23rd January
latest news: Anna's sweet and sticky pork buns

Arts Sections

Music
Performing Arts
Film
Art and Literature
Arts Features and Multimedia
TV
Games
Original Work

Latest articles from this section

Gabriel Macht

Suits: 'Pilot'

Thursday, 19th January 2012

Jasmine Sahu is well suited with this new American drama exclusive to Dave.

Call the Midwife

Call the Midwife

Thursday, 19th January 2012

Lois Cameron explains why this series is much more than your average cosy period drama.

Sherlock: The Reichenbach Fall

Sherlock: 'The Reichenbach Fall'

Tuesday, 17th January 2012

The last episode of this series sees Sherlock and Moriarty attempt to solve the final problem with devastating consequences.

Being Human

Can Being Human survive past Series 4?

Saturday, 14th January 2012

With major cast changes afoot, Jacob Martin ponders whether Being Human can live up to its own scarily high standard.

More articles from this section

Sherlock: The Hounds of Baskerville
Public Enemies
York Minster

Eternal Law

Sat, 7th Jan 12
Sherlock Holmes and Irene Adler
Great Expectations
Merlin
Rev
Bear Grylls and Miranda Hart
Doctor Who - The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe

New season: Dexter

Dexter
Monday, 26th July 2010
Life is as close to perfect as it’ll ever be for Dexter Morgan. The finale of the second season tied up (or zipped up in a body bag) so many of the loose ends that it was a little difficult to see how the story would continue to go on. The opening episode of Season 3 really does see Dex living the good life - with the Bay Harbour Butcher case finally closed, he’s able to freely kill again and his relationship with Rita is stronger than it has ever been before. Of course, everything can’t stay this perfect for very long.

The story of the third season is mostly driven by Dexter’s attempt to form a real friendship with the Assistant District Attorney, Miguel Prado (Jimmy Smits). In a very childlike way, Dex is rather taken by the idea of having his first ever best friend; more than anything he wants someone he doesn’t have to lie to, someone who he can really “be himself” around. The developments surrounding this central plotline are the best thing about Season 3, and Smits does a great job portraying the conflicted Prado.

Unfortunately, however, this happens to be the first season of Dexter that I’ve got some real issues with. For one, the whole thing gets going way too slowly - in my opinion, it doesn’t actually hit its stride until midway through (although, as with all the seasons so far, the end is fantastic). Another aspect of the season that’s less than convincing is the emergence of “Dream Harry.” In this season Dexter’s foster father doesn’t just turn up in flashbacks - he’s now some sort of psychological manifestation that Dex talks to every now and then. Thankfully, by the end of the season, I was definitely much more OK with ghostly Harry’s intermittent appearances.

This season also sees the introduction of a new cop, Joey Quinn (Desmond Harrington), who turns out to be an excellent addition to the cast. Whilst he’s technically filling the gap left by Doakes (Erik King), he’s really a very individual and interesting character. It must also be mentioned that the acting performances on Dexter just keep getting better and better. It goes without saying that Michael C. Hall is phenomenal in the title role and Jennifer Carpenter is of course brilliant as his sister Debra. There’s also a couple of surprisingly touching moments dispersed throughout, including Dexter’s interactions with Camilla and the developments in his relationship with Rita.

I would say that this is my least favourite season of Dexter so far, but I can’t stress enough how much that’s still a big compliment. Every season of Dexter has been great for its own unique reason, and there’s still a lot to love in the third one. However, even though it has a compelling main thread to the story, its slow progress and lack of a threatening villain mean that it isn’t quite on the same level as the season that it follows.

Dexter Season 3 is currently showing on FX, Fridays at 10pm

Check out The Yorker's Twitter account for all the latest news Go to The Yorker's Fan Page on Facebook

Add Comment

You must log in to submit a comment.