Deeply Discussing Dexter

In a television world full of clusterfucks and spotfests lives a different animal. Its name is "Dexter". I've said it before and I'll say it again, "It's not WHAT "Dexter" does, it's HOW "Dexter" does it." This show is hands down the best show I've ever watched and I credit that fact to the show's ability to get the viewer emotionally invested.

I recently watched the season premiere of Criminal Minds and I wasn't impressed at all. It was basically all high spots; kidnappings, hostage negotiations, a trillion murders and a creepy villain. While all this is entertaining, once the show ends what am I left with? What do I feel? Nothing. I feel no connection to any character. Seriously, they could have killed off the entire cast and I would have shrugged my shoulders.

Watching the season 5 premiere of "Dexter" was the polar opposite. Every character means something. Nothing ever happens for no reason. Everything that happens is correlated to at least one of the storylines taking place. Like Donnie was saying during the interview with Gangrel a few weeks back about the Attitude Era; it makes the show so much more interesting to watch when there are so many layered, interesting storylines that all interact with each other.

Already this season we have a budding Deb/Quinn romance, an intensifying Quinn/Dexter feud and a Dex vs. the FBI main event. All storylines being interesting and all intertwining with each other. This is something that I find very few shows do well, if at all. And something "Dexter" does astoundingly.

And not only does that make everything you watch relevant and fresh, it gets the viewer emotionally invested in the show and in the characters. Again to draw a comparison wrestling, so many workers go out there and do a million flips, 55 head bumps and 12 dives to the outside and yes it may look pretty but ultimately once the match is over you feel nothing.

"Dexter" is like the William Regal of television. No flips, no explosions. No dives, no crazy murders. But somehow I was on the edge of my seat the entire show and everything that happened, I cared about. From the opening scene of Harrison crying to the eulogy ending I felt uncomfortable and even somber. I don't know if it was just me but I couldn't even pop normally for the comedy spots like Dex telling Astor and Cody about their mother while in Mickey Mouse ears to Masuka's untimely sexual jokes to Dexter telling Rita he was an axe murderer on their first date.

I thought they were funny. But I couldn't laugh. I felt like given the circumstances it was inappropriate. Now considering I've legit laughed at funerals before, having a TV show make me feel like it was no time for jokes is quite an impressive feat. I don't know what it is, whether it's the writing, the acting, the music or a combination of all these things that the show does so well but while I'm watching I definitely feel completely immersed in their world and always impatiently awaiting next week's happenings.

As far as the events of the show; I feel like a lot of important seeds were planted. After Quinn's conversation with Elliot not only does the kiss add more credence to the 'Dexter did it' theory but it plants a seed of doubt in Elliot's mind. That and the fact that we know Dexter has absolutely no alibi for the night of the murder, not to mention Dexter said, "It was me" sets up an intense uphill battle for "the Dark Defender" this season. I wouldn't be surprised to see Dexter with nobody in his corner at some point before the season is through and having the whole Bay Harbor Butcher case brought back to life.

The evidence can easily be stacked high enough to have Trinity's involvement in Rita's murder questioned. I'm still not even sure it was Arthur. There's debate as to whether or not he had even started a new cycle with a 10 year old boy and there's certainly an issue with Rita fitting a jumper profile while being a bathtub victim. Was he just looking to kill Rita quickly? Was he trying to frame Dexter? Did he even kill her at all? I've heard some interesting theories accusing everyone from Elliot to Jonah.

It's only week one though O-sters so we have a whole season ahead of us. I don't know if it can follow a season like last season without getting crazy but I see the show going in a different direction than last season. Only time will tell. Hit up the comments with anything you felt like I missed or if you have a crazy "Quinn did it" type theory, I'd love to hear 'em.

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