2010: My Favorite TV Performances

I hope you've read Jane's post from yesterday on her Top Ten TV choices from this year. It's a terrific and well-reasoned list, and after such a wonderful look-back, I need to do something different. I agree with Jane on all her choices, But I can't just repeat the wonderful things she said about Louis C.K., for instance, or all the other accurate shout-outs she gave to our favorites. How about I offer my favorite performances from this past year? Firmly believing that TV is all about personalities, here's a selection of the actors and actresses I loved best -- my top seven. (Who needs a Top Ten when seven will do?)

Charlie Day as Charlie on It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, on FX: All Hail crazy Charlie, King of the Rats! Though I don't think this was the series' best year, Charlie Day is a constant delight. He's not only hilarious -- a great physical comedian as well as a plucky actor with truly funny bones -- he's also able to convey an almost hapless melancholy that brings his performance into a special place. Charlie's some kind of a savant living life as a dope, he's the butt of everybody's jokes, he puts mittens on cats and keeps a dream journal, and you can't wait to see him appear in every episode. Whether it's his unique voice or his lithe form in his Greenman costume, Charlie always rules the Day! He's an absolute delight.


John Slattery as Roger Sterling on Mad Men, AMC: Though Slattery has been superb all through Mad Men's run, the blue note he often played this season really got to me. Roger's got everything -- money, prestige, a doting wife, all the liquor he can possibly imbibe -- except the things he wants most. Respect...he doesn't have that, just remember how the creepy tobacco heir Lee Garner (played so well by Darren Pettie) smooshed his ego flat when Roger asked for a little time to break the news about the loss of his account. Yikes, so cold, such a wake-up call, and not the only blow Roger would face this season. The wise and eternally sultry Joan sees his desperation and calls off her sometime fling with him, too, over that debacle. And even worse, his dictated memoirs get nothing but giggles from Don and Peggy when they surreptitiously listen to them. In terms of Slattery's comic chops, anytime we saw him working on his memoirs was pure gold, always funny, often bitter and ultimately more sad than anything else. Dyspeptic, often cruel, ultimately heartbroken, John Slattery showed us the rue this year, plus he stepped into the director's chair a couple of times. So talented! I'm even okay with his car commercials...

Randee Heller as Miss Ida Blankenship on Mad Men, AMC: Don Draper's idiosyncratic fill-in secretary was a special treat, at first a tad annoying but then a treasure. We learned, via Roger's memoirs, that she had been a sexual vixen back in the day, and she had lost none of her tartness as she served up wry and cheeky observations which usually left Don speechless. We figured that her sudden death in the 9th episode ("The Beautiful Girls") meant a dark shift for the last few episodes of the season, and we weren't wrong. We really missed Miss Blankenship after that, and kudos to Randee Heller for playing much older (and virtually in disguise) with such heart and humor.

Betty White as Elka Ostrovsky in Hot in Cleveland, on TV Land. Betty White had a golden Renaissance this year, not that she needed one. The TV comedy veteran has never had a dull or a non-working moment, but it was extra nice to see her co-starring on TV Land's successful new sitcom alongside the talented Wendie Malick, Jane Leeves and Valerie Bertinelli. Yeah, so her character is maybe a little cliched -- a man-hungry senior lady -- but nobody does it like Betty White. Her comedy timing is unsurpassed, as we also saw with her great guest hosting appearance on Saturday Night Live in May. She's always the funniest one on whatever stage she's on, and we love her.


Julia Stiles as Lumen Pierce in Dexter, on Showtime: I've been cool on Julia Stiles in the past, but she won me over as the disturbed gang rape victim turned avenger in Dexter's 5th season. Damaged almost beyond salvation yet brought back to life, through death, by Dexter (Michael C. Hall), Lumen turned out to be courageous, resourceful, necessarily savage but ultimately human again as she finally found her peace. I'll miss the down-to-earth sneakers that she always wore, the perfect choice of footwear for a woman teetering on the edge episode after episode.


Martin Freeman as Dr. Watson on Masterpiece Mystery! Sherlock: The always perfect Freeman (The Office, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy) was a wonderful sidekick to the icy idiosyncratic genius of a modern day Sherlock Holmes, played by an equally skilled Benedict Cumberbatch. There's something about Freeman's everyman looks and essential kindness that makes him so tremendously watchable. He was charming, bemused, intelligent and brave as Watson, a troubled Middle East war veteran medico who brought humanity and friendship to the prickly Holmes. Definitely check out this three-part presentation if you missed it. If you did see it, you know what I mean -- Martin Freeman was terrific.

