The way they introduced Julia Styles was shocking. This will certainly present a dilemma for him.

Oh yeah this character was great.

The last episode was off the charts great. When Dexter stuck him in the neck and he turned around and popped him with the dart I was like SHIT JUST GOT REAL.

This is turning into the best season so far IMO.

I just watched episode 5, seemed kind of boring but I'm betting it's laying the ground work for a "killer" future episode.

I despise the concept and the actual show.

Making some kind of hero out of this revolting murderer who is supposed to be an "honourable" killer, yet has on multiple occasions butchered women

When they make a show where he is caught, tried, and then hanged by the neck until dead -I'll watch that episode.

Did you have something new to contribute strange, or are you just restating your previous position for the troll factor?

I think I am entitled to my view. If you consider a critical view of a show you apparently like to "contribute nothing" thats for you to say, I consider it a contribution to state that it is unpleasant and disquieting to make a show which makes a serial killer into a hero. Its a shame that enough people dont agree with me that this kind of thing is taken off the air in my opinion.

I don't see the problem...Dexter is by no means a 'good' person, but he has not killed anyone yet who didn't deserve it.

Strange, Dexter is an anti-hero. There have been many anti-heroes in literary, films and television. If you don't like the show don't watch it. Then you won't have to keep returning here to tell everyone you hate it.

I dont watch it. I'd like it to be banned also probably... or more accurately I would like no one to watch it so it gets cancelled on its own.

Dexter murdered his own wife, purely because she kissed another man, didnt he? When youre a serial killer I guess the standards of "who deserves it" equals anyone when the sick lust grabs hold of you

edit - oh, I see... I said a similar thing last year. I didnt remember that, but I am glad I am constant in my opinons

Dexter DOES deserve to be hanged. He is a murderer by any logic or reasoning, and I am sure he has committed murder in CA, which has the death penalty.

Dexter is set in Floria (Miami,) not California. I never seen a show where he even travels to California. Dexter did not kill his wife.

I hate rap and hip hop music I think it talks about killing and mistreating women all the time, let's censor it too?

Yes he did (kill his wife) and he set the other killer (the religious guy) to take the rap.

Florida has the death penalty anyway (according to wikipedia) so he can be hanged all the same.

_

But when it comes down to it, the key argument is about whether he killed one victim or another - the whole point of the character is that he is a serial killer (although not a very realistic one). I really dont think that thats something which should be glamourised.

No he didn't or at least that's not been a plot twist yet nor would it fit his MO. The "Trinity Killer" (John Lithgow) killed Rita.

Why don't you go talk about something you actually have some knowledge of, please.

Like I said, he framed up the religious guy for it. That doesnt mean he didnt do it. He is a murderer, it isnt like he doesnt have the form is it? Its all well and good to say I dont know anything about it, but I have seen the show. I havent seen every episode, as perhaps you have, but it is quite clear to me that he committed this crime.

It doesnt take much to get underneath this perverts skin in terms of his motivation. He is a murderer, driven by some sick sexual impulse that ticks away inside of him to kill. He has been conditioned by his father to kill only people who truly deserve it.

But he is also a sociopath, a monster in a human skin - who knows how to pretend to be a man to a sufficient degree to get by, but cannot ever really feel what it is like. Do you think he is really a good judge of "who truly deserves it".

His hands are soaked in blood, his first crimes were other killers, sadists, people who he could easily justify killing. But the killing engine inside of him is never sated, and there is never enough blood to be shed. Sooner or later, he will start to see anyone as evil, anyone as deserving of murder.

He feels his wife portrayed him. We know he didnt love her, he is incapable of love (he does not deny he incapable of love, does he?)... but still his pride can be hurt, or he can start to worrt she knows too much...

And so bangs goes the gun, or swish goes the knife... the child set up in a sick parody of the tragedy which marred his own childhood and jolted him onto this path.

Come on, do you really believe that "Trinity" did it? Does that really make sense to you? This might be what Dexter wants the police to think, maybe even what he himself wants to think so he can maintain his lie that he only kills "bad guys"... but the only thing that makes sense is that he did it.

