Hello again.
So, as most of you can probably tell, I just finished the 8th season of Dexter. You know, That one with the big Series finale? Yeah that one.
So it goes without saying that this Review will spoil the end of the show. and not just that, it will spoil subsequent seasons of the show, as well as potentially spoiling a few other shows as well. I'll warn you before I reference the finale's of any other shows though.
If you ever intend to watch Dexter, I highly advise you not to read this review. That being said, if you've seen it, or don't care about spoilers, Feel free to read on!
also, for those of you coming just to see how hard I bash on the Finale, Don't bother. I'm coming at it with a level head and will both praise and criticize the finale.
Well, without further delay, let's start the review.
Storylines:
Going into Season 8 I knew basically two things. 1 The finale sucked. 2. Deb is on drugs. That's the only things I knew about it. and I really didn't want to see Deb on drugs. Luckily that storyline didn't last long, only about six episodes or so. The Deb on drugs and hating Dexter storyline was a good way to show her remorse after shooting Laguerta last season, yet seeing her fall so far because of it was unneeded. Have her as a drunk, she's been a drunk before. her back in Vice doing coke off of a mirror is just tough to watch and annoying.
After deb course corrected and befriended Dexter again I enjoyed it. except when she tried to kill him. then saved him. It was a fine little twist, yet I feel like the writers pulled a punch at making her save him. They shoulda had the tension between them become a big threat throughout the finale, considering that the relationship between Deb and Dexter is really the core element of the show. Having her instead stop trying to kill him and become his accomplice, then go back to the police force was fine I guess (aren't they supposed to call it Service, since Force is too Forceful?)
I did enjoy the way they dealt with Deb and Hannah's relationship. the way she wouldn't take food from her, and how they slowly started to trust each other, yet was never fully trusting. It was a good medium and I liked the way they developed character wise.
I'll finish Deb's story in the 'Finale' section Below.
Next up are the cops in Miami Metro. Quinn, Batista, Masuka, and I'll throw in Jamie (Batista's sister)
Overall all four were underused. The writers really missed an opportunity for them to become the enemies, or ultimately the heroes, of the series.
I'll start with Quinn. I've never been a big Quinn fan. He's always been the one in the force I wouldn't mind seeing Killed. he's an ass and a manwhore. Yet his character is well define through most of the series. His relationship with Jamie felt a little abrupt and forced, it felt like the characters insisted on giving him someone already in the show to focus on other than Deb, even though he ends up back in love with Deb. They missed a chance at making him go after Dexter for what he did to Deb. Oh well.
Batista did basically nothing this season, he tried to help Quinn become a Sergeant, then gave up and gave it to no name black lady laguerta replacement instead. he could have one after Dexter as well in the end game but the writers chose against it. overall he was wasted int he final half of the season.
Masuka is great when he's being the Pervy nerd. Let's give him a hot 18 year old daughter to look after for apparently no reason, great choice. he's at his best when he's the creepy lovable Asian perv. but giving him a random 18 year old girl to watch after just felt out of nowhere and unneeded. and don't get me started on her, she was brought in and other than a couple of awkward scenes with her dad theres really no reason for her to be there. masuka should have been the one to link Dexter to say, a kill perhaps?
Jamie was surprisingly prevalent throughout this season, I liked how she became practically Harrison's mother for most of the season, always with him and always there. I liked her immediate reaction to her friend dying. yet the next episode she was back to normal. To me, she should have been the one that got killed by Olliver saxxon instead of the next door neighbor, imagine the emotional punch that would be instead. and it would bring speculation against dexter.
Next up, the Vogel group. Evelyn Vogel, Saxon, and Zach Hamilton.
I enjoyed Vogel as Dexter's mother/creator. she was a good outlet for him to talk to about his condition and it was interesting seeing Dexter's father dealing with what dex became. overall I was satisfied with her story and her being killed by Saxon, her son, made sense. the line "mommy chose the wrong son, again" kinda sums up the whole series.
