(no subject)
Oct. 22nd, 2007 06:28 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ishtar79I watch other shows, really. But this is the one I can’t seem to shut up about!
-Well, shit. It seems like Masuka *might* be the one to single-handedly bring Dexter down after all. I’m torn between fretting about how Dexter is going to get out of this sticky mess (which he probably will if there is to be a third season) and just being slightly embarrassed on behalf of his psychotic ass, because really? Masuka? Methinks Dex should have tried the hookers & pizzas approach from the beginning.
-And speaking of sticky messes, wow, I rarely get squicked by stuff on the show, but the bodies melting like ice-cream on a hot day (er, or really, like cadavers on a REALLY hot day), complete with *squilchy* sound effects was pretty unpleasant.
-I tend to *prefer* episodes where Dexter gets to do his thing, not the least because he’s better at chopping up bad guys than he is at a)’subtly’ trying to pump his colleagues for info b)making forensic evidence disappear c)having Deep Geeky Knowledge on algae or d)engaging on petty theft in the service of crappy art. But still, I enjoyed this ‘filler’ ep, as I felt it provided interesting character background and some interesting hints at future relationships. And speaking of relationships…
-I’m really, really hoping I’m imagining the ‘vibe’ between Deb and Lundi. Because of the paternal dynamic in their relationship, which just exposes Deb’s Daddy issues, though come to think of it, of COURSE Deb has Daddy issues, she’s Harry Morgan’s daughter!
I find it very telling that Deb is now drawn to a Harry stand-in (and didn’t Lundi’s line about the only justification for murder being saving an innocent life in the last episode just *solidify* those parallels) after her last major relationship was the dark reflection of her brother. (Not to mention her brother’s brother, and OMG, why isn’t there more incest in this fandom? Or more…everything? Blast you, HP fandom and the overflow of fic, you’ve spoiled me for the rest of the Internets!).
-So, this might be an unpopular opinion, but I’m digging this Lilah chick. Yes, the actress is cursed with a case of TryTooHarditis, but I’m more fascinated by what she brings out in Dexter.
Like that scene where she pushes him just a little bit too far, and the mask drops again, and suddenly he’s just *is*, cold and sharp but with a hint of a hunger entirely unrelated to killing and…guh! (Ohgod, all this lusting after a serial killer can’t be healthy! It’s all Michael C. Hall’s fault, with his superior Acting Fu and broad shoulders!)
Ahem, sorry, where was I? Right, so I’m loving this storyline for more reason than the potential for hot, raw, twisted sex in a way that simply can’t happen with Rita, and I’ll just stop imagining all that too, lest my attention be diverted. AGAIN. But yes, the non-sex part of the dynamic. I’m all too aware that this Cannot End Well. Whatever Lilah’s pushing and prodding and own darkness bring out of our Very Emotionally Repressed Antihero, I doubt it will be the first step towards his journey towards a happier, well-adjusted serial killer. Because, well, there are no happy, adjusted serial killers. She’s, correction, *they*, because Dexter’s hardly objecting to this turn of events (aaaw, our little asexual boy’s growing into a manwhore!), are cracking open a whole nasty can of worms. Algae-covered worms! But that’s ok, because it’s exciting, and creates dramatic tension, and may or may not lead to hawt sexscapades!
-So, Rita. A part of me feels oddly guilty for rooting for The Other Woman (possibly the little Buffy fan in my voice screaming “Don’t mess with Darla, she’ll rip you to shreds!), but the truth is, while I don’t dislike Rita, I am kind of over her. Last season her storyline resonated, because of her whole journey towards empowerment, and the nasty ex-husband issues, and Dexter learning how to operate in a real human relationship, but…they’re both kind of *there* now. You know, unless you discount that *little* lie of omission on his part, and the hilarious comedy of errors that results (Narcotics Anonymous? LMAO!). But beyond the continuing thread of the “Dexter pretending to be normal” storyline that we get (which really, we get with practically every single interaction he has on his day to day), there’s just not enough, from a dramatic standpoint, to compel me. It’s a bit too happy-suburban for me, what with the kids (who have YET to slaughter a single animal on the show, damn it! I only want kids on my screen if they’re EVIL), and if I wanted a nosy/interfering MIL storyline, I wouldn’t be watching this show (though granted, the ‘parents as aliens’ monologue was kind of amusing).