Matt Smith as Doctor Who, on BBC America: It's not like the franchise needed or wanted a new Doctor; everybody loved the wonderful David Tennant as the 10th Doctor, but Tennant wanted to move on. Big shoes to fill, there; Tennant was nothing less than superb. But now we have the 11th actor to play Doctor Who, and the youngest one yet. Matt Smith is only 26 but has proved to be a terrific choice to carry on the whimsical, intelligent, wise and humane legacy of The Doctor. Smith's Who is exactly right, with a manic energy and humor befitting his age and the sensibility of these times we're in, plus a brilliant mien that clearly takes much from the actor himself. If you want to see an actor put his heart, mind and soul into a part, in a way that you simply don't see here on American TV, I urge you to watch Matt Smith as Doctor Who. He was my favorite new face of 2010, hands above anything else on the tube, anywhere.

Here's to many more sensational performances and break-out personalities in 2011!

Happy New Year from The Flaming Nose!

Nose-talgia: "Rudy and GoGo" New Year's Eve!

We hope you remember the wonderful but woefully short-lived Rudy and GoGo's World Famous Cartoon Show which ran on TNT back in the day. Created by two charming, intelligent and hilarious young men -- Barry Mills and Jack Pendarvis -- RaGG was a crazy melange of cartoons, live-action marionettes, songs, parodies and everything else.

TNT Programming tried to give it a long run -- honestly, we did -- but at least we have some footage to love now, thanks to the internet. Barry has set up a tribute site to the show here and there are also clips here and there on YouTube, including this for a great New Year's Eve programming stunt when Rudy, GoGo goat (who also ran for President later) and J.B. hosted science fiction movies all night long!



No such luck anything this fun will be airing on TV this year -- not a chance!

Lest you fear Barry and Jack's talents are wasting away these days, Barry continues a wonderful career as a TV and music producer, and Jack Pendarvis is a celebrated novelist and educator!

Jane's Top Ten TV List 2010

With just a couple of days left before 2011, it's a great time to think about our favorite television gems from the past year. There were a TON of phenomenal programs this year in fact, this could have been a top 20 list. Good TV has become so prolific, watching it all could easily become a full time job. I'm sure I've missed something...but these are the shows that kept me glued to the couch in 2010!

Mad Men (AMC): The Madison Ave men and women grace so many top ten lists, it's almost redundant to add them to mine. But it would be criminal to not include this amazing period piece which is more mini-feature film than any TV drama I can recall. From the intricacies and in-fighting of the ad biz (which I adore) to the character study of smoking hot Don Draper and 60's career woman Peggy...it's the one show that never got recorded in my house. I had to watch it in real time.

Louie (fX): We wrote about it many times on the Nose, in fact it became somewhat of an obsession. Hilarious, profane, heartbreaking, insane and sometimes so creepy it was almost unwatchable. This show within a show about stand up comedian Louie CK, his divorce, his adorable daughters and his NY friends was the most original effort on television this year. I am soooo getting the boxed set when it comes out, because each episode is infinitely re-watchable.

Breaking Bad (AMC): The bleak, cold high plateau of New Mexico...the double life of Walter White and his Meth cooking lab....the evolution of Jessie from drug addict loser to moral compass. Woven between it all the relentless terrorism, and mesmerizing violence of the Mexican drug cartels. Which happens to be more relevant this year than ever before. Where will this series go now that Walter has lost his brain cancer motivation for crime? Who cares, I'm coming along with them.

Nurse Jackie (Showtime): You haven't lived until you belatedly get Showtime and then dive into an entire season of Nurse Jackie over a period of 3 days. Thank you, On Demand. Yes, I had a total immersion NJ marathon and I LOVED it. Edie Falco rules the roost as Jackie, but the entire cast is absolute gold. I'm particularly fond of Zoey, the youngster who brings comic relief to the grim hospital setting. Also love Jackie's BFF Dr. O'Hara, who had an interesting twist with a lesbian turn this season. Nurse Jackie, along with Breaking Bad, Mad Men, and Dexter, has character duplicity as a core plot device. Who are these people? Why are they doing such terrible things? And why does nobody notice except for us?

