Monday, July 1, 2013
Dexter S08E01 "A Beautiful Day" Recap
Finally! The eighth and last season of "Dexter" has launched. Excited to find out about the final destiny of Dexter Morgan? The final question of this season will be if Dexter is going to pay for killing all those murderers over the years or if he will get away? In the end it's likely that it boils down to four different (simplified) scenarios:
1. He dies.
2. Alive, but jail.
3. He is getting away with it.
4. The viewer is left in the dark.
1. He dies.
2. Alive, but jail.
3. He is getting away with it.
4. The viewer is left in the dark.
So what's the first glimpse of what Dexter will have to face in the final season? It's a recap, so: duh...
Six month after the incident, in which Deb was faced with the impossible choice between killing the Captain of the Miami Metro Police Department or her own brother and decided to take out the former, we meet a very relaxed Dexter, happy that the death of La Guerta solved all of his problems. Not even worrying that his sister killed an innocent who didn't even begin to match Harry's code...
Sign 1 that the final season won't end well for Dexter Morgan.
To emphasize the contrast between Dexter and his sister, the next scenes show Debra's way of handling what happened in that trailer: taking cocaine, smoking weed, living off anti-anxiety drugs and getting in too deep with a drug dealer and jewelry thief called Briggs, that she is just supposed to bring in for her boss, since she's working now as a private investigator.
After Dexter realizes, that something's very wrong with his sister, he tracks her down in a convenience store and confronts her about her way of handling her feelings. Her answer to this is both heartbreaking and devastating for the viewer (and her brother): "Cause I don't wanna talk to you. And I really don't wanna f*cking see you. [...] Because you made me compromise everything about myself that I care about. And I hate you for it. [...] I shot the wrong person in that trailer." (Sign 2)
Dexter is agitated and about to loose control, when on his way home a guy is cutting him off on the highway. He walks up to the guys car and begins to strangle him... Only after spotting a little boy in the back of the guy's car, Dexter is brought to his senses. (Sign 3)
Little relief in between the whole Dex-Deb angst: So Joey is f*cking Angel's sister behind his back... That's not gonna end well... (by now we also learned that Angel returned to Miami Metro after La Guerta's death)
After that we meet Evelyn Vogel, a Neuropsychiatrist specialized on psychopaths. Why? Right... Forgot to mention, the new serial killer in town removes the anterior insular cortex of the victims. The portion of the brain, that makes people feel things such as empathy. Yes, exactly. One of the human emotions Dexter can't wrap his head around - making Evelyn Vogel the immediate potential enemy of this season, if that place is not yet reserved by Deb. (no sign - we had that in nearly every season...) Later this feeling is emphasized even more, when Vogel asks Dexter about his opinion on the nature of the Bay Harbor Butcher.
When Angel meets Dexter in his office to give him a peace-offering on behalf of his deceased ex-wife, Dexter slips again telling Angel that Maria "died because she couldn't leave things alone". It's probably not gonna take long until Angel re-opens the investigations on Dexter (Sign 4).
After learning that Deb might be the target of a hitman, Dexter tries to convince her to let this case drop and come with him. Again in vain, since Debra "doesn't f*cking care" if she dies. When Briggs catches the both of them fighting, Dexter tries to pull Debra away, which Briggs doesn't really appreciate. In the following struggle Dexter kills Briggs, again hurting Debra who "felt okay around him". When Dexter wants to convince her that she is lost, we again see her struggling with remorse: "I am not lost. I know exactly where I am. I'm in some shitty f*cking hell, which is exactly what I deserve. But you... you are lost! [...] All my life, I thought I needed you. That I couldn't survive without you. It was the other f*cking way around." (Sign 5) After that Debra is calling it in to the police, refusing to let Dexter get rid of the body.
Meanwhile, Harrison, who Dexter took along on the ride, is vanished from the car. He only went around the corner, but to me this scene is only meant to reassure the viewer that Dexter truly is lost and is not in control of his life (anymore). (Sign 6)
The episode ends with Evelyn Vogel showing Dexter his childhood paintings. When he takes her to task and threatens her, she merely replies knowingly: "You can't kill me. [...] Because I don't fit Harry's code." A risky thing to say, now that Dexter is loosing it noticeably.
The signs (I counted six...) do not point to a happy end for Dexter Morgan. He is increasingly loosing control and more importantly starts ignoring his own twisted morals (aka Harry's code).