There's really too much wrong with that post to even try to correct.

Stop trolling in this thread and get another hobby dude.

Im not trying to be funny about it - but dont you think youre being a bit defensive about this?

Like I said, I have seen the show, and I form my opinion on what I have seen. There is a different between being a troll and not agreeing with other people.

Furthermore, this is a discussion about a fictional television show... how could "being a troll" even be possible in terms of one or another interpretation of a fictional show?

_

Saying:

"all rap should be banned as it is sexist"

is surely a far more "trollish" statement than me saying:

"the self admitted serial killer in this show is a revolting crook and should be hanged and I dont think shows where the heroes are serial killers are a good idea"

Saying rap should all be banned and all rap encourages abuse of women or glorifies killing is very easily proved to be untrue. (ie lots of rap doesnt mention killing of abuse of women) and seems to me to be a knowingly false or exagerated statement made obviously to excite dispute.

The things I have said about Dexter are not said to encourage dispute, they are said to persuade people to agree with my view, and they are not knowingly false, they are based on the occasions I have seen the show.

First you state you don't watch it, then you go on to make numerous inaccurate posts regarding the plot and it's location.

My point with the rap comment was basically trying to say "here's a ridiculous demand I'd like to make about something I don't follow or listen to."

Yes I think you're tolling in this thread and this will be my last response to you in it.

Strange, the things you say are knowingly false when you insist they are true despite being told otherwise by people who actually have knowledge of the subject. The creative team behind "Dexter" have never given any indication that he murdered his wife and have done everything they can to make it clear that that is not the case.

That factual inaccuracy is only one of the many problems with your posts in this thread.

Whether you want to admit it or not, your posts so far in this thread are trolling - and if you continue in the same fashion, they will be treated as such from here on out. Otherwise, if you want to have a mature discussion about the merits of a television show like Dexter, and are willing to listen when people correct your misinformation, then you are welcome to continue discussion.

Right, so basically what you are saying, as a moderator of this site is:

1 - You know more than I do about a fictional television show, that in fact I have watched

2 - Since I wont agree with you and Tully Mars, and continue to state an interpretation of a television show that you have stated is wrong, I am being a troll and if I continue to dispute what you say I am being a troll.

3 - Keep being a troll, and "be treated as such"

I dont want to labour the point, but this is a fictional television show. The actual murder is not explictly shown, you dont SEE Trinity killing the wife. I even went on the Wikipedia and it also suggests that Dexter may have committed the murder. There is no factual truth, it is a made up television show.

_

To be honest, I really dont think I will bother to take part in this conversation any further though.

It was in a few publications as old as six months I'm recalling, as well as the some live series interview with the cast and writers, on Showtime. This was some months back though (early,mid-summer). Finding them, though, might be a bit of a chore, as I only skim the main points each and every one of them sought to make. I'll look.

I don't discount the reality I could be wrong with my assertion, notion that this is the final go-'round for the series. Wait and see approach, I guess.

SF, you're so far off base here, you think the entire viewerbase of this show, readerbase of the book, and members of this forum who discuss both are so without a moral compass that you're the only one pointing in the right direction?

I think you need to take a step back and realize you don't actually know what you're talking about.

Do yourself a favor, do download the entirety of season 4 and watch it again. Lithgow's character wasn't only the "Trinity" killer, he was killing in 4's, not 3's It's just that it took Dexter's obsession with him to figure out that he'd been burying children alive in concrete. The thing is, he found out that Dexter Morgan wasn't Kyle Butler, found out where he lived, and we're left to assume that he managed to off his wife before Dexter could get to him and end his reign of murders.

Dexter was actually looking forward to the honeymoon and being with Rita, along with appreciating the fact that she was a good mother and could watch the kids which gave him the free time to be the vigilante that he feels he needs to be. Now he has to try and manage his bloodlust with an even bigger social barrier than before, the fact that he's a single father with a full time career seems a bit demotivational towards a reason why he'd even consider murdering his wife. If anything he would have murdered the neighbor, but he didn't.

