Dexter season 8 starts now!!

[Sasquatch Smith]

These asshole writers BETTER not pull some stunt at the end where they try to claim that Deb and Dex actually died in that crash.

 

[Oblivian]

These asshole writers BETTER not pull some stunt at the end where they try to claim that Deb and Dex actually died in that crash.

I don't expect that. One of my biggest gripes with the show is the narration of what Dexter is thinking to explain to the viewer EXACTLY what's going on. For example, when he was running the prints off of the shoes, they have the narration saying something like "these are the girls from the finger prints, meaning he kidnapped them". Another example was when he saw the cameras in the basement and says "this means he was watching me the whole time". It always comes off as really cheesy, but it goes to shows that the writers rarely like to throw in something thought provoking. Everything is so deliberate and never subtle.

 

[Sasquatch Smith]

I don't expect that. One of my biggest gripes with the show is the narration of what Dexter is thinking to explain to the viewer EXACTLY what's going on. For example, when he was running the prints off of the shoes, they have the narration saying something like "these are the girls from the finger prints, meaning he kidnapped them". Another example was when he saw the cameras in the basement and says "this means he was watching me the whole time". It always comes off as really cheesy, but it goes to shows that the writers rarely like to throw in something thought provoking. Everything is so deliberate and never subtle.

Yeah, that annoys me too.

Also, as has been discussed several times...I know it's a fictional, unrealistic TV show but I wish everything wasn't SO easy for Dexter. Every time he spends 2 minutes in some murderer's house, he finds exactly what he needs immediately...finds the secret trap door easily, etc. I know it's sort of necessary I guess...they can't show him spending 2 hours searching, and these events move the plot forward etc but still it's eye roll inducing.

Also...WHAT was his plan if he injected the guy in the hospital!!??? How did he plan to get him out of there, exactly? I was expecting him to get him, then cut to a shot of him in a surgeon's outfit with mask on running this guy out on a stretcher or something cheesy like that.

 

[Oblivian]

Yeah, that annoys me too.

Also, as has been discussed several times...I know it's a fictional, unrealistic TV show but I wish everything wasn't SO easy for Dexter. Every time he spends 2 minutes in some murderer's house, he finds exactly what he needs immediately...finds the secret trap door easily, etc. I know it's sort of necessary I guess...they can't show him spending 2 hours searching, and these events move the plot forward etc but still it's eye roll inducing.

Also...WHAT was his plan if he injected the guy in the hospital!!??? How did he plan to get him out of there, exactly? I was expecting him to get him, then cut to a shot of him in a surgeon's outfit with mask on running this guy out on a stretcher or something cheesy like that.

Honestly, the show isn't that good anymore, but I find myself stuck watching it just to see what happens. My wife and I both have said, "we made it this far, we might as well finish". The show had a lot of potential if it would have dove a bit more into the psychology aspect. It's set up for cheap thrills now IMO.

 

[Saint Connor]

Cut off the episode there prior to showing her get Dexter out. The ending just seemed rushed.

In all fairness, it's hard to have a nail biter episode this early in the season when the preview of the next episode will completely ruin the suspense.

 

[Bullitt68]

I do see what you are saying, but I'm actually talking more about the emotion, or lack thereof, conveyed in that scene. The show seems to lack that quite a bit with me.

There's a difference between what a scene conveys and what you experience. It may not have resonated with you, but it did for me. I love both the writing and the acting of this storyline this season, and that whole thing from the station to the car was great. The pain on Dexter's face when Vogel pushed him out of the house when he showed up while Deb was there was very moving, as was the relief when she finally (seemed like she) wanted to bury the hatchet. Everything's been clicking with the two of them.

Good television will leave you talking about the scene afterwards and evoke emotions. I didn't get this from that scene.

Again, there's a difference between what the scene evokes and what you experience. That was a great gut punch when she jerked the wheel, and while the preview for next week's episode took some of the wind out of the sails, the moment itself was perfectly realized, IMO.

One of my biggest gripes with the show is the narration of what Dexter is thinking to explain to the viewer EXACTLY what's going on.

