What's with all the spin-offs?

This year, we're losing Breaking Bad, Dexter and HIMYM.

Yet, we're talking spin-offs already for all three shows. And a spin-off for Walking Dead, too. Really?

The BB spin-off Better Call Saul is already in the works and the others are just rumors, but I hope they don't happen. I understand it is hard to let go of these characters, stories and places... I understand that some spin-offs are awesome (Frasier?) but I feel like it is just cheapening good - no, GREAT - television. These shows will go down in history as some of the best (or in Dexter's case, the first few seasons will...) and I don't want their legacies muddled because of some silly spin-offs.

Plus, for every Frasier, there's a Joey.

How did you like the 'Dexter' series finale?

I'm really torn on my feelings about the finale of Dexter. In the end, I thought it was fine – but getting there was rough. We had to sit through more Oliver Saxton stuff, which in the end, didn't really matter that much, except the role he played in (SPOILER ALERT!!) killing Deb. We had to believe no one watching that tape of Dex stabbing Saxton would be like, 'Hey man, that looked pretty premeditated to me. Are you sure it was self defense?' We had to put up with more Elroy. And oddly enough, we didn't see any of Masuka's long-lost-daughter, whom the producers wanted us to think was some sort of important character/plot development this season (thanks again for wasting our time, BTW). Worse, we had to sit through flashbacks of Deb and Dex at the hospital when Harrison was born and see Deb in that horrible wig.

We had to believe a hospital would not only just let some random guy walk in in the middle of an evacuation (they even addressed him!! Like evacuating that wing of the hospital was no big deal and that him walking around in the middle of said evacuation was no biggie either! ugh), but that they also wouldn't notice when a patient started coding or that, even worse, wouldn't notice when same random guy starts wheeling her out of the hospital, down the street and on to his boat. Seriously!? Remind me never to go to the hospital in Miami.

I understand that Dexter thought this was an appropriate farewell for his sister. And there is something poetic/justified about her being laid to rest alongside Dexter's other victims (Remember, Deb herself is a killer and his victim as he was the one who drove her down that path). But can we talk for a minute about the complete, utter chaos that is going to cause in Miami?

"Ah what? You lost a body? ... You lost the body of a Miami Metro detective?! How does this happen?!" 
- Said every person in Miami to the hospital when they find out about this. 

And poor Joey Quinn. I can only imagine the pain he evoked on whoever's seemingly responsible for this mishap. Also, when Hannah is reading the news about Dexter's 'death' on her iPad, why isn't there a sidebar about his sister who was dying in the hospital and is now missing too.... That seems like it would have made headlines.

Anyway, like I said, I understand Dexter's motivation.... But it was so selfish. As much as Dex loved Deb (and vice versa), don't you think your beloved sister deserved a traditional police funeral? Don't you think she worked her ass off her whole life to get to that point, that all she ever wanted was to be the best detective and to be respected and to catch bad guys? How could you think she deserved to be dropped in the ocean instead of getting accolades from the city she protected for so many years?

And here is why those actions really don't line up – Dexter's final act is supposed to be selfless. He understands the danger he is to himself and to Hannah and Harrison and wants to free them of that. He's doing them a favor, in his mind. (Although, I have to wonder how good Hannah will be for Harrison... This whole time we're lead to think her killing days are behind her, yet she's still carrying horse tranquilizers around with her? Hmmm.)

So Dexter's final act for Deb is one that comes from the most selfish place, in my opinion, and then his final act to Hannah and Harrison is supposed to be for the good of those around him? It just doesn't add up for me.

Or maybe it is all selfish. Maybe he isn't doing anything for the good of anyone accept himself. Maybe there is no heroism. Maybe he is a coward running away and hiding.

Which brings me to the final scene. Dex is alive and has a sexy beard (yey!). But seriously? Do you think he is still killing? Of course he is. What else is he going to do all day all alone? But how is he killing without the safety net of the police department? I worried all along that Dex would 'escape' somewhere and hide out (be it Argentina with Hannah or elsewhere) and knew that was impossible. His lifestly cannot continue wihtout the cover of Miami Metro. It's one of the reasons Harry trained him to be a splatter analyst to begin with. Let's get real - a quiet bearded guy who lives alone in a shitty house is suspect number one in most murder cases.

