Dexter

Showtime has really been impressing me lately. On their demand channel, they have featured all three seasons of Dexter before its next season airs. And I have to admit: I'm hooked.

A lot of things drew me to this show initially. First of all, I really love Michael C. Hall. His role in Six Feet Under made me an instant fan. He can portray very odd characters, and its very believable. He goes from a homosexual funeral director to a straight serial killer. He's quite talented.

Next, the plot hooked me. It's just so clever, and it's unlike any other television show out there. Dexter Morgan, the main character of the series, has wanted to be a serial killer ever since he was a young boy, after he saw his parents brutally murdered. He was adopted by the cop who rescued him on the scene, which helped him getting into the line of work he's in: blood work on crime scenes. He works specifically for the police, so he knows how to clean up a crime scene.

Dexter lives his life, trying to be normal, but still killing people who have killed or harmed others. His police father knew who he really was and trained him in order to kill only those who deserve it, how to cover up his tracks, and how to appear normal. Thus, Dexter gets a girlfriend who he can't get too close to and tries to go to social events with the rest of the police force, even though he has difficulty understanding how to socialize. However, one police officer gets a creepy vibe from Dexter and knows he's up to something. Where I'm at in season two, the officer is stalking Dexter to see if he does anything suspicious.

The only person Dexter really cares about is his foster sister, Debra Morgan. He has an odd sexual attraction to her. He even mentions that he is "very fond of her" and cannot bring himself to kill her when the opportunity arrives.

Season one was brilliant, and now I'm on season two. Season one revealed Dexter's true family and the serial killer, the Ice Truck Killer, who we soon learn is Dexter's real-life brother. His brother sends Dexter clues and messages because he knows about Dexter's serial killing. He hooks up with his sister and plots to kill her so that they can be serial killing brothers together. However, Dexter chooses his sister and kills his brother. He struggles with this decision since his brother is the only person he could truly be honest and himself in front of. Anyone else in his life would disown him and turn him in, sending him to jail or to death.



This show definitely hooks you. I couldn't stop watching the season once I started! It is so intricate and intelligent that I became deeply involved with it, even though killing and murdering is something that really freaks me out and scares me. It is still interesting to hear his mind process and see how he thinks and feels on any given day. It can be quite disturbing, but it's still an interesting project to look into a psychotic mind.

When Showtime, the sister station of CBS, tried to play it on their show, they were heavily criticized. Many protested it to go off of the air because of its content. I can see why people would be angry over this show airing, but it's really clever and thrilling. It's different, and that's what I like about it.

What DOES scare me is that some people really connect with Dexter's character. One person even tried to resemble Dexter and live a life like him, which is very scary. I can see how some people might take this the wrong way, but isn't it the same way with other films and television shows that air the same kind of violence? Maybe they're all too much, but it seems that movies and TV shows keep trying to out-do one another, and they keep getting worse and worse (in terms of content). Dexter definitely pushes the envelope on this one then.

What I found really interesting, that I didn't know before, is that Dexter is based on a book series with the same overall premise. I love when books are adapted to TV shows and films. It's so smart. I wonder how the books read and what the overall plots are...

Dexter is quite artistically made as well. The acting is superb, and the way that certain scenes are filmed really impress me. Everything about this show seems very intelligent, and I can tell how much work and thought are put into this series. I can't see how they can keep making seasons without Dexter not getting caught. They keep threatening it in the earlier seasons, and I can't see how it can keep going on, but I guess I'll find out as I keep watching more seasons.

So what do you think of Dexter?