Modern Family (ABC): As an ABC alumni worker, I can't say how much I adore seeing the alphabet network with a top comedy hit. Every character in this series is hilarious, even the teenage girls. And teenage girls usually suck the laughs out of every scene they're in. My personal favorites are Mitchell and Cameron, the gay couple raising Lilly, the world's most stoic adopted baby. Catch Mitchell's song about "not biting" on the ABC website, it will give you an ear worm.

Dexter (Showtime): Sweaty Miami, Cuban Mojitos, swamps with dead bodies in barrels....and amidst it all, our Dexter of the enigmatic smile. He found true love this season with Lumen (Julie Stiles) but lost it in real life with Jennifer Carpenter, who plays his sister Deb on the series. Yes, it is fraught with peril to date your co-workers and even more hazardous to marry them. Let's hope all the dust settles before the next season so we can root for America's favorite serial killer once again.

Glee (Fox): Now that American Idol has jumped the shark, Fox should thank its lucky stars for "Glee". AI is toast. Would I watch it without Simon Cowell? Not in this lifetime. There is no musical show on TV as strong as Glee. We love the characters (especially breakout girl Britney, who is the funniest dumb blond on TV), and the music is fantastic. Some episodes don't quite make the mark (Rocky Horror was a horror), but most are award winning. If "Grilled Cheesus" doesn't get an Emmy I will be shocked.

Great Migrations (National Geographic): Even though I have not been able to watch the entire series because Comcast prices Nat Geo out of my reach (hateful!), I've seen enough episodes On Demand to know that this is one of the most beautifully filmed nature programs to ever grace the small screen. To watch the Monarch Butterfly migration (followed because they were able to attach a tiny, almost microscopic camera to a butterfly wing) was beyond amazing. On an HDTV it was sublime. Truly the most beautiful documentary series ever. It's the Rose Parade of wild life programs. I'm afraid I'm going to have to pony up for the DVD when it comes out.

Entourage (HBO): I never tire of the escapades of the "boys" as they zoom around So. Cal. in their inappropriate sport utility vehicles adding more smog to Hollywood-land. When is Vinnie going to get a Tesla? He could afford it. Although when last seen, our star was exploding like a supernova, with his porn g.f. dumping him and a bad coke habit wrecking his career. We love Hollywood, and we love cliff hangers. Can't wait until next season to see Ari, Drama, Lloyd and all the young Turks as they pull it out of the fire.

30 Rock (NBC): Liz Lemon, you are our Queen. You are the girl we always wanted to be...a Mary Tyler Moore for the 21st Century. Your glasses...your ham obsession...your fearless and proud braininess. You deserve happiness with a cute pilot or astronaut. But you will probably end up (some season faaaarrrr in the future) with our beloved favorite TV mogul Jack Donaghy. Kenneth can be the best man and Jenna the Maid of Honor. Oh please, at least let it happen as a dream sequence! Actually, the dream is that NBC has managed to create a comedy about television that works on a million levels. Bravo to the Peacock!

And before we close...a special word for our sponsors. I have to give mention to two favorite commercial characters; Isaiah Mustafa, the "I'm on a horse" hottie who made Old Spice cool again and Stephanie Courtney who plays "Flo" on the Progressive insurance ad. Both are originals and immensely appealing.

Happy New Year everybody!

Nose-talgia! A Bit of Danny Kaye!

If you're in need of a bright moment today, here's the terrific Danny Kaye, from his eponymous variety show which ran 1963 - 1967, doing the Dietz and Schwartz tune "Triplets". You might remember the song from the movie The Bandwagon; famously Kaye, Laurence Olivier and his wife Vivien Leigh also performed it at a British all-star Royal Variety Show back in the late 1940s. (Fueling, of course, those rumors about Kaye and Olivier's friendship being more than a friendship...).

Christmas Night with Doctor Who!

Happy Holidays from The Flaming Nose! We hope you're up to opening presents, cooking and eating delicious food, and watching some great TV!

Our recommendation for today and tonight: BBC America's all-day Doctor Who marathon, including the 1pm Doctor Who at the Proms, where the Who-niverse invades London's traditional Royal Albert Hall Proms musical concert. Taped in July 2010, it features the newest Doctor Matt Smith and a bevy of Who villains, personalities, and of course terrific music from the series. Very much a bit of British tradition -- the Proms part, at least! (Think of The Proms like a wonderful Hollywood Bowl concert, or a Boston Pops extravaganza.)

