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Reviews
Dexter: The Big One (2010)
Great end to a great season
I found season 5 to be a welcome step away from the seasons prior, while still pertaining the classic Dexter flair. The most defining thing about this season is its fine focus on character and emotion compared to the more plot and action driven other seasons. Some people say it's boring, but I find it fascinating and complex. And the nice thing is that the whole season is wrapped up nicely in this final episode
The season starts with the gut wrenching aftermath of Rita's death. Overall the opening is agonising and Hall's acting is superb. I really enjoy the lack of direction in the early episodes as we witness a grieving father coming to terms with the result of his own actions. The start is also not devoid of drama as another key factor is established that persists throughout the season; Quinn's suspicions about Rita's death. This helps the story progress and keep tension high while also allowing the grief time to breath.
Some people seem to find Rita's death to not have enough time of Dexter grieving and being sad for it, but I sorely disagree as it's actually a factor throughout the season and multiple episodes are dedicated to her death's aftermath. I find that this season struck the perfect balance of allowing apt processing for the tragedy while not halting to a stop and moving the plot along at a snails pace.
What the whole season is really about is Lumen's story, and if you don't enjoy her then this season is definitely not for you. Personally, I found Lumen to be a heartbreaking and raw character with a lot of personality, and thoroughly enjoyed her. Watching her metamorphosis over the season and Dexter's companionship with someone truly like him that hasn't ever happened before is beautiful and the eventual separation of the two in the finale even further exasperates Dexter's grief, emotions and emotions that have been bubbling through each episode. Lumen was an enjoyment for me and I loved her presence on the season. Maybe introducing a new girl right after the death of the most beloved character was too bold a move, but I find Lumen to be more of a device to convey Dexter's loneliness and desire for companionship after loss than a romantic interest, but I could be wrong here.
The only real nitpick I have is with the central antagonist Jordan Chase. He works quite well actually, and the aspect of a famous guy in the eyes of the public being a complete scumbag is a good take. He's also certainly different to Miguel which is great. It's also fun to watch Dexter and Lumen pick off the 5 men which allows for Lumen's character depths to be exposed. However, Jordan Chase is in all ways inferior to the likes of the other main bad guys of the other seasons. He has nothing on Trinity, Doakes, Rudy and even Miguel is a far more interesting manipulator than him. Jordan's a bit of a small fry and is beaten without much issue. He serves his use as a bad guy very well and is great for allowing Lumen to grow, but he's just not as groundbreaking as the ones before him. However, I'm okay with the less phenomenal antagonist as it keeps the focus on where it needs to be: the emotions of the main characters; especially Dexter. There's also other threats to keep the tension alive like Liddy, who's a bit 1 dimensional but works as an alarming threat.
The finale fully pushes the main ideas of the season to the end. Dexter and Lumen's companionship comes to an end as she is finally at peace with her life and wishes to move on. This is a painful moment for Dexter and Hall's performance is yet again phenomenal as he is again stripped of anyone who can understand him. The ending is sombre as a representation of the emotional context of the season, and I found it great. This was a fantastic season of Dexter, with drama, tension, emotion, and action all to boot. For me it's one of the top seasons of the entire show so far, and very underrated.
The Serial Killer's Wife (2023)
Good time, fun twist
This was a nice little show (emphasis on little because it's super short) and I enjoyed it. Nothing groundbreaking or mind blowing but definitely interesting and engaging. The last two episodes are especially great and really make the show as the first two were quite dull and boring.
My main gripe with the show was the acting of the protagonist. Scholey had some scenes, especially with the last episodes that really made an impact; however during the first two episodes her acting was... dull. One thing that threw me off was how when she finds out about her husbands infidelity (and it was really bad since he had videos and was in contact with a lot of other women) Scholey kinda just acts blank. A bit later she lies to her husband and acts all normal but she just doesn't seem shaken up at all over this discovery. Or at least not shaken up enough. She even just goes on with her life and then confronts him later on. This just felt so off especially for the character established so far. There's other little instances where she acts a bit blankly in response to her crumbling life.
Also I found the police officer woman exceedingly dull and just wanted to throw that in.
Even with the flip flopping acting quality, and the dragging pacing during the first episodes, this show has a lot to offer and is a good watch, especially considering how short it is.
The build up in the intensity of the situation, along with watching the downfall of Beth's life is a spectacle. Slowly watching everyone piece together the mystery is also interesting. The final twist and ending is particularly great.
I love the final twist because during the show I found that "oh we know who the killer is so this is kinda boring" but the twist really flips your preconceived notions on their head. The ending as-well is honestly perfect for what it aims to achieve. The ending shot itself is great. I also love the character of Adam and found he really stole the show every time he was on screen. Another thing I enjoyed was the commentary on gossiping, spreading rumours and hating on people just on what you've heard. Always a nice theme to explore since it's very prevalent in real life
All in all, I had a couple problems, notably with the first two episodes which are a little bit of a slog to get through, but the ending and build up are fantastic and I highly recommend you give this a shot.