scene investigations because there was no blood spatter, but they did not necessarily know this -- seems they would have called out Dexter just to verify with Luminal that there was no blood, and/or just for general purposes -- after all, the blood had to be someplace, it is assumed he would be called in at some point, so prior familiarity not going to be a bad thing. And what is Masuka's role then? At any rate, I think they came to use Dexter in just about every conceivable forensics context in a very expanded role later on.

Rita's ex was referred to as a "crack addict" which I think they later changed into more a heroin thing, or at least dropped the strong crack connection -- could have done both easily I suppose...

Oh, just for fun: Dad mentioned the adolescent Dexter's moles. They reversed sides going from his right-hand side in the conversation about the knife collection, where they were extraordinarily prominent with the harsh shadows, to the scene where Harry is talking about his dead partner -- now they are on the kid's left-hand side. The result of some sort of optical reversal I surmise.

If anything in the pilot and "Crocodile" Michael C. Hall overacts a little during his scenes with co-workers to show he's normal. It's most obvious in the pilot when Dex is being interviewed by LaGuerta in an ambulance after the ITK threw the head at Dexter's car. Dex looks way too cool and calculated for lab geek that pretended to be cop tailing the ice truck. It stands out as show-offy, the same way Dex seems to be trying too hard to show-off during the crime scene re-enactments for blood splatter patterns. As the show went along Hall got more comfortable and dialed down Dex's 'normalcy' mannerisms down a notch, which were just right.


You've given me another idea of how to end "Dexter" (again, total guess 100% guaranteed to be wrong): the final moments of the show are whatever the show's writers/producers come up with, but at the very end we cut to a close-up of a tape recorder recording, then the cassette stops spinning. Camera pulls out and we see Dex in prison jumpsuit with cops in an interrogation room. He kind-of looks like Dex but he's older, fatter, less good-looking than M.C. Hall (it's either him in make-up or another actor playing him). Everything we've been hearing throughout the entire series (Dex's VO) was his account of what he claims he did that we've been watching for all these years. DA's, cops and pretty much everybody don't believe Dex because his stories are too wild and unbelievable (take that critics! ) not to mention impossible to prove because most of the proof of what he claims happened can't be found. Dex is convicted of some murders or crimes (probably whatever happens in Seasons 7 and 8) but doesn't go down as a mass serial killer, just a perceived-to-be dellusional nut that claims to be one. If the writers can pull it off it could be like the end of "The Usual Suspects," where what "the truth" is depends on what (if anything) you believe the lead character is telling you. That would be an ultimate kick-in-the-gut reality check for "Dexter" fans: the elaborate myth the show has shown us could or could not be a figment of a loser serial killer's imagination that fancied himself to look/lived the fantasy life of Dexter Morgan... but there are enough nuggets of truth and believability to make it plausible that it all happened.


OK, I stand corrected. Dex isn't a rock star at this point because there is nobody treating him/mentioning he's a rock star. He's just a guy that's really good at his job and appreciated by some co-workers (Batista).


I was going to mention the dogs thing but I don't recall the show ever mentioning it again or making a big deal about it, so I didn't even bother to mention it. And, later in the series' myth, the 'DON'T GET CAUGHT' Harry rule came to be paramount above the 'Be Sure' and other rules.

These lengthy recaps and other commentary from folks with too much time on their hands, are the stuff of blogs, not AVS .. just another reminder of why I no longer subscribe to this thread ..

Man! That is flat out brilliant! -- covers everything that ever seemed amiss. That is almost too tempting for the writers! You might regret suggesting it...

Yeah, the dog thing -- maybe seen as too supernatural as in vampire mythology -- my sense was that they did altogether drop it, but much more watching to be done.

More later....

Well, wait a minute -- I thought taking personal snipes at folks while mentioning nothing of the topic at hand, was not the stuff of AVS, but well enough you do not subscribe, otherwise you may have been exposed to this....

I still don't know what's wrong with a new thread dedicated to recapping past seasons, while leaving this thread to its primary purpose which has served the AVS 'Dexter' fanbase well. That way everyone gets what they want, no?