SF no one thinks Dexter is honorable or applauds him for his actions. Fans of the show watch it because it's entertaining seeing how a serial killer deals with his life. I think you're misunderstanding how fans of the show view the character of Dexter.

Last night's episode was really good. When Dexter Spoiler: broke the guy's neck I got goosebumps.

I loved that part also, the look he had on his face and the look he exchanged with Lumen were amazing.

I was expecting good last night. Last week felt like a lot of work laying a frame work. I certainly wasn't disappointed by the episode.


So how long before Dexter and Lumen "hook-up?" He doesn't seem to need or have a normal sex drive, she's a rape survivor. Their relationship would by no means be normal but I bet she moves in with him and the relationship they reveal to the outside world would look as normal as everything else about Dexter.

I have just caught up on the past 3 weeks' episodes in the last 3 days (going to watch tonight's episode tomorrow afternoon).

I don't have much to say, other than to let it be known that "Everything is Illuminated" might be the most fist-pumpingly-good episode of Dexter I've seen since last Thanksgiving. The first half had me just trailing along, but by the time all the mian characters' were leaving their posts and meeting up together, I was ready to shadow-roundhouse-kick to express my exhiliration with how the story came together in the end.

I also intensely dislike Lumen's character, and her excuses and bloodlust for vengeance. I don't rightly know where her story is going to lead, but I have a real strong urge to state that Dex might have to nix her in about a month or so, if only because I can't see her value (sure, she has a dark passenger, but what else? Is she going to become Dex's newest foil, or his unexpected apprentice).

I'm leaning toward apprentice and look forward to the ongoing twist this implies.

It's an awesome show.

She was tortured and raped repeatedly by these guys. I think that is plenty of an excuse for bloodlust and vengeance on those guys. The real question is what will she become after they take out the whole group?

I loved last night's episode. I got a little misty eyed when Dexter brought his son to meet Lumen. I like her character and this season keeps getting better and better.

Ok, someone please post last nights episode on Vureel or Megavideo... I'm starting the have withdrawals.

Ok, yes I agree last night episode was very good. I thought last season couldn't be topped, think I might have been wrong.

Big Dexter fan. Was disappointed with season 2 and 3, season 1 and 4 were amazing. Season 5 is shaping up to be excellent. That said, I can't hardly stomach Julia Stiles acting. They could have cast someone so much better, and prettier.

I agree with your assessment about the seasons but I like Julia Stiles. I think she's beautiful and I like how different her acting is than other typical blonde women on TV.

I'm also fond of Julia Stiles. I wouldn't go so far as to say this season is shaping up to be as good as season 4, but it is pretty damn good.

Side note: Does anyone know the name of the actor that plays Cole?

Who is Cole? Chase's bodyguard? He is portrayed by the actor Chris Vance (if we are on the same page here).

(it took a bit of run-around to find this info out - 8+ min. worth)

[imdb.]

That's him. Thanks!

Fuck last night's episode was so awesome. Through the whole thing it seemed like nothing was going to work.

One question I have:

Spoiler: What about the smashed door?

Also:
Spoiler: Robocop seeing them on the docks is bad fucking news

Right!?!?!?

I wondered about that, too.

Also:
Hell to the yeahhhhh!


Also, I about had a heart attack for the first time EVER watching a TV show. I think it's a good thing, though!

A day later and I finally get to see it.

Concur, freaking great episode.

Wellers got to go at sometime. He's a bad cop, busted by IA (plus he's only contracted for 8 episodes.) Wonder how his end will come? I doubt it will be on Dexter's table and I hope he doesn't get blown up in a cabin.

That's one of the things I'm most curious about. Quinn is certainly getting uncomfortable with where things are going, but what is he going to do about it?

He's going to get caught in the war brewing between Deb and Laguerta, plus he's getting tried of Stan "sleaze ball" Liddy. Who knows Quinn may kill Stan the next time he blackmails him for more cash... or breaks his next coffee pot.

From next week's teaser, he'll get laughed out as usual. I think he's meant to be the comic relief.

I'm really pissed about that new cop that Deb took under her wing. What a bitch, throwing her under the bus after what she did for her.

