By LillyKatPTR Senior Staff Writer
Well, that was one big happy ending, eh?
Or at least all's well that ends well.
And yet, I have to confess that although I do like things to wrap up nicely in season finales, they need to leave something for next season. With Dexter, it was almost as if things wrapped up a little TOO nicely.
And that left me unimpressed.
In fact, after watching the previous finales of the first two seasons, I've never been left thinking, "So, that's it? He just rides off into the sunset a happy guy?"
And that, I'm afraid, has been my issue for most of round three: happy-go-lucky BFF Dexter is just not as interesting as darkly conflicted Dexter.
This whole life is good thing doesn't work for me, and it isn't why the show compelled me to watch it in the first place.
So he makes nice with Ramon Prado. So he escapes the confines of Tree Trimmer Killer George King by the skin (no pun intended) of his teeth. So he gets married. So he lives happily ever after until next season.
Yawn.
Even though he didn't have to kill Ramon or have the wedding be a bust, either of those two scenarios would have felt more like a finale to me and/or made me whole lot more curious as to what may be in store next season. As it stands right now, aside from the soon-to-be daddy quotient, I'm not sure whether I care what happens to him going forward.
But there was a silver lining: making amends with Harry.
And thank the heavens for that.
I never bought into this whole hold-a-grudge-against-dad thing that played out
But aside from the rather lackluster end to Dexter's journey this season, how about ol' Deb?
RIGHT ON!!!
How thrilled am I to see her a) earn her detective shield; b) get to still be with Anton; c) make peace with Lieutenant LaGuerta.
As disgruntled as I've been with Dexter, Miguel Prado and turning Rita into a know-nothing of a character (what the heck happened there?), Deb's storyline saved this season for me. Whether it was the on-again-off-again back and forth between her and Quinn (which actually made her a BETTER cop), the IA quandary or the uncertainty surrounding her feelings for Anton, I need to send Jennifer Carpenter flowers. If it weren't for her - and weren't for the writers continuing to explore her character - I'd have stopped watching. Soooo, contrary to Dexter, Deb's happy ending was one I could get behind - especially after two seasons of heartbreak and emotional turmoil.
What can I say, the poor girl was due.
And speaking of LaGuerta, I have to say I'm impressed to see her move beyond her tit-for-tat vendetta against Deb, actually grant her the promotion AND compliment her for not allowing work to sacrifice her personal life. Score points for LaGuerta, who, actually, earned the MOST points for me during this third season. She finally seemed to evolve past her political appointment as head of the squad and actually a) look like a good cop; b) look to be human; c) look to be able to do the right thing without screwing someone over in the process.
But by in large, I wasn't impressed with the third season. It ranks as my least favorite. But Dexter still does remain my favorite serial killer, and I'm willing to grant the show one off season (at least as it pertains to me).
But not two.
Fair warning for season four.
If you missed any of the third season of Dexter, check out the official Dexter Web site to catch up.
2 comments:
I thought the "happy ending" actually worked here because it was the exact opposite of what I expected. I was convinced that Dex and Rita wouldn't get married. In fact, I spent the entire hour waiting for the thing to get called off. I was still waiting for it as they stood at the alter together. It wasn't until the very last minute that I realized that these two were really married! This completely surprised me, so I give the show props for that. I don't see much changing between Dex and Rita since they seemed pretty married this season. I certainly don't want things to be happily ever after (that doesn't suit this show at all), but I thought that the show's ability to do the opposite of what I expected was pretty interesting.
BUT, the best part of this season for me was a tie between Deb and LaGuerta (as you mentioned). They really shone this season. Overall, this season didn't match the awesomeness of last season, but I thought that the Miguel character, Dex's inner struggle with the code, and Deb's stories were strong enough to make it solid for me.
Dexter is a great show. This is the best show we have today on television. It has fun, excitement, suspense ....all the ingredients we can get in this show. I have seen Dexter Episodes online.
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