Dexter: Love American Style

 "She doesn't know yet, but I don't have the next level..."

The way the theme of this episode is handled is very well done here- love is not something Dexter can ever understand but, after Harry's training as shown in the flashbacks, Dexter, by "acting" seems to be pretty good at it as far as Rita is concerned. Throughout the episode she likes him more and more... and he's fortunate in not having to, er, return last episode's favour.

Others are less successful. Most notably Angel, whose strained relationship with his separated wife is revealed to Dexter... and things at Dexter's home are almost revealed to Angel. What will eventually come of this? Chekhov's Gun and all that...

Then there's Rita's poor maid, who's lost her beloved fiancé to... well, we're coming to them. Then there's the poor Mr. Tucci, forever deformed but happy to be alive. Deb using her feminine wiles on him is an important plot beat here: after distinctly failing to impress Doakes for most of the episode, she has a lozenge-related breakthrough that leads to a semi-breakthrough... and has her prostitute friend pleasure Mr Tucci. And, if the lady is willing, why not? Mr Tucci, while perhaps not a lucky man, is not unlucky with the opposite sex here.

And then we have the killing of the week, as Dexter goes after a people trafficker who extorts and murders... and we get the big twist: it's him and his wife, and they love each other. To Dexter's shock, people like him are capable of love...

And then the final twist: cutting corners slightly, Dexter is seen...

This is a compelling, fascinating and eventful episode. The season feels as though it's in full swing...

Batman: The Animated Series- Cat Scratch Fever

 "You're hot."

"Now you notice!"

Another Catwoman episode, and it's interesting to see where they're going with her- good at heart, and motivated by her social conscience for good or ill. Sentenced only to five years' probation, she stands to lose her liberty for a long, long time if she get's convicted again. Will this last, with the Sword of Damocles hovering over her head.

The Batman-Selina-Bruce ironic love triangle is well done again, played for banter and humour rather than too much pathos, which could have become tiresome. It'll be interesting to see where the Animated Series takes Selina Kyle: I hope we'll be seeing a lot more of her. But is this trajectory for the character sustainable in the long run, I wonder?

More good world building for Daggett, too, one of Gotham's stable of untouchable mob bosses. His scheme this week is particularly nasty- start a deadly plague, having established a monopoly on the cure. On a similar vein, I wonder whether Daggett will ever see any kind of consequences for his behaviour?

A solid episode, good if not great. But fascinating in terms of where the now fully established Animated Series seems to be heading.

Twin Peaks: The Black Widow

 "I'm sorry, am I being obscure?"

I've no idea where any of this is going, or indeed what's going on, and I'm totally fine with that. Twin Peaks is not there to be understood, merely to give us dreamlike impressions, like a Dali painting. It is, I suppose, oddly Freudian in the way that much modernist art and literature was...

But that is, of course, just my impression. It's subjective. Barthes, Death of the Author and all that. In the case of David Lynch, sadly, literally so.

So we have Major Briggs' boss earnestly asking Cooper whether there were any owls around at the time of the disappearance. There's Dougie's sudden death on the night of his wedding, his bride's apparent history of similar incidents, and her uncanny powers over men, to Lucy's horror. One doesn't expect to hear extensive quoting from Romeo and Juliet in Twin Peaks...

Then there's Dick's growing suspicion that Little Nicky may literally be the Devil. There's Major Brigg's sudden reappearance, to the sight and sound of violent thunder. There's Nadine's almost superhuman abilities. It's all so splendidly weird.

Then there's the fun of Cooper and Denise investigating how and why he was framed, which all seems to be linked to the ever-nefarious Jacques Renault...

I'm loving this, if anything, even more since Laura's murder was solved.

Andor: Who Are You?

 "Rebellions are built on hope."

Wow. There was only one way this episode was going to go- the Empire manufacturing a riot on Ghorman to justify the "crackdown", straight from the fascist playbook- but seeing things unfold, slowly and inevitably, was brutal. This episode is just extraordinary.

It all unfolds in slow motion. The demonstration. The careful escalation of imperial policing. The cynical use of a sniper to fire on the Empire's own troops. And then the use firstly of Stormtroopers and then of unstoppable droids that simply hurl demonstrators into the air. The effect is one of real horror. And... yeah, all while disturbing things are happening in the USA right now, except their Palpatine is much more orange and much less intelligent.

