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Dexter’s third season has endured plenty of shots from critics. I, too, think of it as the show’s worst. But there are a smattering of TV writers out there who did enjoy Season 3. One of them is Annie Wu, who on the TV Squad site lists Dexter season 3 as one of the highlights of the 2008 television season. Wu says everything on the show was perfect in season 3, including Jimmy Smits as Dexter’s new pal. I wouldn’t go that far. I will say, though, that in retrospect maybe the critics have been too hard on season 3. It didn’t match seasons 1 and 2 in intensity, but those two years were hard to top.
The winners of this year’s Golden Globes will be announced Jan. 12. Personaly, I’m hoping that voters show a little love for Dexter. Yes, Season 3 wasn’t the show’s strongest, but Dexter still remains one of the most intriguing shows on television. The show itself is up for an award as is star Michael C. Hall. This story, from Zap2It, offers a bit of speculation on how the Globes might go down. Shows 30 Rock and Madmen are the odds on favorites to take home most of the awards, at least according to writer Korbi Ghosh. But we’ll see … Dexter might pull out a surprise or two.
I’ve never had much respect for those groups of “concerned” citizens who obsessively monitor their televisions for what they find objectionable. I especially hate when they urge others to boycott any show that ticks them off. It’s not surprising, of course, that one such group, Parents Television Council, doesn’t much like Dexter. This long story in the Independent out of Britain mentions the group briefly, and quotes its president. He says that the biggest problem with Dexter is that it encourages the audience to root for a serial killer, and to hope that this serial killer is never brought to justice. That’s the funny thing: What Parents Television Council views as Dexter’s biggest problem is what I consider it’s biggest strength. The show’s writers have done an uncanny job of making your care about Dexter, a character who admits early in the series that he’s really not totally human. I appreciate the misgivings some have about the show. It’s not appropriate for children, definitely, and it’s not for the squeamish. But no one is forcing anyone to watch Dexter. Those who don’t like the show have a simple solution right in front of them: Don’t watch it.
I know it’s tough: There are no more new Dexter episodes to watch until Season 4 debuts later in 2009. But for hardcore fans, there are plenty of opportunities to catch members of Dexter’s gang in other roles until Showtime brings the charismatic serial killer and his buddies back for another season. For instance, Lauren Velez, better known to Dexter fans as Lt. Maria Laguerta, will guest star in ABC’s sitcom Ugly Betty in a story arc to air later this season. You can read about this news at the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. It’s true that watching Dexter actors in other shows isn’t really a cure for the missing-Dexter-Morgan blues. But at least it’s one way to pass the time before the debut of what I hope will be a seriously improved Season 4.
Just when you think that Dexter can’t get any more press, what with the Screen Actors Guild and Golden Globes nominations it recently received, word comes that the show’s first season will in early January be released in Blu-ray format. This is good news: The new format should introduce Dexter to a new audience. Hopefully, our favorite serial killer will find a host of new fans come Jan. 6 when his escapades are released to Blu-ray audiences. There’s also some hope that Dexter’s release will signal a push to release more television shows in the Blu-ray format.
I’ve been hard on Dexter’s Season 3. So have many critics who say that Dexter’s attempts to befriend a fellow killer didn’t exactly make for the most stirring of Dexter Morgan’s adventures. Not everyone, though, agrees. Mary McNamara, a television critic for the LosAngeles Times, listed Dexter — and its third season, specifically — as one of the few bright spots of the recent television season. You can read her column here. It’s an interesting column mainly because McNamara does a good job highlighting some of the real gems on TV these days. For instance, she cites the compelling In Treatment, Gabriel Byrne’s five-days-a-week therapist drama on HBO. She also counts this season of Lost as that show’s most compelling. I have to agree. McNamara also shares her thoughts on the worst of TV. That’s fun reading, too. She mentions Grey’s Anatomy, a show I’ve always hated, and Bill O’Reilly. You know O’Reilly’s new book, “A Bold Fresh Piece of Humanity,” has a typo right in the title. It should read “A Bold Fresh Piece of S—”, well, you get the idea, right?
Dexter’s very own Michael C. Hall recently earned a Screen Actor’s Guild nomination for best actor for his portrayal of the serial killer with a conscience. Dexter the show also picked up a nomination for best ensemble cast. Both nominations were deserved. After all, playing a serial killer than viewers not only like but sympathize with is no easy task, and Hall has pulled it off for three seasons now. His supporting cast, most notably Julie Benz and Jennifer Carpenter, also play extremely likable, though flawed, characters. The SAG awards will be handed out Jan. 25Â in Los Angeles. This announcement follows the news that Dexter is already up for a Golden Globe award. It’s funny, Season 3 was widely viewed as the show’s worst. But Dexter now is finally getting the honors it deserved for its stellar Season 1 and Season 2.
The critics might not have liked it, but Sunday’s season 3 finale of Dexter scored some pretty hefty ratings for Showtime. In fact, the finale gave Showtime its highest ratings ever. According to Radar, the Dexter finale scored more than 1.5 million viewers. That is the biggest ratings that Showtime has ever generated for any of its programming. It’s little surprise, I suppose, that Dexter is coming back for Season 4 and, probably, many more.
I’ve made no secret of the fact that I’ve found Dexter’s third season to be the weakest in the show’s brief history. Yesterday’s season finale did nothing to change that opinion. In fact, critics across the country agree with me. Here’s one review that provides a good summary of what most TV critics have been saying since the finale aired. There is hope for Season 4, though. This season looks like it will focus on Dexter becoming a famiy man. He’s married now, of course, with a new child on the way. How will Dexter sneak away to commit his murders? How will he hide his secrets now that he is no longer living on his own? And, most importantly, will he even want to kill anymore now that he is slowly transforming into what he would have labeled as a “normal human” in Season 1? Despite Season 3’s mishaps, I have high hopes for Season 4. Yes, this year was a disappointment, and the season finale was especially a letdown. And I’m still waiting for the character of Angel to have something really interesting to do. But the Dexter writers have shown us in Seasons 1 and 2 that they are capable of generating great suspense and memorable storylines. Maybe Season 3 was a fluke, and Season 4 will remind us of why we all loved this show in the first place.
The bad news is that another season of Dexter is coming to an end, with the last episode of Season 3 airing this Sunday. The good news is that the show, despite what has probably been its weakest season, is still on sound ground as far as ratings and popularity go. Showtime has already committed to a fourth season. But what to do between Sunday’s finale and the start of Season 4? Simple, take on some Dexter-related challenges you can do at home. 1. Are you as clever as Dexter? Gradually start killing your neighbors. See if your friends are as oblivious as are Dexter’s. 2. The do-it-yourself Dexter: Stage your own elaborate Dexter play from your own home. Be sure to buy plenty of ketchup! 3. Dexter word hunt: How many words can you make from “Dexter?” Sure to provide months of entertainment. (Honey, is “Edex” a word?) 4. Make fun of the new Punisher film: This is truly a terrible movie. And it has a Dexter connection because Rita is in it. 5. Have some fresh grapefruit for breakfast and cut yourself shaving every morning: Just like Dexter does! |
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