Monday, December 10, 2007

Dexter, We Hardly Knew Ye


And, as the last days of Dexter (season two) draw near, we are left to wonder....who the Hell is Dexter anyway? Our hero's Code of honor is kaput, the Feds are closing in, and Sgt. Doakes (poor thing) is still in a cage...all with one episode left to go. Oy vey.

The ambivalent Dexter is very conflicted, and that leaves us all feeling the same way. His relief at deciding to turn himself in to the feds felt very real. His decision (after a good steak and a few beers with Deb) to keep being true to his righteous serial killer self felt...well...crazy. And isn't that the kicker right there? Dexter IS crazy! It is only through the amazing acting skills of Michael C. Hall and phenomenal loopy script writing, that we have been able to accept good old Dexter, as just that cute boy next door who has an unusual hobby. For me, the hobby crossed the line into big time creepy, when he hosted Rita and the kids on his boat for a little pre-prison R and R. This was the first time the little ones (who clearly adore Dexter) were brought into his physical world. I'm sure I wasn't the only one who found the thought of them running around the deck that once held mounds of chopped body parts, not just a little stomach churning.

Oh Dexter fans...where do we go from here? The teaser for next week's final episode hints at an apocalyptic explosion in the swamp. We know that our Dexter won't be caught in the flames (spoiler haters, go take a bathroom break) as Lisa has already assured us there will be a third season. We most fervently hope that Doakes won't be caught in the flames, as Erik King's brilliantly nuanced performance has made this caged Special Agent a hugely sympathetic and engaging character. I love Angel to death, but as they said over and over again in this episode, he was warned about Lila. All bets are off for Angel's survival.

Ah yes...Lila. Here's what I think Dexter-ites, and I don't care a bit if it's trite. I'm hoping there is an eleven foot Gator out there in the Everglades who likes lean meat.

One. More. Dexter. Episode. Left. We will all need a 12 step program to get us through Dexter withdrawal until Season # 3!

5 comments:

Lisa said...

Excellent assessment of our Dexter jones, as always, Jane!

This is indeed one of the episodes where we got a real sense of Dexter as an aberration of nature, and you are right, Michael C. Hall had so skillfully lulled us into acceptance and affection that we almost forget that he is a monster. Seeing him working through his twisted logic was amazing. Boy, wasn't Doakes right when he said it was like cancer, spreading? Dexter is becoming really dangerous now, I'd say.
What an episode!

Ro said...

The brilliant thing about Hall, the writers, and the whole show is that Dexter is always a sociopath in the true sense of the word. It's all about him. Rita's like his mother, the kids are like him and his brother, but he can't relate or really love another person fully. He's in color and everyone else is in black & white, and like Bundy or BTK, he's the god who holds their fates in his changing thoughts Bravo!

Anonymous said...

All i know is if we have to wait until next october for the start of season 3...i might as well go into a coma cause i was bored with tv until the start of season 2.

oh btw, why wait till sunday when the final episode is already floating about on the internet ;)

Anonymous said...

Love your recap/assessment. And I must say that I agree with you on all points. Lila needs to be eaten, preferably slowly. Doakes must survive as he fills a necessary role in Dexter's world. I love, love Angel and hope that he isn't blown to pieces. And quite obviously Dexter needs to walk out of there unharmed (relatively speaking).

The best show going. It'll be a long summer.

Anonymous said...

It's only a show! You people really should get a life. Enjoy it ,don't analyze it to death.