Dexteriffic

I recently discovered a new show, a show that I am hopelessly addicted to and completely entranced by. It isn’t for everyone mind you. It has swearing, and blood. Lots and lots of blood. The show is called Dexter and aired last year on the Showtime network. It comes out August 21st on DVD and I will be there to buy on the day it comes out. So just what is so addicting about this show. Well, I suspect part of it is a have to see it kind of thing but I will try and explain why I love this show so much.
The premise is this: Young Dexter Morgan was found by his adoptive father at a crime scene when he was only three and as he grew up his foster father discovered Dexter had certain… impulses. Sociopathic, homicidal impulses. In an effort to help him the foster father spent time with Dexter helping him gain control of his urges and harnessing them into a monster focused on justice. Cut ahead a few years and Dexter is a blood spatter specialist with the Miami-Dade police department and seems to know way to much about blood and how it flies around. On the other side of Dexter is a monster to monsters. Working for the police he gets leads on killers who have gotten away with murder, the idea being Dex can recognize one of his own. He then investigates and makes sure he has indeed got a monster in his sights and dispatches them in his own way with vigilante justice. He is a serial killer who stalks and kills serial killers.
When you add the rest of the cast to this character it is completely enthralling. Dex works with his foster sister, a somewhat dysfunctional and insecure woman with a bit of a potty mouth. The other detectives, the lieutenant, the captain, even Dex’s partner are all fleshed out characters with their own foibles and insecurities. I find it amazing that these cable shows from HBO and Showtime are able to cram so much character into a 13 episode season when many network shows take multiple seasons to get to the same point, but I digress. In addition to his work buddies Dexter is in a relationship which, according to him, is to keep up the appearance of a normal life. The only thing is that the audience gets to see glimpses of Dexter that show he is far more than a singularly focused creature of destruction. There is humanity in there somewhere. Dex narrates over each episode, which in some shows is very cheesy, here it is absolutely vital. It is fascinating to hear his inner conflicts, his uncertainty in the face of change, the very real fear that comes from self-discovery. As the show progresses you Dex change and grow, you feel sympathy for him.
It may seem weird to say that one could feel sympathetic for a serial killer but that is one of the most fascinating aspects of this show. You do. I don’t see how you could watch this and not feel that way. Most times you feel as though he is somewhat justified in his kills. He is an Old Testamenty force of nature, removing from the world the evil that the justice system could not. His reasoning is always compelling as he struggles to maintain the control he was taught. For him killing is a channeled compulsion.
I haven’t even mentioned the best part of the show yet. In this first season Dex has a nemesis, the Ice Truck Killer. ITK is a killer who is easily as smart as Dex and knows way too much about him than is safe. He knows his family, his origin, everything that makes Dex tick. I still have two episodes to go but the whodunit aspect of this show really drives it forward, and even when the killer is revealed it is truly crazy to watch the two dance around each other as the viewer waits to see what’s going to happen next. The episode I watched last night had the killer absolutely mess Dexter up psychologically and for a sociopath that’s saying something. The killer sets up a crime scene that mirrors Dexter’s own foundling origin and sends him into a fit to the point where he faints, his repressed memories pulled into the foreground for him to deal with.
I could go on but seriously just see it for yourself, wherever you can get it. I can’t guarantee you’ll like it but I can tell you the type of person who will. The type of person who liked silence of the lambs, the sort of person who can watch the most gruesome CSI without being to grossed out (you have to be grossed out a little, otherwise where’s the fun in that?) The person who would want to watch this show is someone who loves a good mystery and has a dark side to their sense of humor. If that’s not you, you may need to look elsewhere, if it is prepare for a treat. As a side note, my wife is not generally into these kinds of shows, her stomach is a little less tolerant than mine, but she can’t stop watching it because of how compelling it really is. After we watch an episode she always says, “It’s creepy. I don’t know if I like it.” And yet here we are with 2 episodes to go and she’s still there. Go figure.