I didn't see anything in next week's teaser pertaining to Quinn or Liddy. Got a link to the one you saw?

I saw it live on Showtime Sunday night, and the next week's episodes (or it may have been upcoming this season?) showed some quick scene flashes that give the impression that Quinn's been set up as the fool once again.

I found this video, but it doesn't contain what I thought I remembered. Maybe it's cut or maybe I had a flashback... ?

Quinn is such a pussy. He was investigating Dexter for the supposed murder of his wife and now when he's getting some really disturbing news he's getting unsure of himself.

I'm also wondering if Deb will ever find out about Dexter. Maybe it was just wishful thinking but I used to think she could handle it. Now she looks like such a white hat that I can't imagine her dealing with it well (but who can really deal with news like that well).

Oh come on!! LaGuerta is who threw her under the bus, not the new hot cop. She's a rookie who has to save her own ass or Deb's ass, and she made a decision a lot of us would have. LaGuerta is the one that should be eating it for the whole situation.

---------- Post added at 03:48 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:46 PM ----------

Can we has spoiler tag next time plz?

BTW I agree that the last episode was amazing as usual. It feels eerie and oddly natural that Dexter come clean to Lumen.

Any comments on the previous couple of weeks? Some shocking revelations and great dynamics between Dexter and Lumen. Only a couple episodes left in the season.

No comment. I'm speechless. I knew the writers wouldn't let us down.

Although I did begin to wonder if they'll rename the series The Dexters. :paranoid:

I wonder how this will play out. I wouldn't necessarily be opposed to Lumen being on the show long term but I don't think it will happen.

I wouldn't be opposed, but I can't see it happening.

I can't imagine she'd be able to go on with her life after all this, so I don't see her riding off into the sunset either.

I really wonder what Dexter is going to do now that he thinks Quinn is on to him... especially since it's not Quinn, but Liddy. (That said, if Quinn hasn't put the pieces together by now he's not as good a detective as they've made him out to be ;))

Why do you say Dexter thinks Quinn is onto him? I've seen no indication to this, either by his relationship to Lumen (which he feels is still quite secret, other than being "caught" by Astor and Deb) or by Quinn's nagging intuition that he felt Dex was somehow tied into this Kyle Butler character (which no one else besides LaGuerta and Deb have been clued into this, I think, unless Deb told Dex after speaking with LaGuerta, who hinted at confronting Quinn, who then reluctantly confessed to her, by which then she might have then told her brother, but I don't quite recall if she explicitly mentioned 'Kyle Butler', or that Quinn thought Dex was him, straight to him).

Dexter and Quinn are two volatile bouncing, diametrically-opposed characters, yet they are still quite oblivious to each other's real doings and thoughts. Quiin has filled the antagonistic "snoping" role of Sgt. Doakes from season two somewhat nicely, but he's not willing to follow through, and jeopardize what he has with Debra (might be too late, though, now that he divulged his "theory"). The other half of the character Doakes' reincarnation is being portrayed by former detective (is is suspended, was he canned?) Liddy, who is doing the all the 'legwork' of investigating Dexter, uncovering his relationship with Lumen, and further finding out about what ties them together.

The only person(s) in this current series who is piecing anything together about fellow characters is Liddy, and to an extent, so is is Debra (but she doesn't know who, exactly, she is following the trail of... she just has been written to always have "good hunches" about things).


Dexter's in the dark, and so is Quinn. They have been that way for most of the season, and haven't even talked much to each other, or about one another, for quite a few episodes now (which I'm guesing in reality's time, is weeks).

Oops, I merged Sunday's episode with the preview for next week in my memory. Sorry if I've spoiled anything.

That said, unless Quinn has turned off his detective mind - which is entirely possible considering his interest in Deb - he has the necessary pieces to figure this out. Deb has shared with him her thoughts that an escaped victim is acting as a vigilante, he knows about Lumen thanks to Liddy and he knows that they dumped some heavy bags - either drugs or a body, Liddy told him - in the middle of the night. He was already suspicious of Dexter before that information, and he has the pieces that Deb is missing to put it all together. It's just a matter of not allowing himself to be blinded to the facts.

