Seriously: Dexter
Aug. 13th, 2007 09:05 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
alexandralI have finished watching "Dexter" season 1. And it ended up even better then it started. This show is so great and original and full of emotional and other depth. It won't let me go. It is an adaptation of an excellent book that gone right. I MUST READ THE BOOK now.
1. Dexter himself makes it all confusing. He many times states that he doesn't feel anything, doesn't feel any emotional connection and at the same time he acts as only a most loyal and loving person could act. I could be wrong on this though it seems that![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
koalathebear thinks in similar way. What I think is that though Dexter is damaged, traumatised and blood-thirsty person he still does feel a lot of things – love, hate, everything really. The stuff that happened to him when he was little (he witnessed his mother and some other people's murder that happened inside a shipping container and spend few after-days locked in this container until police found him sitting in the blood bath, starving) changed his soul so much that Dexter for some reason will not admit to having any feelings. May be because the person he loved, his mother, was brutally murdered and now he has a syndrome of "if I admit I love them may be something bad is going to happen to them too"? And may be (more likely, IMHO) he is just protecting the people he loves by keeping them at an arm length and he does it on conscious and subconscious level. Because - what if he is discovered? What will happen to the people he loves?
2. I am in love with this character, can you tell? And I am so worried about the consequences of the things Dexter did to his girlfriends' ex-husband in order to put him back in jail. Is Dexter going to lose Rita over this as she seems to have found "the missing shoe"? It seems that Dexter is rather passionately in love with Rita (and their sex scene is one of the sexiest scenes of all times). But Rita? Will she understand why Dexter did what he did to Paul? Who is a wife-raping crazy bastard and should be in jail for the rest of his life! This is where I don't understand things (just from my personal POV). Why would Rita keep visiting Paul in jail and talking to him over the phone? Why would she let her children see him and would not talk to them herself and explain things her way?
It is extremely bad for the kids IMHO to be associated with someone who seems to think that a night of "rape sex" is just what his wife wants and who is constantly loosing it! Even after Paul is out of jail he is just back to his old ways. He can love his kids (in his crazy way) for all that I care but a person like this MUST be distanced from them by any means possible, including moving to another country, changing the names, etc.. And most importantly – explaining to them who he is, giving them some emotional protection against him. Hmm, I am so sorry – I am too emotional about the subject. It seems that we will never see the end of Paul!
3. Dexter + his brother Brian + their confrontation were rather awesome. Though it is quite strange that the drug guys who killed their mother left them BOTH alive. Dexter was 3, Brian was 6(7?). Hmm, I can see a scenario where the killers could let one kid stay alive if he was very young (too young to explain how they looked to the police) or if he hid away. But two kids and one of them of the age where he can talk? I rather doubt this.
4. I love the way the series are filmed – every shadow has a tint of blood in it and everything looks rather fabulous and full of hidden meanings. And I especially love the way they used red-coloured closing for almost all of the characters in the final episodes except for Dexter which seems to be sooo interesting..
A collection of screencaps of Dexter Morgan's goodness
PS Serial killers can be nice people too, really!
Cross-posted at![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
darklydexter , Here
1. Dexter himself makes it all confusing. He many times states that he doesn't feel anything, doesn't feel any emotional connection and at the same time he acts as only a most loyal and loving person could act. I could be wrong on this though it seems that
koalathebear thinks in similar way. What I think is that though Dexter is damaged, traumatised and blood-thirsty person he still does feel a lot of things – love, hate, everything really. The stuff that happened to him when he was little (he witnessed his mother and some other people's murder that happened inside a shipping container and spend few after-days locked in this container until police found him sitting in the blood bath, starving) changed his soul so much that Dexter for some reason will not admit to having any feelings. May be because the person he loved, his mother, was brutally murdered and now he has a syndrome of "if I admit I love them may be something bad is going to happen to them too"? And may be (more likely, IMHO) he is just protecting the people he loves by keeping them at an arm length and he does it on conscious and subconscious level. Because - what if he is discovered? What will happen to the people he loves?2. I am in love with this character, can you tell? And I am so worried about the consequences of the things Dexter did to his girlfriends' ex-husband in order to put him back in jail. Is Dexter going to lose Rita over this as she seems to have found "the missing shoe"? It seems that Dexter is rather passionately in love with Rita (and their sex scene is one of the sexiest scenes of all times). But Rita? Will she understand why Dexter did what he did to Paul? Who is a wife-raping crazy bastard and should be in jail for the rest of his life! This is where I don't understand things (just from my personal POV). Why would Rita keep visiting Paul in jail and talking to him over the phone? Why would she let her children see him and would not talk to them herself and explain things her way?