That's one of my favorite parts. It's fun watching Hannibal and trying to guess how his mind is working and what he's going to do next, but it's also fun hearing it straight from the psycho horse's mouth :icon_twis

Another example was when he saw the cameras in the basement and says "this means he was watching me the whole time". It always comes off as really cheesy, but it goes to shows that the writers rarely like to throw in something thought provoking. Everything is so deliberate and never subtle.

This doesn't make sense. First off, how would the scene have been thought-provoking sans voice-over? We already knew he'd been spying on Dexter. The point of that voice-over wasn't to offer any new information nor was there anything thought-provoking to be gained without it. The point was to experience with Dexter the terrifying realization that he'd been outsmarted.

If anything, that sequence is an example of very strong writing in the Hitchcockian mold, milking a reveal for double the effect. In Notorious, you get the suspense upon learning they're poisoning Ingrid Bergman, and then you get another dose once Cary Grant learns they're poisoning her. No new information has been attained as we knew that before the character, but it's still an intense moment once they catch-up to your knowledge of the narrative goings-on.

Same thing with that scene. You get the suspense when Dexter is getting the fingerprints when you see him watching and you know he knows everything, then you get another dose once it dawns on Dexter.

That's good stuff, man. Hitchcock 101

 

[Stargazer Rex]

This season is pretty crap, halfway through the episode and I'm bored.

 

[Oblivian]

There's a difference between what a scene conveys and what you experience. It may not have resonated with you, but it did for me. I love both the writing and the acting of this storyline this season, and that whole thing from the station to the car was great. The pain on Dexter's face when Vogel pushed him out of the house when he showed up while Deb was there was very moving, as was the relief when she finally (seemed like she) wanted to bury the hatchet. Everything's been clicking with the two of them.



Again, there's a difference between what the scene evokes and what you experience. That was a great gut punch when she jerked the wheel, and while the preview for next week's episode took some of the wind out of the sails, the moment itself was perfectly realized, IMO.



That's one of my favorite parts. It's fun watching Hannibal and trying to guess how his mind is working and what he's going to do next, but it's also fun hearing it straight from the psycho horse's mouth :icon_twis



This doesn't make sense. First off, how would the scene have been thought-provoking sans voice-over? We already knew he'd been spying on Dexter. The point of that voice-over wasn't to offer any new information nor was there anything thought-provoking to be gained without it. The point was to experience with Dexter the terrifying realization that he'd been outsmarted.

If anything, that sequence is an example of very strong writing in the Hitchcockian mold, milking a reveal for double the effect. In Notorious, you get the suspense upon learning they're poisoning Ingrid Bergman, and then you get another dose once Cary Grant learns they're poisoning her. No new information has been attained as we knew that before the character, but it's still an intense moment once they catch-up to your knowledge of the narrative goings-on.

Same thing with that scene. You get the suspense when Dexter is getting the fingerprints when you see him watching and you know he knows everything, then you get another dose once it dawns on Dexter.

That's good stuff, man. Hitchcock 101

Holy multiquote. The voice over narration has been a consistent theme in the show. Whenever Dexter is doing something, you've got the voice over saying exactly why he's doing it. It's almost like they give the viewer zero credit to understand what is going on and they hold your hand the entire way through it.

I'm surprised you find this show to be so well written. There are so many holes in it that it's laughable.

 

[HereticBD]

Again, there's a difference between what the scene evokes and what you experience. That was a great gut punch when she jerked the wheel, and while the preview for next week's episode took some of the wind out of the sails, the moment itself was perfectly realized, IMO.

It wasn't a bad scene, but the forshadowing was a bit too obvious(a big problem with the recent seasons). As soon as Deb watched the tape and put the pieces together about Harry's death, I knew she was going to do something drastic.

What really killed the scene for me, was Deb going back to rescue Dexter. What the fuck was the point then? The episode should've ended with Deb watching the car sink.

This doesn't make sense. First off, how would the scene have been thought-provoking sans voice-over? We already knew he'd been spying on Dexter. The point of that voice-over wasn't to offer any new information nor was there anything thought-provoking to be gained without it. The point was to experience with Dexter the terrifying realization that he'd been outsmarted.