Then there's the tragedy of Syril and Dedra. Syril always was, despite the career advancement, a pawn. And the moment where he confronts (and, implicitly, dumps) Dedra for her amoral and appalling behaviour carries so much power. His death in the riot is almost an afterthought, the last words he ever hears being Cassian's "Who are you?".

Denise Gough is superb as she portrays Dedra's utter despair at the end. She's done so much, made such terrible moral sacrifices... and for what?  

The final shot is of Syril's mum, inconsolable. She may not have been the best mother, but in the end she was in many ways right.

Again... wow.

The Lady in the Van (2015)

 "You wouldn't get Harold Pinter pushing a van down the street."

I remember reading, some decades ago, some mention of the tragic and eccentric Miss Mary Sheppard, as she certainly wasn't called, in the memoirs of Alan Bennett. rather more recently, we lost the superlative Maggie Smith. So it's high time that I saw, and blogged, this film.

Much though Alex Jennings is magnificent in totally inhabiting Alan Bennett while also giving us not merely an impression but an actual performance, Maggie Smith is indeed utterly incredible here, in a role that perfectly fits her talents- a humorous figure, yes, but one who will, by the film, come to evoke such pathos. Not exactly likeable- but endearing, nonetheless.

Yes, as befitting a script by Alan Bennett, this film is about so much. The very English timidity that can lead one to reluctantly allow an imperiously haughty homeless old lady to live in a van on one's property. How easily one can become a carer without really intending to, or realising it. That very English issue of class- Miss Sheppard is from loftier origins than the nevertheless Oxford educated Alan Bennett, son of a Leeds butcher, yet he is now a feted playwright living in fashionable Camden whereas she is homeless- plays out in all its nuances, most deliciously as Bennett's mother avoids contact with her son's unwanted guest because "With her being educated, I wouldn't know what to say."

This isn't a film for those who like action- very little, I suppose, happens, and even the mystery of Miss Sheppard's past is not over-emphasised. This is a quietly philosophical, meditative film that is, above all, about the ethics of using real peoples' lives for one's writing, and I for one found it most enjoyable.

Gamera vs. Barugon (1966)

 "If you doubt that, then you doubt the gods!"

I love how Kaiju films always showcase the charming Japanese habits of always giving names to the massive radioactive monsters that periodically lay waste to their bigger cities:

"Oh no! It's Bob the flame-emitting tyrannosaurus rex!"

"But look! Here comes Kevin the laser beam-equipped triceratops!"

It's taken me a while to get to this second film in the franchise, but this is such a gloriously silly B movie, and is giving me the impression that the Godzilla films will end up looking positively serious by comparison and I, for one, have zero problem with this. Well, beyond a bit of a wince at the Japanese extras in blackface in the Papua New Guinea scenes- it was a very different time. And the fact that one of the main characters is a Japanese veteran of the Second World War, no doubt up to no good.

The opening bit is delightfully bonkers. Gamera is sent straight back to Earth (to Japan- what were the chances?) by a random meteorite. We then turn to a bizarre exploration plot where a load of men go on a quest for an opal which, delightfully, turns out to be an egg which hatches into Barugon, with added radiation. And Barugon has the power to, er, emit rainbows of doom. Yes, really.

We get lots of great retro effects as the two monsters fight, cause destruction and all the usual stuff. The obvious model tanks that are de rigeur for the genre are very much present and correct. And we have all sorts of splendidly bonkers plans to destroy Barugon before, inevitably, it's Gamera to the rescue.

If you're in the mood to switch your brain off for ninety odd minutes then this is a particularly fun way to do it. Top B movie hi-jinks.

Twin Peaks: Masked Ball

 "Let a smile be your umbrella!

It's fascinating to see the season continue to branch out after the Laura Palmer mystery is solved- was the second season supposed to last only as long as the first season did, with the rest of the season added on? Because, I have to say, it sort of feels like that... but absolutely not in a bad way.

The Major's disappearance isn't dwelt on, but I like Hawk's bit about the White Lodge and the Black Lodge. Then there's the subplot with poor Josie, as we learn about her past, only for her to be cruelly entrapped into being Catherine's maid... and then, the cliffhanger, her husband is not only alive but in league with Catherine and using his own wife as bait!

