Dexter Review (8.12 Rememeber The Monsters?)

Dexter wrapped up its eight season run on Sunday night, and much like the response to the series' later seasons (since that infamous Season 4 final) the finale was a very confounding end to a once great television series.

This season has largely focused on, or has at least attempted to, highlight Dexter's evolution from an emotionless serial killer, governed only by a code instilled to him by his father, into a man who no longer feels the need to kill, and feels a stronger pull towards the relationships he shares with his loved ones.

Unfortunately, the finale continued to do what Dexter, as a character and as a show in general, has struggled to do for this entire final season - make up it's mind on exactly what it wants to say about the titular hero. At the end of last week's episode it looked like Dexter had put down his knives for good, leaving his sister Deb to handle serial killer Daniel Saxon (a.k.a. The Brain Surgeon), while he, his girlfriend Hannah, and his son Harrison, looked set to fly of into the sunset to Argentina to start a new life together. But that was before Saxon fatally shot Deb and escaped. And once again audiences had to endure Hall's Dexter making up his decision, and then changing his mind again, on whether he was able to leave Saxon behind and move on, or make one last kill.

What made the choice particularly more frustrating in this episode is that their really wasn't one. If Dexter truly is all about family now, as his actions would have you suggest, than staying in Miami (despite the ongoing hurricane) to protect Deb from Saxon was a real no-brainer. Our sub-par villain Saxon obviously knew this too, otherwise why would he be going after Deb at all? One could argue that because his family (or just his mother, Evelyn Vogel) deserted him after discovery his true nature, wherein comparison, Dexter has two women in his life that know his secret, yet still love him would be enough motivation to drive Saxon. The series never really explained this though, so its really up to audiences to decide for themselves.

Not only was Dexter's choice underwhelming, the entire episode overall was very tedious to watch. The continuous attempts by both Dexter and Hannah to keep Elway off of their tracks, Saxon's roaming through a dark clouded Miami, the impending hurricane, it should have been exciting, but it lacked inventiveness and urgency.

While it would have been too much to expect Dexter to also wrap up the storylines of its significant supporting cast, which have been ignored for year, Batista and Quinn got a touching moment with Dexter towards the end of the episode - both accepting Dexter's killing of Saxon in retaliation to Deb's Death.

There were also numerous plot holes, as has become a staple of Dexter in its final season, including but not limited too: Saxon not telling Miami Metro about Dexter, Dexter killing Saxon in the police station, Hannah tranquilising Elway in the middle of a bus, and Dexter taking Deb's body out of the possible.

While one can handle all this, it's difficult to see many fans being able to accept the fate of one Lieutenant Debra Morgan, who for many has been the shows saving grace for the past four seasons. It's not that she died, but that she died the way she did, that makes her characters' end so unsatisfactory. She was shot at the end of the last episode, not in a stand off of epic proportions, but by a bullet haphazardly fired by a fleeing victim. Her doctor was optimistic of her recovery, until - off-screen - she suffered a blood clot as the result from her surgery, and was reduced to a comatose vegetable.

It's understandable that Debra died, if anything was actually made clear in this episode, or this season, its that Dexter's inability to be torn between two lives and world - one as a serial killer, and one as a family man - that those closet to him always end up paying the price for his mistakes, but this isn't something we learned recently, so to have it repeated again feels a little pointless. In the end Dexter pulled the plug on Deb, and I did quite enjoy the significance of him taking her out on his boat and disposing of her as he has done countless times before, it was completely fitting that she was his final victim.

But after all that, was she? Dexter seemingly drove his boat into the impeding hurricane off of the Miami Coast, killing himself and ensuring that the ones he loved would never have to suffer because of him again. Apparently even that is no match for our Dexter though, an epilogue of sorts showing him working in a secluded area as a lumberjack, depression beard and all, indicating he survived and faked his death.

This left Hannah and Harrison to make do on their own in Argentina, Hannah shown to have believed Dexter died in the hurricane, giving audiences very little closure to Dexter in the end.

Rating: 2/5

My Fall Television Schedule (2012 - 2013): My Televsion Year in Restrospect

With the fall television season upon us I'll soon be posting up My Fall Television Schedule for the 2013 - 2014 season, but first I thought it would be fun to take a look back at the past year of television. You can check out my proposed plans for my 2012 - 2013 season here.

