Details on DEXTER Season 5

[Spooky]

http://www.hitfix.com/blogs/whats-alan-watching/posts/dexter-teenage-wasteland-father-figure

A quick review of last night's "Dexter" coming up just as soon as I tell you where your kidney is...

"Teenage Wasteland" felt very typical of season five as a whole: weird and kind of all over the place, but with enough redeeming features that I was mostly able to shrug off the parts that didn't work.

Specifically, while I wax and wane on the actress who plays Astor, I've always found the Dexter/Astor relationship to be one of the show's more complicated, interesting ones. Our man is never more out of his comfort zone than when he has to deal with her messy adolescent emotions, and I liked seeing him have to deal with her in the middle of this ongoing fustercluck with Lumen and Jordan Chase.

On the other hand, Harry's comment about being surprised to see Dexter putting himself out there and trying to protect someone else was odd, as there was a story in season two or three where Dexter took care of the guy taking creepy photos of Astor. And that was a much darker, more morally-nebulous story, where Dexter beating up an abusive stepdad is more along the lines of Dexter Morgan: World's Cuddliest Serial Killer.

Still, I loved the scene of Dexter and Astor in the car at the end, with Dexter surprised by Astor's question about whether Lumen makes him feel better about Rita and responding with a spontaneous, genuine-sounding declaration of love. Very good stuff from Michael C. Hall there.

And ditto Jennifer Carpenter in the scenes where Deb confronts LaGuerta in her office, and then Quinn in the interrogation room. The non-Dexter stories on the show are always going to be vastly less interesting than the ones about him, but Carpenter almost made me care about the office politics stuff, and of course the Quinn confrontation was about Deb being protective of her brother.

(But also on the other hand, it's the umpteenth case of Deb realizing her boyfriend is a scumbag, and also of Deb edging close to the truth about Dexter without ever really getting there. The writers really need to get to that already or stop teasing it.)

Also on the plus side: Peter Weller is having the time of his life as Liddy, who's like this evil genie Quinn can't get back in the bottle, and the final phone call between Jordan and Lumen was suitably creepy. And also on the negative side: the use of the horrid tinkly Please Laugh Now, This Is A Light Moment in a Drama music (common to so many current dramas, especially the ones on ABC) in the scene where Deb meets Lumen. "Dexter" has never been the most subtle show, but once upon a time it trusted the audience to transition from the dark scenes to the funnier stuff without having to hold anyone's hand about it.

What did everybody else think?

[TinkTanker]

I have to agree; season five has ADD and a let-down from last year (but what wouldn't be) but still worth watching. After all, it's Dexter. It has RoboCop. It has Julia Stiles. Even when it is mediocre it still rocks.

[Spooky]

I liked the last ep.

[spoiler]

"In her eyes... I'm not a monster at all"

Awww, killers in love.

[/spoiler]

[Spooky]

The season ender left me kind of wanting. I enjoyed it, but...

[spoiler]

I wish Lumen would have stayed, but I guess it makes sense that her 'Dark Passenger' wouldn't be as deeply rooted as Dexter's and after killing Chase she would heal and without it (the Dark Passenger) she would have a very hard time being in Dexter's life.

I wish Deb would have found out Dexter's secret.

I am hoping that the favor Quinn owes Dexter gets paid off next season. Also, how does just the blood evidence clear him. Phone calls? Gear checked out in his name? Come on people!

I hate that the writers gave Maria a pass on being superbitch to Deb. Of course things can get complicated, but it's not a licence to superbitchdom.

Another thing that bothers me is the car Dex stole to get to the camp... He crashed it and was bleeding. The car will be reported stolen. Police were crawling all over the camp after deb called in the location. You would think that one of them may have noticed the crash can and checked it out? A Big plot hole (not the only one) that will bother me.

[/spoiler]

Anyway, I am still looking forward to season!

[Pearl@32]

Looks like there's a lil' monkey wrench to be added to Dexter: Michael C. Hall and Jennifer Carpenter are rumored to be splitting after 2 years of marriage. Bummer.

I haven't watched any of this season!! waaaaaaa! But I did get introduced to Hall's first series, Six Feet Under while we had the free HBO. Holy cow is that show awesome thus far!

[Spooky]

I need to get back into 6 feet. i watched the first three season when it first came out, but stop for some unknown reason.

[AdmiralDigby]

Looks like there's a lil' monkey wrench to be added to Dexter: Michael C. Hall and Jennifer Carpenter are rumored to be splitting after 2 years of marriage. Bummer.

No hawt brother-sister escapades ?

[Pearl@32]

You're being silly.

Free preview weekend of Showtime Jan. 7-10. I believe someone will be watching season 5....among other Showtime offerings like Nine and The Spirit (it has Stana Katic in it so I'm watchin'!).

[Eric]

Free preview weekend of Showtime Jan. 7-10. I believe someone will be watching season 5....among other Showtime offerings like Nine and The Spirit (it has Stana Katic in it so I'm watchin'!).

Anyone want to take a poor forgotten husband out for his birthday on Jan 10th?   

[Pearl@32]

You leave for months and now you're back...and you forgot to leave teh snark.   

Sheesh!