Dexter

[Starbucks880]

My real issue with this season is this: Travis has been doing things that one person could plainly not do alone. Gellar was dead all along so how in holy hell did crazy-pant Travis (a) steal four horses (b) cut up a body into four mannequins (c) obtain 1000 locusts (d) string up in a kill-rig with the waitress (e) randomly mow down a chick who actually was kind of whore-y (f) kill his sister in a staged scene unnoticed in a school yard (g) kill a professor in about .09 seconds. A lot of 'net commenters bag on S3 with crazy Miguel, but at least (to the best of my recollection) that stuff seemed fairly real world, not some super psycho team doings. And I really, really like Colin Hanks. He was just given crap material. He was first the earnest follower, then went un-hinged when Dexter made him realize he killed Gellar. Okay, so he goes full-bore nuts and recruits some followers. That doesn't explain the Cheerios. Or stealing the shirt.

I was chatting with a friend earlier today about the show and the only thing that I thought really rang true to the series was Dexter's talk with Travis while he was on Dex's table. That kind of harkened back to the sense of the show I have, and we really haven't seen that since the first episode (and that table talk was 70 kinds of cheese, but at least it was fairly true to the show).

And I know it's dumb to get caught up and pissed off about a TV show, but the shows I love are my escape from the real world. Everyone has real life stress and it's not a bad thing to have an hour or two to have some escape (kids, work, pets, family, bills, whatever). When they let you down after several years of watching, it's almost like a suddenly bad boyfriend.

Plus no one can convince me that the whole incest plot isn't icky (I don't blame MCH, it's more the writer/producer team). GoT fans expected it from reading the books. With Boardwalk, it was telegraphed from the first episode. With Dexter, it's like if suddenly Alec Baldwin was Tina Fey's father and they got busy on the stage of TGS. Just no.

I just hope Doakes gets cleared. I miss his crazy eyes.

I found all that stuff unbelievable as well. I kept waiting on them to spring a surprise disciple on us who had been helping Travis' crazy butt kill the whole time. I kind of was hoping so ever since the original Whore of Babylon heard two voices in the first kidnapping. But no, they evidently made it even more unbelievable by him evidently talking in two voices a la Norman Bates and psycho. Give me a break. At least with a secret disciple it would not have gone into insulting territory.

I miss Doakes too. I am tired of Quin. I liked him better when he was more badass and possessed by the ghost of Doakes. He is just pathetic now.

[AJane]

Anyone else planning to check out the premiere tonight? I heard there's only a couple seasons left and I plan to see it through to the end (I sure hope Jeff Lindsay doesn't stop writing the book series, though). I haven't read anything about this season and I'm very curious to see where they're going to go - hopefully the Deb loves Dexter plot has been nixed.

[Critical]

I don't have Showtime right now (and won't pay $20-ish for it), so I'm going to have to hunt it up online tomorrow.

I've seen the first few minutes of the episode and I can't imagine how Dex is going to explain this away.

[PhoneGrrrl]

From tonight's episode, I *think* they're trying to pull away from the absolute crap-fest of last year. I still don't know what they're doing with that intern. LaGuerta perplexes with the blood slide; maybe she has a deep desire to clear Doakes' name, or maybe it's another ladder climbing thing. Her character has always been unevenly written. The end scene with Deb tearing Dex's apartment apart and finding the slide box...well, I just don't know. They had a "ghost" character for the last season so who the hell knows if that really happened. I hope it did, because introducing the supernatural *that* late in the game pissed me off last season.

[Debb70]

Last season really annoyed me for many reasons, but I'm trying to be patient and hope this season will be different. Last night's episode didn't really help me. There were so many holes in in the script. These are simple things that the real Dexter would never have overlooked. It's as if someone has invaded his body. Where is the careful, smart, attention to detail Dexter we have always known? He's lost his mind, IMO. I realize the script can't be perfect, but it's unreal how they used to pay so much attention to it, but now it's just ignored. I call it lazy writing. It's too bad.

