Dexter - Season Eight

I take it you have seen all of the seasons. There are PLOT holes in all of them even the Lithgow season 4. Showing Zach covered on blood in Dexter's apartment would have ruined the element of surprise. It appeared he was just sitting in the chair until Dexter approached him and we saw he had part of his brain removed.

 

Oh, I got that. I just thought this was a stupider plot hole than usual.

 

I really liked the idea of Dexter working with Zach but boom they killed that quickly...

This season could have been much better....

 

We did too. A lot of people went quick.

 

Probably because the kid who played Zach had to go become the teenage daughter's bf on Homeland season 3 -- sorta creepy!

 

What I missed most of this show was early on there was a lot more humor in it.

When Dexter was seeing the phychiatrist and he confesses to him he's a serial killer. That made me feel so good but I still have to kill you.

He shows up at his wedding with broken arm after dropping George King on the cop car... That was funny stuff man....

 

I think this last season was one of the weakest....and didn't even bother to watch the final episodes; it went from being a nice dark season opening to very slow-moving and boring.

 

Finally finished Season 8 last night. It was a real chore to slog through -- though Hannah is certainly easy on the eyes. Worst season I thought. (Really disliked the one with Jimmy Smits as well.)

 

I agree with you completely, except I think that season might have been a bit worse, especially since it followed the roller coaster ride that was Season 2. I also didn't like the Julia Stiles season either.

 

I loved both of those though acknowledge that Season 8 was probably the weakest.

 

They kinda run together but I seem to remember enjoying the Julia Stiles one.

Nice avatar, btw.

 

I really hated the last season. As bad as it was going though, the last episode/the ending made it cross over into "worst TV show that used to be great" category for me. I liked pretty much every other season but felt it was sliding downhill dramatically around S7. Even the Hannah drool factor (OMG that actress is gorgeous) couldn't redeem this boring, melodramatic, and utterly nonsensical train wreck of a season for me.

 

Okay ... just finished my marathon Dexter Season 8 session, and read the comments in this thread.

Apart from the sloppy writing already mentioned (no attempt at disguise by Hannah being the obvious example) I quite enjoyed this season. Maybe it helps to watch it all as one long episode, where one can see the dramatic arc building and developing within a shorter time frame. But I could see where the writers were headed this season, which roughly was what I was expecting: a return to Dexter's origins; his "cover life" becoming his real life; his chance at redemption by eschewing his "dark passenger" and realizing he does not need Harry any more; and his "sacrifice" to protect his loved ones.

I was kinda thrown by the appearance of Zak and the whole "passing the torch" theme, until the appearance of Hannah, which confirmed my suspicion about the season's direction. I think the season needed that darkness at the beginning to build up to the redemption theme at the end. I don't disagree with some of the criticisms of the writing, but I like how the story was resolved and how Dexter's character changed. Back in season one Dexter had no empathy, at the finale of season eight he's giving up his happiness by putting the interests of Hannah and Harrison ahead of himself (too many h's there, my own sloppy writing).

And the usual criticisms that apply to every season: subplots that go nowhere (Masuka's daughter); contrivances (Dexter borrows Jamie's car just so that the producer's can ditch something cheap into the lake instead of his expensive SUV); huge plot holes (many already mentioned here); etc.

As an aside, I did like the passing shot of an ice truck in the season finale

It may be that I rate this season well because it went as I expected, while others with different ideas on how it should have played out will bag it as "worst. season. ever".

--Geoff

 

Re: Zak in Dexter's apartment with half his head missing:

Although in the season opener a body is found on the ground with nary any blood, and it is only when Dexter lifts the body that we find out the head has been deftly cleft in twain. If you buy that, then it's not that suprising that Zak can be propped up in a chair in Dexter's apartment with minimal blood.

--Geoff

 

Couldn't have said it better.

 

In summary:

Season One: Ice Truck Killer - excellent
Season Two: Lila / Doakes - excellent
Season Three: Jimmy Smits - meh
Season Four: Trinity Killer - excellent
Season Five: Lumen - good
Season Six: Doomsday Killer - pretty good
Season Seven: [to be honest I can't recall what it was about other than Deb getting cranky then killing LaGuerta]
Season Eight: Dexter grows up - good

--Geoff

 

Great to see Dexter back on Netflix instant streaming... Just wish they'd have more than the first 4 seasons.

 

I felt the show started dropping after the 4th season so Netflix is good.

 

Great recap.

Too funny, like you, I can't remember now what Season 7 was either. I watched S1-7 in basically catchup marathon mode having only recently deciding to check the show out, then S8 as it was aired.

I would go this way with my ratings though:

Season One: Ice Truck Killer - mindblowing; one of the best series I've ever seen
Season Two: Lila / Doakes - excellent
Season Three: Jimmy Smits - excellent
Season Four: Trinity Killer - fair - for some reason I was bored by long stretches of it, but the shock of the finale saved it for me
Season Five: Lumen - excellent - I really liked the twists/possibilities of Dexter saving Lumen then getting sucked into helping her "TAKE IT!" (that is reclaim her life and get some kickass revenge)
Season Six: Doomsday Killer - pretty good
Season Seven: [to be honest I can't recall what it was about other than Deb getting cranky then killing LaGuerta]
Season Eight: Dexter grows a beard and becomes a lumberjack - pathetic

 

Was the main plot of S7 the Russian mob thing with Victor (or whatever his name was)? Because I did like that storyline.

 

I think I read that the other 4 seasons are hitting Netflix in January or something like that.

Craig.

 

Most of the stores will have a bunch of Dexter seasons for around $20 on Black Friday.

 

Good news. I would like to pick up Seasons 1-4 on DVD.

 

Looking back I'm guessing Season 7 was mostly to set up Hannah and Dexter...

 

and kill a major character.