Monday 14 October 2013

Goodbye Dexter Morgan


Earlier this year I said goodbye to my current favourite fictional anti-hero:
Dexter Morgan, a blood spatter analyst who works for Miami Police and just happens to be a cold, unfeeling psychopathic serial killer who murders bad guys that have escaped justice and then hacks them to pieces, pops them in black plastic bags, takes them in his boat, aptly called “The Slice of Life” and dumps them out at sea.

Here is the trailer for season one:



Whenever I become engrossed in a major drama, I find myself worrying about whether it will survive or not. Thankfully, in the case of Dexter, the series has finished and reached some kind of conclusion.

After eight seasons, I can’t imagine Michael C. Hall wanting to play the part of Dexter for a moment longer, mainly because people will forever consider him to be that character. I can’t say that I blame him simply because of the nature of the character as well as forever being referred to as Dexter Morgan the serial killer.

There are actually people out there who truly believe that the characters actually exist and the poor actor has to suffer being chastised for daring to do the bad things he acted out on the screen. In the UK, some actors have received hate mail simply because they committed an atrocity against a much loved character in a soap opera.

It’s amazing to think that people are that gullible and stupid – but it’s true.

While some series manage to run to a logical and satisfying conclusion, there are others that don’t. This is particularly true in America, where major drama series are judged on audience ratings and axed if they do not attract the required number of dedicated viewers.

This truly annoys me.

Series like Lost managed somehow to hold on and reach a conclusion (whether it was satisfactory are not is a subject for another debate), yet other series are simply cut short in their prime leaving a cliff hanger series finale that leaves fans totally frustrated.

One of my favourite science fiction series from the 1990’s suffered with the threat of being axed but recovered. It was hugely popular in the UK but in the US, the ratings weren’t quite as high as expected and the threat of the axe loomed over the series for four out of the five seasons, leading to a truly action-packed fourth season as the producers tried to cram everything in, but leaving season five slightly disjointed.

If you haven’t seen Babylon 5 – here’s a taster – a space battle with the evil Shadows in their malevolent spider-like spaceships:



Even the first season of Star Trek was curtailed too quickly after a mere three seasons. It was only later due to fan pressure that the show was resurrected as movies, which ultimately spawned four more separate series and even more movies.

In the UK it seems that producers are less likely to wield the axe on a show. Some shows last for years and only suffer if they are truly awful.

An example of a show that has true longevity is, of course, Dr Who, which remarkably is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. Dr Who is the story of a time travelling alien who seeks adventure and has as his playground the whole of time and the whole of space. All of this means that he can travel to anywhere in the universe and anywhen.

Being an alien, he lives for centuries and has the ability to survive mortal wounds by regenerating into a different person – i.e. a different actor can play the character.

From 1963 to the early 1980’s the series went from strength to strength, despite shaky special effects and crazy storylines.

However in 1989 it was finally axed as the producers thought it had run its course. Many people were upset about this and there were several campaigns to bring it back. The show was resurrected briefly in the 1990’s in a one off special before finally returning to our screens with a bigger budget and much improved storylines and special effects in 2005.

And it has gone from strength to strength since then as one of the flagship programmes  of the BBC.

I can’t imagine that happening in America.

If you haven’t seen Dr Who, here’s a taster for you, with a particularly creepy alien:




And here is another clip of the Doctor standing up to his mortal enemy – the Daleks:




Thankfully, Dr Who doesn’t show any signs of going away and there are plenty of other excellent drama series out there.

But alas I must say goodbye to Dexter Morgan. If you haven’t see it, I urge you to do so if you get the chance.

 You will thank me for it.




Over to you, dear reader.

What are your favourite TV programmes?

Have you ever suffered because the networks have prematurely terminated one of your favourite series?

Are you a Dexter fan?


8 comments:

H2B said...

My fav has to be Dexter but I'm too cheap to get pay tv, so still waiting for seasons 7 and 8. Almost didn't read your blog for fear of a spoiler. Thank you for not spilling the beans!

My other fav was Heroes but it dragged on for too long and like Sheldon said, 'in the end, no one cares anymore.' Season 1 had a satisfactory conclusion but due to its popularity, more inferior seasons were spinned out.

Lost was very good in season 1 and the lost the plot literally after that.

My all time fav is Charmed and it was axed unexpectedly when the station was taken over, the the last episode was very rushed - trying to tie up all the loose ends. All 9 series has been screening at noon everyday and I still watch them.

I love X Files till Fox Mulder left.

River said...

Oh Yes! Firefly. Axed after only 14 episodes, eventually followed up by the movie Serenity. But I think they could have done more with it.
I've seen 5 seasons of Dexter and received seasons 6&7 for my birthday but haven't watched them yet. I've decided to wait until season 8 is available, buy it, then have a complete Dexter Fest. There are several series I've enjoyed immensely; Stargate SG1, Stargate Atlantis, MacGyver, Dollhouse and The Dresden Files. My current favourites that are still being produced and shown include Haven, Castle, Bones and the Big Bang Theory. I remember the original Dr. Who, William Hartnell, and missed the next few through being busy with life in general and kids in particular, I picked up on it again when my kids started watching the David Tennant season and the Dr just before him, but I don't like the current Doctor. I did enjoy the spinoff-Torchwood. Talk about shows lasting a long time? Coronation Street and Days of Our Bloody Lives. Good Heavens!! And their modern counterparts, Neighbours and Home and Away. Both have deteriorated into high school kids and their growing pains.

Plastic Mancunian said...

Hi H2B,

There's no way I would post a spoiler - I hate it when people spoil things for me.

I liked Heroes too and I was intrigued by Lost - but ultimately disappointed.

Never watched Charmed but the X Files was superb.

:-)

Cheers

PM

Plastic Mancunian said...

Hi River,

I've heard of Firefly but alas another series that passed me by.

I've kind of drifted in and out of Stargate - but I did watch Stargate Universe, which I thought was a bit slow.

I actually like Matt Smith as the Doctor - the character is weird and eccentric and Matt Smith is just that. Pity he's leaving the role too. Peter Capaldi is the new Doctor - starting next year.

Coronation Street is older than me - and I can't believe that Neighbours and Home and Away are still bloody going.

Soaps are truly awful shows.

:-)

Cheers

PM

Jackie K said...

I know lots of people love Dexter, but it creeped me out, I couldn't watch it. I liked Lost to begin with but lost patience after season 2. They blew it big time. Fortunately, other series seem to have learned from their mistake, not to keep adding layers and layers (and extra plot holes) but to keep things moving along.
I liked the few Dr Who new episodes I saw.
Never liked the X-Files much, though they had some great story ideas.
Breaking Bad was my favourite series and that just ended very satisfyingly.

Plastic Mancunian said...

Hi Jackie,

I can see why Dexter creeps people out. It's not comfortable rooting for a psychopath!

I've heard good things about Breaking Bad - never watched it though.

Maybe I should.

:-)

Cheers

PM

Jackie K said...

*splutters coffee* Never watched Breaking Bad?? What the...?!

Plastic Mancunian said...

Hi Jackie,

:-(

'fraid not.

:-)

Cheers

PM