3, 4, 5 October 2009

Dexter s.2

Various Directors, 2005 - 2007

Opinions from fellow Dexter watchers in the chat rooms we frequent had us wondering if we might not lose interest during Dexter s.2. To our pleasure, we enjoyed s.2 as much as s.1, if not more so in some ways. paragraph. 2nd paragraph. 2nd paragraph. 2nd paragraph.

That said, it is to be noted that we grant Dexter a bit of latitude compared with other shows of the Television Renaissance.

Minus the character of Dexter, the show is at best a mediocre cop melodrama. The performers are adequate to their roles, but the writing is so generic that it's hard to tell who might reveal hidden depths of talent given different characters with different dialogue in different stories. This may be an asset to the show's viewability, however.

-- S P O I L E R S - - F O L L O W --

Dexter's conceit is that Dexter is a serial killer who works as a forensic blood expert for the cops in order to further his killings. That, and Dexter only kills other killers.

Serial killers are ubiquitous on TV cops shows, and demonized with almost mythological reverence. Dexter flips this blandest of tropes around by making a serial killer a good guy of sorts. The character of Dexter, and the machinations he performs to keep ahead of the law (of which he is a part) is what stands out against the show's mediocrity.

But there's irony - in order to survive, Dexter is dedicated to keeping his public persona as bland as those of his friends and family; and further irony - Dexter the killer is fairly bland as TV serial killers go. His killings are not kinky, and he's never seen being sadistic or gleeful about his work. The events themselves are cut away from before the dismemberments begin, and the results are usually seen tied up in neat plastic garbage bags.

What's more, Dexter is humanized by his attempts to fit in with normal people. Although Dexter delivers any number of soliloqueys about how he has no feelings, and has to pretend to have feelings to avoid being caught, he pretends so well that he fools himself and ends up having feelings anyway.

All this makes Dexter just entertaining enough to keep watching. We find the show a pleasant time waster, but once is enough - we won't be buying the DVD sets.

We'd have liked it if Dexter were about a real killer, not a good-guy serial killer, but a real sociopath who has infiltrated the cops and works his trade against innocents rather than other killers. A show of this sort would almost of necessity have to be a limited series. There would only be so many ways in which a character of this sort could hide from the law, and he would of course eventually be caught through real police work. (In the Dexter we have, the police procedure is silly, to say the least.) Extra points would be given if such as show could also still be a black comedy. We don't see this show happening any time soon, but we can dream!