DEXTER Season 5 Discussion & Spoilers

[LitmusDragon]

I think this season suffered from not having a particular endgame in mind from the start. A lot of the brilliance of season 1 and 4 for example is how the various pieces tied up neatly at the end of the season. Not so much here.

 

[Starbreaker]

John Lithgow stated he took the part or the Trinity Killer after they told him he was going to be the one to kill Rita.

I guess they were trying to be a different as possible from last season... but different doesn't mean great all the time.

 

[Temis the Vorta]

Really, all that was accomplished this season was for Dexter to realize it's theoretically possible for someone to accept him for who he is (but didn't he already know that, or did he think Harry was some huge, unrepeatable exception)?

Point of order: Harry killed himself shortly after he actually saw Dexter kill someone, so Harry doesn't really count as someone who completely accepted him.

After years of training him to be a killer, which is more accepting than Lumen, who kicked him to the curb the minute his usefulness was over. Cuz, when you think about it, that was exactly what she did: she obviously never loved him if she never once stopped to think, "I should stick with this guy and help him get better."

I know a lot of you (I can't do it personally, my imagination is lame), sit around and think up how shows are going to end episodes or years in advance, and when it actually comes time for season finales, there's something awesome built up in your head that makes anything that airs seem lame.

Yeah I'm constantly thinking up better stuff for shows than the writers of the shows deliver. Makes it almost impossible to enjoy watching anything (and in general, I don't watch much because of just that reason.) Dexter was one of the few exceptions and I can't afford to lose one of the few shows I can enjoy!

Everybody wanted Deb to find out this season, so now that she hasn't, the season is the worst ever?

I was willing to overlook a certain amount of lameness thinking that it was in service of a long-term plot development like Deb Finds Out that would make it worthwhile. Instead, we got nothing. And in retrospect, why did Rita die? That had no good purpose either. I keep thinking "the writers are going interesting places with this" and then it turns out they don't go anyplace interesting at all! Feh!

 

[Mojochi]

I got the impression (admittedly based on a single line) that Debra might know. At the party she told Dexter he must be happy that this is all over. I can't figure out what else she could be referring to.

I think she was just referring to losing Rita, & then the family falling apart. Hell, it appeared as though Dex was so lost, that he was taking Jordan Chase's advice at seminars

Let's face it, for the completely clueless, Dexter is a rather pitiable person, & it appears all the other characters are being kept clueless,

Except Quinn. As I see it, Quinn has pretty well figured out that Dex killed Liddy. Where this goes, will decide how I feel about this season. If it gets dropped, then I believe this season to be entertaining, but a bit of a washout

If they develop this, then it could very well be the beginning of the conclusion we're looking at, in this season. It's only 12 episodes in a season. It stands to reason, that the kind of building that will lead to the conclusion, will span over more than one season

I honestly can't see it being feasible for Quinn to live happily ever after with Deb, & not continue to get wrapped up in this. Killing Liddy really shines a bad light on Dex. He may not have been a model cop, but he was a cop. Lots of risky business, & mistakes by Dex this season, & an ever growing need to be accepted. It ought to spell catastrophe, because it's impairing his predatory instincts, & his training

 

[Jax]

Everybody wanted Deb to find out this season, so now that she hasn't, the season is the worst ever?

Nice to know am already spoken for...

I would of loved her to find out but am not too bothered because thats a final story type plot device and Dexter is not quite over yet. I love the curtain bit because its a clear foreshadowing of future events, Deb will find out eventually and I can wait a little longer.

Next season I was thinking what sort of villian they could have and I was wondering what about a cop killer? a serial killer who targets cops only. Deb finding out Dexter secret against such a villian might soften the blow especially if Dexter is forced to save her like in season 1 but this time with the price being not the death of his brother but his secret dark passenger being revealed to Deb.

 

[Garak]

I'm just happy to see Julia Stiles go, when she announced she was leaving for whatever unimportant reason it was, I cheered.

On the whole the season wasn't the worst, wasn't the best. I was hoping for a more WTF ending though, but if you think about it what we got was a very Dexter-esque ending - the great piano riff and creepy Dexter looking in to the camera.

Oh and according to The Superficial, the world's only trusted news source, Dexter was cheating with Julia Stiles.

Link

All I have to say to that is Lemon over Deb? Jayzus.

 

[Obiwanshinobi]

The headline says it, but the article? Not so much. It just has some bad joke of him and not sleeping with enough women, but whatever. Grain of salt.

 

[Jack Bauer]

Well after this season's finale I'm convinced that Deb won't find out about Dexter until the final season (whenever that is). I don't think the writers want to go there yet. It would change the show too much for them. They don't seem intent on making huge changes in the show.

 

[ALF]

^ Unless they are planning to have Deb never find out, which I think would disappoint.

