There were any number of shows premiering last year that I was anticipating, from Jericho to Heroes to Primeval, but Dexter flew under my radar. For the most part fiction about serial killers leave me cold, and I wasn’t expecting an ongoing show about a murderer that only kills other murderers to really do anything for me. I’m glad I took the chance, because Dexter is fantastic, and was definitely the hightlight of last year’s schedule.

The main reason for my fascination was the take Michael C. Hall took with the title character. Most of the people I know who watched it and enjoyed it walked away with the impression that Dexter was an affable character. I had a completely different impression. Dexter’s sense of morality isn’t something that comes from within him, but was rather imprinted on him through years of training. He only differentiates between murderers and the innocent because those options were spoonfed to him from an early age and it appeals to his sense of order. Without those external restrictions anyone would do. When faced with a situation that falls outside of the parameters that have been grafted on him Dexter either chooses the reaction closest to that which he’s been trained, or, when that option isn’t open to him, begins to break down, like a machine. It’s in watching this absolutely unique specimen of humanity try to relate to normal human interaction that makes Dexter so engaging.

If you haven’t seen it yet, I highly recommend watching the first season before heading into the second, otherwise your enjoyment will be greatly diminished. As it happens, the first season just hit shelves today.

Thanks to Showtime for passing the poster along.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, August 21st, 2007 at 8:57 pm and is filed under Television, Serial Killer. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.