Zach hamilton was another wasted opportunity, he was a younger, more reckless dexter, but he could have became Dexter's ultimate adversary of the season, and I wished he had. I wish the last scene would have been Zach standing over Dexter, after dexter had murdered people to protect either Deb or Hannah. and Zach killing him because Dexter 'broke the code' It was all set up well, but then they killed hi and all hope for that ending was gone.
Oliver Saxon was another run of the mill serial killer. He was intelligent, uncaring, and ruthless, yet he left no impact. having him appear late game felt like an after thought. it's almost like the writers were out of ideas so went back to the 'this guys that's been here all along but not important is now important. and having him just shoot deb in the last couple episodes was a lazy way of writing. I did love the final scene between hi and Dexter in the prison cell. and him being Killed by a pen was interesting, but it lacked the impact that was needed in the finale.
Next: Hannah Mckay.
Many people I've talked to hate Hannah as a character. I personally Like Hannah, She was a good potential character for Dexter to break his code because of. and a good person to protect Dexter, yet break the code. but unfortunately she ended up as more of just an escape for Dexter. I wish they did more with her character than they ended up using.
and finally, Dexter. He's as solid as ever. his storylines for the most part revolved around his relationship with Deb. and with his and Deb's relationship being the center of the series I don't mind at all. He stayed perfectly good throughout the final season. He stayed as the most solid character over the season, where everyone else in the series seem to flux around him. I wish he would have killed Saxon earlier in the season so the focus could have been more him and Deb or him and Zach Hamilton.
Finale:
I see why people hated the ending. It was a real letdown to me too. I liked the fact that Dexter's 'final Kill' was Debra. pulling her tube out. and I liked that he dropped her into the water like one of his kills since it's pretty much his fault anyway, but I personally wanted Dexter to fall in after her, and the final shot be of Dexter joining her at the bottom of the ocean. but that's just me.
The finale felt lackluster. Dexter kills Saxon, with a pen. I liked that Dexter not killing him resulted in Deb getting shot, and ultimately killed. yet the way that she was shot just felt like an after thought. Saxon should have escaped then went back to kill either Hannah or Deb. but it felt like an accidental death. It didn't have any resonance other than the fact that Dexter didn't kill him when he had the chance.
And yes, the Epilogue pissed me off, Dexter needed to die. Either he gets caught, or he gets killed, those are the two endings that would suffice, ending up as a logger at the end just felt like a cop out to me.
Finale Comparisons:
I'm going to compare the Finale's of Breaking Bad, and Lost to this Finale. SO if you haven't seen those, please skip this section.
Breaking Bad had the single best finale I've seen in a very long time. I have a full review on here somewhere. Anyway I'd just like to point out how the storylines were resolved. Walter white got what was coming to him, where as Dexter got nothing. Deb died but Dexter ended up surviving. After all the horrible things Dexter's done, he ended up getting away with it all. yeah he lost everything, but it's not like his secret ever came out, or he died. he could easily just hop a ride down to Argentina and everything's A-okay.
Lost had the weird ending that came out of nowhere and left nothing resolved. I loved the ending of Lost. I had followed the show all the way through. yet the very end left me unfulfilled. very much the same as Dexter did. The writers dropped the ball in both series finale.
I ultimately think that Dexter is somewhere between the two. Not Amazing like Breaking bad, and not as confusing as Lost.
Final Thoughts:
I love Dexter, it was a phenomenal series, but the last few episodes of the Series left me wanting a whole lot more
Final Verdicts:
Season 8: 43
Full Series: 92
Great Series, but loses it's edge in the final episodes
So that's it, Yet another Series over. I admittedly kept having to delay this review over the course of writing this so My attention wasnt fully invested in it. anyway, Let me know if you share my opinion, or if yours varies, i'm interested to know what others think.
Till next time!