The question remains: Can Dexter survive his last season?
Preview of next week's episode:Sign 1 that the final season won't end well for Dexter Morgan.
To emphasize the contrast between Dexter and his sister, the next scenes show Debra's way of handling what happened in that trailer: taking cocaine, smoking weed, living off anti-anxiety drugs and getting in too deep with a drug dealer and jewelry thief called Briggs, that she is just supposed to bring in for her boss, since she's working now as a private investigator.
After Dexter realizes, that something's very wrong with his sister, he tracks her down in a convenience store and confronts her about her way of handling her feelings. Her answer to this is both heartbreaking and devastating for the viewer (and her brother): "Cause I don't wanna talk to you. And I really don't wanna f*cking see you. [...] Because you made me compromise everything about myself that I care about. And I hate you for it. [...] I shot the wrong person in that trailer." (Sign 2)
Dexter is agitated and about to loose control, when on his way home a guy is cutting him off on the highway. He walks up to the guys car and begins to strangle him... Only after spotting a little boy in the back of the guy's car, Dexter is brought to his senses. (Sign 3)
Little relief in between the whole Dex-Deb angst: So Joey is f*cking Angel's sister behind his back... That's not gonna end well... (by now we also learned that Angel returned to Miami Metro after La Guerta's death)
After that we meet Evelyn Vogel, a Neuropsychiatrist specialized on psychopaths. Why? Right... Forgot to mention, the new serial killer in town removes the anterior insular cortex of the victims. The portion of the brain, that makes people feel things such as empathy. Yes, exactly. One of the human emotions Dexter can't wrap his head around - making Evelyn Vogel the immediate potential enemy of this season, if that place is not yet reserved by Deb. (no sign - we had that in nearly every season...) Later this feeling is emphasized even more, when Vogel asks Dexter about his opinion on the nature of the Bay Harbor Butcher.
When Angel meets Dexter in his office to give him a peace-offering on behalf of his deceased ex-wife, Dexter slips again telling Angel that Maria "died because she couldn't leave things alone". It's probably not gonna take long until Angel re-opens the investigations on Dexter (Sign 4).
After learning that Deb might be the target of a hitman, Dexter tries to convince her to let this case drop and come with him. Again in vain, since Debra "doesn't f*cking care" if she dies. When Briggs catches the both of them fighting, Dexter tries to pull Debra away, which Briggs doesn't really appreciate. In the following struggle Dexter kills Briggs, again hurting Debra who "felt okay around him". When Dexter wants to convince her that she is lost, we again see her struggling with remorse: "I am not lost. I know exactly where I am. I'm in some shitty f*cking hell, which is exactly what I deserve. But you... you are lost! [...] All my life, I thought I needed you. That I couldn't survive without you. It was the other f*cking way around." (Sign 5) After that Debra is calling it in to the police, refusing to let Dexter get rid of the body.
Meanwhile, Harrison, who Dexter took along on the ride, is vanished from the car. He only went around the corner, but to me this scene is only meant to reassure the viewer that Dexter truly is lost and is not in control of his life (anymore). (Sign 6)
The episode ends with Evelyn Vogel showing Dexter his childhood paintings. When he takes her to task and threatens her, she merely replies knowingly: "You can't kill me. [...] Because I don't fit Harry's code." A risky thing to say, now that Dexter is loosing it noticeably.
The signs (I counted six...) do not point to a happy end for Dexter Morgan. He is increasingly loosing control and more importantly starts ignoring his own twisted morals (aka Harry's code).
The question remains: Can Dexter survive his last season?
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Saturday, June 29, 2013
FOX Upfront Part II - Almost Human
How could we survive the year 2013 without a new TV series produced by J.J. Abrams? Luckily we don't have to find out. After this year's finale of "Fringe" his new sci-fi crime series "Almost Human" is set in 2048 and involves John Konnex (Karl Urban, "Star Trek"), a cop that is returning to work after a traumatizing incident where his partner was seriously injured (and most likely killed). He is emotionally unstable and refuses to partner with an android, which became a requirement at the LAPD in the 2 years he was gone. After he destroyed his first MX, he teams up with Dorian (Michael Ealy), an outdated model with several quirks and bugs that was designed to feel human emotions (what we can only suspect was eventually not a desirable feature for a robot).
