Dexter Season 2

[tielan]

arabel and I kinda OD'd on Dexter over the Christmas-New Year period.

We watched 2.07-2.09 on Friday night, and were so o_O that we ended up scheduling tonight to watch 2.10-2.12 just to find out what happens.

I've been enjoying the twists as they hunt the Bay Harbour Butcher and as the net closes around Dexter. The acting is all spot-on, the writing is brilliant, there's so much nuance and imputation, and - yes, even the ick and oh, NO are so inexpressibly amazing that it leaves me stunned.

The writers of this show know how to write.

There's too much in the season to take it all in, but the highlights?

1. Watching the Dexter and Debra relationship developing more along brother-sister lines. That tended to bug me in S1, that while we were told a lot about their family connection, they didn't seem too connected. This season totally brought it in with the writing and the acting.

(I'm somewhat disturbed to discover that the actors got married to each other on New Years' Eve. arabel told me in the middle of this brother-sister scene, and I was all "Oh, NO, YUK, NO, WHY DID YOU HAVE TO TELL ME THAT?")

2. Doakes. Doakes and his suspicion, his slowly losing it, the scenes with Dexter out at the cabin and everything he said. Oh, Doakes. He deserved a much better reputation in death, for all his issues with Dexter and killing people and his paranoia and stuff.

3. Watching Rita scrape herself together bit by bit, gathering the courage to confront Dexter, challenge him, and even reject him when he cheats with her on Lila. Brilliant storytelling, writing, acting, all of it.

4. The situation with Lila and the emotional vampirism. Very clever storyline, although we got tired of seeing her tits on display all the time. Enough is enough.

5. Harry's Code - the idea that Dexter's been clinging to, and the realisation that Harry was imperfect, flawed, and ultimately regretted what he'd done to create Dexter in the first place. Plus Dexter ultimately coming to realise that it's not Harry's code anymore, it's his own and it gives him a freedom of sorts.

Anyway, I'm very curious where Season 3 is going to go, since it seems that Dexter is at peace with himself and what he does, the Bay Harbour Butcher is apparently laid to rest (until the next set of bodies is discovered), and it looks an awful lot like Debra's going to start moving up the ranks with LaGuerta losing it over Doakes' death/labelling as the Bay Harbour Butcher, and her newfound sense of command.

Subtle writing, lots of character interaction, interesting storylines, and treatment of many minor characters as actual people...

Much as I love writing fic for SGA, watching shows like Dexter makes me hurt for what could have been in the hands of more nuanced, clever writers.

Comments

[grav-ity.livejournal.com]

Man, Lila caused me physical pain by the end of the season. I hated her a lot.

I need to watch season three.

I try not to think about the actors in this show, because ICK!

If you're in the hunt for well written TV show, have you ever seen "Avatar"? It's a kids' animated cartoon done in the style of anime (but isn't anime). It's totally clean, totally hilarious, impeccably written, with story arcs that are so well conceived it almost made me want to cry for happiness. It's a bit fantastical, and I don't know if you like that, but if you do it's AWESOME. :)

[tielan]

I haven't seen Avatar, yet, although I've heard good things about the cartoon and bad things about the movie casting.

[grav-ity.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I am trying to avoid the movie.

[missyvortexdv.livejournal.com]

I think S2 really was the best so far. S3 is good too, but in entirely different ways and I just have fond memories of it all heating up in S2. :D

And definitely O.o to the two actors getting married. I had no clue. At least I guess it doesn't affect their sibling acting relationship.

[tielan]

I'm discovering that a lot of shows find their stride in S2, only to lose it in S3. :(

[missyvortexdv.livejournal.com]

Does suck, but then I'm sure some of those do get it back in S4, if they get one. Is a bit hit and miss with shows but I guess we just have to spin the wheel, take a chance to get to the good stuff.

[imaginary-iby.livejournal.com]

My mum actually fangirls this show; so much she bought the dvds which for her is very rare. I don't know much about it, but after this glowing review, I might have to dip my toe into the Dexter waters as well.

[tielan]

It's a very coherent show. Kinda scary, brilliantly written and acted, and keeps you on your toes!

[grav-ity.livejournal.com]

Man, Lila caused me physical pain by the end of the season. I hated her a lot.

I need to watch season three.

I try not to think about the actors in this show, because ICK!

If you're in the hunt for well written TV show, have you ever seen "Avatar"? It's a kids' animated cartoon done in the style of anime (but isn't anime). It's totally clean, totally hilarious, impeccably written, with story arcs that are so well conceived it almost made me want to cry for happiness. It's a bit fantastical, and I don't know if you like that, but if you do it's AWESOME. :)

[tielan]

I haven't seen Avatar, yet, although I've heard good things about the cartoon and bad things about the movie casting.

[grav-ity.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I am trying to avoid the movie.

[missyvortexdv.livejournal.com]

I think S2 really was the best so far. S3 is good too, but in entirely different ways and I just have fond memories of it all heating up in S2. :D

And definitely O.o to the two actors getting married. I had no clue. At least I guess it doesn't affect their sibling acting relationship.

[tielan]

I'm discovering that a lot of shows find their stride in S2, only to lose it in S3. :(

[missyvortexdv.livejournal.com]

Does suck, but then I'm sure some of those do get it back in S4, if they get one. Is a bit hit and miss with shows but I guess we just have to spin the wheel, take a chance to get to the good stuff.

[imaginary-iby.livejournal.com]

My mum actually fangirls this show; so much she bought the dvds which for her is very rare. I don't know much about it, but after this glowing review, I might have to dip my toe into the Dexter waters as well.

[tielan]

It's a very coherent show. Kinda scary, brilliantly written and acted, and keeps you on your toes!