So, as most of you can probably tell, I just finished the 8th season of Dexter. You know, That one with the big Series finale? Yeah that one.
So it goes without saying that this Review will spoil the end of the show. and not just that, it will spoil subsequent seasons of the show, as well as potentially spoiling a few other shows as well. I'll warn you before I reference the finale's of any other shows though.
If you ever intend to watch Dexter, I highly advise you not to read this review. That being said, if you've seen it, or don't care about spoilers, Feel free to read on!
also, for those of you coming just to see how hard I bash on the Finale, Don't bother. I'm coming at it with a level head and will both praise and criticize the finale.
Well, without further delay, let's start the review.
-SPOILERS-
TV SEASON REVIEW
Dexter
Season 8
Going into Season 8 I knew basically two things. 1 The finale sucked. 2. Deb is on drugs. That's the only things I knew about it. and I really didn't want to see Deb on drugs. Luckily that storyline didn't last long, only about six episodes or so. The Deb on drugs and hating Dexter storyline was a good way to show her remorse after shooting Laguerta last season, yet seeing her fall so far because of it was unneeded. Have her as a drunk, she's been a drunk before. her back in Vice doing coke off of a mirror is just tough to watch and annoying.
After deb course corrected and befriended Dexter again I enjoyed it. except when she tried to kill him. then saved him. It was a fine little twist, yet I feel like the writers pulled a punch at making her save him. They shoulda had the tension between them become a big threat throughout the finale, considering that the relationship between Deb and Dexter is really the core element of the show. Having her instead stop trying to kill him and become his accomplice, then go back to the police force was fine I guess (aren't they supposed to call it Service, since Force is too Forceful?)
I did enjoy the way they dealt with Deb and Hannah's relationship. the way she wouldn't take food from her, and how they slowly started to trust each other, yet was never fully trusting. It was a good medium and I liked the way they developed character wise.
I'll finish Deb's story in the 'Finale' section Below.
Next up are the cops in Miami Metro. Quinn, Batista, Masuka, and I'll throw in Jamie (Batista's sister)
Overall all four were underused. The writers really missed an opportunity for them to become the enemies, or ultimately the heroes, of the series.
I'll start with Quinn. I've never been a big Quinn fan. He's always been the one in the force I wouldn't mind seeing Killed. he's an ass and a manwhore. Yet his character is well define through most of the series. His relationship with Jamie felt a little abrupt and forced, it felt like the characters insisted on giving him someone already in the show to focus on other than Deb, even though he ends up back in love with Deb. They missed a chance at making him go after Dexter for what he did to Deb. Oh well.
Batista did basically nothing this season, he tried to help Quinn become a Sergeant, then gave up and gave it to no name black lady laguerta replacement instead. he could have one after Dexter as well in the end game but the writers chose against it. overall he was wasted int he final half of the season.
Masuka is great when he's being the Pervy nerd. Let's give him a hot 18 year old daughter to look after for apparently no reason, great choice. he's at his best when he's the creepy lovable Asian perv. but giving him a random 18 year old girl to watch after just felt out of nowhere and unneeded. and don't get me started on her, she was brought in and other than a couple of awkward scenes with her dad theres really no reason for her to be there. masuka should have been the one to link Dexter to say, a kill perhaps?
Jamie was surprisingly prevalent throughout this season, I liked how she became practically Harrison's mother for most of the season, always with him and always there. I liked her immediate reaction to her friend dying. yet the next episode she was back to normal. To me, she should have been the one that got killed by Olliver saxxon instead of the next door neighbor, imagine the emotional punch that would be instead. and it would bring speculation against dexter.
Next up, the Vogel group. Evelyn Vogel, Saxon, and Zach Hamilton.
I enjoyed Vogel as Dexter's mother/creator. she was a good outlet for him to talk to about his condition and it was interesting seeing Dexter's father dealing with what dex became. overall I was satisfied with her story and her being killed by Saxon, her son, made sense. the line "mommy chose the wrong son, again" kinda sums up the whole series.