Sitcoms are shows that easily fall by the wayside for me. Unless I really enjoy them, they're going to come off of my television schedule out of necessity. I had planned to start watching How I Met Your Mother, which is now heading into its ninth and final season, after catching majority of the last half of Season 8. However, it didn't stick. I had four pretty solid comedies too keep me satisfied throughout last season in Happy Endings, The Big Bang Theory, 30 Rock & New Girl, so How I Met Your Mother wasn't a necessity. And neither was NBC's new Will & Grace-esque comedy Partners either apparently, I didn't watch like I said I would, and apparently no one else did either with NBC cancelling the series after six episodes. This was despite the show being placed in the pretty cushy timeslot between How I Met Your Mother and 2 Broke Girls at 8.30 on Mondays. Also on Monday's was the surprise post-apocalyptic hit Revolution, it being the first new show of the season to be renewed after airing only three episodes. It also had a cushy timeslot behind The Voice at 10.00, and it will be interesting to see how its ratings go with its drastic move to Wednesdays at 8.00 this season. I recorded the first six or seven episodes of Revolution before I started watching any, and ironically I probably only watched three until I stopped. I considered returning to the show, and still do, but other than the cliff-hangers I found majority of it to be rather dull. It's also been critically panned by many, and while this doesn't inspire to watch Revolution as a good show, it does inspire to watch it as a train-wreck you can't look away from, which is why I'm still considering catching up. I wont be able to do this during this season though, so I'll have to wait and see whether things improve for the show in the meantime. Similar critical distain was given to The Following, which I've recorded all of, but now am very uncertain as to whether or not I should watch. I also tried out Deception but left it after three episodes, and it was cancelled at the end of its 13 episode run.

On Tuesdays New Girl really hit its stride, and surprisingly Jake Johnson stole the show as lazy yet lovable Nick Miller throughout the season. The verdict's still out on whether or not the show can make Nick and Jess work as a couple for the long-term, but I'll be tuning in to find out. I still can't help but hate New Girl a little though, since Happy Endings was running at the same 9.00 timeslot on ABC, but was quickly shuffled off to die on Friday nights after its return from mid-season break. While I don't think the third and now final season was at good as its season (its reliance on the ridiculous and over-the-top storylines for humour is a turn-off for me with comedies), it was still easily the best comedy on television, and it's my hardest felt cancellation from last season. I considered also watching the comedy paired with Happy Endings, Don't Trust the Bitch in Apartment 23, along with checking out a whole host of new comedies that premiered on Tuesday last season, like Go On and The New Normal in an attempt to find a new comedy. Ultimately I'm glad I didn't with all of these being cancelled. I also recorded all of Cult which aired at 9.00 on The CW during mid-season after the cancellation of Emily Owens, M.D., but that too is now cancelled and I haven't watched a single episode.

Supernatural remained solid viewing on Wednesdays during its eighth season, and many believed it was better than Season 7. The show mostly becomes an interchangeable monster-of-the week blur to me, but there were some intriguing story arcs like Dean's return and escape from purgatory, The Men of Letters, and of course, the highly dramatic Trials Sam undertook (although lets all just forget about his horrible flashbacks to when Dean was away). Nashville was prime to become the best new show for me early in the season, but by its finale it had become so convulsed and melodramatic that I'm worried I'll have to start watching it the way I watch Revenge, for a good laugh. Arrow did exceptionally well for The CW at 8.00 before Supernatural, and I still want to watch it eventually, but as with comedies, unfortunately CW fair hasn't yet earned the respect of necessary viewing (except maybe Nikita), but hopefully their promising pilot season this year can continue to change that.

