Dexter Season 4: Amazing.
Posted by Evan Brunell on December 2, 2009
I’m a major, major Dexter fan and consider the show my favorite (although Rescue Me is not far behind).
I like to read recaps of Dexter and get takes from other people on the show. One disturbing trend I’ve found is that this season has been getting tepid reviews. No longer is every recap site crowing about Dexter. Now it alternates between recaps that love the show and recaps that poke at it.
I completely understand where the naysayers are coming from when they say Dexter kind of lost its way midseason, which has never happened before. But the beginning of the season and the last two episodes leading into the final two episodes have been nothing short of amazing.
To be honest, even the episodes I concede as “weak” were rather strong in hindsight, as they laid the groundwork for many of the feelings/emotions/happenings of the current slate of episodes.
I’ve heard slams that Dexter (the character) shouldn’t be made more humane, but I don’t buy it. The critics are saying that they’re trying to make Dexter more mainstream so they don’t keep getting criticized for making the protagonist of the show a clearly evil serial killer who lives by a code that makes him endearing. Part of this season is showing the overall growth of Dexter, and that he’s not, perhaps, the cold-blooded killer that made him fascinating to watch in Seasons 1 and 2.
We saw part of that evolvement last season with Miguel Prado. That season had some pacing issues, but I think that it worked great. The season and its pacing issues took on the personality of Miguel Prado — the charismatic, quick-to-anger antagonist of the season that really made the Miami heat bubble out of the screen.
This year has been cold, calculating, dark, slowly plotted — a lot like the antagonist of this season, the Trinity Killer.
The office romance this season got off to a terrible start, I will admit that. I completely disliked the storyline. What’s won me over is the clear love of the two — it’s believable, and I’m invested in their well-being now. While I think their storyline is completely superfluous and pointless, the acting and interaction of the two has made me invested.
While the soft underbelly of the season is probably going to undermine it when stacked next to Seasons 1, 2 and 3, I still find Dexter incredibly engaging and must-see TV. While I harbor no ill will against the critics who have slid away from Dexter (such as Alan Sepinwall) and respect their decisions, I feel as if they’re making the wrong choice and looking at this season the wrong way.
mb21 said
Nice write-up on Dexter, Evan. It’s probably my favorite show as well. I agree with you about Season 4 and I’ve tended to stay away from the recaps because I’ve liked it quite a bit. In fact, I think it’s the best since season 1. I would slightly disagree with you in that Dexter’s growth didn’t really begin in Season 3, but back in Season 1. One of my favorite parts about the show is that here’s an adult who is literally growing up in front of us. Not every episode has a life lesson, but there have been many along the way. The humor is just as good as it’s ever been and the acting is superb. I know some don’t like it as much, but I still think it’s a great show.