Moose watches Dexter.

All these years I've completely ignored this show. I know nothing about it except the basic premise, a serial killer who's also a cop and who only kills other killers. I also think I know the ending because I remember people hating it, but I'm not sure and I'm not going to look it up. Either way there's nearly 100 episodes before that so hopefully it will be interesting.

I've seen the first two episodes so far. It got my attention right away with a very distinctive style. Something about it looks so real. It's set in Miami, and I know Miami is supposed to be hot, but I've never seen it look so hot on screen. All the daytime outdoor scenes look a bit overexposed, everyone is always sweating, it's pretty cool.

It jumps in with a continuing story straight away, setting up the Ice Truck Killer and already revealing that he knows about Dexter's double life. I was a bit surprised. I would have expected, just from the premise, that at the start Dexter would be concentrating on not getting discovered by the police. And eventually they would start to get suspicious, and then another killer would appear to jeapordise things. Especially since there's 8 seasons. If you start off with another killer knowing that Dexter is a killer where do you from there?

But Dexter's super cool about killing people. His little box of blood slides is pretty full so he's been killing people for a while already without getting caught. The story starts when the other killer comes in. He just throws a head at Dexter.

The black sergeant was hilarious in the first episode, but already in turns out he was sleeping with another officer's wife, and they both got murdered in episode 2 so he's more serious now.

The girlfriend character is odd. Not that she's odd, just the fact that she's there is odd. Doesn't seem necessary or important at the moment, other than for Dexter to show off how good/bad he is at pretending to have emotions. He does alright with the kids, which is creepy because you know he's faking it.

So far I like it.

Yeah, Dexter's a very good show at its high points. It's just unfortunate that it has some pretty low lows.

Season 1 Episode 3

I won't write up every episode, but I'll make note of where I'm at.

I forgot Dexter's dad. Now there's an understanding dude. Realises his adopted son has urges to kill things and says "Hey, let's work with that". Kept him killing animals for a while but then since Dexter kept getting urges he told him to only kill people who deserved it, and even tought him how to get away with it. The Code of Harry.

He was in hospital and one of the nurses was killing patients so he told Dexter to stop her. That was the first time he killed someone. I think. There was a bit of mystery about Dexter's early life, he doesn't remember anything before being adopted. It's all flashbacks too, Harry's dead.

I wonder how long the flashbacks will last. Seems to be going in chronological order so far but it's only 3 episodes and it's gone from little kid Dexter to fully grown first-time murdered Dexter. He said that his dad only lived for another year after the nurse incident too. I bet there will be a lot more flashbacks about his dad teaching him stuff for the whole season, if not the whole show. And of course his mysterious past will come into it at some point.

After season 2 skip to season 4 and after that stop watching.

Well now I'm just curious. I'm not watching 4 seasons of shit though so if it's really that bad I'll stop. But I want to see for myself.

Season 1 Episode 5

Just for a second I thought there would be a lame twist and the Ice Truck Killer would be Dexter's dad, since he was using Dexter's photos and stuff. But that would be stupid. Plus the killer doesn't know that Dexter only kills people who deserve it. Or maybe it's just his dad testing him (in Stupid World).

For a moment I thought the girlfriend was out of the picture too but it seems like she's here to stay for now. A Lara Croft cosplay blowjob isn't something to throw away. Dexter getting relationship advice from that Cuban guy and his wife before he killed them was neat. And oh shit man someone was watching! From the trunk of a car...? For some reason. Whatever, the point is OH SHIT MAN SOMEONE WAS WATCHING.

Also Dexter dumps his victims out at sea. His boat is called Slice of Life. I get it.

Season 1 Episode 6

So the person watching from the trunk was a little kid. No idea why he was there because the other Cuban immigrants that the dude was hiding didn't know him. But in the end he didn't recognise Dexter and when they tried to get a sketch from the kid he ended up describing Jesus.

But, more interestingly, the Ice Truck Killer dredged up Dexter's last victim and placed them back where he killed her. Dexter usually cuts up the bodies but he deviated from his plan and killed both the husband and wife instead of just the husband, because he found out on the spot that the wife was in on the human trafficking.