 

[Harvey]

I don't think it's at all overly dramatic to call this a totally disappointing conclusion to the weakest season of the series. Deb not learning Dexter's hobby because of a piece of plastic between her and him? That was easily the most frustratingly contrived scene on the series ever.

Lumen kills Jordan Chase, can no longer sleep, and this means her trauma has been cured? If Lumen isn't returning to the series, I'd say her arc was a complete waste of time. Dexter's final voice over was nice (and his comment that wishes are for children was absolutely chilling) but the fact that it's hard for him to form relationships is far short of a revelation.

Or how about another scene that nobody has mentioned yet? LaGuerta is questioning Quinn and is able to notice a tiny mark of blood on his boot and immediately assumes it is Liddy's? I belt out laughing. The guy is around crime scenes all the time and the mark is hardly noticeable.

Taking the Quinn subplot further, how does Dexter's falsification of evidence exonerate him? Did that make everyone forget that Rowboat Cop signed out all his surveillance equipment in Quinn's name? Did that make everyone forget all the phone calls between them that were never explained by Quinn? Like all the ridiculous conclusions in this finale, it's nothing but a re-set to the status quo.

Anything that changed between the season premiere and the finale has been re-set to how it was in the closing of season four. For example: the kids were gone in order to enable the season arc, but that's over, so they're back.

And, because I keep bringing it up, remember when Dexter killed an innocent man in cold blood, without taking care to prevent DNA evidence from getting everywhere, in the season premiere? Apparently that crime scene went undiscovered for an entire year, because it was never brought up again. What could have been a game changer was sloppily forgotten--perhaps the theme of this season.

I recall the prominence of Quinn's investigation of Dexter in the trailer for this year. What a disappointment there. Instead of going through channels, he stalks the Butler kid. Instead of going through channels, he hires a corrupt and crazy cop in the form of Peter Weller. And he sleeps with Deb, which is apparently justification to forget EVERYTHING. Doakes was a threat. This guy is an overly-tanned joke.

Rita's death made for a fantastic ending to last season, but after 12 episodes, I have the same feelings as Temis: what was the point?

 

[Aragorn]

Isn't Dexter on its third showrunner staff? When you have three different creative teams with their own idea of what the show is supposed to be like, this kind of thing is bound to happen.

 

[Temis the Vorta]

Yep, they just switched again. I get the strong feeling that the first guy, in charge of S1-S2, had the right vision for the show and ever since then, it's been a succession of people trying to imitate S1-S2. Sometimes it's done well, like S4, but they've lost the original focus, which is that Dexter is not supposed to grow. He can't - if he can "cure" himself, it not only renders his backstory a joke (could Harry have cured him in childhood by getting him good psychological help? He never tried as far as we know!) but it violates the integrity of the character (it's too easy of a solution) and robs him of what makes him interesting in the first place.

No, the point of this particular story is for all the other characters to change. Dexter's dilemma is to stay exactly as he is, and get others to accept him for what he is - the fantasy parade at the very end of S1 told us what the show's premise is. Realistically, people like Angel and LaGuerta aren't going to change their minds about serial killers, but Deb and the kids might.

 

[Harvey]

http://www.avclub.com/articles/dexter-gets-another-new-showrunner,49194/

I tried posting this earlier--I guess it didn't go through.

Long story short, Dexter will be on its fourth showrunner in six seasons. So far, it's been...

Season 1
Seasons 2-4
Season 5
Season 6

So, season 1 and 2 had different showrunners.

 

[Temis the Vorta]

Was Daniel Cerrone the guy who left after the first season? S2 was still witty and gripping so somehow they kept it going that long.

 

[Harvey]

According to IMDB, Cerone wrote for DEXTER during its first and second seasons, and was a credited executive producer from the second episode of the first season to the season three finale.

James Manos, Jr. was in charge of DEXTER during its first season, as the developer and (as far as I can find online) showrunner.

Clyde Phillips took over as showrunner in season two and left after season four (he joined the series as a writer in the second episode of the first season).

Chip Johannessen (late of 24) was the showrunner during the latest season. He's being replaced by Scott Buck, who has written and produced for DEXTER since its second season.

 

[ALF]

IMHO, the weakest season of this series was season three. Jimmy Smitts character was uninteresting. Dexter was shopping for a home and getting ready for his wedding. It was a multi episode arc snoozefest that I will have a hard time watching again. I'd rather go from crazy Lila straight to naked ass Lithgow.

 

[theonlydevice]

I mostly like to watch USA TV shows and Dexter is one of the best TV show ever. I have watched the full TV show. Now, I say that, It is the King of the all TV shows.....

 

[Temis the Vorta]

Wow.

There's quite a gulf between USA shows and Dexter. It's like combining oatmeal with, I dunno, rocket fuel?

 

[IndyJones]

Wow.

There's quite a gulf between USA shows and Dexter. It's like combining oatmeal with, I dunno, rocket fuel?

Maybe he means shows from the US.