We said goodbye to 30 Rock on Thursday's last season, and while there were some memorable moments throughout its final 13 episode seventh season run (Hazel really came into her own), the show ultimately ended on a rather sentimental note, which felt quite out of character for such a normally untraditional show. While I've said that comedies aren't a necessary watch, The Big Bang Theory really has come to deserve it's title as the best comedy on television. I know there are a lot of people who don't like it compared to some of the more quirkier and out there comedies (like Arrested Development or Community, which it was up against in the 8.00 timeslot), but for a traditional sitcom, laugh track included, The Big Bang Theory is a very good show. The Vampire Diaries may have lost some of its bite (sorry, but it works), but is it highly serialised, so I'm willing to stick with it through is numerous and very long dry-spells with several characters and storylines in anticipation for the big mythology aspect of the show. ABC's high concept drama Last Resort was my most anticipated new show of last season, but I only tuned into four or so episodes myself before giving up, and ABC gave up too, it being cancelled after six episodes, the remaining ones still airing. The timeslot and high concept probably didn't help the show, but for me, it just took itself too seriously, and needed some humour to break up the drama that quickly became incessantly tedious. I was initially weary to check out Hannibal, despite it being developed by Bryan Fuller. By mid-season though, nothing was on, and boy am I glad I tuned it. With its great acting and beautiful cinematography, this slick psychological thriller turned into the best new network show of the season. As I was last year, I'm still finding the time to be inspired to catch up on Scandal and Person of Interest, with both doing extremely well with the amount of buzz and critical acclaim they received last season.

Fringe finished is unbelievable five season run on Fridays. While die-hard will no doubt be happy with the conclusion of the series, the vast change in setting and the relationships shared between the characters made it difficult for me to appreciate the season, despite its heavy mythology. I followed Happy Endings to Friday, which I'm still so so sad about, and continued to record Cult when it was also shuffled here before cancellation despite not watching it. I still haven't caught up on Grimm, and it falls low on the list on the shows I want to catch up on. I'm now just waiting for Nikita to end to buy the DVD boxset so that I can consume this great show all at once, although I'm a little disappointed that I didn't watch it while it aired.

On Sundays Revenge continued to do its thing. Despite some people thinking its become too convoluted, Revenge was always like this, only now it's more obvious. However, when it's not having its well dressed utter ridiculous dialogue at one another, Revenge can be an enthralling drama, and I'm willing to stick with it through all the bad. I mean, did you see that finale? 666 Park Avenue was actually quite enjoyable, but after it was cancelled before its mid-season break after airing seven episodes, but I wasn't inspired enough to finish watching once I knew it wouldn't be back. I wasn't inspired to check out Once Upon A Time either, and now I'm wondering if I ever will be. I'm in the same situation with The Good Wife as I am with Nikita, the show is heading into its fifth season, and doesn't look like it has long left, so maybe I'll just hold out until it finished before watching.

There were two late mid-season shows this year, Under The Dome and Siberia, which I also hoped to check out. Under The Dome, while ridiculous, has an entertaining mythology, and the show doesn't really deserve all the hate its receiving from critics. I'm yet to watch an episode of Siberia, but I have recorded it thus far.

Onto cable, and of course, majority of them also air on Sunday's. Boardwalk Empire withstood the loss of prominent character Jimmy Darmody at the end of season two and produced an entertaining third season, and season four looks set to do the same. Dexter's seventh season was a spectacular resurgence for the show, but unfortunately critics and fans alike have panned its eighth and final season, which will air on Sunday. The Walking Dead had its moments, but ultimately had difficulty maintaining momentum splitting its time between the prison and Woodbury throughout its third season, resulting it quite a bit of filler. While Homeland's second season, particularly its second half with the conclusion of the Abu Nazir storyline, received mixed responses, I loved it, and cannot wait for the new season to start in a couple of weeks. Breaking Bad showcased itself as one of the most talked about shows of all time, and while I have a problem with the change of tone of previous seasons in 5A, 5B has done nothing but deliver and I'm expecting a spectacular finale from this show.

Other shows on cable that I watched this year included American Horror Story (it had a strong season but fell short in its last couple of episodes), Californciation (the season focus on the rock and roll music industry was entertaining, but the characters and their relationships have gotten stale). I caught up on Awkward before the start of it's third season, and am interested to see where it's heading in the second half. British import Doctor Who is slugging along as a tedious pace despite its out-there storylines, while Ray Donovan is probably my favourite new cable show of the season, with a good balance between Ray professional and family life and great acting. Bates Motel, The Bridge, Twisted, and Defiance were all shows I watched a couple of episodes of but didn't feel the need to finish watching them. And I haven't got to Low Winter Sun yet.

Playing catch up I've watched the first season of Pretty Little Liars, but am struggling knowing that I'm no where near finding out the identity of A. I've watched the first season, and half of the second season of Parks & Recreation in an attempt to fill a solid comedy gap left by Happy Endings and 30 Rock, and while not as good as those, it has its charm. I'm also about to start watching The Newsroom after watching part of a season one episode with a friend and loving every minute of it.

