Dexter Season 8 Episode 12 "Remember The Monsters?"

          At first, I was filled with an interesting combination of rage and sadness by the series finale of Dexter. I felt betrayed by the writers who made Dexter grow and struggle with being "human." The ending I had hoped for was the opposite of what really happened. However, I realized several things in this episode that made me understand the choices behind this final episode of Dexter.
          From the very beginning, Dexter was all about a man who couldn't fit into society. He struggled with girlfriends, his wife, his kids, his sister, and his job because he was a serial killer. He longed to be like everyone else. Slowly, he began to make progress on becoming normal. He had a girlfriend, got married, and had a kid. Dexter began to look like a normal human being. However, the grass is always greener on the other side. Dexter could not handle being normal. It is much easier to not care about others than to love and lose. SPOILERS! Dexter has lost everyone he loves. He killed his brother in season 1. Rita was killed by Trinity at the end of season 4. His step-children wanted nothing to do with him in season 5. Deborah finds out about Dexter at the end of season 6. She then kills LaGuerta and saves Dexter at the end of season 7. At the end of season 8, Dexter mercy kills Deb so she won't be left in a coma, he abandons Harrison and Hannah, quits his job and moves to an isolated location where he cannot hurt anyone else. It is easy to say based on these characters that Dexter has ruined many lives. By learning to be human, he cared for people, made sacrifices for them, and hurt many. This is what he realizes as he drives into the hurricane. Being with Dexter is like being an alcoholic. While it feels good now, the pain will come.
          While I understand the reasons behind the writer's decisions, I am not sure how they should have ended it. I would have enjoyed watching Dexter move to Argentina with Hannah and Harrison and watching Deb finally have a successful relationship with Quinn, but that would have been hard to do while keeping with the themes of the series. I feel like the fans deserved better and while it may have not fit with the rest of the series, the audience would have wanted it to end happily.
          In my mind, there are 3 ways this show could have ended: happily, a big bang, and the mercy kill. For it to end happily, Dexter would have gotten away with Hannah and Harrison, Deb would be with Quinn, and Saxon would be caught or dead. I feel like this is what the audiences wanted. For the big bang ending, Dexter would have gotten caught by Miami Metro, gotten into a huge battle with Saxon, or ended up in prison on the death penalty. While this seems to be the realistic ending, it wouldn't have gone over well. How the show ends is like a mercy kill. The kills weren't satisfying, but they were understood. Everything makes sense mentally, but isn't emotionally satisfying. When it comes to writing stories, I guess I have learned that emotions are more important than facts. If the ending feels good, the audience will learn to get over the flaws and missteps of the writers. However if the show ends with poetic character arcs and logical conclusions, but fails to meet the emotional needs of the audience, then nobody is happy.

The Movie Brats

          What we can learn about the past can directly impact our future. One group of filmmakers known as “The Movie Brats” knew this and applied it to their lives. George Lucas, Steven Spielberg, and Martin Scorsese were just a few of “The Movie Brats.” They were called this because they were the first major filmmakers to go to school for cinema. They probably took a class or two on Film History which significantly added to their knowledge and success. Instead of going straight into the film industry, they went to major colleges and universities like University of Southern California and University of California, Los Angeles. Here, they gained a great deal of factual knowledge before entering the “real world” along with experience.

          One of the most obvious things that Lucas, Spielberg, and Scorsese have in common is that they are American, they make American movies with American themes. You may be thinking, “Come on. George Lucas’ Star Wars isn’t American themed.” You’re right, but Lucas’ film American Graffiti definitely is. I mean it even has America in the title. Spielberg’s film are also very American. E.T. was a box office hit and is still considered to be a “classic” today. It is set in a small town in Iowa where he makes the audience fall in love with the characters. Probably his 2 most patriotic works are Saving Private Ryan and the TV mini-series Band of Brothers. These films are easily relatable to American Audiences because of our history in World War II. Scorsese’s film Gangs of New York deals with early Americans in the five points. I believe that these locations and themes helped connect American audiences to the films, making them great successes.

          Some movies such as Star Wars, The Departed, and Jaws are not so “in your face” about America. What I believe carried these movies to a global success is the knowledge and talent of “The Movie Brats.” Without their educations, i doubt some of their films would have been as globally iconic.

          Finally, Spielberg and Scorsese have major box office hits dealing with Historical Fiction. Saving Private Ryan, Band of Brothers, Catch Me If You Can, The Aviator, and Gangs of New York are clear examples of this. History provides the audience with a sense of familiarity. This can help them become immersed within the story sooner than science fiction movies for example. Also, historical films can help connect the rest of the globe to the movie, thus increasing its success. 

          Since the beginning of film, people, era’s, and film have been categorized. While “The Movie Brats” make up one small category in time, they were globally known for their impact within the film industry. This goes to show that studying and learning form the past can lead to success in your future.

The King's Speech

          When I had first heard of The King’s Speech, I thought the movie sounded incredibly boring. What made me even more upset is the fact that it won the Academy Award for Best Picture that year because I had wanted another film to win instead. In a Film History class, I was forced to watch watch The King’s Speech and was incredibly surprised by how much I actually enjoyed the film. i can now say that The King’s Speech is an outstanding film that deserves its Academy Awards for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, and Best Original Screenplay.

          One reason I was originally uninterested in the film was due to the heavy use of British actors and actresses. I had not seen anything with Colin Firth and I felt like I would not be able to connect with his character. I couldn’t be more wrong. As it turns out, Bertie (Firth) and I both hate public speaking. He would get in front of an audience and absolutely freeze. To make matters worse, he had a horrible stuttering problem. While the dialogue, casting, and scripts were great, it was Colin Firth’s performance that made this movie outstanding. Watching Firth’s stutter was marvelous and horrifying. Every scene showed off his immaculate acting skills while making the audience truly feel bad for his character, Bertie. Its performances like these that are both Oscar worthy and remembered for a long time.

          While I was watching The King’s Speech, I thought to myself, “why is this movie rated R?” It was only a few scenes later that I found my answer. One dramatic scene, filled to the brim with expletives, gave The King’s Speech an “R” rating. Usually, scenes like this drive me crazy. They provide a cheap laugh for the audience, but it doesn’t enhance the story. However, The King’s Speech is not your typical movie. This scene was pivotal to both Bertie’s character and the story as a whole. It showed that Bertie would not stutter when he swore. This gave him confidence and also helped contribute to the success of Bertie’s final speech. 

          While it may sound cliche, I walked away from The King’s Speech inspired. The story is not only well told, but it is also based on a true story. There seems to be an added dramatic effect to true stories. The audience seems to be able to relate to the characters more which only helps the film’s success. For example, look at the films Titanic and Saving Private Ryan. If these events had not happened, would the film be as popular, and would we still be able to relate to the character’s situations?

          Overall, The King’s Speech was an incredible movie that deserved its Academy Awards. Colin Firth’s performance, the swearing scene, and the fact that the movie is based on a true story, added to the overall success of the film. I am embarrassed to say that I once thought The King’s Speech would be a boring movie. This just goes to show that opinions can change and first impressions can be very very wrong.