Zach hamilton was another wasted opportunity, he was a younger, more reckless dexter, but he could have became Dexter's ultimate adversary of the season, and I wished he had. I wish the last scene would have been Zach standing over Dexter, after dexter had murdered people to protect either Deb or Hannah. and Zach killing him because Dexter 'broke the code' It was all set up well, but then they killed hi and all hope for that ending was gone.
Oliver Saxon was another run of the mill serial killer. He was intelligent, uncaring, and ruthless, yet he left no impact. having him appear late game felt like an after thought. it's almost like the writers were out of ideas so went back to the 'this guys that's been here all along but not important is now important. and having him just shoot deb in the last couple episodes was a lazy way of writing. I did love the final scene between hi and Dexter in the prison cell. and him being Killed by a pen was interesting, but it lacked the impact that was needed in the finale.
Next: Hannah Mckay.
Many people I've talked to hate Hannah as a character. I personally Like Hannah, She was a good potential character for Dexter to break his code because of. and a good person to protect Dexter, yet break the code. but unfortunately she ended up as more of just an escape for Dexter. I wish they did more with her character than they ended up using.
and finally, Dexter. He's as solid as ever. his storylines for the most part revolved around his relationship with Deb. and with his and Deb's relationship being the center of the series I don't mind at all. He stayed perfectly good throughout the final season. He stayed as the most solid character over the season, where everyone else in the series seem to flux around him. I wish he would have killed Saxon earlier in the season so the focus could have been more him and Deb or him and Zach Hamilton.
Finale:
I see why people hated the ending. It was a real letdown to me too. I liked the fact that Dexter's 'final Kill' was Debra. pulling her tube out. and I liked that he dropped her into the water like one of his kills since it's pretty much his fault anyway, but I personally wanted Dexter to fall in after her, and the final shot be of Dexter joining her at the bottom of the ocean. but that's just me.
The finale felt lackluster. Dexter kills Saxon, with a pen. I liked that Dexter not killing him resulted in Deb getting shot, and ultimately killed. yet the way that she was shot just felt like an after thought. Saxon should have escaped then went back to kill either Hannah or Deb. but it felt like an accidental death. It didn't have any resonance other than the fact that Dexter didn't kill him when he had the chance.
And yes, the Epilogue pissed me off, Dexter needed to die. Either he gets caught, or he gets killed, those are the two endings that would suffice, ending up as a logger at the end just felt like a cop out to me.
Finale Comparisons:
I'm going to compare the Finale's of Breaking Bad, and Lost to this Finale. SO if you haven't seen those, please skip this section.
Breaking Bad had the single best finale I've seen in a very long time. I have a full review on here somewhere. Anyway I'd just like to point out how the storylines were resolved. Walter white got what was coming to him, where as Dexter got nothing. Deb died but Dexter ended up surviving. After all the horrible things Dexter's done, he ended up getting away with it all. yeah he lost everything, but it's not like his secret ever came out, or he died. he could easily just hop a ride down to Argentina and everything's A-okay.
Lost had the weird ending that came out of nowhere and left nothing resolved. I loved the ending of Lost. I had followed the show all the way through. yet the very end left me unfulfilled. very much the same as Dexter did. The writers dropped the ball in both series finale.
I ultimately think that Dexter is somewhere between the two. Not Amazing like Breaking bad, and not as confusing as Lost.
Final Thoughts:
I love Dexter, it was a phenomenal series, but the last few episodes of the Series left me wanting a whole lot more
Final Verdicts:
Season 8: 43
Full Series: 92
Great Series, but loses it's edge in the final episodes
So that's it, Yet another Series over. I admittedly kept having to delay this review over the course of writing this so My attention wasnt fully invested in it. anyway, Let me know if you share my opinion, or if yours varies, i'm interested to know what others think.
Till next time!
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