I really miss Fringe and this trailer looks quite promising. I love imaginative future tech and the characters seem to be pretty well defined, too, so I'm looking forward to this one.
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Thursday, June 27, 2013
FOX Upfront Part I - Sleepy Hollow
Sleepy Hollow is promising new series that will attract viewers that enjoy a little mystery and fantasy. We know the main story arc already - either from the 1820 short story "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" or (more likely) the 1999 movie adaptation of the same name. So it's again Ichabod Crane vs the Headless Horseman. The twist (as seen many times within the last years): It's a contemporary retelling that is set in the Sleepy Hollow of the present. The show will premiere on September 16th, 2013 on FOX.
Interestingly, up until this point, the series is not yet in production. Filming will begin in July 2013 [1]. This means that everything that we see in the upfront trailer is taken from the pilot episode:
Sleepy Hollow is co-created by Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci (famous for the "Star Trek" and "Transformers" franchises). Tom Mison stars as Ichabod Crane, who teams up with a local police officer (Nicole Beharie). The rest of the cast includes Orlando Jones, Katia Winter and John Cho (Star Trek).
~News~ Elementary: Rhys Ifans as Mycroft Holmes
Rhys Ifans was confirmed to play Sherlock’s brother Mycroft Holmes in the 2nd Season of Elementary, which will premiere on Sept 26th on CBS. The welsh actor is best known for his appearances in movies such as “Notting Hill”, “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows – Part 1” and has starred most recently in “The Amazing Spider-Man”.
According to CBS Mycroft Holmes will be a recurring character in the series.
The first episode of the 2nd season will be the first to be filmed at original locations in England and deals with Sherlock’s return to London to work on an old case. Sherlock will be living with Mycroft and Joan in the well-known apartment at 221B Baker Street.
Sunday, June 23, 2013
Introducing: Bates Motel (A&E) - Questionnaire
"Bates Motel" is a contemporary prequel to Hitchcocks "Psycho" from 1960.
What's it about? We witness how the psyche of a 17-year old Norman Bates (Freddie Highmore - the kid from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory) unravels throughout his teenage years. On the way the show pulls you into the twisted and macabre world of Norman and his mother Norma, after they bought the infamous motel and try to start over in new town with many problems of its own.
Genre?
|
Drama, Thriller, Suspense
|
Length?
|
40-47 min
|
Episodes?
|
10
|
Main Actors?
|
Freddie Highmore, Vera Farmiga, Max Thieriot, Olivia Cooke, Nicola Peltz
|
Aired?
|
March 18, 2013
|
Renewed?
|
Yes. Season 2 in 2014.
|
Story?
|
Quite linear. Easy to follow. 6.5 (Scale 1 to 10).
|
When should I watch it?
|
If you don't mind, that you already know how the overall story will end. If you enjoy to watch how certain events can alter your persona. If you don't mind psycho kids. ;)
|
Recommended?
|
Very. There's not as much potential for future storylines as in Orphan Black, but I guess the characters are interesting enough to follow them for another season.
|
Tuesday, June 18, 2013
Introducing: Orphan Black (BBC) - Questionnaire
So, three days ago I got into a new show called "Orphan Black".
What's it about? It's a story that focuses on a Sarah Manning, a grifter who assumes the identity of Elizabeth Childs, a police officer that committed suicide. During the first episodes we learn that Sarah is one of at least 8 clones raised apart from each other.
What's it about? It's a story that focuses on a Sarah Manning, a grifter who assumes the identity of Elizabeth Childs, a police officer that committed suicide. During the first episodes we learn that Sarah is one of at least 8 clones raised apart from each other.
Genre?
|
Science Fiction
|
Length?
|
43 min
|
Episodes?
|
10
|
Main Actors?
|
Tatiana Maslany, Dylan Bruce, Jordan Gavaris, Kevin Hanchard, Michael Mando, Maria Doyle Kennedy
|
Aired?
|
March 30, 2013
|
Renewed?
|
Yes. Season 2 in 2014.
|
Story?
|
Strong, but not overwhelming. Easy to follow. Solid 7 (Scale 1 to 10).
|
When should I watch it?
|
If you enjoy strong female leads, gay best friends, hot guys (Dylan Bruce) and if you don't mind a little (!) science. Don't watch if you don't like Tatiana Maslany, duh.
|
Recommended?
|
Absolutely. Also, after the first season there are enough interesting questions open for a promising second season.
|
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