Pajiba

Wow, great review! I haven't seen the finale yet but I'm not big on surprises (such as they are in this case). I'll miss Doakes but I'm glad the witch is dead. She never seemed real to me and that really stood out in a show with so many complex characters.

The only reason I miss Lila is that Deb no longer has the opportunity to use the phrase "gross, pale, English titty vampire".

Great review for a fantastic show.

Great review .

A brilliant review of a brilliant show! I loved the hell out of Doakes, tho', and I'm sad to see him go. I felt that if anyone would catch Dex, it'd be him. And he did, in a sense, but no will ever know... or will they? One can only hope that Doakes will make an return appearance, perhaps in a flashback or as a hallucination?

I know this for sure: LaGuerta is NOT going to let Doakes go down as the Bay Harbor Butcher. I have a feeling she's going to flex her detective muscles in season 3.

Thanks for this review. I absolutely love Dexter. So strange that I have a major crush on a serial killer. But really, this is a fantastic show and ... "The writers have earned faith and respect. I cannot wait to see where they take us next." is dead on.

I loved reading this review. Dexter is an awesome show. I was a bit apprehensive at first, figuring I could never get past thinking of Michael C. Hall as always being David in Six Feet Under. But he's brilliant as Dexter.

Now I can go on to the second book. Has anyone read it? Season 1 is pretty much the first book. Is season 2 book 2?

Season 2 is very different from book 2. Very good, but very different.

Lovely! I was so upset when they killed Doakes, though. I mean, I love Dexter, but he needs his Doakes, doesn't he?
I hope that the body floating in the water was just a guy mysteriously resembling Doakes in the tooth area, then next season some drug dealers will be roaming around the everglades and Doakes'll come rising up out of the muck on the back of an alligator and be all, 'I'm Doakes, motherfuckers!' and...yeah.
Great review. Dexter is, I believe, the best show in the history of everything ever. Practically every episode of the first season left my heart racing. I mean that literally.
And I hate to say it, because I've never said it before, but I think this is the one case where the adaptation has been (dare I say...)superior to the original.

I tried to come up with a way for Doakes to live, but once he knew about Dexter there just wasn't a way to do it while maintaining the integrity of his character. It's too bad, because I was a big fan of Doakes. He deserved to discover that he was correct in his suspicions, so that was cool.

I loved this season, although I am in complete agreement with Lola, particularly regarding the method of reintroduction.
Lila's death was FAR too kind, though. I was (somewhat sickly, I suppose) really hoping for some sadistic torturous glee on Dexter's part there.
Alas.
At least she's dead.

I have been a fan of Dexter from day one and that is one kick ass review!



I think the appeal of Dexter is that it shows us what we all feel. Not that we all want to be serial killers but that we all hold secrets, we all hide behind masks and we are all afraid of being discovered. You could feel his relief when he decided to let his secret out - no matter who it would destroy, he was still relieved. Holding onto to these secrets are heavy burdens we all bear, his relief was felt by us all. Dexter shows us ourselves and we love to watch.

Fabulous review of a wonderful series. While watching this season I was constantly suprised and delighted that it managed to keep it's high standard. As much as I was rooting for Dex over Doakes I also didn't want Doakes to die (and attempted to envisage a way for him to survive). Personally, I found Laguerta's relationship with Doakes to be a large part of what made him sympathetic and'll presumably play a substantual part in plot development in series three.
Lila's death is the only part of the review I don't agree with. It doesn't look to me as if Dexter has given up his ritual and slide box and if so then there must be another reason for him to have deviated from his standard? While watching it I read it as a kindness to her.

Thanks for a deeply considered review of one of my favorite shows, Beckylooo Who; I had to wait to read this until we finished up the season finale last night.

I, too, will miss Doakes, but I agree with the others that he's really dead. When Masuka was cagey about the particulars at the crime scene, I started thinking Doakes might have gotten away, but this show has been pretty faithful about the science and procedural aspects of criminal investigation. If they bring him back, soap-opera-style, it will be a huge betrayal of trust by the writers. A major urban PD wouldn't have relied on just dental records, they would have his DNA tested to be sure. And we saw him facing into the blast from a foot away when it happened. If he returns as anything other than an urn, it's a big "ugh" moment.

Nothing surprises me anymore though -- I thought they skirted dangerously close to the "ridiculous" line with Doakes constantly stalking Dexter and Dexter waiting so long to make an complaint about it with the PD. I know we're suspending disbelief to enjoy the show in the first place, but filing a report against Doakes was a logical move for Dexter from the beginning to insulate himself against both the stalking and any later accusations by Doakes.

But I love Dexter because he's never afraid of Doakes or anyone else -- a Special Forces ranger stalking him is merely an annoying inconvenience. My favorite moment from the entire show so far: When Rita's brutal, criminal ex-boyfriend fake-punches at Dexter's face, and Dexter doesn't flinch, doesn't move, just stares him down with that slight "I'm-going-to-carve-you-into-small-small-pieces" smile. Sure, he didn't kill him, but just as with Lila, Dexter's eyes foreshadowed a bad end for a bad someone.

