I just sat down to binge watch Dexter for the first time. OMG, Carpenter is so strange and annoying. It's mainly the way she speaks, very nervous and choked off. I'm probably the only person who is bothered by her - but 94 episodes to go.
shareI literally can't believe there are people that think this cuz I love Jennifer and I adored Deb! She just had so much heart and emotions. And Jenn this great job acting her she was so real, she killed it. well, too each his own :)
shareTo each his own, indeed. I watched 2 episodes, really wasn't my thing, I posted a simple offhand remark and the response has been unreal. LOL. I couldn't believe the strong reactions on both sides of the issue.
This is a fictional character in a TV series. Some people acted like she was a close family member that I had insulted. There are so many real issues people could be concerned about. Some people, not you, have lost their perspective, if they ever had one. Thanks for not being nasty!
no problem and no reason to be nasty about it :) may I just add.. if you watched only two eps you really didn't get a feel for characters at all so it's hard to judge.. maybe one day when you're bored you'll give it a second chance :)
shareI'm an emotional person, so her character just did it for me. I'm a guy too, but as the character Joey Quinn said, "You're like a guy". Yep, that was the Debra character! Swore like a truck driver, had attitude, mentally came back from the depths at first, then got screwed again, but just never quit. My kind of lady!
shareThat's not the worst of it. Her character is an out-and-out overambitious narcissist, which is exactly the type of cop that police departments work hard to keep out: people that join the police force not to "protect and serve" but rather fulfill their own manic ego trip. She is immature to the point of absurdity, treats the job as a game and is unable to listen to criticism without throwing a hissy fit or demanding that the other person (usually Dexter) is trying to rain of her parade.
At no point in the show does her character demonstrate any competence or skill as an homicide investigator, and she is ultimately always reliant upon Dexter to give her insight and analysis (which she then takes credit for, which Dexter, being the good brother, encourages) and to correct her mistakes.
That said, Carpenter is a hell of a lot less annoying and gives a far more genuine performance (in my opinion) than Jorja Fox and Marg Helgenberger on CSI, which combined with all the absurdly numerous inaccuracies regarding the role of forensics in law enforcement made it impossible for me to enjoy CSI. I could never get over the CSI personnel actually interrogating suspects and even other investigative functions that are the domain of police detectives -- not even Dexter is that ridiculously inaccurate in its depiction of procedure and protocol.
yes! exactly !
I liked Jennifer Carpenter as an actress, but Debra did get on my nerves quite a bit, especially after she found out Dexter's secret. Her relationship jumping also drove me up the wall.
shareYeah, Deb really could be annoying at times, but not so much that I would stop watching the show just because of her.
shareAgreed with the OP. I've just started watching season 1 and keep wondering if she has a speech impediment or something.
shareReally? I always liked Jennifer Carpenter. In fact, outside of the show Dexter, she's actually a terrific actress. Take Quarantine for example. I'm amazed how she's able to portray being sad, angry, or horrified so convincingly. Maybe sometimes she has the tendency to overact. But still, she's got talent. The only times I found her annoying in Dexter, wasn't necessarily related to her acting abilities. It was more like what predicaments the bad writing of the show put her in. It doesn't matter how great of an actor someone is. Bad writing and a lousy director can easily ruin that.
shareI'm rewatching the series for the first time in a few years and I'm actually pretty surprised by how unbearable I find Debra Morgan. I remember finding her kind of annoying before but tolerable. Now I'm tempted to skip every scene of hers that doesn't involve Dexter.
I feel the character is just completely unbelievable in every way. Her fast rise up the police ladder along with being a constant guy magnet are equally improbable with her weird face (those contorted, whiny facial expressions. Yeesh! ), the body of a 10 year old girl & personality of an angsty self absorbed preteen. It's all made worse by the fact that none of the other characters ever call her out on how she's terrible , in fact often reassuring her how great she supposedly is.( Looking at you Dexter)
I think it's a combination ofJennifer Carpenter being miscast, poorly directed & the character just being badly written. I can't believe how much her character is managing to spoil my enjoyment of the show in a way I was apparently able to overlook before.
perfect description!
shareYOUR NOT ALONE ! FINISHED WATCHING THE SERIES !...CARPENTER IS AN OVER-ACTOR OF IMMENSE PROPORTION AND THE CHARACTER IS A BIPOLAR FREAK THAT WOULD NEVER BE ON ANY POLICE FORCE! BUT THEN THE LAGUERTA CHARACTER CALLS FOR "PUTTING DEXTER DOWN" WHEN DID CAPTAINS NOT RECOGNIZE THEY AREN'T THE JURY? HE COULD BE EASILY HELD AT BAY UNTIL BACKUP ARRESTED HIM! WRITERS JUST SUCK BIG TIME!