Comments on: Getaway: Dexter Season 4 Finale and Recap

By: Dexter Season 4: Road Kill, or The Jumping of the Snark — Bill Ward

Dexter Season 4: Road Kill, or The Jumping of the Snark — Bill Ward — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 06:42:24 +0000

[...] Getaway: Dexter Season 4 Finale and Recap [...]

By: Dexter Season 4: Family, Suburbia, and Killing for Two — Bill Ward

Dexter Season 4: Family, Suburbia, and Killing for Two — Bill Ward — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 06:40:18 +0000

[...] Getaway: Dexter Season 4 Finale and Recap [...]

By: Bill Ward

Bill Ward — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 03:37:11 +0000

Thanks, Nicole — I think a lot of folks share our opinion. Fingers crossed for Season 5.

By: Nicole

Nicole — Sun, 22 Aug 2010 05:29:41 +0000

This is such a well-written summary of EXACTLY what I was having a problem with but couldn’t put my finger on. I watched all four seasons for the first time in a total of 2.5 weeks (yes, I know, I need a job) but after all of those glorious hours of television, the end of Season 4 was almost as disappointing as the end of the final episode of Lost, and although it wasn’t quite as cheesy it was even more disappointing because Dexter is such an excellent show! I’m not sure that makes any sense, but my point is you are so right about the visibility of the writer’s hand being so important in all of this. I hope season 5 fixes the show’s mistakes, as Dexter will have to fix his.

By: Bill Ward

Bill Ward — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 21:29:12 +0000

Nice summation, Jess.

By: Jess

Jess — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 10:43:42 +0000

You mentioned watching these on DVD instead of on TV and perhaps having a different opinion or reaction to season 4.
I just watched season 1 on dvd, season 2 on dvd the next day, season 3 and half of season 4 the day after that, and the remaining episodes of season 4 today.

In season 1 Dexter learns he isn’t as alone/empty as he thought he was.

In season 2 Dexter learns how to be a good boyfriend and the lengths he will go to to protect his family that he (surprise!) cares about.
Dexter’s revelations about his humanity begin to become contrived in this season.

In season 3 Dexter makes a friend! Then kills said friend though a series of contrived events.
Dexter’s revelations about his humanity are now too contrived to go unnoticed.

In season 4 Dexter caries the idiot ball.
(Translation: bad writing)
Dexter tries to make a friend…again.
Dexter kills an innocent man…then gets over it.
The incestuous relationship between Angel and Laguarta.

The most aggregious example of poor writing is the MacGuffin.
(A MacGuffin is “a plot element that catches the viewers’ attention or drives the plot of a work of fiction”.)
In season 4 the MacGuffin is the catching/killing/stopping of Trinity.
Dexter just can’t seem to ‘seal the deal.’ Worse yet he keeps the police from catching Trinity. Worse yet he willfully risks the life of an innocent child to protect his kill.

My conclusion is that Dexter has jumped the shark.
When he _FINALLY_ injected Trinity and threw him in the van…then left his kill to contront the man and police about the hit and run complaint.

All Dexter had to do was drive Trinity’s van instead of his own or better yet…wait for the cops to leave or both. All of Dexter’s training and intelligence went out the window at this point. This is why they killed off Rita by the way.

The show has track record of punishing Dexter every single time he is egregiously selfish, careless, or arrogant. Because of Dexter’s incessantly selfish, careless, and arrogant actions ALL season long they had to punish him.

On the other hand maybe Dexter season 5 will be better. After all that 3rd Dexter book was lousy and the 4th was good again so maybe there still is h ope. Maybe.