Yeah, I thought it was a solid episode. The first one seemed like a wrap up to last season, which I thought was needed, and this one felt like a set up to this season. How creepy/cool was it when Dexter brought Harrison to check out the blood in the moving truck and he said (something close to) "I know, isn't it beautiful?" It's like he figured, 'fuck it, Harrison was born in blood too -- might as well start training him now.' Going back to earlier posts about the writing, I agree that if you don't dig the Dexter narration, it's tough to see how you could enjoy the show very much at all. Not to repeat myself, but also to completely repeat myself, Dexter is at least 80% of the show, and his inner monologue is half of Dexter's narrative. When I think of the show's weakness, his narration doesn't come to mind. Also: I see what you guys are saying, but remember, exclusively killing people who have killed isn't his main objective -- killing is. He's not a vigilante, he's a serial killer who's been taught a system of controlling his urges for the sole purpose of being able to continue killing, and that system includes sparing the innocent. While he would prefer to not kill someone who doesn't deserve it, I don't think we're supposed to believe he feels quilt when he makes a mistake. I thought it was, as Harry said immediately after, to finally have Dexter do something human (as in, react emotionally) for the first time since his freakin wife died. Pre-Rita's death, some hick randomly insulting her would have gotten a smug, "I could kill you and never get caught" look, along with a witty inner monologue line. Post blood bath, he gets a boat anchor to the face. Like eight times. I haven't seen Boardwalk Empire, and I don't know Sopranos well enough to comment, but there is no freakin way Dexter (the entire show as a whole) is as well written as Breaking Bad. Even just the Laguerta/Angel plot line puts it at least one notch below. The best of Dexter (again, the whole show, not the character alone) does reach the same level on a regular basis, but Breaking Bad has no dead weight. It's consistently on a higher level.
Thank god 2 of the 3 kids are basically written out of the show. I'm fine with Dexter taking his time to get back to killing since he essentially killed Rita but damn was it boring having to include those two brats into every episode. This apparent first kill seems too easy though. I don't need some big drawn out capture-kill cycle like with Trinity but I hope there's at least a back story on this lady-in-a-barrel killer.
Here I am defending the writing of the show and they have him find his next victim by discovering blood in a moving truck? Then torturing us the whole episode with cheesy flashbacks of seeing the blood splat? WTF? He works for the police, surely he can find a rapist or child molester in an old file or in their data base. R.I.P. Astor I know she is just a little girl and in all likely hood she is acting normally after what just happened to her and her mother but I can not stand her. Her constant whining drives me crazy, I'm glad she's gone. Again I defended the writing and they start a new story line with LaGuerta and Batista, now she's rich and he's irresponsible. WHO CARES??? I like how Deb and Quinn are hunting a new killer that particular plot is fine by me. I know I saw a statistic that fifteen serial killers are usually operating in the US at any given time are we supposed to believe that they all live in Miami?
I didn't explain my dislike for the narration very well. I know it serves an integral purpose for the show and hearing his feelings does give the character depth. But jesus there is absolutely no subtlety to it. He details every single ongoing thought. Just once I'd like to see Astor or Ded pull some drama on him and just have him react as an actor without the voice over to explicitly tell us he's conflicted somehow. On top of that a lot of his narration is just repeating easily discernible information that just happened on screen, (Dexter rattles locked door) "It's locked! Why would someone keep an attic door unlocked?!" I don't know Dex?! I don't think I could have figured any of it out with out you wondering it to yourself! The narration can be as subtle as a brick to the head sometimes. But this is all opinion we are arguing here. I tend to agree that a show needs to be across the board good to be labeled "best", like Mad Men and Breaking Bad have proven themselves to be the past few seasons.
Seconded. And then he calls in a dead raccoon, waits for someone to show up, and the exact guy he's looking for does. Are there 3 animal control guys in all of Miami? This show definitely used to try harder. This is just along the lines of what I meant before. The writers seem to have an idea about where they want to go, but if it's too hard to get there they cop out and write some nonsense. Bleh. I'm done ranting after this though, I swear. I'll give the rest of the episode some slack because Dexter was the end of my Sunday TV marathon and I think I was more interested in sleep than anything else.
The finding the blood thing was more about happenstance. He knew that it was an unusual spot for a blood spatter, so he investigated. It was curiosity that prompted him to move forward with it, and luck for him that it happened to lead back to a serial killer. He's used the police databases before, but it just wasn't necessary this time. As for the dead raccoon, I didn't find it so farfetched. I mean he talked the whole time about looking into the dude's background. Obviously he set it up so it would be during his working hours and in his area. I don't know what all the fuss is about. The show is not supposed to be a documentary on how to be a serial killer and not get caught, it's an entertaining dark comedy/thriller that is meant to excite, and I for one am fully satisfied.
The fuss is about people claiming it is close too if not the best show on tv, and claiming it is better than a handful of much much better written drama shows. I think you hit the nail on the head why I like the show, it is a suspense/thriller that really delivers and is satisfying in that regard. Maybe I am taking more issue here with peoples opinions than I should. We are arguing about opinions which I am now finding to be ultimately pointless and distracting. I've said all that I wanted to say on the subject and would like to move on.