If anything, that sequence is an example of very strong writing in the Hitchcockian mold, milking a reveal for double the effect. In Notorious, you get the suspense upon learning they're poisoning Ingrid Bergman, and then you get another dose once Cary Grant learns they're poisoning her. No new information has been attained as we knew that before the character, but it's still an intense moment once they catch-up to your knowledge of the narrative goings-on.

Same thing with that scene. You get the suspense when Dexter is getting the fingerprints when you see him watching and you know he knows everything, then you get another dose once it dawns on Dexter.

That's good stuff, man. Hitchcock 101

Nah, not even close.

The other guy nailed it. His voiceovers are redundant. You don't need Dexter to tell you that he realized the guy was watching him. We knew that. We knew that Dexter knew it at that moment too. It didn't need to be spelled out for the audience. Even it that wasn't the intention, it comes off like that. It's like being told the same thing three times. That voiceover was like saying "Just incase you slower audience members haven't figured it out, Dexter has indeed just realized he was being watched the whole time"

That scene would've worked fine, if they hadn't already shown us that the guy was watching him. Let the audience discover it, along with Dexter. Then we'd all get that "oh shit!" moment.

 

[bosox32]

Pretty shitty

 

[Bullitt68]

Holy multiquote.

That was nothing :wink:

The voice over narration has been a consistent theme in the show. Whenever Dexter is doing something, you've got the voice over saying exactly why he's doing it. It's almost like they give the viewer zero credit to understand what is going on and they hold your hand the entire way through it.

That's a glass half empty way of looking at it. Instead of taking it as an insult from the writers regarding your intelligence, try looking at it as their desire to put you in Dexter's headspace and preserve as close an identification with him as possible.

I'm surprised you find this show to be so well written. There are so many holes in it that it's laughable.

It's superbly well-written from a character perspective, their psychological turmoil and interactions with other characters has always been extremely compelling for me. In terms of the "bad guys" and holes in the plots, I posted enough about that in the last Dexter thread. Suffice it to say I don't find the show anywhere near as awful as most people.

It wasn't a bad scene, but the forshadowing was a bit too obvious(a big problem with the recent seasons). As soon as Deb watched the tape and put the pieces together about Harry's death, I knew she was going to do something drastic.

For me, I knew something drastic was going to happen, but I didn't know what or who was going to do it or who was going to be affected. Based on the way that parking lot scene was shot, the slow-motion, the low-angle camera, the bright sunlight, it seemed like a glorious death scene was about to happen, I was waiting for Dexter to start smiling and then Deb to get shot or abducted or something. Then when nothing happened and that moment passed, there was a sense of relief. Then she jerks the wheel and I did not expect that. From where I was sitting, that's damn good storytelling. Heightening suspense, misdirection, surprise. I had nothing to complain about except for the trailer killing the cliffhanger suspense of the episode (they could learn a thing or two from True Blood on how to leave an episode hanging).

What really killed the scene for me, was Deb going back to rescue Dexter. What the fuck was the point then? The episode should've ended with Deb watching the car sink.

That's a question worth waiting for next week's episode to answer.

His voiceovers are redundant.

For you.

You don't need Dexter to tell you that he realized the guy was watching him.

No, we don't need it in the sense of it filling in leftover blanks. It's about character, it's not about plot, and for the character, I want it, as being in Dexter's head is the point of the entire series and has been from day one.

it comes off like that.

For you.

It's like being told the same thing three times. That voiceover was like saying "Just incase you slower audience members haven't figured it out, Dexter has indeed just realized he was being watched the whole time"

Again, try looking at it from a glass half full perspective.

Let the audience discover it, along with Dexter. Then we'd all get that "oh shit!" moment.

Hitchcock 101: A bomb exploding under the table is a surprise. A bomb being placed under the table for the audience but not the character to see is suspense. The writers handled the suspense very well IMO.

 

[HereticBD]

No, we don't need it in the sense of it filling in leftover blanks. It's about character, it's not about plot, and for the character, I want it, as being in Dexter's head is the point of the entire series and has been from day one.