As much as I think Dexter had some missteps this season (heck, the past few seasons), there are really only two big things I'd change about the finale:

(a) I wish that Saxton had killed Deb on purpose and not just as he was trying to get away. I wish he had come for her, and not just had her get in his way. I wish Saxton had shot Deb to ruin Dexter's family as Saxton believes Dexter ruined his.

And (b) I wish in the final scene, Dexter had come home, sat down at his table and pulled out a box of blood slides. That would have been the ultimate antihero moment. The realization that all along, nothing – not his sister, not his son, not his love – matter more to him than his Dark Passenger.

Dexter, meet Sal Price.

A couple weeks ago, I wrote about my disappointment in Louis Greene's death on Dexter. I really thought Louis was the intellectual adversary the show needed.

Last night introduced crime writer Sal Price. Will he just be another casualty? Or could this be the new Louis? (And if so, why the hell didn't you just keep the first Louis? Harrumph.)

As I see it, there are a few possible scenarios here (in order from most likely to least likely):

Most likely: Hannah kills Price because she knows he's writing about her. Then Deb is like "OMG Dexter! Hannah killed my BF and she's going to get away with it! You better kill her because she deserves it!" And then Dexter is like "Shit. I don't want to kill my new GF. Sad face."

Likely: Dexter kills Price because he sees that Price is writing about the Bay Harbor Butcher. Let's face it, Dex is not being as careful as he thinks. Quinn started to suspect him previously, and LaGuerta is getting close. Deb found that picture from the wedding. And Dex fudged the police report Price is using in his book. Rather suspicious, don't you think?

If this is the way it goes, I really hope it waits until next season. We've rarely had a chance to make a connection to characters before the are killed/written off (Case in point: Mike Anderson, Lumen, Anton, Lundy, Brother Sam etc).

Least likely (but it would be awesome): Price brings down Dexter with his book. After all, Dexter was inspired by books, right? I think this would actually be a cool end to the series next season.

I'm disappointed in you, 'Dexter.'

Why did you kill Louis?! 

You've had this storyline that's gone under the radar, threading itself into Dexter's path since last season. A guy who maybe knows more about Dexter than meets the eye. A guy that Dexter can't/shouldn't just get rid of by killing because he hasn't killed anyone (we assume), and thus, doesn't fit the code.

As much as you want to try and claim that he was just a petty kid who was mad that Dex didn't like how video game, I don't believe it. Let's look at the timeline here....

S6:E4 is when Masuka learns that the hand is being sold online.
S6:E5 is when Louis is hired and tells Masuka that he cannot find who bought the hand (which, as we will learn later, is him).
S6:E7: Louis shows Jamie the video game.
S6:E9: Louis has Jamie over to his apartment and we see the arm in his possession.
S6:E10: Louis shows Dexter his video game and Dex tells him it's terrible.
S6:E11 Louis mails the hand.

So, sure, maybe Louis mailed the hand to Dexter because he was legitimately mad that Dex hated on his video game. But WHY did he buy the hand to begin with? WHY did he create a video game about serial killers, putting emphasis on the Bay Harbor Butcher and seek approval from Dexter? And WHY was he so obsessed with Dexter from the get-go (asking Jamie if Dexter was as cool at home as he was at work)?

The guy was creepily obsessed with Dexter from the beginning, and now, BAM, with a shot to the head from some thug, he's dead.

I remember when Louis' story first started to develop, I thought, "Oh man, this is it. This is going to be the guy that takes down Dexter Morgan. It won't be a ruthless killer, or the law. It will be someone smart. And someone Dex can't just get rid of because he doesn't fit his code."

And now? Now you've killed off this smart antagonist in favor of one that dresses up like a bull and kills women in a maze. Seriously?


PS. This blog post would not have been possible without the help of the extensive Dexter Wiki. Fellow TV addicts, I salute you.

Also, check out this post on Louis from CliqueClack. It's awesome.

Oh God, Dex.

Watched the Dexter finale last night....

SPOILER ALERT! SPOILER ALERT! SPOILER ALERT! 

Am I the only one that really only cares about what the hell is going on with that lab geek?! The one that is obsessed with serial killers?! And mailed Dexter the arm from the Ice Truck Killings?!

