Drekly Dreaming Dexter
Oct. 29th, 2009 04:55 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
bloodyrosemccoySo I picked up Darkly Dreaming Dexter from The Liberry a while back. I have still only seen Season 1 of Dexter, and I hear it followed the first book before the two media diverged, so I figured it’d be interesting to take a look at it first.
And really, I hate to say it, but there were a few things about the show I liked better. Namely plot, pacing, character development, and content.
Let’s face it: while the premise was interesting, the book just didn’t pull it off that well. Jeff Lindsey doesn’t really know what to do with his idea—the characters mostly appear to sit around and wait for the climax to happen. The only proactive person in the story is the Other Serial Killer, and he tends to repeat himself. (“I kill a whore! I kill another whore! And another!”) The climax itself brings revelations out of nowhere, machine-gunning them at you in the last few pages and muddling them together so that it starts to sound like that ridiculous “revelation” scene from Wrongfully Accused. (“I’m your mother’s identical twin sister, born ten years later but still identical. I killed your mother. Penis envy. She was a hermaphrodite.” “My mother was … my mother and my father?” “And Sean’s adopted.”)
The show does have the same revelations, but it doesn’t just wait until the season finale for them. It slowly builds them over some episodes, with the Other Serial Killer leading Dexter into this weird journey of self-discovery with each new incident. It’s a lot more of a dialogue between Dexter and his playmate than the book’s monologue—and you get to know both of them better. It also takes the time to explore the other characters and his relationships, along with the idea that maybe the other characters exist independently of Dexter. They don’t just materialize around him, and they are much less one-dimensional—Deb has her own interests and ideas, Rita starts to establish her own strength, LaGuerta is an interestingly flawed but capable cop,* and they even try to make Doakes exist for some other reason than to stand around menacing Dexter. This is a good move, because it makes you, y’know, care what happens to them, and wonder how Dexter’s relationships to them will affect what he does next.
Basically, the whole story was much more interesting and well-executed.
Plus, Dexter’s Worst Flashback Ever is a lot more terrific and awful the way they show it.**
As I understand it, the books tend to take a weird left turn after a while, but as it is, I prefer the show. I’ll stick with that—and get started on the next few seasons.
*I was especially disappointed with book!LaGuerta, whose character arc goes: dumb, dumb, dumb, hey wait maybe I underestimated her, no wait nevermind she’s really quite dumb, the end.
**I keep picturing Dexter and Harry Potter sitting around talking about their flashbacks. “Ooh, a hazy infant memory of a big flash of green light and your mother begging for your life? LET ME TELL YOU ABOUT MY ONE BAD DAY.”***
***Also, I’m trying to picture what sort of psychological impact the filming of that scene had on the child actor. Obviously he didn’t actually witness anything, but the setting itself was pretty … well, ghoulish. Also, if they used one of the more delicious recipes for fake blood, that’d just mess the kid up even more.
And really, I hate to say it, but there were a few things about the show I liked better. Namely plot, pacing, character development, and content.
Let’s face it: while the premise was interesting, the book just didn’t pull it off that well. Jeff Lindsey doesn’t really know what to do with his idea—the characters mostly appear to sit around and wait for the climax to happen. The only proactive person in the story is the Other Serial Killer, and he tends to repeat himself. (“I kill a whore! I kill another whore! And another!”) The climax itself brings revelations out of nowhere, machine-gunning them at you in the last few pages and muddling them together so that it starts to sound like that ridiculous “revelation” scene from Wrongfully Accused. (“I’m your mother’s identical twin sister, born ten years later but still identical. I killed your mother. Penis envy. She was a hermaphrodite.” “My mother was … my mother and my father?” “And Sean’s adopted.”)
The show does have the same revelations, but it doesn’t just wait until the season finale for them. It slowly builds them over some episodes, with the Other Serial Killer leading Dexter into this weird journey of self-discovery with each new incident. It’s a lot more of a dialogue between Dexter and his playmate than the book’s monologue—and you get to know both of them better. It also takes the time to explore the other characters and his relationships, along with the idea that maybe the other characters exist independently of Dexter. They don’t just materialize around him, and they are much less one-dimensional—Deb has her own interests and ideas, Rita starts to establish her own strength, LaGuerta is an interestingly flawed but capable cop,* and they even try to make Doakes exist for some other reason than to stand around menacing Dexter. This is a good move, because it makes you, y’know, care what happens to them, and wonder how Dexter’s relationships to them will affect what he does next.
Basically, the whole story was much more interesting and well-executed.
Plus, Dexter’s Worst Flashback Ever is a lot more terrific and awful the way they show it.**
As I understand it, the books tend to take a weird left turn after a while, but as it is, I prefer the show. I’ll stick with that—and get started on the next few seasons.
*I was especially disappointed with book!LaGuerta, whose character arc goes: dumb, dumb, dumb, hey wait maybe I underestimated her, no wait nevermind she’s really quite dumb, the end.
**I keep picturing Dexter and Harry Potter sitting around talking about their flashbacks. “Ooh, a hazy infant memory of a big flash of green light and your mother begging for your life? LET ME TELL YOU ABOUT MY ONE BAD DAY.”***
***Also, I’m trying to picture what sort of psychological impact the filming of that scene had on the child actor. Obviously he didn’t actually witness anything, but the setting itself was pretty … well, ghoulish. Also, if they used one of the more delicious recipes for fake blood, that’d just mess the kid up even more.