It is extremely bad for the kids IMHO to be associated with someone who seems to think that a night of "rape sex" is just what his wife wants and who is constantly loosing it! Even after Paul is out of jail he is just back to his old ways. He can love his kids (in his crazy way) for all that I care but a person like this MUST be distanced from them by any means possible, including moving to another country, changing the names, etc.. And most importantly – explaining to them who he is, giving them some emotional protection against him. Hmm, I am so sorry – I am too emotional about the subject. It seems that we will never see the end of Paul!
3. Dexter + his brother Brian + their confrontation were rather awesome. Though it is quite strange that the drug guys who killed their mother left them BOTH alive. Dexter was 3, Brian was 6(7?). Hmm, I can see a scenario where the killers could let one kid stay alive if he was very young (too young to explain how they looked to the police) or if he hid away. But two kids and one of them of the age where he can talk? I rather doubt this.
4. I love the way the series are filmed – every shadow has a tint of blood in it and everything looks rather fabulous and full of hidden meanings. And I especially love the way they used red-coloured closing for almost all of the characters in the final episodes except for Dexter which seems to be sooo interesting..
A collection of screencaps of Dexter Morgan's goodness
PS Serial killers can be nice people too, really!
Cross-posted at
darklydexter , Here
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2007-08-13 09:23 pm (UTC)I've heard about Dexter for the longest time, but I never watched it because I don't have Showtime. Well, I finally decided to give it a shot last week. And I watched all of Season one within a couple of days. It's unhealthy how much I love this show. :)
Can't wait for season 2...
no subject
Date: 2007-08-13 09:32 pm (UTC)Oh, I also feel rather guilty for liking Dexter so much. :D Brian was creepy in a very evil way for me. And I was also very proud that I realized who the truck killer is pretty early! But Dexter + his code of honest murder + his genuine love for the others + his very cute mimics = I could not resist. I also really cheered when he put Paul back in jail and I don't feel guilty even slightest bit.
I've heard about Dexter for the longest time, but I never watched it because I don't have Showtime.
Someone from work recommended it to me quite a while ago and like you I started watching this show last Monday and finished today. :D I think I'll do a rewatch because I like it so much!
Can't wait for season 2...
** nods in agreement **
no subject
Date: 2007-08-13 09:38 pm (UTC)I was so giddy when he smacked Paul with that frying pan. It was great. Unfortunately, I knew who the Ice Truck killer was from the beginning, because I unintentionally read a spoiler, back before I was even interested in the show. :(
Oh, and I agree, the Dexter/Rita sex scene is definitely one of the sexiest I've ever seen. Basically, I agree with all of your observations. :D I think Dexter has grown throughout the first season. He's beginning to have more feelings. But I agree that there were always some feelings there.
no subject
Date: 2007-08-13 09:59 pm (UTC)Oh, these creepy but cute smiles!
I was so giddy when he smacked Paul with that frying pan. It was great.
I only came to appreciate much later how well Dexter thought through Paul's dismissal. Everything was rather brilliant, starting with him hitting Paul in exact same place as Rita . Such a pity he lost his shoe!!!
I think Dexter has grown throughout the first season. He's beginning to have more feelings. But I agree that there were always some feelings there.
I hope so much for more development on this in season 2 as after shrink's session even Dexter himself seems to have awoken to the fact that he can love someone and be a monster he is at the same time.
no subject
Date: 2007-08-13 09:43 pm (UTC)Anyway. Picking up on a few points. I can imagine Rita is torn. She loves her kids and her kids love Paul (lets chalk that up to childhood innocence) and she doesn't want to put the kids through any more drama, they have seen enough of that. And bickering ex-parents (even with Rita having a perfectly good reason to hate Paul) would just upset them further, plus could make Rita seem like the bad guy in the kid's eyes. Rita is just trying to do the best for her kids, even if its not whats best for her.
