By Tanner Anderson, Page Editor
Over the summer, I’ve become a big fan of a serial killer. His name is Dexter Morgan.
For those of you already filled with worry and angst, calm down because, ironically, he only murders other serial killers.
Dexter is a fictional character created by writer Jeff Lindsay, and his novel has been adapted to the television show Dexter. Dexter, a blood spatter expert for the Miami Police Department, is a man who goes through his daily routine. He brings donuts to his co-workers, has a girlfriend and on the outside blends in with the rest of society.
But even with all of these “normal” tendencies and behaviors, Dexter is far from what many perceive to be normal. And after living a life of smiles and nods, Dexter eventually has to shatter his fa‡ade and release his internal monster. What’s even more bizarre and scary is how good he is at faking his phony life style.
Coming from unknown origins, Dexter was adopted by his father Harry who noticed some disturbing peculiarities in his son at an early age. He begins to train his son to fake normal behavior and control his urges by bringing un-apprehended serial murderers to “justice.”
This morally complex conundrum brings to surface many issues of right and wrong, while simultaneously capturing the humor of daily life.
Each episode of Dexter is a 45-minute long cinematic adventure that is extremely addicting, but the excitement isn’t just limited to the “thrill of the kill”; after each episode, Dexter begins to realize that the human emotions he thought he was mimicking, such as love and compassion, are becoming real and tangible.
The metaphors and analogies of the show are blatant and extremely fun to discuss with fellow viewers. It also is fun to have the “I can’t believe that just happened” conversation. These conversations will occur after watchers witness one of the several cliffhangers the show provides. Will Dexter ever be caught? Will he be able to find happiness? Will he ever be able to stop the killing sprees?
The show is not for everyone. A few graphic scenes appear here and there with some language to boot. But if you were a fan of grittier hits such as The Sopranos and Oz, you probably would enjoy this show, although it is aired on Showtime instead of HBO. If you do not have Showtime, do not despair; the first two Dexter seasons are on DVD. If you do not feel like dropping more than $30 for each season, your best bet would be renting from Netflix.
If you read this and think, “wow, this sounds morally incomprehensible,” I’ve got news for you: it is, but what’s scarier is you may find yourself enjoying it.