Maybe I'm just finished with the whole Doomsday killer. There have been too many close calls, too many encounters with Dex. No more mystery or intrigue. I lost it about the time we found out Gellar was dead and Travis locked Dexter in the basement. That was finale-worthy for me. That was unexpected. Travis taking Harrison? Not unexpected (especially since it was featured on 'next week on Dexter'). Dexter faking him out with the needle? Not unexpected.

I guess I just gave up. I knew Dexter was going to get him, eventually, and I was hoping something nuts would happen along the way. Maybe he kills Batista's sister? Maybe even Harrison? All that would have been shocking. Dexter finally getting the bad guy? I sort of assume that is going to happen.

I actually was hoping the department would realize Travis was after Dexter - the missing boat, the painting, taking Harrison. I wanted them to be like, 'Wait... what does this guy know about Dexter? Why is he after him?' I wanted them to be like, 'Wait... why do all our big cases link back to Dexter? Ice Truck Killer. Trinity. Bay Harbor Butcher....' Why doesn't Quinn, now that he isn't with Deb any more, start suspecting Dexter again?  If Deb is such a great detective, why doesn't she connect the dots?

And Deb. Oh, Deb. I don't like at all where this is going. Boardwalk Empire provided me with enough incest to last a life time.

Let's take a vote on how Deb will react to seeing Dexter killing Travis:
A. Sob uncontrollably and/or have a major meltdown, sending her into a psych ward.
B. 'Holy shit fuck. You're a monster just like the rest of my ex-boyfriends!'
C. Be all like, 'Whatev. You're my bro. I still love you. Thanks for killing all those bad guys!'

Dexter Returns to Kill... for Two More Seasons

This just in: Dexter has been renewed for two more seasons.

And I'm psyched.

I've always been a fan the show, of course, but I love where they are taking it this season. Dex has come so far in the last couple of seasons- from strictly abiding to his code.... to now, questioning whether he even has to follow it or not.

I love the addition of his brother to his inner monologue. I always thought his dad was kind of annoying in the role... but his brother brings something new to the table. Where Dexter is trying to be good and do the right thing, his brother is acting like a devil on his shoulder. He literally is Dexter's dark passenger.

That being said.... the car scenes in Nebraska were stupid.

Troy and Brother Sam

via

Dexter, designed.

Dexter premiere was only so-so (although I am intrigued by the religious theme this year), but these redesigned opening credits rock.

I Believe

No Joke. Emmy Nominations.

Mad Men, Game of Thrones, Boardwalk Empire, Dexter, Justified - I love you all. And even the shows I don't watch, I'm confident your nomination is well-deserved (except that Beau Bridges' Brothers & Sisters nod. Seriously?)

Ok. Drama cataegories, you can go sit over there in the corner. You're good. I've got beef with the comedy nominations though. MAJOR BEEF.

There are more comedies besides Modern Family, The Office and 30 Rock. And Glee wasn't even that funny this season.

Have they ever seen Community or Bored to Death? I literally LOL every single episode. And don't all my friends love It's Always Sunny in Philedelphia? Curb Your Enthusiasm? I mean, people even like Cougar Town, but Courtney Cox's buddy Matt gets nominated for playing himself on Episodes? Really? Even newbie Happy Endings has caught a spot on my DVR!

I get it. The shows that were nominated are good. But geeeeeeeez I am so sick of seeing Alec Baldwin and Tina Fey at every stinkin award show. I'm rooting for Big Bang Theory by default.

He's BACK.

Lucky!

I told you about Mattson Creative's Dexter posters and just saw these photos from his site! NICE.

Dexter-Inspired

From Mattson Creative, the same folks who did the Lost-inspired posters (and I own the green one, in case you were wondering.... Thanks Kristin and Chris!). 

'It was me.' -Dexter Season 5 Preview!

Dexter Premiere Photos!

September can't come soon enough.

I love summer, and am in no hurry to speed through it... but there are two things that September is bringing that get me excited for fall. 

1. Mizzou tailgate season

2. Dexter returns

This just in: 

Dexter will NOT jump ahead into the future with in its next season. 