I love Julia Stiles. She's been absolutely fantastic on this season. I really hope they don't kill her character off.

Foreshadowing - I see.

If anyone at all is going to find out the root of the recent disappearances, my bet is on Debra. Knowing that Dexter and Lumen are actually behind it, it's going to be Liddy.

I'd be real surprised if Deb finds out it's her brother, and it doesn't matter as much if Liddy finds out the "Dark Passenger" duo were actually killing rapist-murderers.

I suppose I can see Quinn being the tether to which he takes Debra's instincts and Liddy's recent findings and connects them together with his already innate distrust of Dexter, but I'm not sure I can envision him being the one brings down the 'big bad' main character. He might bring down Lumen, yeah. I'm actually hoping very much for that to happen (I still have such a distaste for her).

Does anyone here think Liddy is going to, or "has to" die by season's end? Is the consensus view also that he is a "bad guy"?

I see Liddy as more as a 'sleazy' sort of cop, and he's not your prototypical good guy, nor is his investigation of Dexter on any merit for the "greater good", yet still... how can he be the bad guy here when he's probably the closest of anyone in the series thus far to finally clue in on Dexter as some sort of a malevolent, if not also a potential killer? (he doesn't have proof that Dexter's ever killed, but who really does? I'll tell that he'd bet 'dollars to dipshit donuts' that Dexter is not as goody as he's letting on, especially with what he saw last week.)

There's no way Liddy can make it through this season. My guess is that they take care of Liddy in the next episode and then Jordan in the last one.

That's my thoughts, just hope the writers don't wuss out and have Liddy hit by a bus or something.

YES. Probably just because he is such a sleazy asshole. I haven't seen a glimpse of a "good" side of this guy! Besides, he's not too sharp. Thinking those trash bags contained "drugs or bodies"? C'mon now. That was some chunky meth. :p

---------- Post added at 09:19 AM ---------- Previous post was at 09:17 AM ----------

Agreed. Besides, she adds so much dimension to his character, enabling endless storyline possibilities!

They've made Liddy such a douche viewers will probably be fine with Lumen or Dex offing him. I could see him attacking Lumen and her taking him out.

I'm wondering about the Chase's lady friend in Coral Gables? Where's that going and what is her "real" story?

I too like Julia but I'm not sure she can last more then one season. Then again if writers have her killed off at seasons end it will be too much like last season. Maybe she moves to another city and takes up Dex's hobby there. She could pop in once and a while for a booty call and some tips from the master?

I couldn't resist this sneak peak at next week's episode:

Interesting find. I've been thinking about this and the more I do it's obvious Liddy's gotta go, duh. I say the butler does it in the.. wait wrong game. I say Quinn offs Liddy in a heat of anger or somewhat accidentally and turns to Dexter for help.

Yeah jewels, that clip (plus the "next on" montage, which includes something from later in that scene) is what I was referencing in an earlier post. Things are getting very interesting.

Where's this "next on" clip?

Interesting.

Weird when you find yourself looking forward to a TV show each week. Wonder what I'll do the rest of the year?

There's a sad period for the first week or two after it finishes, then you get used to it. Until about a month before it starts up again and then the hype machine revitalizes your excitement. You watch the season premiere and you're happy right until the end... when you remember you have to wait another week for the next episode. :p

Wow, last night's episode was insane. I didn't expect things to turn out like that.

I'm very interested in seeing how the Dexter/Quinn deal works out. Dexter at least has an inkling that Quinn regretted his digging on him. I'm starting to like Quinn's character this season.

The character development on this show is so excellent. Quinn, LaGuerra and even Lumen. They go from (viewer's) shit list to A list and sometimes back again in one episode.

Michael C. Hall was recently on Jimmy Fallon...

Is there a perpetual "rule" to how each episode's title comes to be?
I don't recall any other past season which uses this one's unwritten cue that each eps. titling is actually uttered during the course of a given week's story.

