All Dex'd up...The last season ended with the mother of all endings (OMFGWTF!!!), ranked up there, I reckon, with the season five finale of Lost. The question must be asked, what the devil does that mean for Dexter Morgan, his family, and the show?
Showtime has signed the show up for at least one more season (this one). Frankly, if they hadn't done that then I'd be writing some very stern emails to the necessary authorities. Will they push on for another year? Granted there are reasons both for and against.
Setting an end date has worked spectacularly for the producers of Lost. As soon as Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse capped a six season limit the show really took off, and what a frak of a good ride it has been. Gone were there constant questioning of 'do they know what they're doing?' and 'are they making it up as they go?' (The answer to both those questions has always been a clear and resounding, BUGGER THE FRAK OFF!) They were able to set out episode by episode what key plot points and story arcs needed to be where and stuck with it.
Sure they adjusted course a little after listening to the fans and created the characters Nikko & Paulo, then they listened to the fans again and subsequently killed them off, but hey, they LISTENED. The writer's strike threw things out of whack a bit but I think it gave them extra time to regroup, plan ahead and work out all those time travel shenannigans that royally messed up the minds of fans across the globe in season five. Planning ahead for long running shows is a must.
On the other hand, we have Heroes. A show that started out so well, it was super cool seeing all those geeky characters with super powers, sorry, abilities, and Hiro was the best (Yatta!) and Peter Petrelli was a spunk but now... I have no idea what is going on anymore. Greg Grunberg (who plays Matt Parkman) says not even his mum watches it anymore (see below)! Sometime during season two things just started to fall apart. Perhaps it was changing writers, I don't know. What I do know is that it's a mess at the moment. They lost sight of the end goal. There is no end goal, so it seems. They need to set an end date and start tying up all those hopelessly frazzled and split loose ends. Maybe they should get some Pantene, it won't happen over night but it will happen.
Another example is Flash Forward. Planning ahead is good but not half way through the first season. The show has only just begun but word is out already there's some rethinking going on during the hiatus. I really enjoyed the first episode or two then it just lost steam. I don't know if it was Joseph Fiennes whiny accent or the fact the story is so darn sluggish. Flash Forward to me is like pistachio ice cream. It seemed like a great idea at the time but when you get your teeth into it... eerrrggghhhh. Let's hope those guys work stuff out over the break. Or, I might just buy the book and find out what happens myself without having to listen to another word Fiennes says.
Will Dexter go the way of Heroes? I don't think so, I don't think they'd let it. Sure, the writers have a bit of a familiar theme guiding each season with their 'Big Bad' and so far it has worked, but for how long? They've got some great writing talent on the show, playing with our minds, making is question our morality, twisting us this way and that. I forgive them for what they did at the end of season four. Truth be told, I'm glad they did it. You've gotta do what the story needs you to do. And bloody oath, they did alright. They've got some balls.
All in all, I'm sure they know when to pull the plug. Even though I'd still watch it if they didn't. It's that bloody good.
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