MONDAY! I had a very busy weekend! I am exhausted...but thankfully I have my amazing friend Michelle is here to take over the blog for the day! I have known Michelle for over 10 years. She is my TV Buddy. We are both OBSESSED with TV and even though we don't live in the same area, we still manage to 'watch' our shows together. SO I am super excited that she is here today to talk about one of my FAVORITE shows - Dexter....& another huge hit - Breaking Bad.
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Let me start by acknowledging that this may not be my audience. But I love TV, Kelly loves TV, and Kel offered a platform for me to talk about TV- so here I am!
I don't know how many of you saddled up 8 seasons ago to watch Dexter or 6 years ago to watch Breaking Bad; but this year, the curtain is closing on the antiheros we spent so many Sunday nights with. While each program features a variety of characters and actors I adore- I want to focus on saying "goodbye" to my favorite men of the Summer TV season: Dexter Morgan (Michael C. Hall) and Jesse Pinkman (Aaron Paul). They are handsome, they do bad things, I root for them, and I will miss them dearly.
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Dark Defender Dexter- blood spatter analyst by day, serial killer by night. Dexter took out the trash in Miami and he looked good doing it. While his ethical Code and late storylines wavered (I'm looking at you season 6!), Michael C. Hall's portrayal of Dexter is unflappable (Hall acts, narrates, and produces the program).
Though Dexter is based on a book, Hall fully embodies the character and revels in the madness, rage, and betrayals assigned to him. Seriously, his performance is electrifying and brazenly honest. He makes me cry, he makes want to tear my hair out, and he makes me laugh (what serial killer wears pink pastel shirts and khakis?).
Masquerading as a sociopath is a much wilder beast- when his cool, calm, and collected façade shatters from time to time, it's a dream to see this megalomaniacal psycho really break loose (think the bathroom at the gas station in the season 5 opener, tussling with Doakes at the ship yard, and the impromptu murder of a crooked cop in a van while ANOTHER cop unknowingly tries to gain access to said van).
Despite flaws in the plot in later years, Dexter has always been a character I cheer for and love to watch squirm out of close call after close call.
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Now, let me shift to AMC's visual masterpiece, Breaking Bad. The ensemble cast is extraordinarily strong and I could sing the praises of Bryan Cranston and Anna Gunn all day, but I want to focus on co-lead (and my favorite character since day one) Aaron Paul's Jesse Pinkman- the original "Cap'n Cook".
Jesse has always been a wild card. He's been a junkie, he's been a wreck, he's been victorious, he's lost everything, and he's flown too close to the sun. Paul portrays all those feelings, impulses, and flaws beautifully; it's earned him two Emmy's (he's nominated again this year, I'll be crossing my fingers for him September 22) and countless fans and supporters who love both Aaron himself and Jesse.
Jesse is the morality of the show, the ethical center. Because he lives in an unethical world, the blood and turmoil weighs more on him than any other character. He's seen how the sausage is made- through blood, power, unbridled pride- and he wants out and balance restored (jeesh, I sound like I'm talking about Game of Thrones!). We don't know how Jesse will achieve peace or vengeance- but I think it's going to hurt. I sit each Sunday with baited breath- also with wine and tissues because who knows what insanity Breaking Bad will hurl your way.
The worlds of Dexter and Breaking Bad are real- no one dies and comes back as a vampire. The stakes are high, the consequences are cruel, painful, and merciless.
I've enjoyed both of these programs so much- Dexter and Jesse forever have a place in my cold, black heart. Their character journeys have been spectacular to watch over the past few years.
My Sunday nights will be so sad without them (well, until The Walking Dead and Homeland are back, duh).
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