For once I'm kind of upset that no one was right about this season. Quinn made it out without a scratch (and is now Dexter's ally?), Deb didn't find out about Dexter, the Santa Muerte thing was nothing more than lazy character development for Deb, the Nanny didn't do anything, nothing happened to Lumen, and Dexter once again got out without a scratch.

I'm still a big fan and will continue to watch every episode the night it comes out. However, I'm quickly losing all expectations. This season wasn't bad, but it was far from the best.

They're just keeping the excitement going. That's why we're still fans, right?

Like SM said above, the season premiere teaser will get the crowd going again. C'mon, you know you love it. :D

Things have definitely changed, that's for sure. I'm glad Lumen went away. I really liked her character but she wouldn't have fit in. I was never expecting much from the nanny. She's just the convenient way for Dexter to get away.

Quinn and Deb are very interesting. Quinn knows a lot. He knows that Dexter killed Liddy and faked the evidence so that Quinn could get off. With that it should be obvious to him that the vigilante was Dexter. There are a lot of places that can go. I don't think Deb really knows anything, except for the fact that she isn't seeing things as black and white like she used to.

I can't wait for season 6, another 9 months. I just started watching dexter a month ago and finished up all 5 seasons. Now what?

Just started watching this show, and thanks to snow week I am up to the middle of season 4. What a series. I won't say much more than that until I am caught up, but I have to say that even though I know a lot about where the series is going I am still able to enjoy it tremendously (being up to season 6 means that the "will he survive/get away?" suspense is king of lost, just like seeing people in other roles - like Julie Benz - kind of tell you what is coming up). That is a the hallmark of a great series.

Wrapped up another season. Spoilers ahead for those not that far into the series:







Watching the first 4 seasons back to back over the course of a couple of weeks had the obvious disadvantage of knowing a number of spoilers just by accident. For example, I knew Julie Benz wasn't on Dexter anymore, etc. But it also highlighted how well put together the season story arcs are. Seasons 1-3, to me, is on par with breaking bad and early x-files, which have been by far my favorite series.

Unfortunately, such a marathon also highlights how far the series fell during season 4. Granted, it was still enjoyable, but it was nowhere near as good as the previous seasons. During the previous seasons I'd occasionally stay up late because I couldn't stop watching the series after my 2 nightly episodes. Season 4 had me wanting to skip ahead quite a bit.

It felt like even as Dexter's character became a bit more complex the rest of the characters became very flat. Laguerta was a person who was willing to sleep with her boss' fiance and just stand back as watch her fall apart so she could get her job back. Angel was a guy that despite being deeply committed to his daughter couldn't keep it in his pants. So now both of them are ultra good guys who are all lovey dovey with each other, getting married and all that?

Similarly, Deb was the deeply impulsive, hard working cop who was too impulsive, but now is this sort of almost super cop solving crimes that massive task forces couldn't?

Finally, Rita went from this deeply complex, almost co-dependent abused wife to full blown soccer mom?

Now, these are sort of side characters, and given how Dexter himself was still going strong it was still an enjoyable season. And I think its nice that the writers are not afraid to kill off major characters when they start becoming caricatures of themselves (Doakes, Lundy, Rita). And it is amazing that even though I knew it was coming the Rita death scene was still shocking.

But still, one of the strengths of the first 3 seasons was the contrast between the major sociopathy of Dexter and the minor sociopathy of the rest. That Dexter was the monster who didn't harm innocents while the rest were just "ordinary people" who still didn't think twice about ruining peoples lives and putting others at risk for their careers. Now, everyone is a good guy.

I love reading well-put together posts like these (re: cumulative).

Touching on just a few points: I had totally forgotten that Batista had a daughter. He doesn't seem to be progessing other than the character contrast he brings with LaGuerta, and as Deb's upper-ranking bosom buddy.

While I've enjoyed Deb's part in what she brings as the last family tie Dexter holds, as well as the most enduring, I still can't believe she was written to be just as you put it - a supercop: meet the cop, that can't be stopped. It's outlandish to me that the only one at Miami Metro PD who can even piece together a clue is Debra, but I suppose that's to where we've come, seeing as she's the only detective (of two) whom is worth watching fitting together what we (as the audience) already know.