Many people thought that after the shocking finale (RIP Rita), they would fast forward a little, but it has been confirmed that they won't go the route... instead, Dex will be a suspect and him and the kids will move into his old bachelor pad with Deb. 

Let the drama begin. 

does Dexter drive a Charger?

I make no excuses about my love for Dexter and for its star, Michael C Hall. I also love Dodge Chargers and their aggressive front ends. But combining the two is... just weird.



Maybe it's just me, but hearing my favorite serial killer's voice doesn't make me want to rush and buy this car. It makes me think he is going to jump into/out of that car and murder someone (as he should).

Dexter just has a ton of voiceovers from Hall. We listen to him talk like this for half an episode. I just think Dodge made a weird choice on this one...

the Dexter finale: not so happy ending

The Dexter finale last night was INTENSE. And those last few minutes really blew me away (and everyone else apparently too- 15 hours later, and 'Dexter' is still a trend topic on Twitter). I was literally left speechless at the end of the episode, but let me try and gather my thoughts here....

WARNING: If you have yet to watch the finale, do not read this post. It is not really thoughts on the episode itself, but more like thoughts on what's to come in the future.

How will Dex handle being a single dad? As if just being a husband and father wasn't tough enough for him this season, now he has to take on Aster, Cody, and little Harrison all on his own. Some people think they will go live with Rita or Paul's parents, but that wouldn't be any fun now would it? And considering how Dexter found Harrison in the end, I don't think he will be letting that little baby out of his site any time soon.

How will he cope? Usually, Dexter deals with emotion by, well, killing someone. He likes to get revenge. But what about this time? Trinity is already dead, and the only person left to blame for Rita's murder is Dexter himself. I hate to say it, but if he had listened to Harry to begin with, if he had killed Trinity when he had the chance, if he hadn't made so many 'mistakes', if he didn't carry this 'dark passenger' to begin with, Rita would still be alive.

Does Dexter still think he can change? In last night's finale, Dex was struggling with the idea of change; trying to decide if he could abandon his dark passenger; if he could make a 'getaway' (the name of episode). In his conversation with Rita, she tells him that he can move past his darkness. She tells him she loves and believes in him, and all this gives Dexter hope. But now that Rita is gone, now that he doesn't have that support, will he be able to change? Or better question, will he even want to? Without Rita's support, will his dark passenger be stronger than ever?

What will Miami Metro (or now the FBI) think of all this? He obviously has to report this one to police. Will he change the crime scene so it doesn't look like Trinity's doing? (Rita doesn't fit the bill of young, single woman for the bathtub killing). If he leaves it the same they will obviously know it was Trinity, and be looking for the next step in the cycle. Will Dexter complete the cycle for Trinity? If the cycle just stops, they will know something happened to Trinity. Should Dexter start looking for criminals in Miami to kill using Trinity's method (while at the same time satisfying his 'code')?

And when Batista sees a picture of Arthur Mitchell, will he recognize him? Will he get suspicious? I think so. In that opening scene, they made it very clear that Batista noticed Trinity. The glance that Batista gave was even in slow motion. Batista is a freakishly smart detective and probably wouldn't forget that he saw the man in the station just days before.

Speaking of pictures, will Arthur's family try to identify their friend 'Kyle'? He played a huge role in the last days of their father, the Trinity Killer. I can't imagine that they wouldn't bring him up to police.

"Oh yeah, and there was this guy Kyle Butler who started volunteering with us... then sh*t hit the fan and he tried to kill our Dad. Oh, and he was at our house when your SWAT team busted in."

No doubt they will first link this Kyle Butler to the other one who was murdered, but eventually the Mitchell family will start describing him and come up with some sort of sketch right? I mean, people come up with sketches of attackers they saw for just brief moments; this guy spent a lot of time with them.

And what if they see Dexter? Yes, he is pretty sneaky and may be able to avoid them if they come in the station. And yes, the case was handed over to the FBI, putting it far from the Miami Metro offices. But what if Dexter is on TV or the newspaper or something following Rita's murder? Will someone make the connection?

Will Rita take over as Dexter's subconscious? Harry is getting hella annoying. But I can't see Rita taking over since she doesn't even know he is a seriel killer. Julie Benz is cool and all, but I think she is probably unemployed.