Television isn't just on your TV anymore either, and I tried to check out majority of Netflix's new original programming to see how it'd fair. House of Cards was decent, but wasn't overwhelmingly good for me, and Hemlock Grove, despite being very much my genre, has failed to convince me to watch the first episode. Orange is the New Black, however, is most definitely the best new show of the year, despite it not even airing on television.

So there you have it, my 2012 - 2013 year of television in review. Of the nine new shows I planned to watch at the beginning of the season four were cancelled, 666 Park Avenue, Cult, Deception, and  Last Resort. Of the shows I already watched 30 Rock, Breaking Bad, Dexter, Fringe, and Happy Endings all ended all were cancelled. So how was everyone else's year? Found a new favourite? Disappointed about an undeserved cancellation? Let me know, and here's to the next year of television watching.

About that SPOILER! That Happened To SPOILER! On Last Night's SPOILER!

If you think what Walder Frey did over a broken oath was bad, imagine what he'd do to you if you spoiled his favourite television show.

Okay so here's your obligatory stop-reading-right-this-instant-if-you-are-not-up-to-date-with-your-favourite-television-show-because-in-this-article-I-will-be-discussing-the-shows-tagged-and-therefore-there-will-be-SPOILERS! But if you're anything like me you'll probably just ignore this warning and go right ahead anyway, unaware that seconds from now your bad decision will spoil a television show that you watch, which is exactly what happened to me with Game of Thrones last night.

As anyone with access to the Internet probably knows by now HBO's Game of Thrones went and killed off two major characters is a very unceremonious way. And it made for great television. It was the emotionally shocking stuff I love to watch. But I can't help but feel that what happened might have had an even stronger resonance with myself, and many others who have voiced their dismay at being spoiled, if we'd stayed away from our computers before watching the episode.

Personally, I have no one to blame but myself. I frequently visit television news sites based in the US (being fully aware that I usually won't get to see shows that air until a couple of hours later), and even non-descript article titles like 'Game of Thrones Shocker', at which point I should have closed my web browser, didn't deter me. And so it came to be that I found an article titled 'Game of Thrones showrunners interview: The Red Wedding -- EXCLUSIVE', which was accompanied with this picture and the caption below it:

 

Game of Thrones just depicted one of the most disturbing death scenes in TV history: The graphic massacre of noble young rebellion leader Robb Stark...

And of course, that's where, like Robb, I was completely blindsided, and also like Robb's death, I was partially responsible for what occurred. Although I'm glad I did remain partially unscathed... I didn't know Talisa, her unborn child, and Catelyn were doing to die, so that's something. Regardless, let's just say I got off easy. I've already heard of several accounts of people finding over through Facebook, and promptly deleting whoever spoiled them over the incident.

I think it's safe to say this won't be the first or last time viewers are spoiled of a major death on television. I, of course, have done this before. I found out about Jimmy Darmody's death on the season two final of Boardwalk Empire while still trying to catch up with the show. Likewise, by the time I started watching Dexter I already knew Trinity would kill Rita in the season four final, in fact, finding out might been the catalyst for me to start watching the show.

But it's not only the Internet culpable of spoiling such things, television is such a large industry that even those involved can't keep everything hidden from the press to stop the fans from being spoiled. Leading up to The O.C.'s third season final rumours were rife that a major character was being killed off. Creator and writer Josh Schwartz even circulated the red-herring that the show's family patriarch, Sandy Cohen, was dying, only to have actress Mischa Barton, who played Marissa Cooper, reveal several days before the show's final that she had left, and that her character was being killed off. Similarly, during a wrongful termination lawsuit actress Nicolette Sheridan served Marc Cherry in regards to her departure from the show Desperate Housewives, Cherry was asked to prove that other major characters, like Sheridan's Edie, had being killed off of the show before, and that her exit wasn't a personal attack on Sheridan. Cherry responded that they were killing off Mike Delfino, the husband of one of the housewives, several weeks before the episode aired, spoiling the shock for fans.