I thought Brian was only a year older? Been a while since I saw it, but DVD is out next week so rewatch :D
Plus I got the impression that whoever killed their mother died him/herself somehow. But then I dunno how that would have worked either. Maybe the killer was freaked out by what he saw and ran? Maybe he thought he heard the police and ran?
no subject
Date: 2007-08-13 09:55 pm (UTC)I think you are correct in describing how Rita's thinking worked. Not to forget that Paul was her husband and that abuser-abused link is still there even though Rita is trying to break free. These are just my feelings – I just want to grab these kids and drag them a long way away from Paul. (It is just my helplessness talking :D) But of course the situation is more complex and if I was Rita I wouldn't be in a situation like this as we are two different women. Hmm. One of the best things about "Dexter" is that it makes me feel very personal about it.
I thought Brian was only a year older? Been a while since I saw it, but DVD is out next week so rewatch :D
I need to check up too. What set me off on thisking that he is was twice as old was their comparative height and the fact that Brian remembered everything so coherently. He must have been at least 5-6 to have these clear recollections.. I could be wrong on this, I must check.
Maybe the killer was freaked out by what he saw and ran?
Obviously there must be an explanation because everything else is so well thought through…
no subject
Date: 2007-08-13 11:52 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-08-14 09:20 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-08-14 08:37 am (UTC)I think Michael C. Hall deserves an Emmy for this performance ..well..maybe next year..
no subject
Date: 2007-08-14 09:22 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-08-14 02:13 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-08-14 03:13 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-08-14 01:07 pm (UTC)I can't wait for you to read the books. Also: I found my notes for my Dexter essay during the packing :)
*must actually follow through*
I was really thrown off on my first viewing of the very last scene, with all the people cheering Dexter. I don't know how much I actually understood it even after another couple of viewings. I loved the show all the way through but then thought that last scene with the voiceover was really off. What were your impressions?
no subject
Date: 2007-08-14 03:25 pm (UTC)I just loved that moment! BTW- have you heard that first two episodes of "Dexter" leaked out into downloading world? I am guilty – I downloaded them yesterday and have already finished watching. OMPH! It is rather a very interesting beginning (I'll try to keep off spoilers)
I can't wait for you to read the books. Also: I found my notes for my Dexter essay during the packing :)
Great! I can't wait to read it!!
I was really thrown off on my first viewing of the very last scene, with all the people cheering Dexter. I don't know how much I actually understood it even after another couple of viewings. I loved the show all the way through but then thought that last scene with the voiceover was really off. What were your impressions?
I thought of it as a rather strange scene but it didn't come across as a disturbing one. Wasn't it just something like a play of Dexter's imagination? Like Dexter was thinking "what if everyone knew that I killed the ice truck killer?"
no subject
Date: 2007-08-14 03:32 pm (UTC)I recently read Watchmen (graphic novel by Alan Moore about old masked heroes) and it struck a chord with me in that last scene. I've also been reading the Frank Miller Batman stuff (Dark Knight Returns, etc.) and there's a kind of parallel to me. Haven't worked it out quite yet tho :/
no subject
Date: 2007-08-14 07:09 pm (UTC)I definitely took this as self-mocking of some kind, as if he was thinking "it is not like this is ever going to happen". I liked how in this comment (http://community.livejournal.com/darklydexter/17795.html?thread=71811#t71811) someone said that Dexter denies that he has any feelings because he knows that if he acknowledges one of them (love) he will have to acklowledge all the rst (guilt, etc..).
I recently read Watchmen (graphic novel by Alan Moore about old masked heroes) and it struck a chord with me in that last scene. I've also been reading the Frank Miller Batman stuff (Dark Knight Returns, etc.) and there's a kind of parallel to me. Haven't worked it out quite yet tho :/
This is a very interesting parallel you mentioned. Why do we say "tortured hero" about Batman and "psycho serial killer" about Dexter? The big difference is only in "visual presentation"..
no subject
Date: 2007-08-14 04:48 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-08-14 07:08 pm (UTC)I generally have a very high resistance to gruesome and angst. Recently I am weary of angst for angst's sake that some of the dramas display (and bad endings :D) but a bit of it in the middle never does not hurt!
no subject
Date: 2007-08-19 01:08 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-08-21 03:05 pm (UTC)