Does baby Harrison now carry a dark passenger? Or better yet, does Dexter think his son carries a similar darkness? They were both 'born in blood' after all. Dexter may assume Harrison inherited the same dark passenger he did after seeing his mother murdered and start schooling him in the ways of the 'code'. Will Dexter create a junior seriel killer out of his son Harrison?

Pretty much, all of this is Dexter's worst fears realized. He never wanted to hurt his family (check, done that). He never wanted his son to inherit his darkness (check, probably done that). Dexter finally started to think he could control his dark passenger, but now he believes it is all just 'fate' and he no longer has control over his actions, over his darkness. Basically, it sucks to be him right now.

And a few final thoughts. I vote Lithgow and Hall both get Emmy's for their work this season, plus Dexter should at least be recognized for Best Drama.

Oh, and when does Season 5 start again?

Sorry... some thoughts

Okay, okay, I haven't posted in, like, forever, and I apologize for that. Now that we have hit the holiday season (um, December, where did you come from?!), a ton of shows are gearing up for season/mid-season finales. Here are some thoughts on how far we've come and where we are going...

Desperate Housewives
A plane is crashing in Wisteria Lane. Seriously, who would want to live on this street? Fires, tornadoes, murder, suicide, you name it, they've seen it. This Sunday, for the Desperate mid-season finale, someone is going to die. And not just any someone, this someone is rumored to be on the show from season one. McClusky? Julie? Carlos? Karl? My money is on one of those four... Oh, and Katherine? She is nuts. I hope the plane hits her too.

One Tree Hill
Wow-za. The times sure are a-changin' in Tree Hill. At the end of last week's episode, the only person making good decisions was Dan (trying to dump his evil wife/ex-skanky high schooler Rachel). Nathan going to Spain? Skills moving to LA? And maybe taking Mouth with him? Haley touring with Jamie? Seriously people. The show is called One Tree Hill. Emphasis on the 'Tree Hill'! You can't all leave and stick us with just suicidal Alex, over dramatic Brooke, and coke-addict Milli.

Dexter
Best. Season. Ever. I should have been posting on it all along, best seriously, it is so good, I don't even know what to say. John Lithgow is seriously dominating as Trinity (Quad-ity now that he kills four in a cycle?). Michael C Hall is brilliant as always. Even Christine, who has bugged the crap out of me all season, was great in last week's episode when we saw her breaking down to her daddy the serial killer. And the previews for these last two episodes can only be described in one word: INTENSE.

DWTS
Donny won. Who cares. New season coming in March. Let's hope for better.

Glee
Love doesn't express what I feel for this show. Last week's rendition of 'Imagine' with the deaf choir made me cry (not at all joking). Here is my one question: When is everyone going to find out it is Puck's baby?! Mercedes already knows and there is NO way she could keep that secret for this long. She needs to crack so that Finn can dump Quinn and fall madly in love with Rachel (or heck, even Kurt).

And coming soon (I swear): My thoughts on Fringe, FlashForward, The Ruins, and Community.

Dexter is BACK (sort of)

True, Dexter did premiere this Sunday, but he is not our same old lovable serial killer. Now, he has kids, and a wife, and a house in suburbia, and not a lot of time for his little vigilante side job.

We see this change is Dex right away. In the opening scene, he isn't stalking a potential victim, as we assume, but is instead driving little Harrison around trying to get him to fall asleep. In a nice twist on the opening credits, we see Dex slip on a white shirt with baby puke stains on it. And when he isn't falling asleep in the middle of the day or getting yelled at by Quinn, we hear him singing 'America the Beautiful' to his new little bundle of joy. Poor guy.

Meanwhile, Deb is in l-o-v-e love with Anton the informant, but will that be complicated by Lundy's return? Probably (What do you call the male form of a cougar?); Quinn has his eyes on a hot reporter (which will probably turn out badly); LaGuerta and Batista are hooking up (also, probably not a good idea); and, guess what? The Trinity Killer, aka John Lithgow, is going to kill a significant character in the first half of the season. Uh-oh spaghetti-o.

Oh yeah, and Dexter loses a body. Could it have been in his hustle last night? In his car accident? Will it even matter? I mean, there is no way Dexter would get caught anyway, right? Right?!