 

As you can see, there's no way to avoid spoilers, and Game of Thrones is even more hazardous for spoilers because it's based of George R.R. Martin book series A Song of Ice and Fire. In fact the brutal scenes depicted in The Rains of Castamere occurred in book three of the series, which was released late 2000. And unlike with the Harry Potter series, in which I was forever immune to discovering the death of Sirius or Dumblemore as I read the books within the first couple of days of their release, I don't as yet have the luxury of staying unspoiled with Game of Thrones. So the best I can do in this case is to in fact get started, or should I say, continue, reading the novels as to be certain that this doesn't occur again. Ironically I'm only three-quarters of the way through book one, I'm up to the chapter in which Robb and Catelyn first arrive at The Twins to meet with Walder Frey. I wonder what will come from that? Wait, wait... don't tell me, I don't want to be spoiled.

My Fall Television Schedule

So today ABC released the premiere dates for its fall schedule this year. Now I finally have an idea of what my purposed television schedule will look like, and I am simultaneously both very excited and horrified. Excited that some of my favourite shows are returning (like Boardwalk Empire and 30 Rock) and that I finally get to check out some of my most anticipated new shows that I hope will become my favourites (like Nashville and Revolution). Horrified because I don't think I've ever tried to watch so much television in my life. I've only just gotten into downloading and this is my first 'season' in which I'll actively try and keep up with shows that are airing in the US instead of waiting for them to air here in Australia. Further horrified because, by looking at my proposed fall television schedule I already know several of these shows are going to fall by the wayside and that I'll have to watch them at a later date, or god forbid, drop them entirely off my 'to watch' list. My difficulties are different to those of most in that it's not about how much program are on at once, or how much space I have on my DVR, more so what will I have time to download and watch every week. Anyway, here's what my schedule looks like at the moment.

MONDAY:

Timeslot:                      Television Program                  Network          Premiere Date:
8.00pm - 8.30pm:           How I Met Your Mother           (CBS)               24/ 9
8.30pm - 9.00pm:           Partners (New Show)               (CBS)               24/9
10.00pm - 11.00pm        Revolution (New Show)           (NBC)              17/9

Mondays fairly easy. I already know I probably won't watch Partners, but it's the only new comedy that I think I might enjoy, so I'll at least try and check it out. If I lived in America I would just keep watching after How I Met Your Mother, but because I have to download it and can see myself not bothering. I only recently started watching How I Met Your Mother, and again, I'm not so worried about missing comedies, so I'm happy to wait until this airs in Australia rather than downloading it. I'm definitely watching Revolution though, one of my most anticipated new shows.

TUESDAY:

Timeslot:                      Television Program                  Network          Premiere Date:
9.00pm - 9.30pm:           Happy Endings                          (ABC)              23/10
9.00pm - 9.30pm:           New Girl                                      (Fox)                25/9

Tuesday looks to be the easiest night of the week for me. I definitely watching Happy Endings, and while I like New Girl, I'm happy for that to wait and air here in Australia. That being said, I still have plans to catch up on Don't Trust the Bitch in Apartment 23, and if I like that, I'll add it to the list. Similarly, I've always wanted to get into Private Practice, and with this season likely to be it's last I might consider checking it out. Furthermore, there's heaps on new comedies premiering on Tuesday nights, six if I count correctly, and since I haven't been hooked by any comedies in recent times if I here consistently good reviews about any of these I might start watching.

WEDNESDAY:

Timeslot                        Television Program                  Network          Premiere Date
9.00pm - 10.00pm:          Supernatural                             (CW)                3/10
10.00pm - 11.00pm:        Nashville (New Show)             (ABC)              10/10

Wednesday is a fairly easy night, too. I'm definitely watching Nashville, and I'm fairly certain I'll keep up to date with Supernatural providing I don't become overloaded with other stuff to watch. Arrow is getting quite a lot of hype recently though, and I'm afraid I'm going to have to add that to my list. And don't judge me, but I'm also quite curious to see how The Neighbors will turn out.

