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 "Classics"

I would like to start by defining the word “classic.” Using Dictionary.com, I received 20 different definitions. The first definition of the word “classic” said: “Of the first or highest quality, class, or rank.” This definition without a doubt applies to many films that are referred to as “classic” like 12 Angry Men, To Kill A Mockingbird, and Psycho. Because these are some of the earliest films made, they are referred to as “the best.” While they were revolutionary for their time, they simply cannot compete with the most up to date films. 

  Imagine watching the news on a black and white television from the 1950’s. Now compare that to watching Avatar in 3D IMAX. Which one is better? Quality wise, IMAX is immensely better than a 1950’s black and white TV. Both forms of entertainment were incredibly revolutionary for their time. Mass producing TV’s and being able to put them in every home in the 1950‘s was amazing, but so is the 3D motion capture technology specifically created for Avatar. While our modern day technology beats the 1950’s in quality, both are examples of radical change within the entertainment industry. 

In 1895, the Lumiere brothers created one of the first films, which showed people exiting a factory at the end of the day. They showed the film, Workers Leaving the Lumiere Factory, to an audience and those who viewed it were absolutely amazed. If this same black and white film were shown to an audience today, they would say, “What’s the big deal? It’s just a bunch of people walking.” The difference between these two situations is exposure. In 1895 when the Lumiere Brothers created the first films, a person’s exposure to film was absolutely zero, but now, a person has seen dozens, if not hundreds, of movies. This principle of exposure shows that early films such as 12 Angry Men, To Kill A Mockingbird, and Psycho are partially thought of as “the best films ever” because there were very few films before then. 

  While this first definition of “classic” is good, I prefer to look at other definitions. These definitions include words such as “basic,” “fundamental,” “traditional,” “typical,” and “standard.” These “classic” movies are here to serve as a guide. They are important to the overall industry of filmmaking only because they represent the start of the industry. For example, I absolutely love Apple products. They are efficient, reliable, and high quality, but I wouldn’t say that the first Apple computer from 1976 is one of the best computers made.

  While some old films are good, I find that most of them are incredibly boring. They were experimenting with what audiences enjoyed watching, and that process took a long time. Movies like The Godfather are horribly painful to watch because of their incredible length and lack of compelling storytelling. Some of the few movies, at that length, that are worth watching are The Lord Of The Rings movies, The Green Mile, Titanic, and the Director’s Cut of Kingdom Of Heaven. While these are all incredibly long films, they actually have interesting stories unlike The Godfather.

  Are old films so great because the directors were brilliant, the first of their kind, or because they’re dead? Once a person dies, their art usually skyrockets in value. Maybe these directors weren’t actually all that good to begin with. Now that they are dead, nobody would be able to interview, scrutinize, or ridicule them. It’s a lot like the Founding Fathers. They were the catalyst of something great, which is the reason why they are so respected. If someone duplicated their work now, they probably wouldn’t amount to much. Some idiot directors have had decent careers copying other “classic” idiot directors.

One of my favorite series is the James Bond series. While I enjoy watching all of the films, I prefer to watch the more recent ones because they are higher in visual quality, they’re more relatable to me, and they (usually) have more entertaining stories. I understand that the old films were the beginning, but they simply do not compare to the more recent films.

  In almost every situation, the word “classic” should be avoided at all costs. If it needs to be used, it should only reference the “basic,” “fundamental,” “traditional,” “typical,” and “standard” definition. Most people would agree that the old films are important. They are a part of our history and should be respected. However, it is time to move on, look toward the future, and embrace the films that we have today.

The Newsroom "The Greater Fool"

          Filled to the brim with heartwarming scenes and emotional tension, episode 10 The Greater Fool, became one of the best episodes yet. I know I say this after every episode, but I promise I mean it this time. Beware, if you have not seen this episode, I will be spoiling everything. 

          Well to start off, Will mixed too many anti-depressants with bourbon which created an ulcer in his stomach. Last time Jeff Daniels and an ulcer appeared in the same room, he was in Dumb and Dumber. Amazing how time flies. Anyway, Will was admitted into the hospital and considered not coming back to ACN. Obviously, this didn’t turn out to be true because the editing of this episode was not chronological and showed Will a week later back at the news desk. So this turned out to be a devious ploy Aaron Sorkin (creator and writer) devised to raise my blood pressure.