Michael C. Hall is just the bestest.

THIS IS WHAT I WANT TO KNOW.

What happened to those two drug dealers that Doakes met on the boat? Why did Dexter have his specific code that never wavered and then he just wham-bam takes out 2 dealers to save Doakes? Afterward Doakes tells him they would have killed him, but Dexter didn't know that at first... And then where did their bodies go? The body of the other guy was left in the cabin, in the bag, for ages... where did they go? Why would he remove them and leave the original bag there? The police only found the bodies of Doakes and the original dealer (from a few episodes back) at the cabin.

Re Dexter forgoing his typical ritual to get rid of Lila, I sort of thought that was due to airport customs and the questions that might be raised by him bringing all his equipment to France.

And re Michael C. Hall being the bestest, he absolutely without a doubt is.

But honestly if someone can offer insight into the fates of those two dealers, you'd really help me sleep at night.

Kate, I can't remember specifically, but I thought Dexter and Doakes dragged the two drug dealers into the swamp and left them for the gators -- didn't Dexter make a comment about a free meal for the gators? BUT, that doesn't explain what happened to their boat. Tough for Dexter to drive the boat somewhere, then get back to the cabin, without help. I love knowing about continuity errors, except in shows I love, when they're disconcerting.

Re Lila's demise, my take was that it was a purely defensive kill, not ritualistic and therefore not subject to his ordinary rules and practices. She knew his identity and posed an ongoing threat to his "family" because of her instability. And with her being off his home ground, it would be too difficult for him to do it the usual way. As with Rita's boyfriend, he deviated from the usual dispatch method for practical reasons.

"Television is the only visual medium where you can pull off this sort of slow and subtle revelation of character."

There's comics, too, although examples similar to what you're talking about escape me. Maybe Y: The Last Man?

Anyway, terrific review.

Gordon - thanks for mentioning that. I went back and forth on that sentence for that very reason. I don't know enough about comics to say whether or not my statement holds true. I've only read a few graphic novels, Moonshadow being my fave and while I've enjoyed them, i didn't find the character development subtle. It was all very archetypal. Totally valid, just not the same thing. But I'll check out Y. Thanks...

Dexter is definitely my very favoritest show on TV and now I just don't know what I'm going to do on Sunday nites.

When it looked like Dex was going to get caught, I literally didn't want to watch because it was making my stomach hurt from the anticipation.

Socalled--I agree about his disposal of Lila. She wasn't a trophy, just an annoyance. And as they say here in the south, "She needed a-killin'" (which, by the way, is a viable defense.)

I am off to go by the books for mr.wsapnin for xmas.

This review is exactly why I read Pajiba. Terrific.

fantastic review. i fucking love dexter

I liked it too but I found it frustrating as well. (Though I unequivocally loved the opening-credits-shot-from-a-different-angle scene in the middle of the episode.)

The season had done such a good job of pinning Dexter's "code" vs. the threat of imprisonment/letting loved ones down that the finale felt like a cop-out by making Lila kill Doakes and then having Dexter kill yet another killer (and would-be killer of children) and thus live up to his code. I really wanted to see what the writers would have him do vis-a-vis Doakes but instead I feel like we were stuck with his pale British poon-mama conveniently letting Dex off the hook like some kind of deus ex vagina.

"but instead I feel like we were stuck with his pale British poon-mama conveniently letting Dex off the hook like some kind of deus ex vagina."

Dear Mook:

ROTFLMFAO! (deus ex vagina) is one of the best lines ever put in print! I tip my hat to you.

P.S. Wonderful review, love, love love the show but I too feel that having Lila kill Doakes was a bit of a cheat. Still, great season finale.

"The real triumph of the show thus far has been the slow and subtle unfolding of the relationship between Dexter and James Doakes. Much like "The Shield" and "The Sopranos," "Dexter" has done a beautiful job establishing the antihero. We love and root for Dexter despite the fact that he's a vicious killer, and we root against his nemesis Doakes, who, regardless of his abrasive personality, is a well-intentioned cop."

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I disagree wholeheartedly. This is where both Dexter and the Shield really lost me for a while. Both shows had me cheering for a morally dubious protagonist because he was fighting a greater evil. When they introduce an "antihero" whose only crime is trying to do the right thing, it all falls apart and I lose interest fast.

Having Lila kill Doakes was such a cop-out Doakes' blood is still on Dexter's hands. He was never going to just let Doakes go free (not after talking to his sister, anyway). In my mind, Dexter blatantly violated the code that kept him so creepily likeable. Between that and the cheating on Rita, it's nearly impossible to root for the guy anymore. I kind of want to see him get arrested now. :-(

I kind of agree with HallsyHatesU. At the end of Season 2, is Dexter really in much of a different situation than at the beginning of the season? If anything, he's better off and neither he nor his loved one have had to pay much of a price.

In contrast, I think The Shield doesn't make it so easy on Vic. Sure, he escapes Kavanaugh, but a heavy price is paid: one of his best friends is murdered... by his best friend. Vic didn't take the bullet directly, but his actions have led to other actions that has torn his life apart.

