SubscribeA serial killer who kills only those who have gotten away with murder themselves, who is smart and funny, who is fiercely protective of those closest to him. What’s not to love? It just takes one viewing to find out why Dexter is so popular. The characters are certainly an important part of the effectiveness of the Dstar show. Dexter’s smart, foul-mouthed sister is both comic relief and a key to keeping the story rolling for most episodes. Even though she is a good detective, she fails to see how Dexter can manipulate her into discovering what he wants her to see. But the audience is given a reason for Dexter’s dark side, and that seems to allow viewers to understand him and even cheer for him. When he was just a toddler, he saw his mother butchered before him, and he was left for days in his blood. While the realism of this scenario turning a kid into a sociopath is questionable, it makes for good enough drama that the audience feels sympathy for Dexter. The fact that his adoptive father taught him to kill those targets who “deserve” killing makes Dexter into a more heroic figure.
The storyline is key, full of continuing plots that keep the viewer on edge. Often Dexter is faced with difficult situations, and we hear his mental processes as he struggles to decide what he should do. Last season, for instance, a powerful prosecutor discovered Dexter’s secret. But rather than turning him in, the lawman wanted Dexter to teach him the ropes of killing and not getting caught. Dexter was so starved for someone to understand him that he gave in. Of course, it turned out the prosecutor was not the man Dexter thought he was, and the danger of them both getting caught and Dexter having to take the fall soon outweighed having a partner in crime. Dexter killed the prosecutor, creating a sense of relief rather than grief or outrage in the viewer.
Dexter is available on Showtime. It is one show definitely worth watching.