Like I said, it’s not that I don’t like Rita. It’s just…where will this go? While in my fantasy the show concludes with an unrepentant Dexter getting away with it, I doubt that’s where the writers go-I see discovery, and tragedy, and probably Rita uncovering the truth, with a possible side of her feeling that her life, and her kids’ is directly threatened by what she sees as a monster that posed as her boyfriend, and that? Would completely *destroy* her, possibly even more than her abusive rapist ex did. I would just find it refreshingly original if *both* Dexter and Rita walked out of this relationship unscathed and a better for it. That won’t happen either, of course, because this show HATES happy, well-adjusted people. And I love it for it.
-Wow, Harry is really a piece of work, isn’t he? I mean sure, we knew he wasn’t going to be winning Parent of the Year awards anytime soon, but…WOW. The shrink can’t see the monster in Dexter? REALLY? Who the hell says that shit to a kid’s face? I don’t care about what he was trying to accomplish in the long-term with shaping Dexter into a neat vigilante monster, that line actually shocked me, in a show where very little does. Poor Dexter. Poor Deb.
-Ok, Doakes needs more scenes with people who aren’t Dexter, because he actually manages to gain a whole third dimension in them.
-What LaGuerta did? Totally stone cold. And I thank her from the bottom of my heart for it, because every second I had to endure of that inane, sexist Pascal storyline made me want to claw my eyes out. I don’t care if your boyfriend is sleeping around with half the city, you don’t bring that shit to work! Granted, it’s not the most professional of environments, what with Doakes being like a walking billboard for “RAGE”, PTSD-Deb pulling out her gun on kids and sharing inappropriate sexual info with her boss, Masuka the impending sexual harassment suit and even Angel bugging the shit out of everyone with the endless New Age platitudes, but did we really need a woman in power suddenly falling apart like some bad fifties female chiche? Also, I enjoy Evil!LaGuerta.
-Well, shit. It seems like Masuka *might* be the one to single-handedly bring Dexter down after all. I’m torn between fretting about how Dexter is going to get out of this sticky mess (which he probably will if there is to be a third season) and just being slightly embarrassed on behalf of his psychotic ass, because really? Masuka? Methinks Dex should have tried the hookers & pizzas approach from the beginning.
-And speaking of sticky messes, wow, I rarely get squicked by stuff on the show, but the bodies melting like ice-cream on a hot day (er, or really, like cadavers on a REALLY hot day), complete with *squilchy* sound effects was pretty unpleasant.
-I tend to *prefer* episodes where Dexter gets to do his thing, not the least because he’s better at chopping up bad guys than he is at a)’subtly’ trying to pump his colleagues for info b)making forensic evidence disappear c)having Deep Geeky Knowledge on algae or d)engaging on petty theft in the service of crappy art. But still, I enjoyed this ‘filler’ ep, as I felt it provided interesting character background and some interesting hints at future relationships. And speaking of relationships…
-I’m really, really hoping I’m imagining the ‘vibe’ between Deb and Lundi. Because of the paternal dynamic in their relationship, which just exposes Deb’s Daddy issues, though come to think of it, of COURSE Deb has Daddy issues, she’s Harry Morgan’s daughter!
I find it very telling that Deb is now drawn to a Harry stand-in (and didn’t Lundi’s line about the only justification for murder being saving an innocent life in the last episode just *solidify* those parallels) after her last major relationship was the dark reflection of her brother. (Not to mention her brother’s brother, and OMG, why isn’t there more incest in this fandom? Or more…everything? Blast you, HP fandom and the overflow of fic, you’ve spoiled me for the rest of the Internets!).
-So, this might be an unpopular opinion, but I’m digging this Lilah chick. Yes, the actress is cursed with a case of TryTooHarditis, but I’m more fascinated by what she brings out in Dexter.
Like that scene where she pushes him just a little bit too far, and the mask drops again, and suddenly he’s just *is*, cold and sharp but with a hint of a hunger entirely unrelated to killing and…guh! (Ohgod, all this lusting after a serial killer can’t be healthy! It’s all Michael C. Hall’s fault, with his superior Acting Fu and broad shoulders!)
Ahem, sorry, where was I? Right, so I’m loving this storyline for more reason than the potential for hot, raw, twisted sex in a way that simply can’t happen with Rita, and I’ll just stop imagining all that too, lest my attention be diverted. AGAIN. But yes, the non-sex part of the dynamic. I’m all too aware that this Cannot End Well. Whatever Lilah’s pushing and prodding and own darkness bring out of our Very Emotionally Repressed Antihero, I doubt it will be the first step towards his journey towards a happier, well-adjusted serial killer. Because, well, there are no happy, adjusted serial killers. She’s, correction, *they*, because Dexter’s hardly objecting to this turn of events (aaaw, our little asexual boy’s growing into a manwhore!), are cracking open a whole nasty can of worms. Algae-covered worms! But that’s ok, because it’s exciting, and creates dramatic tension, and may or may not lead to hawt sexscapades!