Last thing: I'm also perturbe that everyone is a good guy again at the culmination of the past two seasons (5-6). I thought Quinn was going to go the Doakes' route of suspicion of Dexter, and while it did go there for a while, he didn't commit to it. He backed off. This series has always thrived on tension, and in nearly all episodes and seasonal arcs, there's always that "living on the edge" factor, whereby either Dexter is insanely close to being found out, or losing the facade of his carefully-managed life. I really liked the dynamic that the character Liddy brught to this latest season, but his ultimate wrap-up didn't seem to vibe. Most knew he couldn't have been long for the show, but the way he went, just seemed all too quick and easy.


I have no clue where the season is heading going into next season's production, but a semi-unrelated spoiler to what I randomly think could happen: either Astor or Cody somehow "walk in" on Dexter's nightly ritual and something unfolds from there. Thinking around ep. 3 or 4 that this could happen, if at all. Just my take.

I just finished season 5. Spoilers below:






Let's start with the good. The first episode was excellent and dealt with Dexter's grief in a way that was pitch perfect.

After that, the overall plot of the season was great. It would be too easy to fall into the same "chess match versus another serial killer mode," so the introduction of Lumen and the "group" worked really well (despite the ridiculousness of how it started, with the blood on the van that dexter rented, the car crash). Julia Stiles was great, Michael C Hall was even better than before. In fact, in terms of the stand alone plot of the season, I'd say its almost on par with seasons 1 and 2.

The main problem, though, is that after that season 4 finale, this season ended up feeling anticlimatic. They started dealing with Rita's loss with a very good season opener. But then its just completely dropped. Dexter mostly moves on, his kids either move away or he hires a super nanny that he can pay to stay on the job for days on end (while also paying rent AND a mortgage). By the middle of the season, its like that story has been dropped (except for the Astor-Lumen meeting). So Rita's death served less as a way of moving the plot forward than as a way of moving it back, undoing the domesticated dexter stuff of seasons 3 and 4. I thought this was disappointing. Likewise, they also completely dropped the "Deb knows Brian is Dexter's brother" story, just like they dropped the whole "who is Kyle? Why Rita?" investigation plot.

The Santa Muerte plot felt like a waste, just a way for Deb to consider that maybe killing bad guys is ok. Other than that, Santa Muerte leads nowhere.

On top of that, every secondary character felt even more flat. Everyone is good. Any potential gray areas are all misunderstandings (see Laguerta and Angel). All the gray areas disappeared.




This is especially true of Deb. She is still supercop, but now with an incredibly ability to mix moments of profound stupidity and profound brilliance. Even though Dexter, the expert in forensics and crime scenes, manipulates evidence to throw her off his trail, she still always almost catches up with him. So a hunch that those involved with the rapes wouldn't turn on each other (even though we know that Jordan was actually willing to turn on the others), a smear of blood in one house, two partial foot prints and a smell of bleach are enough for her to figure out they are dealing with a couple of vigilantes. She catches up with Dexter at the end because a Hispanic who didn't speak English pointed her in the right direction?


And Deb's love life is like those old star trek episodes where you knew the random extra that gets a bit of screen time is the one who is going to die. With Deb, if you have a non-regular character who at least looks like a good guy, you know she will end up in bed with him. And so in 3 years (the period portrayed in the series) she is kidnapped and almost killed by her fiance, gets dumped by the love of her life who is later killed in front of her, dates another guy who is also the target of a serial killer and now is back together with Quinn, making up with him in the end because he was suspected of killing another cop.

What remains to be seen is the Dexter- Quinn relationship in the next season. I am on the fence on this one. If Quinn stopped poking around because he pretty much figured it all out that is ok(Dexter is shacking up with a petite blonde, Deb thinks there is a couple with a petite blonde getting revenge on the killers, they are seen dropping plastic bags in the sea, not unlike the bay harbor butcher). If he is clueless after all this and only dropped it all because of Deb, then it will suck.

Here's looking forward to season 6.

LOL. I love Dexter, but that video was pretty funny.