After watching the whole of the first season of Dexter (last year), I have to say I am still disturbed by its premise. I still feel little sympathy for this serial killer who believes that certain people somehow “deserve to die” – even though we have been offered something of an explanation how he became devoid of human emotions (repressing memories of the bloodbath that caused his mother’s death). In so far as murder is concerned, I refuse to be desensitized. I still abhor the notion of the vigilante killing people who somehow slip through the maze of justice yet in his sick mind “deserve to die.” I notice how the show toys with our moral concepts of good and bad, which by itself is interesting (it makes us question our assumptions), but I reject the notion that certain crimes, no matter how heinous, warrant death. Dexter himself fakes emotions to get himself through the day – in order to survive in society. He has absorbed the Code of Harry, his adoptive father, but he doesn’t “feel” good and bad. In other words, he’s acting the way he does because Harry told him so, not because he himself agrees with any of the ethical notions Harry tried to instill in him. It’s a matter of fitting in and not getting caught, while struggling to channel his urge to kill: better to murder deserving victims than innocent bystanders.
A friend of mine pointed out that you could see Dexter’s urge to kill as a metaphor, an extreme magnification of something we all deal with in one way or another: struggling to fit in with society’s constraints on our behavior; hiding our dark side; struggling to reconcile our public and private selves, our identity, personality, our character; trying to rein in a consuming compulsion; struggling to define what is good and bad, what is wrong and right. In that respect Dexter is a modern-day Jekyll and Hyde. It’s not that I don’t identify with that struggle, but I am for a large part quite okay with my private self – even if I draw boundaries around myself in public. My problem is that Dexter’s private self is devoid of human emotions. For me there simply isn’t anything with which to sympathize.
Fortunately there is a great supporting cast that gives the show needed human depth. Dexter’s sister Debra Morgan (Jennifer Carpenter, also known from The Exorcism of Emily Rose) is adorably endearing in her effort to solve the case of the Ice Truck Killer. She’s a team player who wants to fit in, unsure of her own talents, and desperate to follow in her father’s footsteps. Dexter’s girlfriend Rita Bennett (Julie Benz, also known from Buffy and Angel) offers a great counterpart, because she’s so damaged and fragile, and believes in Dexter’s goodness. Lieutenant Maria LaGuerta is Dex’ intimidating supervisor, who seeks publicity at every turn, but often makes the wrong decisions. Detective Angel Batista is Dex’ funny co-worker, who appreciates Dex expertise. Sergeant James Doakes conversely always distrusts Dexter and hates the fact that Dex is usually right about cases. These characters give life to the series, and even though they add the familiar police/forensic drama tropes, they also keep the show interesting with all their human quirks and foibles. I can’t wait to check out season two! (Stay tuned!)
A friend of mine pointed out that you could see Dexter’s urge to kill as a metaphor, an extreme magnification of something we all deal with in one way or another: struggling to fit in with society’s constraints on our behavior; hiding our dark side; struggling to reconcile our public and private selves, our identity, personality, our character; trying to rein in a consuming compulsion; struggling to define what is good and bad, what is wrong and right. In that respect Dexter is a modern-day Jekyll and Hyde. It’s not that I don’t identify with that struggle, but I am for a large part quite okay with my private self – even if I draw boundaries around myself in public. My problem is that Dexter’s private self is devoid of human emotions. For me there simply isn’t anything with which to sympathize.
Fortunately there is a great supporting cast that gives the show needed human depth. Dexter’s sister Debra Morgan (Jennifer Carpenter, also known from The Exorcism of Emily Rose) is adorably endearing in her effort to solve the case of the Ice Truck Killer. She’s a team player who wants to fit in, unsure of her own talents, and desperate to follow in her father’s footsteps. Dexter’s girlfriend Rita Bennett (Julie Benz, also known from Buffy and Angel) offers a great counterpart, because she’s so damaged and fragile, and believes in Dexter’s goodness. Lieutenant Maria LaGuerta is Dex’ intimidating supervisor, who seeks publicity at every turn, but often makes the wrong decisions. Detective Angel Batista is Dex’ funny co-worker, who appreciates Dex expertise. Sergeant James Doakes conversely always distrusts Dexter and hates the fact that Dex is usually right about cases. These characters give life to the series, and even though they add the familiar police/forensic drama tropes, they also keep the show interesting with all their human quirks and foibles. I can’t wait to check out season two! (Stay tuned!)
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