Dexter

I think fans are really convinced the writers have run out of ideas. I really do think that some of the viewers could write a better script than the professional writers. The previews show that Dex is on a road trip to somewhere out west to where Trinity's son has movied. Apparently there are some unsolved murders. AND Dexter's older brother is now his guiding hand, not his dad.

IMO it's just too much rehash. Trinity issues again, the Ice Truck Killer (Brian) returns in Ghost form. IT's too much of a blast from the past. Move on. We have seen enough on the Ice Truck Killer and Trinity. I'm not feeling all the rehash. I would like a new, inovative, intelligent script that isn't full of holes, old characters, and red herrings.

There is also speculation from fans that there may only be another 2 years of the series left. I hope that is true.

I'm not feeling it either, Debb. Even worse, I'm finding the Doomsday killer (the main plot!) to be annoyingly boring. This show has jumped the shark, imo.

For anyone who has read the books, has the show completely veered away from the books other than the fact that Dexter is the main character?

You know that Trinity is

Click to see Spoiler:

Trinity's son right? He kills his mother and sister in Nebraska and Dex goes to check it out.

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Originally Posted by kerowyn66

You know that Trinity is

Click to see Spoiler:

Trinity's son right? He kills his mother and sister in Nebraska and Dex goes to check it out.

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Yes, this is what I heard. I really hope it's not true though.

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Originally Posted by buglover

For anyone who has read the books, has the show completely veered away from the books other than the fact that Dexter is the main character?

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I'm reading the latest book and there's a blurb on the cover saying it's a case that won't be seen on TV. I don't know if that means that Jeff Lindsay and his publisher are sort of distancing themselves from the series...it's kind of a passive-aggressive way to sell books ("the TV producers are too wimpy to go where Jeff Lindsay's imagination and vision takes Dexter" kind of thing). I'm a broken record on this topic, but the book series is much darker and grotesque than the TV series. This recent book, though, is also laugh-out-loud funny in some parts, particularly the exchanges between Dex, Deb, Vince, and Deb's new partner (who is not a TV series character - she's not a big shot in the books, still a working cop).

If anyone wants to read the books and hasn't yet, consider this your Spoiler Alert...



I would rate the differences like this:

1. The books are first-person narrative, so the focus is completely on Dex and his Dark Passenger. (Harry exists only as a memory.) The character development of Deb, Angel, LaGuerta, Vince, and Rita are not really present in the books, obviously because it's Dex telling his own story. The tone of the books is very different...the Dex we saw killing Nick is more Book Dex in spirit.

2. Rita remains alive in the books, and their child is a girl, not a boy. The dynamic between Dex and Rita in the books is different because Dex maintains that he's not quite human, and instead presents a human facade to everyone in his life (except to his child - he admits that he has feelings for her that were previously alien to him). He's not interested in inter-personal relationships at all - Book Dex is cold, and would never have had an affair with Lumen or been buddies with Brother Sam.

3. Deb also has a child by a character named Chutsky (Lundy is the TV equivalent, loosely based on the book character). Other than that, Jennifer Carpenter has absolutely nailed the book Deb. She is perfect. :up Oh, and Book Deb knows Dex is a killer - not only does she accept it, she exploits it by using him to help her solve cases.

4. Book Astor & Cody are budding serial killers. Yes, I get that's probably not palatable for TV audiences. It also shouldn't be funny, but Lindsay somehow makes it so.

5. Angel, LaGuerta, and Vince have much larger roles on TV (Quinn doesn't exist). I didn't care for that at first, but I've since changed my mind. I really enjoy these four characters, but if I had to get rid of one of them, I'd pick LaGuerta.

6. Overall, TV Dex is watered-down Book Dex - both character and plot. For example - the Doomsday murders are pretty gruesome, but they pale in comparison to Lindsay's killers' methods. Book Dex identifies with the killers, not with the victims. I think that's likely why the show spends so much time portraying Dex as a vigilante killer, rather than a calculating, bloodthirsty serial murderer. I was astonished that TV Dex killed Nick, because they've taken him so far from the original spirit of the character.

That's probably more than you wanted to know. :lol The short answer is "yes".

And in spite of all this, I am loving this new season. I will miss Brother Sam, because I really enjoyed Mos's acting. I think the sub-plot of the meaning of faith and belief in a higher power is a fascinating (and gutsy) move by the writers. It's tied in beautifully to Dex's relationship with Sam, the biblical Doomsday murders, Dex's failed attempt to find his "light" - and now the the reappearance of Dex's real brother after the death of Brother Sam. Last season was dismal, but the writers are outdoing themselves this time around.

Thanks for the insight AJane!

I'm not sure I could handle the books. They might scare me too much. Did I tell you I had to stop watching Criminal Minds because I got so scared? And I don't think I'm going to be able to watch American Horror Story on FX. I'm not sure why. I used to watch anything.

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Originally Posted by Debb70

I'm not sure I could handle the books. They might scare me too much. Did I tell you I had to stop watching Criminal Minds because I got so scared? And I don't think I'm going to be able to watch American Horror Story on FX. I'm not sure why. I used to watch anything.

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I know what you mean Debb. I can't watch nearly the range of stuff I did when I was a kid. The stuff I usually don't even consider anymore is slasher movies and scary-movies-that-could-happen. Like serial killers and women getting kidnapped and tortured. I empathize too much with the characters and then I just end up completely freaked out. I have never even thought about watching a Saw movie. The whole idea of having someone trapped and then having to cut off an appendage is just too much for me. I barely got through 127 Hours for that reason - and that was a survival story, not a horror flik!

That's probably why I love AHS so much - too far from plausible! Yes, I know some of this stuff in my list happens on Dexter, but the way they handle it is so darkly humorous that I find it manageable.

Yeah, Dexter had hardly ever bothered me. I will admit that I felt sick to my stomach when Dexter walked into his bathroom and found his murdered wife. That was very unsettling for me. I was not reading spoilers at the time and had no idea that was coming. It shocked the stuffings out of me!