The biggest present for us comes at 9pm -- the simultaneous UK-USA premiere of Doctor Who: A Christmas Carol, with special guest star Michael Gambon. BBC One airs DW: ACC at 6pm their time, and you should check out their fabulous Doctor Who website here. We're incredibly lucky to get it here on a same day basis -- for some reason BBC Canada doesn't air it until tomorrow. (Of course ultimate DW fans will be watching it on the internet the minute after it airs, so why the delay?)

If you're not a Doctor Who fan, you might become one after today! The DW tradition has been charmingly and successfully carried-on by Matt Smith, the youngest actor to play the Doctor but with every bit as much panache as the best of them. Also here's a recommendation you won't always hear -- Doctor Who is suitable for the entire family! And I mean that in the best way...there's nothing childish about it, just amazing adventure plus a huge dose of heart and wisdom for everybody to enjoy. Completely accessible science fiction excitement!

Anyway -- watch! And Season's Greetings!

A Big Get Well Soon to "30 Rock" Star Tracy Morgan!

Word is out now that 30 Rock star Tracy Morgan underwent a kidney transplant operation earlier this month and will miss some episodes of the series next year. If you're a fan of 30 Rock, you know how wonderful Morgan is as Tracy Jordan, the unhinged and hilarious perennial malapropist and page Kenneth's biggest assignment. Here's a great scene with Tracy and Alec Baldwin:

The talented Morgan is evidently recovering well, and we wish him continued good health and many more opportunities to make us laugh!

Revisiting Ricky Gervais' "Extra Finale" -- Still Unparalleled!

Yes, we said it here three years ago, and we're going to say it again -- Ricky Gervais is incomparable. After catching up again with his Extras: The Extra Special Series Finale on one of the HBO channels, it's abundantly clear that nobody else comes close. I was once more caught up in the pathos, intelligence and insight offered up by Gervais and his co-writer (and castmember) Stephen Merchant in the holiday-set (but not Christmas-y) movie-length episode about struggling actor Andy Millman and his grapple with fame when he found finally found success on a sitcom. Ashley Jensen as Andy's pal Maggie was nominated for an Emmy for her work in the special, and it was richly deserved.

Hilarious and heartbreaking, the Extras series finale is timeless in its message and endless in its entertainment. It's airing a couple of times next week on HBO Comedy on the 29th, so look it up or rent it. I offer, as a tantalizing reminder, Gervais' stunning speech at the end of the show. It's a brittle indictment of the world's obsession with celebrity, still as relevant as it was three years ago -- probably more so -- and it will take your breath away. To set the scene, Andy has been appearing on a Big Brother show as one of the resident "celebrities" and has a revelation.

Only the British -- or maybe it's only Gervais -- can combine (and with such incisive brilliance) so much sentiment, intelligence and wisdom, and dare to offer it up in a comedy. That's genius, TV fans.

R.I.P. Blake Edwards -- 1922 - 2010 -- He Made His Mark in TV, Too

The news that veteran Hollywood producer-writer-director-actor Blake Edwards passed away yesterday brought many different images to mind. Undoubtedly best remembered for his screen comedies like the Pink Panther series (mostly starring Peter Sellers as Inspector Clouseau), The Great Race, S.O.B., Victor Victoria, and 10 (and of course so many other films, too; be sure to check out his entire credits), Edwards had also been a prolific presence on television in the 1950s and early 1960s. After starting out as an actor in the 1940s then transitioning into behind-the-scenes success, Blake Edwards was instrumental in the production of at least three well-remembered series of the era.

He had a hand in the well-regarded Mr. Lucky series which had a short (34 episodes) but successful run in 1959, short not because it wasn't an audience favorite, but because it lost its sponsor, something that doesn't happen anymore. He also wrote extensively on the Richard Diamond, Private Detective show (best remembered for the presence of Mary Tyler Moore's gams as the legs of Diamond's unseen secretary), and finally hit longer success (3 seasons and 114 episodes) as the creator of the ultra-cool Peter Gunn, starring Craig Stevens in the title role.

Both Mr. Lucky and Peter Gunn benefitted from their popular theme music written by Henry Mancini. Even if you don't remember the programs, you might recall the music, some of the hippest and snazziest TV scores ever written. Here's the end title from Mr. Lucky:

It often takes a death to bring appreciation to talents we've taken for granted, and so it goes with Blake Edwards. It's high time to remember his contributions to television as much as his work in the movies. You might be able to find some of these series online, and I believe Peter Gunn airs on some digital TV channels with classic TV; I'll investigate and post the info. Seek them out -- you will enjoy them.