Dexter has the mind of a killer and he knows what to be careful about. So why would he send Deb to a nearby store to purchase gas in a can? If anyone checked for any reason, there would be video of her doing it. FOILED. Plus, she and Dexter's cell phones were together all night and when they were both called by the station the next morning. If anyone checked their cell phone records, it would show they were together all night and in the morning. That would support the theory they worked the coverup together. Why wouldn't they think of that?

Then there is Dexter who has always placed such importance on his glass slides and he notices some plastic on the killer's shoe, but not the glass side missing. I don't buy it. If the PD ever tracks the cop killer down to the airport they will know when the killer's flight was to take off and when they run the video surveillance, they will see Dexter hanging around after purchasing a ticket and following the killer into the bathroom and coming out with him in in a wheelchair. And then they would see on parking lot footage that Dexter leaves the airport with a long, large object. Foiled.

And why is Dex busy trying to kill a new person, when he should be all over his nanny's boyfriend. The guy couldn't be any more obvious that he's up to no good, but Dex just acts annoyed and moves on to something new!!!!!! Why? This guy is a huge threat to Dex, but he does nothing about it. It doesn't make sense.

I really wish the writers would get their act together. I want to just enjoy the show and not constantly have to be thinking of what major screw ups they are making.

[Starbucks880]

I think the premiere showed promise, but Dexter is being an idiot. What is that term they use in criminal minds when the killer gets more disorganized and takes bigger risks which gets them caught? Maybe that is happening with him. He should have given Debra the lead to the cop killer to give her something else to put her mind on. And since he was on her radar he should not have even thought about killing any body. And the killing at the airport--way too risky and so unrealistic. I wasn't able to get away with the contact solution that was larger than 3 oz that I accidently packed in my carryon, but nobody gets suspicious about the body he is wheeling through the airport? And they leave restricted areas so that you can easily waltz in and kill someone and a lock that is easily pickable? I have been to the airport in Miami, and while I haven't exactly snooped around too much over there, I did notice people using their badges to get into areas. He also should realize Debra isn't as stupid as he thinks. No way she was going to buy those excuses when she caught him killing Travis. And he definitely should have done something about the boyfriend. A computer geek that is a hacker as well is not a good person to be around a serial killer's computer. I do wonder about Laguerta---will she try to reopen the Bay Harber Butcher case to clear her friend Doakes or will she hide the evidence due to politics. I am glad that Debra doesn't want to have sex with her brother any more.

[Critical]

From tonight's episode, I *think* they're trying to pull away from the absolute crap-fest of last year. I still don't know what they're doing with that intern. LaGuerta perplexes with the blood slide; maybe she has a deep desire to clear Doakes' name, or maybe it's another ladder climbing thing. Her character has always been unevenly written. The end scene with Deb tearing Dex's apartment apart and finding the slide box...well, I just don't know. They had a "ghost" character for the last season so who the hell knows if that really happened. I hope it did, because introducing the supernatural *that* late in the game pissed me off last season.

I think that actually happened, based on the previews. I hope that Deb isn't another figment of his imagination like his father. That would be a total cop-out, IMO. Not sure how it will work if Deb knows his secret, but it's been long enough that she should have figured it out by now. I mean, she is a detective!

I was surprised that Dexter didn't immediately check the history on his laptop the second Jamie and that guy left. It's what I would have done.

I hope they're trying to help us forget last season too. I almost stopped watching. I have hope for this season based on the premiere.

[Debb70]

I kind of hope the scene at the end where Deb has entered Dexter's apt and found all that evidence, including the blood slides is real. If Deb didn't have a search warrant, that means all that stuff is inadmissable in court, right? I doubt they have enough evidence without it, to nail Dexter for any of the murders. I wonder if Deb thought of that when she did it.

[Critical]

I don't think Deb was searching as a cop. I think she was searching as a sister.

[buglover]

In the books doesn't she know and subsequently use him to further her career? I never got through the first book. I know they are great, I just couldn't start reading them once I had already gotten through the first season on tv.