His inner monologue was never that simple, in the first few seasons. He would reflect on his situations, and give us an insight into how he looked at them. He wouldn't just say what was going on.

Dexter could think "I'll turn on that light" two seconds before he turns on a light. I don't need to be that far into his head.

Again, try looking at it from a glass half full perspective.

I would, if it was possible.

Hitchcock 101: A bomb exploding under the table is a surprise. A bomb being placed under the table for the audience but not the character to see is suspense. The writers handled the suspense very well IMO.

Sure, but we don't need the viillain who planted the bomb under the table, telling us he just planted a bomb under that table. The camera already did that for us.

 

[Bullitt68]

Dexter could think "I'll turn on that light" two seconds before he turns on a light.

That's not the same thing as realizing he's been outsmarted.

I would, if it was possible.

It is, and it's quite nice.

Sure, but we don't need the viillain who planted the bomb under the table, telling us he just planted a bomb under that table.

And that's not what you got. You got the villain planting the bomb, the hero being unaware of the bomb, and the suspense/anticipation of the hero finding out that the villain had planted the bomb. That's classic suspense, and it worked very well.

 

[Madmick]

Well, there goes my hopes for season 8. Had me fooled for three episodes. Just a mediocre ghost of its former self.

 

[Count Zero]

I do see what you are saying, but I'm actually talking more about the emotion, or lack thereof, conveyed in that scene. The show seems to lack that quite a bit with me. I actually thought one of the better scenes in the show was prior to Deb and Dexter getting in the car. Obviously Deb had taken a turning point, and the eeriness was conveyed fairly well by her. I thought it was a powerful scene.

The actual crash and rescue did nothing for me. It was random, quick, and anticlimatic. Good television will leave you talking about the scene afterwards and evoke emotions. I didn't get this from that scene. We really gained very little insight. Deb isn't happy with herself. Nothing new there. Deb is having a hard time accepting Dexter. Nothing new there. Deb thought the best course of action was to kill them both. Somewhat intriguing, but obviously she couldn't pull through. We're back to square one.

Edit: Even a simple fix to that would be to show a bit of struggle with Deb trying to get Dexter out. Deb really panicking while trying to rescue him and it not working. The worry in her face, etc. Cut off the episode there prior to showing her get Dexter out. The ending just seemed rushed.

Yeah, I was kinda thinking it would have been a much better cliffhanger if it had ended right after the car initially submerged, showing them unconscious underwater.

But, yeah, then the next-week preview. Although I guess it could have just not shown them, maybe tried to imply they had died.

 

[fingercuffs]

Well, there goes my hopes for season 8. Had me fooled for three episodes. Just a mediocre ghost of its former self.

Yep, I get the feeling that last scene was supposed to be "wow", and sadly it wasn't because we were expecting something.

It's such a shame, I really the last season and had real high hopes for this one.

However one of my favourite Shameless characters was in the last episode as the main baddy so I'm chuffed to fuck about that.

 

[Trollgrappler]

Deb is ruining the fucking season. Her acting is terrible.

You have to be trolling.

 

[Peteyandjia]

Well, there goes my hopes for season 8. Had me fooled for three episodes. Just a mediocre ghost of its former self.

It is a little strange that they replicated a scene from last season to end an episode. Hey look, Deb went off the road... again. There wasn't any tension in it because you knew they were both gonna be fine, and they were... the season before that too, Dex went off the road himself. Come up with some new shit people.

Anyway, I'm still onboard. It's not Breaking Bad, but it's worth watching.

 

[Merlotte's]

Holy all, I loved it. I saw Deb doing something more conniving that would span a few episodes, not suddenly running off the road. Oh well, its one scene, the shows still good.

Plus theres the new girl in 4B.

Spoiler

 

[fingercuffs]

Holy all, I loved it. I saw Deb doing something more conniving that would span a few episodes, not suddenly running off the road. Oh well, its one scene, the shows still good.

Plus theres the new girl in 4B.

Spoiler

She was hot in One Tree Hill too.