Then there's James, whose motorbike riding is always accompanied by rock 'n' roll, meeting a femme fatale in a bar. There's more school antics with Nadine, a very surreal wedding, and more passive aggressive rivalry between Dick and Andy, which Andy seems to be winning by niceness. I'm loving the mixture of the weird and the comedic with, for now, more emphasis on a lightness of tone. Although Ben Horne, for one, isn't having a good time in this episode.

Indeed, even the investigation into Agent Cooper, a seeming frame attempt, goes into the direction of a trans investigator played by none other than David Duchovny with some very 1990 attitudes to LGBT plus issues, albeit with no nasty culture war bigotry. Yeah... it feels so recent, but it was a different time!

Batman: The Animated Series- Night of the Ninja

 "Defeat can be more instructive than victory..."

This is a nice little episode with what I suspect is a one-off villain, but a decent one nonetheless. Kyodai Ken is a rival of Bruce's from his days training in Japan, out for revenge, blaming Bruce for his self-inflicted disgrace. It feels right that Batman: The Animated Series should have a ninja episode, and all the ninja stuff is fun.

Also interesting is a bit of character development- Bruce's habit of not confiding in others and suffering alone is brought up by Alfred and Dick... although, given how essential he is to saving Bruce's bacon twice during this episode, it's very convenient for the plot that this should be one of those episodes featuring Robin.

It's also fun to have a bit more of a spotlight on Summer Gleeson, a persistent reporter who has mostly just been a bit of background flavour. Bruce being handicapped by not being able to be seen to fight too well by her is a nice idea, well handled.

Perhaps not an "important" episode. But a good one nonetheless.

Andor: Messenger

 "He's a messenger. There's some place he needs to be."

The moment epitomises by the quote is truly chilling to all those of us who have seen Rogue One. It's as though, via the Force, fate somehow exists, at least for certain individuals, and Cassian is one of them. Yes, there's some minor drama in that Cassian expresses scepticism about the Force healer and Bix can't help believing... but we, the viewers, know that Cassian is on an unavoidable journey to sacrifice and death.

As is Ghorman. Another year has passed, and the Empire has fine tuned its narrative of "terrorist acts", ready to justify its cynical destruction of Ghorman via propaganda. This thread has been woven very well indeed throughout the series (there are some very obvious real world examples!), and now a visibly nervous Dedra has to put the final stages of the plan into action. And Syril, despite her obvious affection for him, is kept in the dark, a pawn. No doubt this will go well and they will both live to enjoy their "reward"...

The Rebellion is now slowly growing at the base at Yavin which we know from the films. Yet there's starting to be a bit of a crack within the Rebellion, between Luthen and Yavin, which is interesting. So, when Cassian and Wilmon head to Ghorman to try to kill Dedra, this immediately causes conflict wit the Yavin hierarchy and Vel. Power seems to be shifting away from Luthen, perhaps?

Things are getting closer to the world of the original trilogy, yet the mood is one of deep foreboding. I'm absolutely fascinated to see where this is all going.

Dexter: Let's Give the Boy a Hand

 "People think it's fun to pretend you're a monster. Me, I spend my life pretending that I'm not."

Again, the flashbacks to Dexter's childhood, with Harry teaching him how to pretend and wear a mask so he looks normal, is contrasted with the scenes in the present, where masks abound, and not only because it's Halloween.

Hence Dexter solves a problem for Rita with a highly annoying neighbour, after which she, er, gets down on her knees to express her gratitude, shall we say- a big step for her, and showing how safe she feels with him. He wears his mask well, and is even good with the kids. And this is the result. Yet, although at first he seems to be trying to go through the motions... is he realising, to his surprise, that he's enjoying it?

Doakes, meanwhile, is in danger after last episode's hi-jinks, ending up kidnapped, roughed up... and rescued. He was bait all along. A mask he doesn't even realise he's wearing. 

And yet not everyone is wearing a mask. The killer thinks he sees Dexter for who he is, leaving freshly amputated bits of poor Tucci for Dexter to find. It's a game, and feels almost like a particularly twisted episode of Sherlock.

And this is awkward for LaGuerta, who has just been on the telly fingering Tucci as the killer. She's lucky to get away with it as far as Tucci's grateful mother is concerned, especially as Tucci is finally rescued with no thanks to her... although Deb, in claiming the credit allowed her by her brother, is wearing a metaphorical mask of sorts.