          And the stress just kept piling on. Nina Howard (the tabloid reporter) somehow found out that Will high while reporting the death of Osama Bin Laden. Later, Will, Mackenzie, and Charlie Skinner all go to Leona Lancing’s office to discuss this matter. Will ends ups admitting to being high on the air and almost gets fired, Reece is found out for hacking Mackenzie’s phone, the two sides come to an agreement, and much of the tension is dissolved.

          I also think that the emotional tension in this episode trumped every previous episode for various reasons. First, Solomon Hancock provided a heartbreaking scene where he talked about how he has no friends and his family won’t talk to him. To make things worse, he ends up committing suicide and also provides “critical information” about the Reece Lancing ordering hacks on people’s phones. Later, Lisa and Maggie get into a fight over Jim which causes Maggie to run into the street and accidentally confess the crush she has on Jim. To make the cute moment even better, Jim chases Maggie around the city which ends with a passionate kiss between the two of them. The moment is precious, but is quickly destroyed when Maggie decides to move in with Don. To make this love triangle even more complicated, Jim lies to Lisa and says that she was the reason he came by that night, not Maggie. Also, we learn that Sloan is only single because Don never asked her out. I’m pretty sure everyone knows that Sloan and Don should be together, Jim and Maggie should start dating, and Lisa can find someone else.

          As always, Will and Mackenzie have their cute fights which only compile onto the emotional tension between them. I cannot wait for the day when they just forget about the past and get back together. Mackenzie finally tells Will that she actually did hold up the signs in the pilot episode. What could have been an emotional kiss, turned into a small little fight which added some needed comic relief. 

          Finally, Will recognized a girl in the newsroom who is applying for an internship. She turns out to be the sorority girl from the pilot episode who was the catalyst for all of Will’s problems. Will decides to hire her and one more intriguing cast member is now added to this already fantastic show. The Newsroom is easily one of my favorite shows and will be renewed for a second season which is scheduled to premiere in June 2013.

The Grey

          To be rather blunt, I found The Grey to be an entertaining waste of my time. I had gone into the film with a friend without knowing much about it which proved to be a grave mistake. What I learned later, is that the premise is that of many other movies such as Buried, The Blair Witch Project, and Apocalypto.  For most films, there is a healthy balance of the pieces of the dramatic structure. Usually, there is an introduction, rising action, a climax, falling action, and a resolution, but The Grey consisted of all rising action. This can make for an entertaining film, but I have realized that these types of movies are only fun to watch once or maybe twice.

          Along with the structure, I found the plot to be unoriginal. The Grey shared a similar plot to many wilderness, plane crash, thriller films. SPOILER ALERT!!! One by one, the characters get picked off by the vicious wolves and Liam Nesson is left alone. Some of the deaths are rather brutal, but none of them are very sad. 

          The main reason I disliked The Grey is because it has an unnecessarily depressing ending. As I said, one by one, the characters get eaten or ripped to shreds by wolves, freeze in the horrific conditions, or drown. Ottway (Liam Nesson) is left screaming at God to show him a sign that He exists, but no sign comes. A few minutes later, it is implied that Nesson gets mauled to death by the alpha wolf and the movie ends. I am not saying that he should have lived, but rather that the ending should be more satisfying. This could have easily been accomplished by having God give Ottway a sign of His existence right before his death. Disappointing to say the least.

          I highly doubt that I will ever watch this movie again because of the ending. However, the rest of the movie was incredibly entertaining!  I regret seeing The Grey in theaters because it seems only worthy of a $1 rental.

The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo

          David Fincher’s version of The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo is by far one of the best movies I have seen this year, but it is also one of the darkest. Although behind the veil of darkness lies incredible lessons and morals that are usually not talked about. That being said, this film is not for everyone so please research it before seeing it. To be honest, I am surprised that nobody walked out of the theater during this movie.

          The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo has the best title sequence I have ever seen. Much like the beginning of a James Bond film, there are various human forms that appear within the scene. Fincher’s goal for the title sequence was to show Lisbeth Salander’s mind as she’s going through a nightmare, which he accomplished flawlessly. Everything is dripping in a black liquid that consumes the viewers, which symbolizes both sex and powerlessness. This opening is one of the best hooks I have seen in a movie and this scene alone should win awards.