-So, Rita. A part of me feels oddly guilty for rooting for The Other Woman (possibly the little Buffy fan in my voice screaming “Don’t mess with Darla, she’ll rip you to shreds!), but the truth is, while I don’t dislike Rita, I am kind of over her. Last season her storyline resonated, because of her whole journey towards empowerment, and the nasty ex-husband issues, and Dexter learning how to operate in a real human relationship, but…they’re both kind of *there* now. You know, unless you discount that *little* lie of omission on his part, and the hilarious comedy of errors that results (Narcotics Anonymous? LMAO!). But beyond the continuing thread of the “Dexter pretending to be normal” storyline that we get (which really, we get with practically every single interaction he has on his day to day), there’s just not enough, from a dramatic standpoint, to compel me. It’s a bit too happy-suburban for me, what with the kids (who have YET to slaughter a single animal on the show, damn it! I only want kids on my screen if they’re EVIL), and if I wanted a nosy/interfering MIL storyline, I wouldn’t be watching this show (though granted, the ‘parents as aliens’ monologue was kind of amusing).
Like I said, it’s not that I don’t like Rita. It’s just…where will this go? While in my fantasy the show concludes with an unrepentant Dexter getting away with it, I doubt that’s where the writers go-I see discovery, and tragedy, and probably Rita uncovering the truth, with a possible side of her feeling that her life, and her kids’ is directly threatened by what she sees as a monster that posed as her boyfriend, and that? Would completely *destroy* her, possibly even more than her abusive rapist ex did. I would just find it refreshingly original if *both* Dexter and Rita walked out of this relationship unscathed and a better for it. That won’t happen either, of course, because this show HATES happy, well-adjusted people. And I love it for it.
-Wow, Harry is really a piece of work, isn’t he? I mean sure, we knew he wasn’t going to be winning Parent of the Year awards anytime soon, but…WOW. The shrink can’t see the monster in Dexter? REALLY? Who the hell says that shit to a kid’s face? I don’t care about what he was trying to accomplish in the long-term with shaping Dexter into a neat vigilante monster, that line actually shocked me, in a show where very little does. Poor Dexter. Poor Deb.
-Ok, Doakes needs more scenes with people who aren’t Dexter, because he actually manages to gain a whole third dimension in them.
-What LaGuerta did? Totally stone cold. And I thank her from the bottom of my heart for it, because every second I had to endure of that inane, sexist Pascal storyline made me want to claw my eyes out. I don’t care if your boyfriend is sleeping around with half the city, you don’t bring that shit to work! Granted, it’s not the most professional of environments, what with Doakes being like a walking billboard for “RAGE”, PTSD-Deb pulling out her gun on kids and sharing inappropriate sexual info with her boss, Masuka the impending sexual harassment suit and even Angel bugging the shit out of everyone with the endless New Age platitudes, but did we really need a woman in power suddenly falling apart like some bad fifties female chiche? Also, I enjoy Evil!LaGuerta.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2007-10-22 04:43 pm (UTC)I go back and forth on Lilah. I think it's a bit forced at the moment. I mean, first I hate the whole "I'm so crazy I steal and destroy things that belong to other people!" thing and I always want somebody to just tell her she's not wacky or dangerous and call the cops. But it is good for her to keep pushing Dexter because he needs that going on this season. I thought he was a bit naive to think she "saw him" when he was showing her the bodies. I would have said the exact same thing as her about the bodies--serial killers are human. That doesn't mean we're all like serial killers. Though she's a bit of a poser so it seems like she'd get all into being into it just to pose. A believable character, just not my favorite kind.
Also I really hope they don't cave and make Dexter just another guy who of course wants to have sex with the woman the way anyone else would. I like him staying different and not being into it the way you'd expect.
Of the two I think Rita is far more interesting dealing with Dexter even if right now they're kind of in a lull. She's also got kids--and also of the two I think she's the one more likely to really "see" Dexter and still like him. The fact that she's sort of in denial about it doesn't make it any less possible for me. Only she likes it in, imo, a more interesting way than Lilah would because she's not so much about presenting a mysterious image of herself. I guess I feel like she's the one who really far more understands that Dexter is part of the human spectrum and not a monster far more than Lilah does.
