Dexter - Season 2

The second season of Dexter just barely fails to reach the quality of the first, what with all of the revelations and such, but they still manage to weave a web of interesting characters and surprising twists. Sadly, I first started watching this show at the end of this season, so I kinda robbed myself of all the extremely intense moments that pop up over the season. While season one's plot seemed like something that would appear later in a series, season two's story seems like it could work as a final story arc. Season two sees another huge serial killer gaining attention in Miami, but this time it's Dexter himself. His graveyard of victims underwater gets discovered by accident, and he has to do everything he can to keep himself in the clear.

There's plenty of other subplots, like Dexter faking a heroin addiction to cover up his true secret and Deb trying to come out of her shell after what happened last season, and most of the supporting cast's roles are expanded and developed a bit. Whereas I found Angel and La Guerta to be pretty non-essential obstacles the first time, much more is shown about their true character, and they actually become somewhat sympathetic. The sole exception is Doakes. His actions rapidly cross the line into being just ridiculous. We're meant to believe that he has, quite literally, been following Dexter every single night for weeks now. Really? He's been portrayed as a smart cop in the past, but Doakes' "investigation" around Dexter is just silly. And his smug, hardass attitude doesn't make him any more bearable. Doakes being so suspicious of Dexter was a compelling idea and it definitely reaches an exciting climax, but its execution needed a bit more work. Kinda went off on a tangent there.

The show's still really about Dexter, and he's still a really great character, funny and resourceful as he has a major identity crisis and learns more about his past. I thought the background stuff revealed near the end of the first run came a little early in the series, saying too much too soon. But they proved that there's still plenty about the character we don't know. I also like how Dexter has to spend a good bulk the season playing defense and trying to manipulate the current crisis. I didn't care too much for the relationship drama Dexter endures, but Lila was a unique, interesting character that resulted from it. I also didn't care that the resolution to the story arc resulted more from him being lucky than smart, but that's not enough to distract from an otherwise excellent season and the first time I saw this it certainly made me interested to see what happens next.

Dexter - Season 1

Every year, I watch all the previous seasons of Dexter on dvd to refresh myself for the new one. Dexter is a unique series, though it isn't as clever or edgy as it thinks it's being, but it still stands out as a truly original take on the well-established and well-populated crime television genre. Dexter is a blood spatter expert who works with the police, and at night ritualistically murders criminals who have thus far escaped justice within the system. So, he's kinda like Batman, if Batman went around killing people. Dexter's moral code makes him more likable than if he was just a generic serial killer who killed innocents, but the show doesn't make him out to be a good guy either. The show does a good job of making him sympathetic while making sure we know he's still a disturbed individual who should not be emulated.

The show's not really about serial killing anyway, it's just an aspect of a really good character who helps solve crimes. Michael C. Hall does a great job depicting Dexter, both when Dexter goes through everyday life pretending to be normal and when he's letting his dark side loose. Hall plays the role with the perfect balance of cheerful insincerity and slight disdain for human interaction—believable, but he's never alienating or too creepy. The enthusiasm for the role is evident in every action of Hall's and it makes his character one of the mesmerizing in recent years. He's very funny, as his narration reveals character without being too obvious and adding some sly humor. The supporting cast is varying in quality, but his girlfriend Rita and coworker Angel are both very likable, while the his hard-edged rival Sergeant Doakes is very easy to despise.

The first season's story arc is something I might expect later in a show's lifespan. The plot reveals a lot about Dexter's character and how he became the person he is now. He and the police are working to find the Ice Truck Killer, a serial killer who cuts prostitutes into intricate pieces and leaves them at a scene with no blood. While the cops try to figure it out, they're missing pieces to the puzzle, as the killer leaves clues for Dexter himself. The story arc moves along at a comfortable pace always introducing something else when you're ready for the next twist. There's also some typical relationship problems to work through and the sub-plots for the side characters are entertaining in their right. The season finale does justice to everything they built and ends the season with a very interesting twist that provides some entertainment for the next season. The show really offers up some of the most satisfying crime drama currently on television today.

Penn & Teller: Bullshit (Review)

I've always enjoyed the work of the Las Vegas based performers Penn & Teller. The illusions and comedy that they preform have always been incredibly entertaining. I've also come to respect them as advocates of science over superstition and acceptance of facts over wishful thinking. Their television show, Penn & Teller: Bullshit is a documentary series that has run on Showtime for 7 seasons (it's the network's longest running show). Penn and Teller are known for revealing the secrets to their magic acts on stage and in this show they basically do the same thing to hot button topics like gun control, paranormal research, or even the Bible. Every episode has them trying to debunk some common misconception or expose the truth of a well known organization. The camera crew interview people who support the different sides of the arguments and Penn and Teller tape linking studio segments that provide commentary to what was filmed in the field. Penn usually expresses his opinions in a loud, brash, and extremely abrasive manner, the irony being that his arguments are more specific, reasoned and sensible than most of those on the opposing side.

I find the show to be entertaining, informative and able to display a refreshing amount of critical thinking for a television show. I was genuinely surprised that they actually got me to think about some of the issues that were brought up. The guys research is extremely well done and they show an appropriate amount of respect for the topics and still get their arguments across eloquently even with all the profanity they use. The slight downside is that the show's arguments are always one-sided, though, as Penn and Teller get to edit the interview segments however they like and provide plenty of snarky voice-over, while the opposing side never gets a proper chance at a rebuttal. Also as the show has gone on over the years, they seem to have inevitability started running out of topics to debunk as a lot of the recent episodes feature a few subjects that seem an awful lot like those covered on past episodes. Having said all that, I think Bullshit is still an entertaining watch. Whether you agree with their opinions or they outrage you, they'll certainly make you laugh and think, and maybe take a fresh look at what you know.