Update: Fri. 12/18: TCM will be airing five of Blake Edwards' films starting at 8pm Eastern on Monday, December 27th, as follows: 8pm Breakfast at Tiffany's -- Audrey Hepburn unforgettable as Holly Golightly and singing "Moon River", 10pm Days of Wine and Roses -- searing drama with Jack Lemmon and Lee Remick as tragic alcoholics, 12m The Pink Panther -- the first Inspector Clouseau comedy, 2am Victor Victoria -- Julie Andrews, James Garner, Robert Preston and LesleyAnn Warren all delightful in this gender-bending comedy/romance with music, 4:30am Operation Petticoat -- WW II comedy with Cary Grant and Tony Curtis serving on a pink submarine filled with nurses. All are definitely worth catching for an interesting sampling of his many different genres and some great performances under his direction.

Getting Hungry with "Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives" on Food Network

Is it the weather -- we had a short bout of cold weather here in Florida -- or the season, or am I merely always hungry? Honesty, it's that last one, and it might explain why I've been ferretting out, like some out-of-control, mac n'cheese-seeking ICBM, the airings of the unbelievably delicious Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives on Food Network lately. Hosted, by Guy Fieri, DDaD visits small local-type eateries across the U.S.A. to sample the favorites that keep their customers coming back again and again.

Everything -- and I mean everything -- on this show looks completely delectable. You want to hop on a plane and order what you've just seen, right now, and get another one for take-out to eat on the flight back. This isn't fancy dining by candlelight, it's just great little restaurants serving insanely delectable burgers, or fried chicken, or regional dishes, or matzo ball soup, or whatever else hits that irresistible sweet spot on your palate. Truly, this show will make you hungry whenever you watch it, and if maybe it's not convenient to arise and start rustling up an onion-topped cheddar burger at 3am, then it will provide inspiration for later and send you running to the computer to look up the many recipes online from the show.

If you ever find yourself in a cooking slump, I guarantee DDaD will get you thinking again about flavors and tastes -- everything you love about preparing foods. The many chefs, cooks and restaurant owners featured on the show are delightfully devoid of ego, most seeming to completely enjoy making their special dishes and serving them to appreciative diners. They really get a kick out of the food, and it's infectious. Chef and restauranteur Fieri is also an appreciative host and has a friendly and open demeanor which brings out the best in the folks he visits. Here's a neat clip where he visits a Peruvian restaurant, and I'm sure you can practically taste it while you watch -- I can!

The show isn't new; it's been on since 2006 and Fieri's done over a hundred episodes, so there's plenty of good eating and cooking to discover. I've been salivating my way through the episodes and the online recipes, wishing maybe I lived near some of these places, but more grateful that we can watch and delight in some of the best food around. Happy eating!

Dexter's Mr. and Mrs. Michael C. Hall and Jennifer Carpenter: Splitsville

With this past Sunday's Season 5 finale of Dexter still warm, the news came out yesterday that its two-year-married stars, Michael C. Hall and Jennifer Carpenter, are divorcing. I'm thinking that Showtime must have wished they'd announced this unexpected development before the finale -- a little scandal is always good for ratings.

These two talented thespians will no doubt go on to much future happiness personally and professionally, but it's always at the very least interesting when celebrities break up. Adding to the fascination factor here was the fact that they played brother and sister on Dexter, just a little lagniappe of strangeness for show fans who watched them play off each other so expertly over the past quintet of seasons.

For all the details, read this article from the Access Hollywood website.

Happy Birthday to You, Dick Van Dyke!

Who was funnier, classier, or more intelligent in 1960s TV than Dick Van Dyke as Rob Petrie in the eponymous The Dick Van Dyke Show (1961 - 1966) on CBS? He made us all want to live in New York, be TV comedy writers, and work with amusing colleagues like Buddy Sorrell (Morey Amsterdam) and Sally Rogers (Rose Marie). No doubt it was this show that set the bar so high for all of us as we entered the working world, seeking coworkers who were like a really funny family for us. Most of us all spent our working lives searching for that dynamic; some of us actually found it at different times (I hope, for your sake, that you're one of them!).

Dick Van Dyke turns 85 today; he was set to begin a run of his one-man stage show in Los Angeles this week, but injured his leg and had to bow out. 85 years old and still treading the boards, making people laugh -- Dick Van Dyke is a wonder! In addition to the original TDVDS, Dick Van Dyke starred in two other bonafide TV successes, The New Dick Van Dyke Show in the early 1970s, and his detective series Diagnosis: Murder from 1993 - 2001, as well as other short runs and lots of guest appearances.