But the real climax sees the killer misjudge Dexter. The trap is supposed to lure Dexter in to kill Tucci... and he doesn't, because he's internalised the code of Harry. Dexter may be a monster, but he and the killer are not the same. Harry taught him not only to wear masks... but fundamentally changed who he was. Still a monster, but one with principles.

A fascinating, and deliciously structured, bit of telly. 

The Lost Boys (1987)

 "Read the TV guide, you don't need a TV!"

I know: where have I been all these years, ten years old in 1987 yet the first time I saw The Lost Boys was last night. At least I've seen it now,

As a story... the film is good. I wouldn't use a stronger word than "good": this is a fairly bog standard Hollywood blockbuster plot, but it's done well enough. And, given the youth of much of the cast, it's well performed. Dianne Wiest particularly excels as the sweet, overstressed Lucy, a character who feels very real, And Barnard Hughes is superb as Grandpa, Greek chorus and by far the coolest character in spite of all the very cool youth culture stuff.

And there's a lot of the latter. The main theme song is a banger in its own right: yes, Marilyn Manson's cover is better- his covers invariably are- but we don't talk about him nowadays. We get Echo and the Bunnymen covering People Are Strange. The vampires live in an abandoned underground hotel with a massive poster of Jim Morrison on the wall. All this stuff has a lot to do with why this film became such a cult classic, I feel.

And yet, I think, despite the rather satisfying resolution, the film is raised above its good-but-not-great script by its visuals. It has a very late '80s goth aesthetic. The vampires and the scenes surrounding them look great. And you can never go wrong with showing amusement rides at night to evoke a sense of the eerie.

A film with a merely decent script, then, but one elevated above that by visuals and coolness. And this is also a fascinating glimpse of vampires in pop culture in the '80s- a possible influence on both Anne Rice and Joss Whedon?

Twin Peaks: Dispute Between Brothers

 "You know, there's only one problem with you- you're perfect!"

I was genuinely wondering how Twin Peaks would be able to continue after wrapping up the murder of Laura Palmer. After seeing this, it seems I needn't have worried. So may plot threads, of course, continue. And, as I'll come to, we now have the new mystery box of the "White Lodge"

We begin with some splendid visuals, with an eerie and indeed liminal shot of the forest, then shifting to mantelpiece photos of both Laura and Leland Palmer... then to Agent Cooper comforting Sarah Palmer, reminding us- interestingly, in the light of what is to happen- that he is a deeply decent man.

Then there's Audrey's parting visit to Cooper. She clearly worships him, and his deep moral principles in refusing to be with her do nothing but reinforce that. Again, Cooper is a decent man.

So the FBI investigation comes as a shock... and I'm sure all the viewers were punching the air when Harry told the investigator exactly where he could shove his investigation. Cooper and Twin Peaks, by now, have established a true bond.

All this nicely developed plot and character stuff, and then the ending... night fishing, the "White Lodge" and the Major suddenly disappearing in a mass of owns, urination and white light. Wow.

Other things happen, too, including much broad comedy as Nadine, thirty-five years old, enrols in high school. But this is a surprisingly deep and character-driven episode that somehow manages to point Twin Peaks into what looks like a promising new direction.

Batman: The Animated Series- The Laughing Fish

 "Come on- he was a demented, abusive, psychotic maniac."

"Yeah, I'm really gonna miss him".

The above exchange says such a lot about the relationship between Harley Quinn and the Joker- twisted, perverse, but feeling weirdly real in its co-dependence. For this first time we get to see hints of the relationship I saw in Suicide Squad. It'll be interesting to see this develop.

This episode is the best Joker episode so far. But then, of course, it's based on an old '70s comic story, which I've read, by Steve Englehart. While i know him much better for his late '80s Marvel stuff, I do recall enjoying it in comic book form and it's no less compelling here, with the Joker's clever ways of using fish to get at the relevant functionaries.

Interesting use of Bullock here, too, questioning Batman's involvement, overruled by Gordon and ending up being saved by Batman from the Joker's inevitable shark. And A nice bit of Alfred's snark too. At this point, I think, the Animated Series is fully formed. And very good indeed.

Andor: What a Festive Evening

 "You'll make up for this forever..."

Wow. Even by Andor standards this is quite an episode.