          For the film as a whole, David Fincher’s version of The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo is better than the Swedish version because the actors are more accurate to the characters, the cinematography is better, and the film sticks more closely to the book.

          One of my biggest problems with the 2009 Swedish version is that Michael Nyqvist doesn’t look like Mikael Blomkvist. I felt that Daniel Craig, despite not having a Swedish accent, fit the look of the character more accurately. 

          Also, I felt that Rooney Mara looked played Lisbeth Salander more accurately. Noomi Rapace did a phenomenal job in the Swedish film but I felt that she looked more violent and aggressive than she should. Mara, looked innocent but could quickly turn into a ruthless, violent woman which made her character more lovable and believable. It is because of her emotional innocence that the viewers feel terrible about her getting raped.

          As shown in the title sequence, the cinematography is breathtaking and absolutely astounding. Jeff Cronenweth, the cinematographer of Fight Club, and The Social Network, and The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo did a terrific job. He is known for his dim lit scenes and his shallow depth of field in order to “keep the audience focused on what we wanted them to see.” 

          The biggest reason why The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo is such an amazing film is because of how close the script sticks to the novel. Things that were left out in the Swedish film made this story much more accurate and enjoyable such as Mikael’s daughter, Erika Burger, Millennium's financial troubles, and Lisbeth’s previous guardian. Sometimes, it is the minor details that makes us feel like the film is real. These seemingly innocuous facts were added to David Fincher’s film thus making it better. Some of my favorite examples of this are Lisbeth’s hilarious T-Shirts, Tjorven the cat, and Lisbeth getting a tattoo after she was raped.

          Known for his films with dark plot lines, Fincher did a magnificent job with The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, which revolves around rape.  While the rape scenes are not enjoyable to watch, they are very crucial to the plot of the film/book.  These are some of the most disturbing scenes I have watched, so beware. However, The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo was successful at exposing me to the absolute horror that is involved in rapes.

          Overall, The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo is one of best movies I have seen this year. This is one of those films that I could analyze for hours and watch repeatedly. I would advise you to see the film, but be careful because the material is highly disturbing. I cannot wait for it to come out on DVD so that I can buy it and watch all of the bonus features. All I can say is that there is a reason why The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo was on the best seller list and sold 30 million copies.

Dexter Season 6 Episode 12 "This is the Way the World Ends"

          I don’t know what to say other than how awesome this episode could have been. The tension steadily rose throughout each episode, but my hopes for the conclusion were shattered. 

          The opening scene begins by showing Dexter drifting in the ocean on a piece of the boat until it becomes waterlogged and sinks. He than is rescued by a spanish fishing boat and taken to shore. One thing that I am thankful for is that he did not “simply” swim back to the mainland. This would have been extremely unrealistic and rather disappointing, but I figured that the writers wouldn’t be this cheap.

          For one of the few times in this season, the relationship between Dexter and Harrison is actually shown. Usually the two only appear in a scene casually as Dexter arrives home, but Dexter was seen spending quality time with Harrison playing and talking. Being the last episode of the season, their relationship must wrap up somehow to begin again in the next year.

          One by one, the pieces and questions in this enormous puzzle are finally being put in place and answered. The 3 most prominent examples of this is when Dexter covered up his relationship to Travis by punching a hole in the painting of him, Deb finding out she loves Dexter, and finally witnessing him kill Travis.

          Of all the things I have seen in Dexter, Travis kidnapping Harrison was quite predictable, but also incredibly creepy. However, as all this was happening I felt a level of anxiety that has disappeared since season 2. Dexter playing with Harrison one moment, losing him the next, than almost witnessing him being sacrificed made for an incredible build up that made my blood pressure rise and my mind go blank. This being said, the conclusion to this drama was incredibly disappointing. Not only was Travis not instantly murdered by Dexter for nearly killing his only son, but Travis was gone. One thing that I realized in this scene is that it subtly represents the story of Jesus. Dexter plays the role of God, watching his only son be sacrificed by his nemesis (Travis). Luckily, this episode doesn’t conclude like the bible, where the innocent son dies. 

