TVSquad

This season of Dexter has the most share of downs than seasons past, so much so that it's actually turned the audience against the strife and struggles of their longest running characters. But whoever thought that one of them would be sweet, lovable Rita?

Entertainment Weekly critic Ken Tucker said in his most recent review at his "Watching TV" blog that the three things he wouldn't miss are the Batista/Laguerta relationship, Quinn's touchy relationship with a scoop hungry reporter and Rita, played by Julie Benz.

His issue isn't with Benz's performance, but he said he feels "dubious" about the fixes that have to be made to Dexter and Rita's relationship. All this talk of working out issues could turn an edgy show about a body chopping serial killer into an episode of The View with less screaming and violence.

The critic has spoken. What say you?

(S03E12) This was a really interesting finale for Dexter, unlike any they've ever done before. I'm not sure how well-received it's going to be amongst the Dexter fans; I'll be anxious to read the comments.

Me? I really liked it, and I think the growth that Dexter experienced as a person was really important for him. All along, I've posited that Dexter, though he thinks he's a deviant, is more like everyone else than he realizes: same insecurities, same fears. To see him overcome some of these and accept happiness was profound.

Everyone has secrets and they need to be respected. That's the theme of this episode. After the jump, we'll see how the different secrets played out in tonight's finale.

(S03E11) All I have to say about that is ... whoo boy. It is rare to find a show that delivers quality episodes as consistently as Dexter does. I never come away disappointed, and I sure didn't tonight.

But how are they going to wrap this season up in one episode? My guess is that some loose ends will be left to continue next season, but the major ones will have some conclusion.

I can't even say anything until after the break, this episode was so darned spoilery, but I will say that Dexter did have a dream, as in the title of the episode, and now that dream is dead.

(S03E10) So much is going to happen in the last two episodes of Dexter, and this episode set it all up. It was a tense one, and I enjoyed watching Dexter's and Miguel's little game of cat and mouse.

However, I really missed some of the lighter moments we often see in Dexter, like the quotes with double meanings, the underlying serial killer humor, if you will. There was one at the very beginning, though, that was classic Dexter. On toying with the idea of killing Miguel, Dexter says in his voice over: "He's also my best man. I'd be expected to grieve."

Join me after the jump as I delve into some of the foundations that have been laid for the last two episodes.

(S03E09) Things are coming together and they will have a lot to cram into the last three episodes of Dexter, that's for sure. Some huge things happened in this episode, but mostly, it leaves me with a lot of questions. Really, really good questions.

I'll leave the spoilery ones until after the break and start with Barbara...

What's up with Batista's chick talking dirty to Masuka?
I don't know why Vince would lie about something like that, and it seems to me there's more to it than Barbara trying to fit in. Didn't quite find that perfect girl, did you Batista?

(S03E08) OK, so I am sitting here, trying to figure out how I can actually write a review of this episode of Dexter when the bloody preview left nothing from next week's episode a surprise. WTF, Showtime? So, let's move past that huge spoiler that is next week's coming attractions and talk about the damage done by Dexter, Miguel and Quinn in "The Damage a Man Can Do."

Dexter talks of the Butterfly Effect, in which one event sets off a chain reaction of other events. This is essentially what happens throughout this episode, and in every case, things go downhill fast.

To cap off a very long day, for me -- Showtime's Dexter panel. This is one of my favorite shows right now, so it was definitely a nice way to end things. What made things even sweeter was an after-party I got to attend with a few other TV bloggers, but that's something I'll report on later.

For now, read on for the highlights from this panel.

(S02E01) The new season has started and already I dread the season finale, when we'll have to wait through another summer without our favorite serial killer. God, did I just say that?

The opening scene proves that the writers haven't forgotten how to kep with the clever euphemisms for killing, with the "Bowl 'Till You Bleed" bowling team. With Doakes now tailing Dexter (a partial shout-out to how suspicious Doakes was of Dexter in the first book the show's based on), I have to wonder why Dexter has gone so long without raising suspicions in the past. Why now?

Every mainstream offering has its alternative. The Oscars have the Independent Spirit Awards. Sundance has Slamdance. And, the Golden Globes have the Satellite Awards? Never heard of them? Me neither.

Hosted by the International Press Academy, as opposed to Globe host - the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, the Satellites honor a slightly broader, more unexpected line-up of television greats. Some of the more intriguing names to turn up among the nominees included Laura Kightlinger for the Minor Accomplishments of Jackie Woodman, Julie Benz for Dexter (pictured) and Stephen Colbert as a "best actor" nominee for The Colbert Report.

Winner were announced on Monday night. You can check them out after the jump:

(S01E15) Ah, family! You do all you can to make your them proud of you, make them respect you, and all they do is give you crap. Then, they get bitten by vampires and die without even a 'good job' or 'thanks for everything'. To quote the famous philosopher Stephanie Tanner 'How rude!'.

Hence, the premise of this episode of Angel. We delve into the family lives of two of the players: Angel and Detective Kate Lockley. For Angel we go back to the mid-18th century to his time as the young upstart named Liam. For Kate we stay in the present and focus on her relationship with her father, a retired policeman. In both cases, neither child is given the respect they deserve.

The Premise: Michael C. Hall (of Six Feet Under fame) plays Dexter Morgan, a forensic investigator and blood-spatter analyst for the Miami-Dade Police Department. But that's only his day job. Beneath his chipper attitude is a dark secret, one that harbors his disgust for those who do wrong. When he isn't investigating a murder for the boys in blue, Dexter takes matters into his own hands. An efficient killer, he hunts down and brutally murders the horrible people (child molesters, rapists, other serial killers) that actually deserve to die. When he isn't chopping up his latest victim, Dex deals with the rest of his mundane life: mentoring a sister who's also a cop, fending off sexual advances from his boss, and trying to figure out a girlfriend who he doesn't really want to sleep with.