Van Dyke also enjoyed an interesting movie career at the same time as he was America's favorite suburban husband. In 1963 he reprised his stage role in the movie adaptation of Bye Bye Birdie, and the next year he was tapped to play Bert in Disney's immortal Mary Poppins, with Julie Andrews in the title role. Other interesting roles followed -- more interesting than overtly successful -- including the kid classic Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (which wasn't a winner when it first came out but has kind of evolved into one), and his brilliant performance in The Comic, writer-director Carl Reiner's 1969 dramedy about a washed-up silent movie comedian, another near-flop which has since gained a great reputation and much critical acclaim. I'm also fond of his ultra-dramatic turn in 1979's The Runner Stumbles (directed by Stanley Kramer), where he plays a priest who becomes involved with a young nun played by Kathleen Quinlan. Complete non-success at the box office, but fascinating and Van Dyke is excellent. Like many funny men, Dick Van Dyke is equally as skilled in straight dramatic parts, though the public wasn't as accepting.

But it was Rob Petrie we all loved, and continue to love up to this very day. Handsome and hilarious, Dick Van Dyke as Rob was our ideal mate, though we girls didn't even resent Laura (Mary Tyler Moore) for nabbing him before we could. All seasons of The Dick Van Dyke Show are available on DVD, and they are also available for viewing on Hulu and some are on Netflix InstantView. I've picked one of my favorites out for you here, the second season episode "It May Look Like a Walnut"; it's a really funny science fiction-infused entry, with a special guest appearance by Danny Thomas, also one of 1960s television biggest sitcom stars. We had TDVDS under license when I programmed KTLA in Los Angeles, and near the enf of our term we ran it overnight, where I could put together wonderful evenings of the series, including my two favorites, this one and the 5th season's "Uhny Uftz" (where Rob sees a flying saucer). But "It May Look Like a Walnut" is the one that most people remember loving, and here it is. (If for some reason it doesn't work for you, check out the episode on Hulu here).

There are a couple of great books out there about The Dick Van Dyke Show -- The Official Dick Van Dyke Show Book by Vince Waldron, and The Dick Van Dyke Show by Ginny Weissman and Coyne Steven Sanders. You can't know too much about America's classiest and funniest domestic comedy ever. We don't think anything comes close.

Happy Birthday, Dick Van Dyke! The Flaming Nose TV Blog loves you!

Love is in the Air on Dexter

Only one more episode left for Dexter's 5th season and I'm feeling a little sad about that because he's finally found the girl of his dreams. Everything about Lumen (guest star Julia Stiles) is perfect: she's a victim (like him) and now a vigilante serial killer (the family that plays together stays together). Also, I can't help but notice that they LOOK like identical twins. The same dirty blond hair, wide cheek bones and penetrating brown eyes. They were separated at birth. It was a narcissist's delight the first time Dexter and Lumen had a roll in the hay. I wanted them to leave their matching black leather gloves on.

This season has been intriguing on many other levels too. I happen to think that Peter Weller's bad cop was one of the most menacing and terrifying characters that "Dexter" has introduced yet. He looked like he could snap at any moment and boil a bunny or blow Miami sky high. He's evil with a bit of joie de vive, sort of like Stephen King's Walking Dude devil in The Stand. I must confess I've had a crush on Peter Weller since Buckaroo Bonzai back in the 80's. "No matter where you go, there you are". Well his character has gone to a quick demise, dispatched Dexter style in the back of van. I believe I will miss him and his coiled-like-a-snake energy.

The other romance that has become fascinating and almost sweet (if that adjective could ever be applied to the best female potty mouth on TV) is the on again off again flirtation between Deb and Quinn. Poor Quinn was outed for conducting his own investigation of Dexter and Deb dropped him like a hot potato. But she still has feelings for the NY Irish cop (who wouldn't?) and seems determined to get her heart drop kicked and stomped on once again. Oh how I wish for a season end surprise where Deb actually gets to find some semblance of normal love. Hope springs eternal.

I think this may not have been one of the very best Dexter seasons, but even a lesser Dexter is still a delight. His evolution as a father, brother, and now (new) boyfriend to Lumen has been measured and riveting. There will be an empty hole on Sunday nights for me when this show is done. Catch the season finale this Sunday on Showtime at 9pm.