Dexter s1:11 review

It’s almost the end of the series now. Probably for the best. We’ve known for sure who the Ice Truck Killer is since episode 8, so it’s just getting annoying that the characters don’t know who he is. Dexter’s smug observation that it’s funny that only Doakes has realised there’s something off about him has come back to bite him in the ass, hasn’t it – how come you can’t recognise your own, Dex? The Ice Truck Killer is right under your nose and you’re too stupid to notice. Pffft.

Speaking of Doakes, I think he annoys me for the same reason that Deb does – both of them constantly run around telling everyone else how they should feel. Or, how they should show how they’re feeling, I guess. It’s stupid. Particularly Deb. You know, I think I’d quite like it if the Ice Truck Killer offed Deb. She’s asking for it.

Anyway. The Ice Truck Killer is clearly trying to tie up all his loose ends now – offing the prostitute who remembered him, as well as trying to kill Angel. Happily, Angel is awesome and didn’t get killed (just put in the hospital so he can be in the right place at the right time later, and come up with some useful info…) For some reason, Dexter seems determined to find enough evidence to convict the Ice Truck Killer before they find out who he is, for sure, which is kind of odd, especially if the ending goes the same way it did in the book. (I’m trying to forget I know about that, really I am, but it’s all so stupid…)

You know, most of the things that used to enrage me about this series are now sort of acceptable. I like Michael C Hall a lot more now. He seems to narrowly avoid most of the clunkier lines; most of the rampant stupidity is handed off to Deb, instead.

But lots of the characters are changing; they’re not being portrayed in the same way they were at the beginning of the series, and though in some cases this is a good thing, in others it’s a bit nonsensical. Take Laguerta, for example. To begin with, she was the bitch who was preventing Deb from getting a promotion; pig-headed, obsessed with her media coverage, a sly politician but a rubbish cop. Now, though, she’s become sympathetic, even funny, and more determined to catch the right guy than just look good to the press. I’m not sure why, though? If anything, the altered Laguerta just makes Deb seems even more annoying by comparison.

I need to take some deep breaths. I really want to just forget these last two episodes happened. What have we learned? Well, that the records of the crime scene Dexter was found at have been destroyed. That Rudy isn’t Rudy, but he is the Ice Truck Killer. Or, no, we already knew that… that Deb is very stupid? Ummm… okay, that Angel is the emotional centre of this programme. That’s something nice to focus on, I’ll think about that. I love Angel. He’s my favourite. I wish they wouldn’t use him in the deus ex machina way they did this episode, but I like that there’s someone in there I can empathise with. Obviously Dexter’s not much use as an emotional focus, so the writers did at least do a good thing with giving me Angel to watch.

In other news, I still really hate Paul. Won’t someone in prison please kill him in his sleep? The Lesson of the Week seems to have been “don’t lie to kids or else”, I guess. They’re getting less clear cut. Is that good or not? I like the way that the nauseating Steadicam was finally used in order to be deliberately dizzying this time, rather than just because the production team doesn’t own a tripod, but that was pretty much a flashback sequence, wasn’t it? And it’s not as if they don’t flag up every tiny bit of evidence as they go along anyway…

I think I’m going to hang my decision on whether or not I liked this series overall on the season finale. Not long to go now.