We begin with an intense and very revealing scene: last episode Cassian was distinctly unimpressed with the amateur and doomed nature of the putative Ghorman rebellion, seeing that it would be a self-destructive gesture. He cares about people. Yet Luthen sees things differently. He cares only for the rebellion, the greater good, and cares not if people have to be sacrificed... hence a fascinating row.

And then Cassian finds out about Luthen almost recruiting Bix for a mission last episode: Luthen, utterly amoral yet with a social conscience, in the abstract at least(!), is manipulating them. And, indeed, everyone. He's a fascinating character, on the side of "good" yet in some ways as amoral and manipulative as any of the imperials.

So, despite the imperials' plotting (poor Syril, for example, doesn't know the whole picture), Luthen's fingers are in all the pies here. Bix and Andor persuaded to go on a mission together. A genuinely captivating sequence, at at posh party (cameo from Bail Organa!) with Kleya trying to remove a listening device from an antique... successfully, but not in a way as to dissipate the general air of foreboding.

And, of course, the mission on Ghorman. As soon Cinta and Vel kissed I knew that happy-ever-afters were out of the question. But ouch, Vel's speech at the end is so powerful.

This is, so far, even better than the first season.

Dexter: Popping Cherry

 "LaGuerta's not my pimp!"

Some fascinating developments in this third episode as Dexter gets better and better: the characters are more or less established and we can get on with things. I'm also coming to appreciate what a strong sense of place there is here- I've seen lots of films and television set in Miami, but we're really getting a strong sense of it here. 

Dexter himself continues to fascinate, finding it stressful to fake grief at a funeral yet piling on more and more brownie points with poor Rita, who is lovely but not having a great time, having her car brazenly stolen from her by a scumbag who is totally getting what's coming to him.

Meanwhile, our serial killer has another victim, a prostitute, and it seems a nightwatchman is being framed, setting up what seems to be a slow burn clash between Deb and LaGuerta, who seems to be staking an awful lot on Deb being wrong. But do I get a slight implication that she may have an unknown agenda...?

Meanwhile, Doakes' desire for revenge for the murder of the woman he was sleeping with seems to be leading to trouble, and there's a nice sequence in which Dexter's next intended victim turns out not to be what he seems, and Dexter lets him off with a warning. It's a nicely done moment, and shows us Dexter's principles.

And yet, to me, the core of the episode happens in flashback, and the episode is all about the Code of Harry, which gets deeply explored. Dexter's hero worship of his stepfather, who saved him by redirecting his homicidal urges towards strictly vigilante purposes, is powerfully shown- not least in Harry's oblique speech, in flashback, as he thinks he's on his deathbed.

Brilliantly, though, this shows us Dexter's first kill- a kind of Harold Shipman figure played by Natasha Yar from Star Trek: The Next Generation. For the second time this episode it's one killer to another, and Dexter's understanding of his fellow serial killers is genuinely chilling.

Yet again, utterly superb telly.

Carry On Again Doctor (1969)

 "Sir, I do not object to jiggery. But I do take exception to pokery.

It's the end of the '60s. And, worryingly, the Carry On series gives us a direct sequel to a recent hit in a way which might suggest they're running out of ideas. And, well... it's a bit of a curate's egg.

Yes, the ending, with the very '60s attitude to trans issues, is of its time, and couldn't be done today. Yet there's also an innocence to it, no suggestion of overt bigotry or cruelly cynical culture war nonsense. And the whole thing, particularly towards the end, is a very well constructed farce. And a well constructed farce is not an easy thing to write.

This is also a film crammed with excellent jokes, and most of the core Carry On cast at the top of their game. Kenneth Williams, Joan Sims and Hattie Jacques excel particularly, and Jim Dale is always a damn fine lead.

And yet... all that stuff in the overseas medical mission falls flat, with cheap looking sets and one note jokes. Worse, Sid James is wasted in a relatively small and poorly thought through role. There's such a contrast between these rather poor scenes and the rest of the film, in an actual medical setting.

And this is frustrating, because the rest of the film is as good as anything the Carry On crew have ever done, with script and cast both in sparkling form. When this film is good, it's very, very good.

Twin Peaks: Arbitrary Law

 "One chants out between two worlds... fire walk with me!"

Wow. This episode is a hugely satisfying resolution to the question of Laura's murder, but... we have twelve episodes to go.  How can this not be the end?

