History YMMV / SergeStorms

** Even some people who love Serge throughout the series as a whole and/or dislike rude and self-centered GirlOfTheWeek Rachael from ''Atomic Lobster'' admit that Serge's treatment of Rachael can get very creepy and unpleasant. Shortly after meeting her, Serge unilaterally announces that they're going to have sex because she is dancing erotically and he is such a ChickMagnet. He twists Rachael’s arm when she initially ignores him to keep dancing (although a GilliganCut makes it possible that she did consent before the actual sex), and “thrust[s] violently” to deliberately hurt her when she annoys him as they copulate (something which he repeats during a later scene). While [[NotIfTheyEnjoyedItRationalization Rachael ultimately turns out to enjoy having sex with Serge]], being [[InterplayOfSexAndViolence hurt in the middle of sex and hurting Serge back]], many fans still find Serge's actions throughout that subplot to be worse than plenty of things Serge has killed {{Asshole Victim}}s over. It doesn't help that Serge [[spoiler:is openly happy at finally having an excuse to kill Rachael in the climax after she turns out to be the sister of his old accomplice turned victim Sharon and tries to kill him and Coleman]]. Serge also tells another woman he sleeps with (he and Rachael are seemingly polyamorous) that NoMeansYes when she initially asks him to stop his advances. Finally, while Serge is unusually heroic in the book's A-plot, protecting his friends the Davenports from killers, he also gets a KickTheDog moment when he and Rachael roleplay as the Davenports during sex. Serge's Jim impression is noticeably more insulting and crude than Rachael's Martha impression, and he knows that Jim is within earshot. In the very next book, Serge assumes his new GirlOfTheWeek will have sex with him again because they did the previous night, but drops the issue when she refutes this notion, but whether this mitigates his previous actions or makes their wrongness more pronounced is debatable.

* HarsherInHindsight: Every time Martha Davenport asks her milquetoast husband Jim to assert himself in any form of physical confrontation becomes this with [[spoiler: the reveal at the end of ''Atomic Lobster'' since given her past life as Agent Foxtrot it means she could all but effortlessly clobbered the jerk in question. It's harder to defend her wanting Jim to be the one who has to pick a fight with bullies on their behalf after we've seen her [[RetiredBadass kill three terrorists with her bare hands.]]]] Tellingly the author never has her do this in ''When Elves Attack'' and stick to wanting Jim to report rule breakers to various authorities.

** Even some people who love Serge throughout the series as a whole and/or dislike rude and self-centered GirlOfTheWeek Rachael from ''Atomic Lobster'' admit that Serge's treatment of Rachael can get very creepy and unpleasant. Shortly after meeting her, Serge unilaterally announces that they're going to have sex because she is dancing erotically and he is such a ChickMagnet. He twists Rachael’s arm when she initially ignores him to keep dancing (although a GilliganCut makes it possible that she did consent before the actual sex), and “thrust[s] violently” to deliberately hurt her when she annoys him as they copulate (something which he repeats during a later scene). While [[NotIfTheyEnjoyedItRationalization Rachael ultimately turns out to enjoy having sex with Serge]], being [[InterplayOfSexAndViolence hurt in the middle of sex and hurting Serge back]], many fans still find Serge's actions throughout that subplot to be worse than plenty of things Serge has killed {{Asshole Victim}}s over. It doesn't help that Serge [[spoiler:is openly happy at finally having an excuse to kill Rachael in the climax after she turns out to be the sister of his old accomplice turned victim Sharon and tries to kill him and Coleman]]. In the very next book, Serge assumes his new GirlOfTheWeek will have sex with him again because they did the previous night, but drops the issue when she refutes this notion, but whether this mitigates his previous actions or makes their wrongness more pronounced is debatable.

* TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodCharacter: Serge occasionally brings out the better in unpleasant characters (or happens to be around when something else does) who he counts as friends and helps them along the way. Consequently, it can feel annoying that this never happens with certain interesting characters he has more antagonistic relationships with.
** Sly [=McGraw=] from ''Triggerfish Twist''. While the rest of the [=McGraw=] family seem to largely be [[TheBrute more brawn than brains]] Sly is [[AffablyEvil able to have a polite conversation with Serge while holding him hostage]] and even matches Serge beat for beat when Serge starts going on one of his rambling diatribes about what's wrong with modern society, with the two debating if it's unique to Florida or happening all over the country. He promptly gets gunned down by Jim Davenport shortly there after, sadly making it impossible for him to show up again in ''Atomic Lobster'' which saw the return of the [=McGraw=] family.
** Doug from ''Cadillac Beach'' spends the book being dragged into dangerous misadventures by Serge and surviving due to a being a decent ActionSurvivor, before the final act has him [[spoiler:reveal himself as an AffablyEvil PunchClockVillain hitman who has been manipulating Serge the whole time]]. His personality and his besting Serge that way could have made him an interesting {{Foil}} or [[spoiler:EvilCounterpart]] to Jim Davenport if he had continued to occasionally show up in future books, but [[spoiler:he is shot within three pages of the reveal about his true nature]].
** AddledAddict Rachael (while she is the GirlOfTheWeek, she and Serge spend 90% of their time fighting) from ''Atomic Lobster'' is a SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute for Sharon Rhodes besides being more of a HotBlooded hedonist and TheLoad rather than a calculating grifter, killer, and HoneyTrap like Sharon. [[spoiler:She is also Sharon's sister and mourns her death at the hands of Serge. This could have been used to explore how Serge's actions can hurt people, add a layer of tension and complexity to Serge and Rachael's future interactions for a while to come, and have given Rachael a reason to reflect on how her own self-destructive lifestyle reflects Sharon's. Instead, she immediately tries to attack Serge and Coleman with a knife after learning the truth and learns the meaning of BullyingADragon]]. She also shows some signs of recognizing the toxicity of her SlapSlapKiss relationship with Serge by suggesting roleplaying to get past their normal anger-filled sex, but this doesn’t lead to any visible CharacterDevelopment in other parts of her life.
** Ford Oelman from ''The Big Bamboo'' spends the vast majority of the novel being presented as [[NiceGuy a bland well meaning nobody who gets caught up in Serge's hijinks ]][[RecurringElement like many other characters Dorsey has used for the B-plots of his novels.]] In reality [[spoiler: Ford is Serge's half brother and [[TheChessmaster wrote the 'script' for the con that we saw unfolding throughout the novel]] to take down two corrupt studio heads who had taken advantage of him. Not only do we only get one scene where Ford isn't trying to hide who he really is, but Dorsey never thought to bring him back even after we discover that Detective Mahoney is also Serge's half brother presenting the possibility of them forming a [[PowerTrio team based around Serge's love of Flordia, Mahoney's of Noir, and Ford's of film.]]]]

A few of the {{Asshole Victim}}s Serge kills after a single meeting don't inspire pure CatharsisFactor feelings with their fates due to the truly painful ways Serge tends to kill them. This is especially true of the few who get minor PetTheDog moments before dying, such as seagull-poisoner Clyde from ''Naked Came the Florida Man'', who has a PapaWolf moment when he [[MistakenForPedophile thinks Serge is a pedophile who is harassing Clyde's nephews]].

* UnintentionallySympathetic: Rachael from ''Atomic Lobster'' is portrayed as the second coming of TokenEvilTeammate Sharon Rhodes and has an "obnoxious and morally reprehensible" characterization, but can still feel like a JerkassWoobie at the very least. She is living in dreary circumstances (she is a drug addict and mentions she sometimes does sex work to pay her electric bill) and otherwise minding her own business until she threatens Serge in an argument over an {{Asshole Victim}}'s money and ends up cajoled into becoming Serge’s companion. Not once in 2-5 months does Serge seriously try to intervene with her pitifully desperate cocaine addiction. He only keeps her around for hate-fueled sex while [[DomesticAbuse giving her no respect and constantly twisting her arm behind her back during arguments (although she is just as vitriolic to him, if not more so and sometimes slaps him as well as the book progresses)]]. She shows [[EveryoneHasStandards some standards]] by slapping groom-to-be Trevor for propositioning her on his wedding night. Finally, [[spoiler:she only snaps and attacks her companions with a knife after she discovers that the people she's been having such a toxic relationship with killed her beloved sister Sharon ten years earlier, with Serge not showing any willingness to go easy on her despite the justifiable trauma of that revelation and how she is clearly "wired out of her head" at the time]].

