Dexter: shark jumped or next level reached?

[Krug]

While I've found most seasons of Dexter pretty tight, this was one season where things were a bit slack. There seemed to be quite a bit of filler, such as the side trip to Nebraska; I thought the brother might take on a more important role.

It does leave interesting questions for the next season, since Deb now finds out her crush is also a killer. But damn this season was really in need of a Doakes to put Dexter in his place. I also thought the geek had put a Trojan Horse in Dexter's computer so he was capturing all the info and searches Dexter was doing.

The Quinn subplot also kind of just faded out. Well I hope it's not another season of serial killer of the series, and they start figuring out how to wind it all up.

 

[Joker]

On the other hand, if Deb turns Dexter in, her crimesolving percentage is gonna go way up.

 

[Janx]

While I've found most seasons of Dexter pretty tight, this was one season where things were a bit slack. There seemed to be quite a bit of filler, such as the side trip to Nebraska; I thought the brother might take on a more important role.

It does leave interesting questions for the next season, since Deb now finds out her crush is also a killer. But damn this season was really in need of a Doakes to put Dexter in his place. I also thought the geek had put a Trojan Horse in Dexter's computer so he was capturing all the info and searches Dexter was doing.

The Quinn subplot also kind of just faded out. Well I hope it's not another season of serial killer of the series, and they start figuring out how to wind it all up.

I suspect that the geek story is a setup for next season. He's a genius level person and quite possibly could figure out that Dexter is a killer. He's certainly obsessed with the topic.

Quinn was angling to be the next Doakes, but Deb's dumpage has pretty much put him in the crapper. I'm assuming thats what all his melodrama was about and not much else.

The point about the Nebraska trip is that Dexter's imaginary friend isn't always helpful. Flipping it to serial killer mode was meant to be a clue that the same thing could be going on for our real villain. Which is why it looked like Olmos was the bad guy, when in reality, he was just a voice in our killer's head.

And yeah, the department's % would improve by a lot. That's the really sad thing, sure Dex has to feed the beast, but he's so darn good at catching bad guys that if he actually used those skills legitimately, the department's numbers would be up. How many crimes has he interfered with evidence, just so he can nail the guy instead?

 

[CrimsonReaver]

The fact that they actually, finally had someone catch Dexter in the act - someone he wouldn't/couldn't just remove (a few seasons back, I felt certain it would be one of Rita's kids) - ensures I'll watch one more season. Unless they pick things up weeks/months after that incident, with either Deb in an asylum or the two of them just being awkward around each other. If the first episode of season 7 doesn't begin exactly where this one ended, I'm going to be irked.

So, no, I wouldn't say the show has jumped the shark, but sharks have been unleashed into the water. Next season means either ratcheting up the tension, and possibly some serious blood being spilled (it's time for one or two main characters to die), or shark-jumping lameness. There's no middle ground.

As for season 6 on a whole...I think it was a wasted opportunity. As others said, it seemed like the writing was a little loose and sloppy, with some unnecessary filler, and threads that seriously better be setups for next season else they were utterly pointless. And, personally, if they were going to do the religious serial killer, I really would've liked to see them go ultra dark with it. Like Seven or the first season of Millennium. There was a real lack of tension and suspense to this season. It had a very "going through the motions" feel about it rather than just grabbing me by the throat like some of the earlier seasons.

Season 7 is going to be make or break time, particularly the first episode.