We knew it was Leland, possessed by Bob. But the way an admittedly clueless Agent Cooper finally solves the mystery by the use of visually awesome "magic", utilising all that imagery of not only his own dream, but those of Laura, is hugely satisfying. Bob's been possessing Leland, and using him to kill, for a long time. Yet Leland- even if Bob seemingly flies away as an owl(!) dies in peace at the end...

Well, as far as that may be said for one who has headbutted oneself to death on a cell door!

Laura accepted she had to die, in order to not herself be possessed. Wow. And the Major... he knows things. Also impressive is how Harry slowly, sort of, comes to terms with these supernatural things. Andthe shocking revelation that the old woman from a couple of episodes ago, with her eerie grandson, to whom Donna has been delivering meals for years, has been dead for years... brr!

Other things happen, too, of course- Catherine forces Ben to sign away his rights in return for nothing, and the saga of who is the father of Lucy's baby continues. But this episode is a massively satisfying conclusion to the central mystery.

So... what next.

Batman: The Animated Series- Robin's Reckoning, Part II

 "Looks like you could use some protection right now. And protection is my racket."

Immediately notable here is how especially good the animation is, especially the creative use of angle. There are lots of nice stylistic choices, such as the ever-creepy trope of an amusement park at night. And, as ever, the creative ambiguity surrounding the question of whether this is the 1940s or the present day gives a splendid visual style.

Yes, I suppose you could say this plays out predictably- in flashback, a vengeful Dick gets in Batman's way and inadvertently causes Zucco's escape. In the present, Robin's arrival saves Batman, and Batman intervenes to persuade Robin to find catharsis in justice, not revenge. Something along these lines was always going to happen.

Yet the final reconciliation works well in its nuance. The set pieces are impressive. And we get to see more of the seedy unpleasantness of Gotham at night. A good episode, then, not only because of its big ideas but also the little things.

Andor: I Have Friends Everywhere

 "Revolution is not for the sane..."

I like where this season seems to be going more and more, as we dig ever deeper into both the moral compromises and the personal costs of rebelling against totalitarianism. All this, and it seems Ruby Wax is a big TV star in the Empire...

We see Cassian, with his new disguise, beginning to infiltrate himself into Ghorman and make contact with the rebels, at first disappointing them with his caution. The situation is, of course, highly complicated: the rebels think they're manipulating Syril, but he (with Dedra) is actually manipulating them. This is high stakes ten dimensional chess.

Meanwhile, Luthen sees that Bix isn't doing so well mentally- the constant fear and stress of rebellion takes its toll. But Luthen himself doesn't react well to the prospect of one of his bugs being discovered. The stress of spinning all those plates...

But most intense of all, perhaps, are Wilmon's experiences. He spends so long training one of Saw's underlings, only for said underling to be shot as a traitor... then we get a fascinating scene with Saw, who gets sort of his own version of Luthen's "What do I sacrifice? Everything!" from last season: he knows damn well he will never live to see freedom, so what's the point in maintaining one's grip on sanity?

Utterly gripping television.

Dexter: Crocodile

 "I think he's trying to impress me. And it's working."

Episode two... and, for the first time, we see the opening titles, which are nicely clever and symbolic, using objects to hint at violence without any human flesh. And perhaps- we'll see if I'm right- we get a hint of a broad formula to the episodes, while also developing the characters. Meanwhile, there's some very witty dialogue and clever directorial choices. 

Interestingly, I don't like Dexter at all. But that isn't a barrier to his working well as the main character- why should the protagonist necessarily be the hero? His admiration with his serial killing rival is amusing. He commits another casual murder, this time of a serial drunk driving killer played by Sam from True Blood. And, again, only Doakes sees through him. His sister, the adorably ditzy Deb, looks up to her big brother. And even his sexual awkwardness with Rita makes him look good- it seems, at first, as though our asexual protagonist is going to have to do some making out. But he's saved by the fact that Rita's sexual assault trauma means she can't go through with it. And ends up with her thinking he's motivated by pure decency!

But the mood is different: not only has a cop been killed, not only has the killer gone after his wife, but there's drama, as Doakes was sleeping with the wife. LaGuerta still fancies Dexter while disdaining Deb, who gets transferred to homicide against her wishes. All this is definitely going somewhere. And all deliciously observed by Dexter. I like his attitude in court, as he people watches... conceptually, he gets other peoples' pain. But he's incapable of feeling it. Damn, this is quite the compelling character, and promises to be a compelling series.