* SeriesContinuityError: In ''Triggerfish Twist'', Serge realizes that Mahoney is an undercover cop when Mahoney makes a mistake about the geography of the area that Serge grew up in. Later on however in ''Electric Barracuda'', we find out that Serge and Mahoney were born in the same hospital and grew up roughly two blocks apart, so Mahoney would need to have been mistaken about what part of Florida his own home town was in to make this error.

** Serge and Rachael's temporary traveling companion Rachael is only in ''Atomic Lobster'', but is a particularly entertaining and well-remembered guest character for some humorous [[ManChild womanchild]] moments related to her AddledAddict status and SitComArchnemesis bickering with Coleman, frequent MsFanservice scenes, and UnintentionallySympathetic moments in her interactions with Serge.

* CringeComedy: A frequent hallmark of any plot featuring [[RecurringCharacter the Davenports]], something bad will happen to Jim who will [[ExtremeDoormat fail to assert himself]] in response to it, and fairly frequently Martha's [[FieryRedhead spitfire personality]] will only end up making it worse.

** Serge and Rachael's temporary travelling companion Rachael is only in ''Atomic Lobster'', but is a particularly entertaining and well-remembered guest character for some humorous [[ManChild womanchild]] moments related to her AddledAddict status and SitComArchnemesis bickering with Coleman, frequent MsFanservice scenes, and UnintentionallySympathetic moments.

** Sly [=McGraw=] from ''Triggerfish Twist''. While the rest of the [=McGraw=] family seem to largely be [[TheBrute more brawn than brains]] Sly is [[AffablyEvil able to have a polite conversation with Serge while holding him hostage]] and even matches Serge beat for beat when Serge starts going on one of his rambling diatribes about what's wrong with modern society, with the two debating if it's unique to Florida or happening all over the country. He promptly gets gunned downed by Jim Davenport shortly there after, sadly making it impossible for him to show up again in ''Atomic Lobster'' which saw the return of the [=McGraw=] family.

* TooBleakStoppedCaring: The B-Plot ''The Riptide Ultra-Glide'' features a [[NiceGuy nice couple from Wisconsin]] who have recently fallen on hard financial times going on vacation in Florida. Misfortune after misfortune befalls them, and their plotline abruptly [[NoEnding terminates with them finally meeting Serge at the very end of the story]] with no clear idea of exactly what he'd do to make their lives better. While Dorsey's B-Plots often features nice guy characters suffering, it's typically balanced out by [[KarmicJackpot a clear happy ending]] which isn't the case here. By comparison the two main non-Serge characters in ''Florida Roadkill'' had a clear happy ending!

* VagueAge: Serge is a subtle victim of this due to the series [[LongRunner extended nature]]. He was born in the sixties and the series started in 1999. By the time of ''Hurricane Punch'' (2007) he was in his mid forties. Each book in the series tends to take place roughly a year or two before its real life publishing date. This means that Serge should be effectively in late fifties/early sixties by the time of ''Maltese Iguana'' (which we can tell takes place in 2021 because Serge gets a freshly available COVID-19 vaccine) but if that's the case there's nothing in the books (other than the date of his birth) to suggest it.
* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: There's a series length version in ''Maltese Iguana'' as despite recurring character Reevis Tome get his own B-plot, no reference of any kind is made to fellow recurring character Brook Campanella who was dating Reevis when we last saw him in ''Clownfish Blues''.

* JerkassWoobie: Johnny Vegas "the accidental virgin", with the emphasis on the Woobie part usually being more pronounced but depending on the book. The way that bizarre events keep interrupting his attempts to lose his virginity with women who are happy to spend time with him no matter how close he gets is a source of painful CringeComedy. That being said, he has little respect for many of the women he tries to bed and has occasional ItsAllAboutMe moments (just sighing and turning away when he sees his latest would-be conquest fall to her presumed death, getting rid of a homing beacon to delay rescue when he and a beautiful woman are in a lifeboat together, etc.) that cost him sympathy.