I think, in the end, with both of these shows, the main characters must pay in some way. Whether that means death, living with a deep and unalterable pain or being portrayed as true monsters instead of antiheroes, it doesn't matter. But they can't just walk off into the sunset.

Yeah, Vic has been put through the wringer since Day 1 and I don't see this season ending well for him. God, I love that show. I need to watch it again from the start. I found Season 5 disappointing, though. I mean, Forrest Whittaker is an excellent (and underrated) actor and he did an amazing job in that role, but it was impossible to root against him because he was just SO right about everything. Same thing with Doakes. Those type of characters come right out and voice what we SHOULD be thinking about the protagonist - and would actually think if we encountered them in the "real world". Turning the audience(or me, at least) against those characters just doesn't work.

Anyway, I have three other points to make:

1. I responded to the review before reading the other comments...."deus ex vagina"...HAHAHAHA!!

2. I vociferously second the recommendation of Y the Last Man. I *love* that book. I would also like to add a suggestion of my own for Preacher, the greatest comic book of all time. You do need to have a high tolerance for violence, profanity, blasphemy, etc. It is a pretty twisted ride.

3. Season 2 of Dexter was good, but I enjoyed Season 1 a Hell of a lot more. There were so many great moments. Dexter's excitement when he finds the doll in his fridge - classic. That struck me as something so new and creepy...I loved it.

Having Lila kill Doakes was such a cop-out Doakes' blood is still on Dexter's hands. He was never going to just let Doakes go free (not after talking to his sister, anyway). In my mind, Dexter blatantly violated the code that kept him so creepily likeable. Between that and the cheating on Rita, it's nearly impossible to root for the guy anymore. I kind of want to see him get arrested now. :-(

If you are going to buy the ticket you might as well take the trip all the way to the dark end of the tunnel.

Just how many people did Dexter kill in Season One? And now we get all morally ambiguous because of Harry's code supposedly being broken and Dexter cheating on Rita? That's like getting pissed because one of The Green River killer's victim was not a prostitute.

Seems to me that there is a LOT of blood of Dexter's hands.

Doakes' death was inevitable like bad teeth on a meth addict. Keep messing in Mr. Johnson yard and bad things are bound to happen...but hey, that's why the series is called Dexter not Doakes.

We always feel a little uncomfortable when we root for a character with highly questionable morals. We look for that small kernel of humanity that allows us to forgive their and our transgressions.

I for one left that moral morass at the door at the beginning of Season One and have not looked back. And let me just say that Lila's death was the most satisfying moment of television this season. Does that make me a bad person? LOL

Guys, he dispensed with the ritual for Lila because-- he said this himself-- he had a plane to catch.

I thought Season 2 was excellently and flawlessly carried out. Everything made perfect sense to me.

Doakes-It made sense that Dexter "protected Doakes from the drug dealers. Dexter is a serial killer, Doakes was his property. No one else had the right to dispose of Dexter's property but Dexter. Those drug dealers were not only invading his territory, but would probably kill Dexter, too. Since Doakes was the main suspect, on the run, the FBI and police would have assumed that the boat and extra bodies if found were there because of Doakes. If the cops found the suspects remains, case closed. They wanted the end of that investigation. We read all the time about fact that the FBI and Police let go when they think they've solved a case.

Lila- She was a stalker, an arsonist that has murdered before and was in love with Dexter. Of course she would have used his tracking device to find out where he's been. Of course she'll go there. Of course she'll kill Doakes to please her man. That act would make Dexter permanently bonded with her and easy to blackmail. That's why Dexter had to kill her. He knew she would never stop. Plus, I think she still had his tools with her; except for the syringe he kept in his pocket.

Dexter's Code- This season Dexter did a lot of things that went against who he was in season one. I think it's because he's slowly changing as a human being and a monster. He doesn't need the code because he's developing his own. He's not looking for his father's approval anymore. He's gaining compassion for his loved ones, while losing his self-hatred and guilt. The code is old.

I can't wait for season three! He's going to have to find a new way to dump bodies and I think if Laguerta doesn't let the Doakes thing go she could be on his list. She has an evil streak,
too.

One more thing, Dexter's sister can convey stupidity like no other actress. The voice, the "look", the sluttiness, the bobbing head, etc. She cracks me up.
She needs an Emmy.

Great review by the way!

Am really looking forward to Season Three...it'll be interesting to see if Dexter gives in to his Dark Side, now that he thinks that it's all part of a divine plan....much like George W. Bush!!

Dexter the Republican??? Maybe the Dark Defender will morph into Dick Cheney...

Am really looking forward to Season Three...it'll be interesting to see if Dexter gives in to his Dark Side, now that he thinks that it's all part of a divine plan....much like George W. Bush!!

Dexter the Republican??? Maybe the Dark Defender will morph into Dick Cheney...

I second the recommendation for 'Preacher' though I prefer Ennis' 'Hellblazer-Dangerous Habits'