I think the points have been relevant and well supported. Pink Cup I do think it's a tad far fetched that he saw a blood stain in the back of a moving truck and it lead to his next target in one day. That and the blood stain kept entering his mind in flashbacks. I know he's a killer and I know he is obsessed with blood but it all just seemed to easy to me. KK you are exactly right with why people are complaining. This show is (in my opinion) one of the best dramas on television. Obviously it has allot of critical acclaim as well because of all the emmy nominations because of that the fans expect more. Don't get me wrong nothing in the first two episodes is making me doubt the show or dislike it I just have huge expectations for it. I even loved the trailer with his world coming upside down and him describing himself as a "monster." I know I keep saying but I also think it will be very difficult to top last season. I don't think these post's are distracting, I actually like the discussion. Everyone still loves the show I think we are just waiting for that one episode that leaves your jaw hanging on the floor. I still can't wait for Sunday nights and I still watch Dexter and 9 and DVR Boardwalk Empire, so Dexter is still number one in my house.
I'm pretty sure that next week will be the stuff of legends, if the episode teaser is any indication. Wow.
I can't see Dexter make it out of this season unscathed. Episode 3 and already he's up to his neck in shit. He's going to have to dig up some seriously messed up stuff on Julia Stiles if he wants to tie up that loose end. Or he could just kill her. And Quinn. And the whole Mitchell family. And the feds guarding them. Holy shit.
A serial killer and a mass murderer are not the same thing. edit: Or even just regular murderers are not included in that statistic. There are a lot of murderers in Miami, more than enough for Dexter to kill.
I know it was less than a minute, but that was some acting job by Julia Stiles. I didn't even realize it was her at first. She didn't say a word but god damn did she fucking look like someone who had been through hell. Can't fucking wait for next week after that trailer. Those scenes after Dexter and Boyd knocked each other out were pretty spellbinding too.
Id have to rewatch the last episodes of last season but I'd think the Mitchell family went through enough psychological torture at the hands of Arthur to give Dexter up. Right now as far as Dexter handling Julia Stiles the only thing I can think of is that she was somehow complicit or involved with Rocky the Racoons murder spree. It wouldn't surprise me if she hand in luring the girls into his house/kill area if they want to take a guilty route for her character. Otherwise he's already stepped outside the code with the hick at least killing her would be keeping with the number one rule "don't get caught." The episode really picked up after they knocked each other out. Finally some excitement! I think he means that every season there is a new prominent serial killer in Miami. The Ice Truck Killer, The Skinner, The Trinity Killer, and Dexter all in the span of maybe 4 or 5 years? This also doesn't include a lot of random episode kills that probably fit the technical definition of a serial killer.
Julia Stiles character isn't going to be a problem because Spoiler she becomes Dexter's new love interest, according to wikipedia Dexter has done this to us many times before. They leave us on cliffhangers and every time we think it's the end for Dexter. But every time he manages to find a way out. It's unrealistic to think Dexter would be caught until at least the last two episodes of this season. Even then, it will probably just be another cliffhanger until season five so that Showtime can milk the cash cow for another year. Dexter is a great show; but it's still a TV show. Showtime isn't going to kill off Dexter until they absolutely have to. edit: OK. The ice truck killer lived in Miami. The Skinner did too. That's two. Trinity traveled the country, only coming to Miami along his tour the country murdering spree. But at the same time he had a home in Miami. But the FBI didn't even pick up on the fact that Trinity was a serial killer until that particular season of Dexter. So Trinity escaped that statistic for over 30 years. But assuming the FBI statistic is correct (which I always thought was 25-50) then Dexter killed 3 serial killers in 4 years. He got 1 of the 15 each year. Even though Dexter may be stretching the envelope a little bit, I can see where that criticism is coming from, since it's hard to criticize the show for much else. In closing, even though it may be unrealistic it's a fictional show to begin with. When Dexter's father's ghost is appearing in front of him I'm not really counting if Dexter's killing spree correctly tally's up with real life FBI statistics.
Wouldn't Boyd Fowler be a serial killer? Also is anyone else noticing Deb becoming Captain Cunt? I mean a full c on her chest as well as a giant C on her cape waving in the wind? She literally blows up at Quinn every other minuet as well as giving that new Cuban cop crap. Whoever writes for Mazuka need's to be given a special award, although the hardest I laughed was when Mazuka got punched in episode 2. I know it's an old gag but I loved it.
How many people/ (maybe) babies do you guys think the nanny has killed? It seems like everyone that is "perfect" on the show turns out to be a sereal killer.
She's becoming the way Laguerta was to her when the show started. That hot Venezuelan uniform has been kicking ass at her job.
Trust me the suspension of disbelief in this series is much bigger than that one fuzzy statistic. I don't fault the show for that at all. God I wish I hadn't read that spoiler though, I hope wikipedia is wrong, just in the fact that I don't want to know that storyline before hand.
I feel like I owe it to this thread to say that I enjoyed Sunday's episode a lot. Maybe it's because the kids weren't there? Or maybe it's because bad ass shit went down and Dexter was being Dexter. I still can't wait till he plastic wraps La Guerta and Batista for their sins though. Youtube clips playing every scene either one of them butchered from seasons 3, 4, and 5.