** Sly [=McGraw=] from Triggerfish Twist. While the rest of the [=McGraw=] family seem to largely be [[TheBrute more brawn than brains]] Sly is [[AffablyEvil able to have a polite conversation with Serge while holding him hostage]] and even matches Serge beat for beat when Serge starts going on one of his rambling diatribes about what's wrong with modern society, with the two debating if it's unique to Florida or happening all over the country. He promptly gets gunned downed by Jim Davenport shortly there after, sadly making it impossible for him to show up again in ''Atomic Lobster'' which saw the return of the [=McGraw=] family.

* AlternateCharacterInterpretation: Since Rachael spends most of ''Atomic Lobster'' high on cocaine, it can be hard to tell whether some of her angry or violent actions throughout the book, such as being eager to throw her old dealer off a bridge or [[spoiler:attacking Serge and Coleman in the climax shortly after learning that they killed her sister in debatable self-defense ten years earlier]] are a result of cocaine highs or are done consciously.

* UnintentionallySympathetic: Rachael from ''Atomic Lobster'' is portrayed as the second coming of TokenEvilTeammate Sharon Rhodes and has an "obnoxious and morally reprehensible" characterization, but can still feel like a JerkassWoobie at the very least. She is living in dreary circumstances (she is a drug addict and mentions she sometimes does sex work to pay her electric bill) and otherwise minding her own business until she threatens Serge in an argument over an {{Asshole Victim}}'s money and ends up cajoled into becoming Serge’s companion. Not once in 2-5 months does Serge seriously try to intervene with her pitifully desperate cocaine addiction. He only keeps her around for hate-fueled sex while [[DomesticAbuse giving her no respect (although she is just as vitriolic to him, if not more so) and constantly twisting her arm behind her back during arguments]]. She shows [[EveryoneHasStandards some standards]] by slapping groom-to-be Trevor for propositioning her on his wedding night. Finally, [[spoiler:she only snaps and attacks her companions with a knife after she discovers that the people she's been having such a toxic relationship with killed her beloved sister Sharon ten years earlier, with Serge not showing any willingness to go easy on her despite the justifiable trauma of that revelation and how she is clearly "wired out of her head" at the time]].

** In ''The Triggerfish Twist'', [[spoiler:Sly "The Gentleman Bandit" [=McGraw=]]] is shot by Jim Davenport and falls to the ground while looking in shock at the blood on his shirt. However, no one is described as checking his pulse and while scenes in later books mention Jim has killed multiple [[spoiler: [=McGraws=]]], no one actually mentions a number. This makes it possible to wonder if [[spoiler:Sly might have just been injured and sent to prison]], especially after his AffablyEvil dialogue during his sole meeting with Serge.

* TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodPlot: In ''Atomic Lobster'' [[FieryRedHead Martha Davenport]] agrees to join an anger management support group. We never actually see any of her meetings, which is a real shame especially given that in the same book we eventually learn the actual reason for her anger issues [[spoiler: [[RetiredBadass as a former US special ops soldier]] she can't properly adapt to a relaxed pace of civilian life]] not to mention they would have made a good counterpoint to her husband's own support group meetings to try and help him deal with his own [[ExtremeDoormat non-confrontational streak]].

* TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodPlot: In ''Atomic Lobster'' [[FieryRedHead Martha Davenport]] agrees to join an anger management support group. We never actually see any of her meetings, which is a real shame especially given that in the same reason we eventually learn the actual reason for her anger issues [[spoiler: [[RetiredBadass as a former US special ops soldier]] she can't properly adapt to a relaxed pace of civilian life]] not to mention they would have made a good counterpoint to her husband's own support group meetings to try and help him deal with his own [[ExtremeDoormat non-confrontational streak]].

* TheUnTwist: In ''Shark Skin Suite'', [[spoiler:there are constant mentions about how Brook and Shelby's bosses inexplicably assigned inexperienced rookies (albeit talented ones) and a BunnyEarsLawyer to the case and keep failng to secure important informatio, while the defense attorney keeps making sinsiter phone calls to an unseen confederate. All of this makes it blatantly obvious that the two law firms are working together and setting up Brook, Shelby, and Ziggy in a SpringtimeForHitler ploy long before this is confirmed.]]