          Now that I think about it, it only makes sense for Dexter to kill Travis in the church where many of the rituals were performed. Except now, a guilty person is being killed instead of an innocent one. For the first time in a while, Dexter performs his ritual on Travis 

          The religious banter flies between the mouths of Dexter and Travis as we watch and soak in the profound quotes. So far, the best quote of the season happens here. While making the sign of the cross, Dexter says, “I am a father, a son, and a serial killer.” While this is an incredible quote, it is also one to summarize the season. These are the 3 things that really matter to him. He does not believe in a god, and leaves him out of his life. Just as I said earlier, Dexter has started right where he left off, not knowing if God is real or if he should believe in him. It is for this reason that I think that Brother Sam’s character was virtually meaningless. 

          As viewers, we not only see Travis twisting the bible, but also are aware that Dexter is doing it as well.  I am incredibly disappointed by this seemingly unnoticeable act because it feels like Dexter has forgotten all that Brother Sam had taught him. He has stooped to the level of Travis, while committing a murder. Dexter and Travis may have more in common than they thought: they both kill based on principle and beliefs, they speak to their victims before they are murdered, and they both believe that they are doing the right thing.

          While the ending was good, I also found it unbelievably disappointing. It was blatantly obvious that Deb would walk in on Dexter as he was killing Travis for several reasons. First, Deb told Dexter to go there that night and finish up the blood work. Second, Dexter told Jamie Batista that he was going there in order to finish a task. Third, if you have been watching for 6 seasons, you should be able to notice how the writing works and make reasonable predictions. Fourth, doesn’t it seem like it would be the perfect twist? Yes. That is why it wasn’t the perfect twist, because we could see it coming. A twist like Rita’s death in the end of season 4 was perfect because it came out of nowhere and surprised us all. Fifth, this was hinted at in the finale of season 5, except Deb let Dexter and Lumen go. In this episode, Dexter (and the writers) failed to create Dexter’s kill room, which would have provided cover for Dexter (just like last time). The ending of season 5 could have easily been the same if the plastic wrap were to be missing. 

          As I watched the episode drawing to a close, I became furious. Lewis’ character was never explained. His creepiness around Dexter turned out to be a meaningless red herring that wasted time. While it felt like something cool could come out of it, nothing arose. Showing Dexter his serial killer game was bizarre, but buying the Ice Truck Killer prosthetic illegally and writing things on it was meaningless. While these things could be explained in season 7, I find that unlikely because people aren’t going to be focused on that at all compared to the new drama with Dexter and Deb.

          The “surprise ending” will make for an incredible 7th season, but in retrospect, season 6 was only slightly above average. Dexter didn’t change any of his beliefs, Deb realized she is in love with her brother, and all of the cute relationships (Deb and Quinn, and Batista and LaGuerta) were destroyed. This season had an enormous amount of potential and it was simply ruined. My love and respect for the writers of Dexter is virtually nothing now. 

          In conclusion, the only word I can think of right now is disappointed. 

Dictionary definition:

disappointed     disəˈ point id  

adjective

(of a person) sad or displeased because someone or something has failed to fulfill one's hopes or expectations

Thesaurus:

Upset, saddened, let down, cast down, disheartened, downhearted, downcast, depressed, discouraged, displeased, dissatisfied, frustrated, disgruntled

Bones Season 7 Episode 1 "The Memories in the Shallow Grave"

          After watching the Bones season 7 premiere, I have come to the conclusion that this season will be highly complicated. With Dr. Brennan pregnant with Booth’s baby, the series will be taking an unusual turn down a path that has not been explored. The previous season was slowly developing the emotional and sexual relationship between Bones and Booth, but I felt that these developments stopped when Bones rejected Booth’s dating proposal. Despite this awkward circumstance, they slept together and Dr. Brennan was found to be pregnant.  

          The writing in the past 2 episodes has been sloppy, forced, and very confusing. When Bones revealed she was pregnant, I was extremely confused and upset because the scene where the couple slept together was filled with crying and comforting, not passion and sexual tension. While sex may have been vaguely implied, I feel that most viewers may not have felt convinced that sex actually took place.

          While Hodgins and Angela’s baby was born, Brennan and Booth have been developing a more romantic relationship. Within 3 episodes, the pair has gone from being emotionally distant to kissing, walking around naked, and having a baby. As viewers, we have watched 6 seasons without seeing any sort of major developments. The writers somehow decide that it is time to unload all of the tension into two episodes.   I feel like the show has become so mundane that the writers felt it was time to make the characters to things that are out of their nature. 

          Maybe the show taking a new direction is a good thing.  I would love to know what other people think of this.