Dexter went into full panic mode but in the end he just planted some evidence to make it look like the husband killed the wife. This other killer knows an awful lot about him though. I really hope it's not his dad. My bet, if it's someone we've seen already that is, is that doctor who was treating the security guard. He seemed shifty.

The Ice Truck Killer has broken into Dexter's house at least twice now, possibly more times. You'd think he'd just get some security cameras or something.

Also Dexter's alias for buying the drug he uses to paralyse his victims is Patrick Bateman. I get it.

Season 1 Episode 7

Of course as soon as I guess who the killer is they catch the killer and prove me wrong... Maybe. The guy they caught is definitely a killer. Having your mother's dismembered corpse buried under your house isn't normal. And he knows a lot of unreleased details of the Ice Truck murders. But he's probably not the guy who's been watching Dexter and leaving clues for him.

So either he's not the Ice Truck Killer or there's someone else who just makes a habit of stalking serial killers. Who knew about Dexter and the Ice Truck Killer and decided to give Dexter a heads up (ha, because he threw a head at him). So I'm still going with the doctor guy. He's getting in with Dexter's sister now.

I liked the subplot about the killer kid. He was like Dexter but with no guidance from mad dad Harry. Shame he commited suicide, but I guess it's too early for that kind of partnership in the show. Definitely seems like something that would happen eventually though, Dexter mentoring another killer.

Season 1 Episode 8

I KNEW IT. The doctor guy is the Ice Truck Killer. That other guy just hacked the police files and was trying to get famous pretending he was a serial killer. Probably means Dexter's sister (I swear, I don't know anyone's name in this series apart from Dexter) is going to be one of his victims. Saving that for the finale I'll bet.

Dexter murdered a psychiatrist in this episode, but actually good some good therapy from him first. He was able to bang his girlfriend and mean it. There was a brief flashback while the therapist was tryin some relaxation technique with Dexter. He asked him think of times when he felt powerless, and there was a very quick glimpse of baby Dexter surrounded by blood. One parent probably murdered his other parent in front of him, or suicide, but something happened. That explains his fascination with blood.

I assume because the show is 8 seasons long there will be a thorough back story at some point, but I kind of hope not. It's interesting when you start from the beginning and see a killer evolve, but if you start the story with the fully matured then going back just spoils the mystery. Like that Hannibal Rising film.

Season 1 Episode 9

Forgot to mention that the liutenant knows they got the wrong guy on the Ice Truck murders, but didn't do anything about it. Her captain took all the credit for the capture so she's probably just pissed and wants it to blow up in his face. It might not though, haven't heard anything about it since.

Anyway Dexter's dad died. His real dad. They thought it wasn't his dad because Harry said his real dad was already dead, but it is. He left Dexter his house and the whole episode was just them cleaning it up. But Dexter's sister and her boyfriend (Mr. Ice Truck Killer) helped out, and it turns out the killer killed Dexter's dad. But he didn't want Dexter to know about it, which is odd because usually he wants Dexter to know what he's doing. I have no clue what the end game of the Ice Truck Killer is. No idea how he knows so much about Dexter or why he wants Dexter to know he knows. Or how Dexter doesn't know it's him. He's been able to spot other people like himself reliably so far, but not this guy. I have a hunch Dexter is going to want to know how he fakes it so well.

Dexter found a card he sent him in his house. He had an operation when he was younger, and he's got rare blood type so Harry had to go to Dexter's dad for blood, but didn't tell Dexter where it came from. That card looks like an important prop so I'm guessing it will feature prominently in future episodes somehow.

Rita nearly got raped by her ex-husband, but thank christ she smashed him with a bat. He's been back in it for a couple episodes now. Hope Dexter kills him.

Oh and some stuff happened with some other cops. Stuff happens with them a lot. I really don't care. This is a 12 episode show and they still have to pad out the episodes with side stories for the supporting cast? I can see why the following seasons might drop in quality. It's alright when it's connected to what Dexter's doing, either literally or thematically, but sometimes it's just random stuff that doesn't matter.