I don’t care about what he was trying to accomplish in the long-term with shaping Dexter into a neat vigilante monster, that line actually shocked me, in a show where very little does. Poor Dexter. Poor Deb.
I kind of like that about Harry, though, because Harry's dealing with the reality. Serial killers are, well, they're serial killers. If he fails at shaping Dexter into this, Dexter needs to be killed, pretty much. He's not somebody who ought to be feeling that his impulses are okay. He's just as human as she is, but we don't just all have good and evil within us and therefore we're all just like serial killers. Whether you call him a monster or not, he's a predator. A lot of what Harry does with Dexter--and I think Dexter gets this--isn't so much raising a child as training an animal. Which is stone cold and also great.:-)
I'm with you on LaGuerta too. She didn't lose Pascal her job. If Pascal hadn't had a meltdown LaGuerta would have just looked like petty and vindictive.
no subject
Date: 2007-10-22 09:42 pm (UTC)That's a very good point, I really hope they go that route for the show. The relationship between Dexter and Deb is definitely one of the things that interest me most on the show.
I go back and forth on Lilah. I think it's a bit forced at the moment. I mean, first I hate the whole "I'm so crazy I steal and destroy things that belong to other people!" thing and I always want somebody to just tell her she's not wacky or dangerous and call the cops.
Oh, ITA. It's not her that I like, more her potential narrative function. Otherwise, yeah, she's a total poseur, and unfortunately believable-hell, I *knew* girls like her in Uni.
I thought he was a bit naive to think she "saw him" when he was showing her the bodies.
Yes, for all of Dexter occasional very accurate insight into human behaviour, he has a massive blind spot when it comes to his desire to find someone who really *sees* him. Just because she's all 'oh, check me out, I'm so goth that I fetishize death' stance, I don't think she'd necessarily be so accepting of his extracurricular hobby. And if she is, it would be be a MASSIVE problem, because hers would be that blend of unpredictable crazy not structured by any "Code".
Also I really hope they don't cave and make Dexter just another guy who of course wants to have sex with the woman the way anyone else would. I like him staying different and not being into it the way you'd expect.
I'm on the fence about this-no, really, despite being slightly blinded by the hotness of MCH and desire to see him do the dirty (and I wouldn't exactly *complain* if it happened, mind). The intensity of his reaction to her doesn't necessarily come from a sexual desire imo, but a much darker place-in a way, his 'dark passenger' is looking for a little playmate to replace the one it lost with Brian's death...and wow, for some reason every Dexter thought I have today comes with incestuous overtones. Er. But you know what I mean.
But I think the writers/director are having a difficult time depicting that darkness in a way that the average, non-sociopathic viewer can enjoy, so they're making choices that seem to invoke sexual desire. Even the way Lilah is filmed-there's something about the camera angle that's more sexual than any way *Rita* is likely to be filmed. So I'm not saying that Dexter is thinking with his...er, "little passenger", but it does murk the waters a little. Wow, the more I write about this, the more I forget what my original point was. We'll wait and see, I guess?
I kind of like that about Harry, though, because Harry's dealing with the reality. Serial killers are, well, they're serial killers. If he fails at shaping Dexter into this, Dexter needs to be killed, pretty much. He's not somebody who ought to be feeling that his impulses are okay. He's just as human as she is, but we don't just all have good and evil within us and therefore we're all just like serial killers. Whether you call him a monster or not, he's a predator. A lot of what Harry does with Dexter--and I think Dexter gets this--isn't so much raising a child as training an animal. Which is stone cold and also great.:-)
Don't get me wrong, normally Harry's 'training' method is one of my favourite aspects of the show, even if it *did* fuck Dexter up immensely because really-consider the alternative. I think that perhaps what threw me in this flashback was Dexter's age. We've mostly gotten teenage!Dexter so far in flashbacks, with the exception of wee!Dexter having the first Very Important Talk with Harry in the camping trip. It's like-I could deal with teen Dexter (and damn, that kid is creepy. ALL the kid actors playing younger Dexter were well-cast and excellent). Anyway, it was an odd transition for me to go from Harry being so *careful* with the phrasing of the questions in that first talk to "the MONSTER in you"! Yes, it was necessary. And fucked-up. And excellent. And then I stared into the kid's crazy intense, unblinking stare, and some of my sympathy subsided, because YIKES!
no subject
Date: 2007-10-23 07:31 am (UTC)Ooooh, I love it! That hadn't quite clicked with me. Man, why is this the best show ever?