Buy or Sell: Dexter

The second of my Buy or Sell series looks at the Showtime hit Dexter. Developed by James Manos, Jr., Dexter is about a serial killer that kills the evil that slips through the system of Miami. With three solid seasons under its belt could the forth season stand up?

The forth season of Dexter's main plot line involves Dexter’s hunt of the elusive “Trinity killer”. The serial killer “Trinity” is played by John Lithgow. He is so named by the pattern he leaves in his wake, a bath tub killing, a jumper/suicide, and a bludgeoning. Lithgow is amazing in this role. He surprised me every episode with how deep he was in the character. The rest of the cast, including Michael C. Hall, Julie Benz, Jennifer Carpenter, and James Remar, are all in true form this season as well.

In comparison with my last review of Glee, this show does it right where Glee falls short. Everything to do with this season of Dexter was well laid out and executed perfectly. Everything from the slow burn start of the season to the shocking ending is top notch. The story is compelling and driven with a purpose. The cinematography is amazingly “Dexter-like”, yet new and fresh. If I had to fault any one part of this season, it would be the slow burn start. Unlike myself I know not everyone likes that type of storytelling, and it could have gotten to the meat a bit faster.

I do feel the need to talk about the last episode a small bit. This will be spoiler free so fear not. The last 10 minutes of this season is the main reason to watch the first three seasons if you have not in my opinion. This is the type of ending you want as a storyteller. This is the type of ending you long for as an audience. You want an ending that leaves you speechless, questioning what you just saw, and wanting the next season to start tomorrow.

After the forth season finished I found myself torn between writing this while it was fresh in my mind or letting it fully set in. The latter seemed to be the best choice and gave me much to write about. Dexter is one of the few shows I will recommend to anyone without a second thought. This is TV done right. This is the bar that other shows with have to shoot for. As long as Dexter keeps up seasons like this, I will never stop watching.

VERDICT: BUY!

TV show buy or sell: Glee

With a few TV shows wrapping up their seasons, I figured I would throw my opinion into the hat. Glee is a show that most love or hate with very little middle ground. The show is from the mind of Ryan Murphy, who you may also know from his other shows Popular, and Nip/Tuck.

Glee starts off stronger than any show I had seen in a good while. The pilot was promising and I had high hopes. As the season went on it became a rollercoaster of emotions. My opinion varied from love to hate, and every point in between. At times it seemed like the music was the only thing holding me from never watching it again. Then at others times I found myself embracing the acting and story for that week’s show.

At the end of the day I know where the show is the weakest. The story on average is par at best. With story lines that emotionally upset me (False father Baby storyline and the fake pregnancy), I found myself not wanting to watch the next episode much less the rest of the one I was on. Yet something pulled me back in and I found myself watching it still.

With all things considered I found myself unsure about what I truly thought about Glee. The season finale started weak, yet finished extremely strong. After I watched the finale I had to seriously think about the whole picture the show gave me. For this show to survive the next season the writing will have to get much better. It would also not hurt for more emphasis to be placed on the students and the music they sing. I will say that I will watch the second season with little doubt and will do so because I want to see it, yet I will not recommend this show to many people.

Glee is neither bad nor great. It is an average show. I have hopes that the second season will be better, but I do not really care if it stays on TV or not as it stands.

VERDICT: SELL

Five word DVD Review : Gran Torino

Every so often I feel like I need to talk about a movie that is already in my collection. Movies that I felt were good enough for me to go out and spend money on(and some I wish I could get my money back). I also feel the need to break up the normal posting on my site. A bit of shake up every now and then. So I came up with "Five word DVD review"

Five Word DVD Review : Gran Torino

Clint Eastwood is a god.