Grid Effect

Like I said in an earlier post I would get around to commenting on Dexter, the new series on Showtime. I do not subscribe to Showtime, but the network decided to post the first two episodes online so I figured I would take advantage. For the most part, I am witholding judgement on the story, because I have watched two episodes and the rest are unavailable to me.

For those who don’t know, Dexter is a forensic scientist who doubles as a serial killer. The nitch being he only kills those he thinks have avoided judicial punishment. It is a novel concept even if its similar (but not a carbon copy) to about a dozen other series on television. The setting is Miami and the characters are moderately interesting, the one thing I don’t understand is why is he perceived as charming to those around him?

The narration from Michael C. Hall (Dexter) is really heavy handed. He says things like, “I don’t have feelings for anyone, but if I did I suppose it would be for Deb” and, “Another beautiful Miami day, mutilated corpses with a chance of showers”. So yeah, It’s lacking subtlety.

The aforementioned “Deb” is his sister who doubles as a homicide detective. I give it maybe five episodes before she’s investigating one of his murders. Though he is extremely meticulous in disposing of them. You know, because he is smarter than everybody else.

As you would expect, the bloodshed is egregious, often and descriptive. Let’s just say they really took advantage of being on Showtime, like CSI without a conscious. Cases in point:

-Finding and examining a bloodless corpse in a pool.

-A severed head being hurled at Dexter’s car from a moving vehicle.

-Torturing a guy who had murdered several young boys (supposedly a pedophile) before restraining him on a table and hacking him into pieces (they do not show much of this, but it is all implied and is also the opening scene).

Dexter has a very perverse blood fetish. He doesn’t masturbate while rolling around in puddles of it or anything, but he collects samples from all of his victims and gazes at them, almost lovingly. He even states at one point, “blood is my life”. Also, his technical title is “blood splatter analyst”. Clearly he’s in it for the love, not the money.

Like I said before, I do not understand why everyone around Dexter finds him charming. He carries himself with an indifference that is chilling and awkwardly postures his way through conversations. I guess I am somewhat biased, because I am privileged (depending on your perspective) to this guys skeletons (no pun intended). But he doesn’t seem like the most personable gent I have ever seen. That being said, there is one character named Doaks that is skeptical of Dexter. Dexter even wonders early in the pilot: “In a roomful of cops, why is Doaks the only one who gets the creeps from me?” Why, indeed.

There are some interesting traits to his character. Apparently from childhood Dexter had always had a fascination with murder (started with small animals). So his Father, not wanting to commit his only son, helped him harness his sickness by taking it out on those that might deserve it: violent criminals. Kind of like the sociopathic father-and-son version of playing catch. He is also disinterested in sex. So is the woman he is currently dating, Rita. Her aversion is a result of sexual abuse at the hands of her ex-husband, as opposed to the ritualistic murder of the evil and a chemical deficiency. I don’t know, I am not entirely convinced that this guy isn’t gay. Maybe its just the trendy Miami setting. I also appreciate the fact he is self-aware of how screwed up he is, “In many ways she is as damaged as me” he says in reference to Rita.

But I guess my ultimate conundrum from what I have seen so far with Dexter is the concept of having to sympathize with the main character. He is essentially like any serial killer but he justifies it by murdering unpunished criminals. And there is never any moral conflict within the series. So far he is illustrated as a Robin Hood type figure, doing the publics dirty work by eliminating those who managed to take advantage of the flawed judicial system. I do not want to argue the right and wrong of his actions, but the notion of this guy taking the law into his own hands through brutally torturing and murdering his victims is, unsettling, to say the least. I am not offended in anyway, it just seems that this series hinges mostly on shock value versus quality storytelling.