Photo by: Showtime
For those of you who are not avid followers of America’s Favorite Serial Killer, it’s time to jump on the band wagon. Watching Dexter is like jumping into a cold pool. It’s a shock at first. But once you adjust to the idea of siding with a murderer, Dexter is a wild rollercoaster that will put you on the edge of your seat and drop your jaw.
At first, Dexter is a seemingly quiet lab geek working on the forensics team as a blood splatter analyst for the Miami Homicide department. He uses what he knows about forensics in addition to what his adoptive father Harry, a former detective, taught him about how the police track down killers in order to avoid being captured himself. When the Ice Truck Killer hits town it appears that the killer is trying to send a message to Dexter. As the season progresses Dexter is forced to face himself as well as the new adversary.
The first episode of the season is enough to hook any audience. The internal monologue of the sociopath is sometimes humorous, but also chilling to view things through the mind of a killer. Not only does the vigilante nature of Dexter make him empathetic but the dark secrets of his past only help to add dimension to Dexter as a character struggling to find the balance of satisfying the needs of his “Dark Passenger,” the force within him that makes him kill as well as battling the legacy and code of Harry, his deceased adoptive father that always wanted him to find the light within himself. Throughout the series the depth of Dexter’s character waxes and wanes. He grows and decays as a character with deep influences as contemplation only adds depth to his development.
The writing of the show itself is full of symbolic meaning, plus its got subtle clues and foreshadowing woven beautifully into the plot. Each character, from the people of the Miami Homicide Department to those in Dexter’s life are each crafted with strong views, morals and behaviors that add further levels to the plot. The plot twists, which are numerous, are not only shocking but also not random. If one looks back through the episodes the clues are subtle and present and inspire awe at the finesse of the writing team of the show.
The first, fourth and currently in progress sixth season are the strongest seasons of the series. Each season is worth watching, if only for the development of relationships and characters; however, for the non-hardcore marathoners, those three are essential. The show is beautifully crafted, and also has a strong presence in television – but be wary of Dexter‘s gore. Or not.
