Opinions sought

[firecat]

We just finished watching the first season of the TV series Dexter. We liked it but didn't love it. We heard somewhere that subsequent seasons weren't as good. If you've watched it, do you think it's worth watching the second season?

Also if you've read the first book of the novel series about the same character, how much loving detail is put into the butchery scenes?

Comments

[jae]

I actually did love the first season, but didn't feel the same about any of the subsequent seasons. I quit after third, went back later and watched the fourth, and regretted it. I'd quit while you're ahead.

-J

[firecat]

Thanks, that helps!

[bcholmes]

I've been fond of most of the seasons, up to and including season 5. Season 6 was a big pile of barf, for me.

I thought that season 2 did an interesting job of taking you to the edge of your discomfort with identifying with Dexter as the anti-hero of the show. It would take you there, and then relieve the tension, and then take you back and so forth.

[firecat]

Thanks! (Love the icon.)

[yifu]

I agree that the show lost its momentum after S2. Though S4 has the scariest villain for me.

[wild_irises]

Read Blackburn by Bradley Denton, which precedes Dexter, has a comparable premise, and is very good. (I haven't seen or read any Dexter.)

[outlier_lynn]

I only watched a few episodes of the first season. I found his character interesting and well played. I liked that he applied his investigative skills in a Holmesian way and the mystery part of the show was pretty good. I was initially and increasingly disturbed by the underlying premiss that he is using serial killing for the good of the community.

Dexter solves gruesome murders and then satisfies justice when official channels cannot. That is a recipe for entertainment that I no longer enjoy. I am much happier with "Think first; shoot if you must." I'd rather watch "Marple" or "Inspector Lewis" on Masterpiece Mystery.

[firecat]

Yeah, I wonder about myself sometimes and my enjoyment of certain antisocial characters.

[drememynd]

I watched the first couple of seasons, and read all three of the books. I thought the television show was much better, in its own way, than the books were. I also liked season two more than I liked season one. I have the show bookmarked in the back of my mind as one I'd like to watch more of someday.

It's been long enough that I don't really remember how the butchery scenes compared from books to television, but I think I would remember if the difference was great enough to make much of an impact on me. I think I was distracted when reading the books, because I thought they were not particularly well written.

[firecat]

Thanks! That's very helpful.

[liveavatar.livejournal.com]

I liked Season Two -- we watched up through Season Four and then quit for mechanical reasons (DVR died with all of Season Five on it, and we just never re-upped). John Lithgow in Season 4 is good and creepy.

Read the first three novels but I'm not recalling the butchery as particularly loving or detailed, at least from Dexter. The books approach things differently. It's possible that I would have skimmed any extended butchery descriptions in self-defense. But it's not Bret Easton Ellis, if that helps any.

[firecat]

it's not Bret Easton Ellis, if that helps any.

Yes, that's exactly what I was looking for.

[liveavatar.livejournal.com]

Meant to say, "...from Dexter's POV."

[bunnybutt.livejournal.com]

I'm fairly (though not awfully) squeamish, e.g. I don't read horror as a regular thing. I got through 3 seasons, but Lithgow was too creepy for me and I didn't finish that season; my understanding is things got more shocking from there.

I buzzed through the first 3 books after watching like 3 episodes of Season 1 (checked all three out from the library at once and returned them before the due date). I liked them. I think D.M. Hall does a really good job inhabiting the character as written. The story arc diverges strongly after book1/season1.

[firecat]

Thanks, that helps!

[usqueba.livejournal.com]

I've watched the entire thing. I was WAY creeped out during the first part of Season One (granted I was on Heavy Duty Pain Meds). I can't wait till Season 6!

I'm not squeamish at all. Dexter makes me feel guilty for some reason ::shrug:: I love it/him, though. And Deb. She's one of the good ones.

Yeah, Season 4 w/ John Lithgow is creepy but it was SO GOOD. I enjoyed Season 5, too.

We've seen film crews setting up in Long Beach where they film parts of it. We were all Squeee! That's another thing. We laugh cause we recognize parts of LB where they film some of it.

[firecat]

Thanks! :D

[charlottezweb.livejournal.com]

I don't remember those scenes being quite as detailed, but I will say that after the first book, I thought they went off the rails, and I'm so glad the tv show didn't follow the book plots.

[firecat]

Helpful to know, thanks!

[treacle-well.livejournal.com]

Well, I did love season one, so watching the second season was worth it for me. I'd have to poke around (more than I have time for at the moment) to recall what each season's story well enough to remember which ones I loved the most besides the first, because my liking for them has varied. Definitely found the season with John Lithgow compelling, and definitely found the most recent two seasons lackluster--I mean, I enjoyed them well enough for lazy watching, but I didn't get that sense of "must watch next episode now! (Even though, since I'd already set aside the time for my binge, I did in fact watch the next episode within minutes of finishing the prior one.)

I did read the first book of the series, don't remember much about the potentially gory details; just remember that I preferred the show--at least partly because in the show Dexter seems more, well, likeable (which is key to having the show survive on tv for so many seasons, and may not be so important for a book). Felt no desire at all to read additional books in the series.

[firecat]

Thanks!