THURSDAY:

Timeslot                       Television Program                   Network          Premiere Date
8.00pm - 8.30pm:          30 Rock                                        (NBC)               4/10 
8.00pm - 8.30pm:          The Big Bang Theory                 (CBS)                27/ 9
8.00pm - 9.00pm:          Last Resort (New Show)            (ABC)               27/9
8.00pm - 9.00pm:          The Vampire Diaries                  (CW)                11/10

Here's where things start to get interesting. Not only have I got four shows on one night, they're all on at the same time (sometimes I am lucky to live in Australia). I'm definitely watching 30 Rock for it's final season, and Last Resort is one of my most anticipated new shows. I'd like to watch The Vampire Diaries and The Big Bang Theory too, but if it all gets to much, I'll wait until I have some more time for The Vampire Diaries, and just wait for The Big Bang Theory to air in Australia. Unfortunately, Thursday is also the day of shows I've been wanting to watch for a while but haven't gotten around to. I'm just about to finish Scandal, and I had planned to catch up on Person of Interest. Similarly to its spin-off Private Practice, I've been meaning to watch Grey's Anatomy too. I don't think I'll get around to any of these though.

FRIDAY:

Timeslot                       Television Program                    Network          Premiere Date
9.00pm - 10.00pm:         Fringe                                          (Fox)                  28/9

Friday seems easy enough, but I'm fairly certain that I'll also be adding either Nikita or Grimm, or both, to this list considering I have their entire first seasons taking up space on my DVR, so they desperately need watching.

SATURDAY:

Maybe I could go outside and have a life or something? I dunno, it better be full of interesting characters and past-paced plots.

SUNDAY:

Timeslot                      Television Program                        Network         Premiere Date
9.00pm - 10.00pm:        Boardwalk Empire                         (HBO)             16/9
9.00pm - 10.00pm:        Dexter                                               (Showtime)     30/9
9.00pm - 10.00pm:        Revenge                                            (ABC)             30/9
9.00pm - 10.00pm:        The Walking Dead                         (AMC)            14/10
10.00pm - 11.00pm:      666 Park Avenue (New Show)     (ABC)             30/9
10.00pm - 11.00pm:      Homeland                                        (Showtime)     30/9

Where to begin on what most people consider to be the best night of TV in recent years? Reading through the days I could understand why some viewers may have thought I was overreacting with the amount of television I have to watch, but as you can see, Sunday is the major problem. Unlike other days where I've considered watching a show later or dropping it, that's not really an option here. Cable shows take even longer to reach Australian shores than network ones, and all of these are critically acclaimed and are heavily discussed online, so if I watch them later, chance are I would have been spoiled by the time I got to them. Boardwalk Empire, Dexter and The Walking Dead are a must. I've got friends that watch the, and they're discussed on much online that I can't afford to miss them. I enjoy Homeland, but I'm happy to watch that later. As for Revenge, if it gets to the point where I have to drop it I will, and the verdict's out on 666 Park Avenue until I've actually seen a couple of episode. Furthermore, Sunday nights has The Good Wife and Once Upon A Time, another two popular and well-received shows that I've been desperate to catch up on and just haven't found the time. And don't get me started on Fox's animation block. I enjoy The Simpsons, Family Guy, and American Dad, but for the sack of my sanity I'm going to have to pass.

For a full list of the main television networks schedule check out this Wikipedia page:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2012%E2%80%9313_United_States_network_television_schedule

For a full list of all the main television networks premiere dates check you should check out tv.com, and if you haven't already you should make your own fall television schedule lineup here (it's fun and helpful):
http://www.tv.com/features/upfronts-2012/

So there you have it folks. I plan to watch 17 television shows a week (Lord give me strength), at a total of 15 hours. And if you managed to read through everything, there's about another 14 shows waiting in the wings that I would like to watch at some point. It's impossible, I know, so for the time being I'll try to lower it down to the ten shows I will watch this coming season:

Boardwalk Empire

The Walking Dead

Nashville

30 Rock

Happy Endings

Revolution

Last Resort

Dexter

666 Park Avenue

Supernatural

That being said shows like 30 Rock and Fringe only have shortened thirteen episode final seasons, and all the cable shows generally only go for twelve episodes. Obviously the shows don't all start airing at the same time either, the first show starting being Boardwalk Empire (16/9) and the last being Happy Endings (23/10). Plus there's always a high chance that new shows I watch will get cancelled... so maybe once all that happens I'll be able to cram some more hours of TV in, if I'm not brain dead by then.

Give yourself a part on the back if you read through all of this, I very much appreciate you taking the time to do so. So what do you plan to watch this fall? Any painful clashes, or are all your favourite shows on exactly when you want them to be? Let me know, I'd love to here them.

