Just finished season 1 of Dexter here are my thoughts on the show so far!
I think what the show has some soapy and stupid plot points but it makes up for it with the really engrossing relationships between the characters. I love the workplace dynamics, the relationship between Dexter and Rita, and Deb and everyone. I think Deb is my favorite character (even if she makes some frustrating choices that make me want to smash the tv)
It’s also paced very well.
So yeah Deb is my favorite character. I really liked her arc in the first few episodes of being put on homicide and having to prove herself, and I liked when she was partnered with Doakes, cuz even though he was harsh on her, you could see he also wanted her to succeed and was giving her some tough love.
I mean this in the nicest possible way: Deb is classic slutty with daddy issues.
Her resentment of her dad giving Dexter all the attention growing up really hangs over everything she does from her career choices to relationship choices. And like, yeah, she was kinda sexualized, but I like how the show also just treats her seriously as a character.
Sometimes her choices irritated me, like when she blew up on Dexter for dna testing his bio dad. But I still understood where she was coming from, it’s just very different than my personality and how I would react to things - which is kinda what I like about her.
Okay the big elephant in the room: she dated the ice truck killer! I REALLY hated this at first and I felt like it was terrible for her character but after thinking about it for a bit I was like, yknow she is VERY manipulatable due to her attachment issues and need for love so I could see how she would ignore all these red flags.
And ohhhh boy is she gonna have some serious trauma to work through next season. I’m interested to see where that goes and how it affects her work, confidence, and attachment issues.
Dexter is cool too, it’s his show I guess.
I thought it was interesting for the first few episodes that he might be asexual, and that would’ve been an interesting thing to explore, but then they just paved right over that.
He’s kind of a passive protagonist to me which is why I think I attach to Deb more because it feels like he’s just constantly reacting to things around him (and killing dudes every once in a while) whereas Deb actually has strong wishes and desires and moves the plot forward.
The supporting cast is all great. Not much to say here. I like their dynamics and enjoy when they are on screen.
It’s so funny seeing where all the memes come from, especially with Doakes! Also I cracked myself up for the first few episodes cuz me and my roomate would be like “oh my god, it’s the Instagram reels suspicious sound!”
I’ve seen a few big spoilers for future seasons on Instagram that I’m gonna gaslight myself into forgetting.