Season 1 Episode 10

Oooooh, the backstory. The Ice Truck Killer used all the blood from his victims to leave a bloodbath for Dexter, which freaked him the fuck out. First time he hasn't been excited by the sight of blood. Gave him flashbacks to what happened him. It appears his parents were hacked to bits with a chainsaw in front of him when he was 3.

Come to think of it, it was mentioned that Harry found Dexter at a crime scene and then adopted him. So he knew what happened. Guess that explains why he was so willing to help Dexter with his problems.

But how the hell does the Ice Truck Killer know all this? This whole season the connection between them hasn't been revealed even the least bit. We know who the killer is now, but why he's so interested in Dexter is still a complete mystery. But apparently the number 103 is important.

This is weird. It feels like things are moving quite fast, but it also feels like nothing's really happening. I keep waiting for the big moment where everything ramps up, but there hasn't been one. This show has a very steady pace.

Season 1 Episodes 11 and 12

Well I guess that was the big ramp up. The Ice Truck Killer kidnapped Dexter's sister, but didn't kill her. He wanted to Dexter and himself to kill her together. Turns out the Ice Truck Killer was Dexter's long lost brother.

For some reason, there was a chainsaw massacre in a freight container, and Dexter's family was part of it. His mother and some other people got butchered, and Dexter and his brother were left locked in the container for two days, drenched in blood. Dexter repressed it because he was so young but his brother was a bit older and remembered everything. Harry took Dexter in but Brian got put into the social care system. They both ended up serial killers though.

It was a nice finale. Dexter was actually tempted to be with his brother because he could actually be himself around him. His brother understood him. If it was anyone but his sister I think he might have done it, despite his code. He was upset that he had to kill his brother too, to protect his sister.

I was a bit disappointed that Dexter and Brian didn't have more interaction after Dexter learned the truth. I thought Dexter would be really intrigued by how Brian fits in and pretends so well. But I suppose his sister's safety was more important at the time.

All in all it was good. A neat little 12 part drama about a serial killer. Really don't know where the show could go from here. I feel like I know everything I need to know about Dexter, and the most important story of his life has been told. The only thing that could happen now is someone Dexter knows finding out about him. How does this last 7 more seasons? He kills more people, another serial killer messes with him only it's not as interesting because it's not his family (or it's another family member who's also a serial killer, which would be dumb), he gets found out and either dies, escapes, or goes to jail.

I mean, there's a few loose ends. Rita will be a bit suspicious of him now, since he drugged her ex-husband to get him sent back to jail and the ex-husband keeps going on about it. Doakes (that black sergeant) is more suspicious than ever and is following Dexter around now. But for the most part I'd be satisfied if this was the end of Dexter.

But hey, maybe it'll pull a Hannibal and prove me wrong.

Season 2 Episode 1

That got off to a better start than expected, in a way I wouldn't have guessed. Killing his brother had more of an effect on Dexter than he realised. Doakes has been following him constantly so he hasn't killed anyone since then, but when he finally got the chance he couldn't do it. Maybe because the guy was blind, but then he tried again with a gang enforcer and still couldn't do it. What's more he got away and possibly saw Dexter too.

Maybe it's to do with how season 1 ended. His brother questioned his code, said he couldn't be a killer and a hero so why bother only killing other killers. But in the end Dexter did envision himself as a hero, with everyone congratulating him for killing all those bad people. Maybe he wants to feel like heroic for killing someone now.

Paul got killed in prison, so that's that over with. He was trying to convince Rita that Dexter set him but he can't do that anymore. She'll probably find out somehow though. That relationship has to blow up at some point. Plus, another big thing, Dexter's dumping ground got discovered. Some divers looking for treasure (or something) found all the bodies.

So already the stakes are pretty high. Colour me interested.

Season 2 Episode 3

Well Dexter got over not being able to kill pretty quick. He just had to let his brother go. Finish his ritual dump his little memento in the ocean. He's still dumping the bodies in the ocean too, but over the gulf stream now so they don't all pile up. Bit of an easy get out.

Episode 3 was good. Dexter confessed to setting Paul up but then had to pretend to be addict to explain where he got the drugs and stuff from. So Rita wanted to go into a sobriety program. His speech at the end was one of the better moments in the series, and I liked the scene with his newest victim too.