Which TV character do you think you are? (Regrettably or Otherwise)

So the other day a friend of mine said something to me that really got me thinking about what television characters I have an affinity with. And not in a good way, unfortunately. Much to my dismay, my friend called me 'The Quagmire' of our group. For those unaware, Glenn Quagmire is a character from the animated sitcom Family Guy, who is known for his general creepy and sexually deviant behaviour. Well let's just say if someone compares you to a character like that it definitely gets you thinking about your personality.

In my honest opinion, if I were to be anyone from Family Guy, I'd see myself more as a Brian Griffin. I'm a struggling writer, enjoy a bit of a drink, enjoy being contrarian, and consider myself more cultured than most of my family members and friends. Obviously with those traits comes a fair bit of pretentiousness, and I'd be the first to admit I'm often sarcastic and a hypocrite towards others.

Thinking back to shows I watched when I was younger one character I especially remember relating to, and therefore sharing an affinity with, was Malcolm in the Middle's titular character Malcolm Wilkerson. Being considered smart, Malcolm is placed in a special class, which he has difficulty fitting in with and therefore is trapped in between the geniuses and the normal people, but is unable to fit into either group. His dysfunctional family are a constant hassle and embarrassment for him to deal with, and also prolong his doubts about not fitting in, as does his own ego. There are not too many redeeming character qualities here, if any at all, but regardless, Malcolm was a relatable character for young men, because he was realistic. What 12 year-old boy doesn't put himself first, blame all his problems on his family, knows the pain of being bullied, yet bullies himself, all the while longing to just fit in? Why yes, Malcolm, life is unfair.

Nowadays, I have grown into an artsy and socially awkward adult (with my 12 year-old maturity still in tact, thank God) and find that one of the main shows in which I relate to several of its characters is 30 Rock.  I think majority of the writers of TGS could apply to my personality including Liz Lemon, Pete Hornberger, and J.D. Lutz. All of them, a part from being writers, are socially awkward, generally insecure, hold strong concerns about how they are perceived by others (yet refuse to put too much effort into their appearance), are popular-culture nerds, and have issues with food. They are all very career driven, although this is because they are lonely not because they love their work, they set impossibly high standards for themselves and are desperate to please everyone, often leading them to be pushed around by others and let down. Honestly people, all this is why writers have such good material for their work.

Heading into darker territory, and exploring an interesting and exciting  development in television over recent years, is the affinity I share with Miami Metro's number-one serial killer, Dexter Morgan. Now I know I really shouldn't be telling people all the things I have in common with a mass murderer, but I'm obviously not the only one who shares my high opinion of the anti-hero, otherwise no one would watch Dexter. Killing very far aside, what makes him relatable is that Dexter feels he doesn’t belong in the world and can never be accepted for who he is and he finds it difficult to interact with other individuals and is often naive of social etiquette. For him, being normal and acting just like everyone else is an extremely difficult task, one he must constantly perform. As such, he feels disconnected from the world. We all have a 'Dark Passenger' of our own, and it's interesting to see that audiences are becoming more inclined to watch shows with flawed characters.

Who knows whether it's a trend that will continue, but it wouldn't be at all surprising if it does. After all, one of the most important parts of a successful television show are likable characters, and the best way for writers to do that is to make the audience relate to them on a personal level. In most television shows, but particularly sitcoms, main characters have a tendency to demonstrate similar primary character traits (sometimes to the point of stereotypes), which is why it's no surprise people often see themselves in characters. For example, as the socially awkward geek I described above, characters like Ross Geller (Friends), Seth Cohen (The O.C.), Eric Forman (That 70's Show) and Arnold Rimmer (Red Dwarf), are the ones I find most relatable, because they all share common characteristics and play a certain role show in their respective show, in this case, at it's very basic level, 'The Nerd'.

So, believe me, if someone ever compares you to a television character, or you yourself find you have an uncanny resemblance to one, don't say blurgh like my television alter-ego Liz Lemon would, but rather be aware the characters are written so that audiences relate to them and that it's nothing to be ashamed of, it's just the magic of television at work.

So I told you mine, will you tell me yours? What television characters are you most like? Are you a typical nerd, or can you easily be placed in another stereotypical group? I mean, come on, I had a dog and a serial killer in my list, yours is definitely not going to be as bad as mine, and I would love you to share.