This post I wrote was published first on Blogcritics.
If you haven’t yet heard, Dexter is a new show to network TV (CBS Sundays at 10pm) that features the comings and goings of a serial killer. It’s not a completely new series however, having started and completed two seasons on Showtime. I saw it Sunday for the first time and it is definitely an engaging show.
The title character, Dexter, is a very likeable fellow, which makes it all quite creepy. He works as a blood spatter specialist for the police and weaves a series of double meanings through both the actual plot and his diary-like narration. For example: when a murderer leaves a miniature doll in his refrigerator, he smiles and sees it as an invitation to “play.” It’s difficult to determine whether his idea of playing is to capture the murderer, to admire the ways he kills, or both. I had heard a lot about the series and before I saw it I imagined he must be truly a benevolent person but after seeing it I can’t say whether that’s actually the case.
Everybody and their brother has been telling me about this show for the past year. They’ve been saying the same thing: “It’s violent and not for kids, but I love it.” Now that I’ve finally seen it I’m asking myself, “Why do we as a culture love Dexter?” Here are two reasons I’ve come up with (I’m sure there are more, but these stand out the most):
He’s worse than us. We all have dark rooms in our psyche. As we watch Dexter we imagine that our “sins” are pale in comparison. It’s cathartic. No matter what kind of stress or guilt we may feel, Dexter’s sins are worse and watching him makes us forget what we thought was wrong with ourselves.
He thrives even though he has so many issues. While I wouldn’t call him likeable, he gets up each day and goes to work. Besides the fact that he has an ongoing killing spree on his mind, he also has a highly dysfunctional relationship with his girlfriend. In all his twisted actions. the viewer ironically can draw hope from Dexter. He is “making it work” as we all have to, despite whatever problems crop up.
Dexter is an interesting series. I now have the cut (censored) version on my TiVo and I will likely be writing more about it. I’m looking forward to getting to know this serial killer who has everyone talking.
What’s your take on Dexter?
I can’t believe there’s a show about a serial killer on TV and I haven’t seen it. I haven’t even heard about this show. I’m gonna check it out, for sure!
Jessica The Rock Chick’s last blog post..Karma Chameleon
As I watched it was imagining you saying that!