Doakes following him to the meeting and assuming drugs are the reason Dexter's always acting weird felt like an easy get out too, but understandable. I kind of hope Doakes is playing him but it could be genuine.

Season 2 Episode 5

So far this is really good. It's like a long epilogue to season 1. Dexter's dealing with his past and trying to figure out if he's a hero or a villain, while the in the background the investigation into his murders plods on. The Dark Defender scene was great.

It wasn't shown whether he killed the guy who killed his mother. It's implied he didn't, but then the guy did deserve it, so maybe he did. Would have been messy though. I don't think he did.

Even more of the backstory was uncovered. Dexter's mother was an informant for Harry and apparently they were sleeping together, which is why she was killed. Seems unnecessarily complicated, like they're creating links for the sake of it. Bit of Spider-Man 3 vibe going on.

Also Dexter seems to be leading another double life, with the whole sobriety thing. Doakes knows but he suspected something was going on anyway. What if his sister finds out he's in "recovery"? That's going to be awkward.

Season 2 Episde 6

So Rita thought Dexter was cheating on him but he wasn't, and then he did cheat on her, and went to explain that he wasn't cheating when she thought he was but that he was now... This drama about a serial killer is going in some unexpected directions. I was glad he told Rita though. I don't want the show to get bogged down in a love triangle plot.

As soon as I mention Deb/Doakes's knowledge of Dexter's NA meetings it comes up. Doakes mentioned to Deb, so now he knows Dexter is faking that too. He's more convinced than ever that Dexter's got a big secret.

Also, Dexter deleted the footage of him at the marina, but they're going to notice there's an hour of footage missing, right? The time stamp will jump from 10 to 11.

Season 2 Episode 7

Ooooh, I see where this is going. Lila's the bad guy. She always gets what she wants. Dexter's going to kill her in the finale isn't he?

Dexter's little stunt with the manifesto backfired, since Lundy is now sure the Butcher is in law enforcement. Also Deb kissed Lundy. I thought it was just a weird father-figure thing going on, but now it's even weirder.

Season 2 Episode 10

Hmm, really? Dexter's dad commited suicide now? I think that's an unnecessar addition. Harry trained his son to be a serial killer but loses it when he sees that his son is actually a serial killer? He'd already killed that nurse a year before. I dunno, seems unnecessary.

For a few episodes the pace really picked up but now it's slow again. I think I prefer it slow, or at least consistent. The police force being targeted by the investigation and the whole Doakes thing was exciting. Doakes definitely knows Dexter is the Butcher now, no two ways about it. But Dexter can't kill him because it doesn't fit his code. Bit of a dilemma, but he seems to have a plan to frame Doakes. I thought sending an innocent man to jail was against the code but I guess he's desperate.

Plus Dexter's found out that Harry was lying about pretty much everything so maybe he'll just throw the code out.

Season 2 Episode 12

I'll miss Doakes. I guess he had to die since there was no way he'd ever back off, but still. Who else could start of a conversation with the words "Fuck you!". The sequence of events surrounding it was a bit cumbersome. Lila takes Dexter sat-nav and goes to places he's been because...? She's just a bit crazy?

I would have preferred a straight murder scene with Lila, rather than her taking the kids and all that stuff. And the whole time Dexter was in the burning room I was thinking "Doesn't he have a phone?".

But overall a good season and a good followup to season 1. In season 1 he follows a strict set of rules given to him by his father, but at the end his brother calls all that into question with the promise of just being himself. So season 2 deals with that, and Dexter has to figure out who he is. Pretty neat.

Season 3 Episode 2

Episode 1 didn't do much. Just reiterating the points from the season 2 finale. Dexter killed some guy he shouldn't have, and Rita's pregnant.

Daddy Dexter could be interesting I suppose, with some suitable time skips. I'd imagine Rita is going to want them to start living together, which will get in the way of Dexter's murdering.

So far, feels like the season is just going through the motions.

