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I've been thinking about the differences between the Dexter books and the show. I think the real strength of the show is that because the viewpoint shifts out of dexter's head into something a little more objective, the characters no longer divide into cover and antagonists. This allows the characters who aren't Dexter, Rita, and Debra to breath and expand into real people. I always thought Angel was quietly cool, but now he gets a character arc and fleshing out. The real beneficiaries are folks like LeGuerta and Masuka (or Joey Quinn who isn't in the books, but if you look at the barely sketched Deborah partners in the books, Quinn is so much better) who suddenly become whole people with strengths, flaws, character arcs, and internal logic. The huge, never explained hole in Matsuka, who in the books is a two dimensional Asian stereotype, who's main character traits are 1. Dexter likes him because he's also fake, though the why is never explained. 2. Sexual inappropriateness, suddenly gets filled in an utterly logical way in season four, and suddenly his whole character comes into sharp focus and he makes sense. LeGuerta is the real winner though. The book version is a one dimensional villain; the show version is nuanced and while still ambitious and a touch venal, now has a good motive for her early nasty treatment of the Morgans and has an upward trajectory in general. At some point I was watching her and thought, wow, I'm really rooting for her here. She's still competitive and flawed, but I want her life to work out.


Please don't tell me a thing about season five. I'm completely up to date on the books, but not the series.