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"Dexter" Season Finale Tops a Breakthrough Year for Showtime

Published: December 11, 2007 at 05:47 PM GMT
Last Updated: March 13, 2008 at 05:47 PM GMT

By Ed Martin

Showtime this Sunday concludes an extraordinary year of original programming efforts with the second season finale of its killer serial-killer drama, Dexter. It's a sensational hour of pure character-driven storytelling that takes us even deeper into the twisted psyche of Dexter Morgan, the hard-working Miami P.D. blood-splatter specialist who slays evildoers on the side.

In a departure from the norm for dramatic series television, the creative team behind Dexter has chosen to concentrate on bringing the season's multi-layered stories to a satisfying collective climax rather than manipulating them into a calculated cliffhanger. It's great to see a show with its priorities in order -- one that is concerned more with spinning a compelling yarn that leaves viewers totally satisfied than with crafting a narrative stunt designed to bring them back at a future time. The producers and writers of Dexter clearly trust that their storytelling will keep viewers interested, even during the long break between seasons, and it shows. That's what makes it one of the finest series on television.

Out of respect for those viewers who may have fallen behind on the show and let episodes pile up on their DVRs, not to mention those who live dangerously and risk hearing spoilers about certain series while waiting to watch them when they are released on DVD, I won't say too much about this Sunday's edition of Dexter. I will note that Dexter's recent decision to imprison his longtime nemesis Sgt. Doakes and attempt to frame him as the Bay Harbor Butcher ultimately sends the show into darker territory. Indeed, this story turn reminds us that the man we have found ourselves rooting for on more than one occasion is in reality a fearsome monster who can put only so much distance between himself and his murderous behavior before snapping back into place and returning to true homicidal form. He will never be able to fully separate himself from the madness of his own psyche, no matter how much time he spends with sweet, vulnerable Rita and her two adoring children. Nor does he want to do so. TCA Award-winner Michael C. Hall plays Dexter to creepy perfection, brilliantly manipulating the viewer with every breath, every thought and every action.

It has been reported that CBS president and CEO Leslie Moonves is giving thought to running edited versions of Dexter on CBS should the WGA strike continue on an indefinite basis, as it seems likely to do. Frankly, I have never enjoyed watching PG-rated versions of R-rated pay cable programs on broadcast television. Given the challenges facing the television industry at this particular time, however, not to mention Showtime's limited distribution, I don't think it's a bad idea at all. As far as its adult subject matter goes, Dexter will actually need very little editing, because it is far less bloody and violent than the average episode of any of the CSI shows, and the nudity is fleeting. The only issue would be language: Two characters in particular swear like drunken sailors -- the aforementioned Sgt. Doakes and Dexter's kick-ass stepsister Debra (played with uncommon rawness and realism by scene-stealer Jennifer Carpenter).

On the subject of re-purposing Showtime series, I'd like to see CBS run edited versions of Brotherhood, as well. The network did so in July 2006 with unremarkable results, but broadcast viewers may be more inclined to sample this gritty, complicated, thoughtfully crafted show in the dead of winter amid a rising tide of largely mindless reality series. A painfully realistic family drama set against the interconnected worlds of crime and politics in Providence, Rhode Island, Brotherhood may be the most under-appreciated program on television. It is certainly one of the best, and it has proven to be an unexpectedly powerful showcase for actress Annabeth Gish as an unfulfilled, self-destructive political wife. She deserves an Emmy nomination for her work here, just as the series deserves to return for a third season. (Showtime has yet to make that decision.)

Showtime's other signature show -- the wicked caper comedy Weeds, starring Mary-Louise Parker as a suburban drug dealer who makes one bad choice after another in her life -- wouldn't stand a chance on CBS. Rare is the episode of this show that contains more than two minutes of dramatic exposition that are not laced with foul language, nudity, sex or references to taking, selling or abusing drugs. It would lose all of its comedic and dramatic power if edited for broadcast.

In addition to network veterans Dexter, Brotherhood and Weeds and the lesbian drama The L Word (which begins its fifth season January 6), two new scripted series brought much favorable attention to Showtime in 2007: The historical drama The Tudors, with Jonathan Rhys Meyers, and the contemporary comedy Californication, with David Duchovny. I can't claim to be a strong supporter of the latter, which focused a little too much on the sometimes disgusting sexcapades of Duchovny's character, a struggling writer obsessed with sex. And the otherwise handsomely produced Tudors (which returns March 30) moved a little slowly for my attention level. But there was much to admire about these shows, and they both have the potential to become watercooler favorites in their sophomore seasons, especially Californication if itbroadens its scope and adds more colorful characters to its canvas.

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