Season 3 Episode 8

Well this is an interesting dynamic. Miguel knows Dexter kills people and he wants in on it. I don't think he knows that Dexter is the Bay Harbour Butcher but he's sure that Dexter has killed before. In episode 8 after a lot of convincing they went on a kill together and Miguel did the deed.

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Season 1 Episode 7

I liked the subplot about the killer kid. He was like Dexter but with no guidance from mad dad Harry. Shame he commited suicide, but I guess it's too early for that kind of partnership in the show. Definitely seems like something that would happen eventually though, Dexter mentoring another killer.

And here we are. Dangerous territory. Especially since Miguel isn't a kid that would look up to Dexter. The episode ended with him visiting that female lawyer so already he's going rogue. I suspect he won't kill her though. They probably had an affair at some point and Miguel is going to rekindle it.

This Skinner subplot is still plodding along really slowly. It's maybe heating up, but for something that's been going on all season it better have a good payoff that connects with Dexter's story in some way. If it's just a season-long B story for Deb it'll be annoying.

The wedding's becoming a big thing, as weddings always are in TV shows. I'll go out on a limb and say that something will go wrong. Dexter will miss it because Miguel fucks up or something.

Each season so far has had that one character that connects with Dexter and offers him some kind of freedom to be himself. A family member, a lover, and a friend. And in each season he rejects them for his "fake" equivalent. He chose his adopted sister over his real brother, and he chose Rita over Lila. Whether he actually loves them or not, he's certainly attached to them. And he's damn protective of those kids.

I wonder what the choice will be this time, since the companion character is a friend. Will he have to choose between Miguel and his friends at the department? There hasn't really been any indication of that, and his cop friends are all good people so there wouldn't be much of a choice. It might surprise me, but I think it's more likely the wedding will be at the center of whatever major decision Dexter has to make this season.

Shame really, could been a nice trilogy of themes for the first 3 seasons. Family, love, and friendship through the eyes of a serial killer.

Season 3 Episode 9

Well shit, Miguel did kill that lady. And he's been lying to Dexter the whole time. And Dexter's fucking pissed. This could be good.

They found out who the Skinner is. Just some guy. He's looking for Freebo because he owes him some money, or something. I don't think this is going anywhere good, which is a shame.

Season 3 Episode 12

This escalated really quickly and a lot of stuff felt brushed over. Miguel and the Skinner dead in two episodes? It was alright but I wish things had slowed down a bit. I wanted more of Dexter and Miguel as friends working together, rather than things immediately going to shit after Miguel first killed someone. And again, some kind of choice between his new friend and his old friends would have been nice. As it is, Dexter just made a mistake and had to correct it.

I hoped the Skinner plot would be more relevant too, but in the end he really was just looking for Freebo for some money (or using that as an excuse the skin people). Everything was a bit looser and not as connected as the first two seasons.

I was wrong about Dexter missing the wedding. Turns out he almost missed it because of the Skinner, but either I wasn't attention or it wasn't set up that it was his wedding day. I didn't know he was in danger of missing it until he got there.

I enjoyed it, but a lot of wasted potential. Now on to season 4, which apparently is better.

Season 4 Episode 1

Pretty strong opening. Sleep deprived Dexter is amusing, and the other serial killer is set up immediately and looks interesting (always nice to see John Lithgow). Lundy's back too. All the ingredients for a good season.

Falling asleep at the wheel and crashing the car with a cut up body in the boot is new one too.

A thing I forgot from the end of season 3 is that Rita was married once before Paul, which I can only imagine will come up again in some important capacity.

Season 4 Episode 2

That was a disappointment. As soon as the episode started with emergency crew at the accident I knew the body wasn't in the car, and when the doctor mentioned short term memory I could see where it was going. Bit of a time waster after a strong opening, just to establish that Dexter can't handle work, a baby, and killing at once.

Season 4 Episode 4

Okay, that was a good one. I like it when Dexter learns a little lesson from his victims. Can't happen every time, I know, or it would be old already. But it's nice.

The B plot of the tourist murders shoved it's way into the A plot too. At least that's what I'm guessing happened when Deb and Lundy got shot. Lundy also met the Trinity Killer earlier, and knew something was up straight away. Not sure why the killer decided to fake bump into Lundy though.