Dexter (FILM & TV REVIEWS)

If there is one thing I hate on TV right now, it's crime dramas. CSI, Criminal Minds, Law and Order and Without a Trace are all garbage in my mind even though I know a lot of people love them. So when I heard about Dexter, a show about a forensics expert who is also a serial killer and who only kills criminals that have yet to be caught, I just assumed it sucked too. Now I didn't have Showtime during the first few seasons, so it was very easy to dodge for so long. But finally I gave into peer pressure and started watching Dexter via Netflix, and to be blunt, I was simply blown away by how awesome this show was. Each episode ended with you waiting on pins and needles for the next one.


Dexter first aired on October 1, 2006, and it has such a great way of storytelling. It keeps you interested week in and week out. It airs on Showtime, so each season is only about 12 to 14 episodes long, but it's so great it feels like your watching a really long movie in hour long segments. Not only does Dexter have great storytelling, but it has a great cast. Even the smaller characters in this show are cast perfectly. The main protaginist and title character, Dexter Morgan, is played by Michael C. Hall. You may remember him from a movie called Gamer in which he played the bad guy, Ken Castle. Michael C. Hall is a talented actor and his performace in that movie was the only enjoyable aspect of Gamer. Luckily, Dexter is a great show starring many other talented cast members including, Lauren Vélez as Lt. Maria Laguerta, David Zayas as Sgt. Angel Batista, C.S. Lee as Vince Masuka, Julie Benz as Rita Bennett, James Remar as Harry Morgan and Jennifer Carpenter as Debra Morgan. In the show Debra is of course Dexter's sister, but in real life however Jennifer Carpenter is his wife. That must make some scenes awkward.

Like I said before, Dexter is a serial killer, and Dexter has a specific method for choosing and disposing of his victims. If a criminal will get away scott-free (or what they think is free) or if a criminal just simply will not get caught by the cops, Dexter will start stalking them for a day or two. Then when the timing is right, he will strike. Dexter gives his prey a shot in the neck that knocks them out long enough for him to bring them to a kill room he sets up just for especially for each victim. Dexter covers the room in plastic, wraps the victim in saran wrap, and duct tapes them to a table in the middle of the room. He then encircles his victims with pictures of all the people they have murdered, so that the last thing they see before they die is the people they killed... I know creepy right? After he talks to them for a minute and tells them the error of their ways, Dexter will cut them on the cheek and take a sample of their blood to keep as a trophy, and then he plunges a huge knife into their chest killing them. He then cuts them up in little pieces and dumps them into the ocean. This is the process he follows every time he kills someone. He also has a set of rules that his stepdad Harry gave him that he follows until this day to a T.

A show like this will obviously put Dexter by himself a lot, but throughout the series, Dexter kind of talk to himself. It works really well as a commentary of what he's thinking and doing. The show is full of twists and turns that will sometimes have you yelling obscenities at your TV. The Dexter character is one of the most well thought-out characters I've ever seen in a TV show. Being a serial killer, you can't help but be at least somewhat dark, but Dexter is insanely dark and creepy. But at the same time he is the hero/good guy of the show. Dexter always tries to be normal and fit in with society, but he struggles with being normal or even human at all. You really get to see this with his girlfriend/wife Rita. Dexter loves and cares for her with everything in him, but has no idea how to show it. Dexter Morgan is a very complicated individual, but Michael C. Hall is the perfect guy to play this amazing character. I couldn't imagine anyone else playing Dexter.

Now when I started watching Dexter, season 5 was about 2 months away from starting on Showtime. So before the new season started, I Netflixed all 4 previous seasons and ordered Showtime. That's how amazing this show is. Although a lot happens in each season, each season focuses on one main antagonist that Dexter is after for the majority of the season. Season 1's main villain was a serial killer whom they called the Ice Truck Killer. In season 2 (the best season yet), Dexter was the guy that the entire police department was after. Dexter is so careful and had so many victims that the FBI was called in to help capture him. This season was so very intense, with Dexter almost getting caught in about every episode. In season 3, it was a guy they called the Skinner. Season 4 was about the Trinity Killer. And in season 5, it was a group of people who kidnaps and rapes women. Even though season 2 was my favorite, every season is great. Just when you think they are gonna run out of ideas with this guy, a new season comes out with even more crazy stuff happening. I don't know how long Dexter will run, but as long as they keep coming up with grade A quality like this, I hope it will be a long, long time.

BGG Reviewer: Michael Rodgers