* UnintentionallySympathetic: Rachael from ''Atomic Lobster'' is portrayed as the second coming of TokenEvilTeammate Sharon Rhodes and has an "obnoxious and morally reprehensible" characterization, but can still feel like a JerkassWoobie at the very least. However, she is living in dreary circumstances (she is a drug addict and mentions she sometimes does sex work to pay her electric bill) and otherwise minding her own business until she threatens Serge in an argument over an {{Asshole Victim}}'s money and ends up cajoled into becoming Serge’s companion. Not once in 2-5 months does Serge seriously try to intervene with her pitifully desperate cocaine addiction. He only keeps her around for hate-fueled sex while [[DomesticAbuse giving her no respect (although she is just as vitriolic to him, if not more so) and constantly twisting her arm behind her back during arguments]]. She shows [[EveryoneHasStandards some standards]] by slapping groom-to-be Trevor for propositioning her on his wedding night. Finally, [[spoiler:she only snaps and attacks her companions with a knife after she discovers that the people she's been having such a toxic relationship with killed her beloved sister Sharon ten years earlier, with Serge not showing any willingness to go easy on her despite the justifiable trauma of that revelation and how she is clearly "wired out of her head" at the time]].

%%** Serge

** In ''The Stingray Shuffle'', [[spoiler:PluckyComicRelief Creator/ErnestHemingway impersonator Jethro]] tries to shoot himself with a shotgun, is interrupted by an assassination attempt and is later seemingly killed when a paramedic accidentally fires the gun while trying to get [[spoiler:Jethro]]'s toe out of the trigger guard. However, since the barrel isn't in [[spoiler:Jethro]]'s mouth like it was during the suicide attempt, he may have only been injured by the shot.

** Some fans would prefer to ignore the scenes in ''Florida Roadkill'' and ''Atomic Lobster'' where Serge adds [[spoiler:Sharon and Rachael]] to his list of victims, even though neither of them is a particularly pleasant character and each previously attempted to kill Serge. Nonetheless, their fates can feel disturbing due to the amount of comic relief they provide and Serge's willingness and eagerness to kill them after [[spoiler:months-long sexual relationships]], which makes him feel more like a creepy real-world SerialKiller than his usual VigilanteMan self.

* HesJustHiding: Given how Coleman's explicit death is later retconned, it can occasionally be nice to hope that other characters who seem dead are really alive.

** Some fans would prefer to ignore the scenes in ''Florida Roadkill'' and ''Atomic Lobster'' where Serge adds Sharon and Rachael]] to his list of victims, even though neither of them is a particularly pleasant character and each previously attempted to kill Serge. Nonetheless, their fates can feel disturbing due to the amount of comic relief they provide and Serge's willingness and eagerness to kill them after [[spoiler:months-long sexual relationships]], which makes him feel more like a creepy real-world SerialKiller than his usual VigilanteMan self.

* FanonDiscontinuity: ''Orange Crush'' can feel slightly more enjoyable if you ignore the scenes that confirm that AmnesiacHero (or rather, amnesiac sidekick) Jack is Serge. Serge and his trademark actions aren’t terribly relevant for the otherwise standalone and unusually character-driven story, and Jack being Serge means that the PairTheSpares romance he gets into will experience a HappyEndingOverride once the book ends.

** AddledAddict GirlOfTheWeek Rachael from ''Atomic Lobster'' is a SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute for Sharon Rhodes besides being more of a HotBlooded hedonist and TheLoad rather than a calculating grifter, killer, and HoneyTrap like Sharon. [[spoiler:She is also Sharon's sister and mourns her death at the hands of Serge. This could have been used to explore how Serge's actions can hurt people, add a layer of tension and complexity to Serge and Rachael's future interactions for a while to come, and have given Rachael a reason to reflect on how her own self-destructive lifestyle reflects Sharon's. Instead, she immediately tries to attack Serge and Coleman with a knife after learning the truth and learns the meaning of BullyingADragon]]. She also shows some signs of recognizing the toxicity of her SlapSlapKiss relationship with Serge by suggesting roleplaying to get past their normal anger-filled sex, but this doesn’t lead to any visible CharacterDevelopment in other parts of her life.