Dexter

I've only seen two episodes, but I can tell you already that I'm loving Dexter and should have listened sooner to the people who were recommending it to me. I almost hesitate to describe the premise, since it's absurd, and hearing about other people describe it is what made me skeptical.

But that said, what you have is a show about a sociopathic serial killer who also happens to be a forensic analyst for the Miami Police Department. But he's a sociopathic serial killer with a conscience (except not really -- he's a sociopath!) who only kills other killers. Woo!

It's pretty ridiculous, but so far at least it's pulled off extremely well to generate an alternatively funny/creepy/gross story that also includes a reasonably compelling mystery (another serial killer seems to be toying with our friend Dexter) plot thread running throughout the season, and all-in-all it's pretty great -- I like it more than anything I see running currently on television.

Comments

I am about two thirds through season one and it really is pretty fantastic. They manage to make an almost completely emotionless character a pretty complex and interesting. (Something the Romney campaign is trying to do too, by the way, though with much less success).

Posted by AJ | October 16, 2007 2:24 PM

Even though the overarching mystery of season one was pretty predictable. The conversations between Dexter and his adoptive father are some of the most disturbing stuff on television, disturbing in a great way of course.

Posted by asirey | October 16, 2007 2:28 PM

Even though the overarching mystery of season one was pretty predictable. The conversations between Dexter and his adoptive father are some of the most disturbing stuff on television, disturbing in a great way of course.

Posted by asirey | October 16, 2007 2:28 PM

Not only that, but the end of Season One does not disappoint -- it's truly fantastic.

Posted by Media Glutton | October 16, 2007 2:31 PM

Wait until you see the season finale -- one of the best episodes of TV I've ever seen. The second season is off to a great start as well.

Posted by Dan panorama | October 16, 2007 2:40 PM

Clearly, you're not watching It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia.

Posted by Justin | October 16, 2007 2:45 PM

I continue to be astonished that people like this show. It's totally absurd, inconsistent, badly paced, and the central conceit (which most people will guess halfway through) is an unbelievable cliche and boringly predictable.

I mean, Dexter is totally emotionless . . . except when he's screaming at his victims. The acting is great . . . except that all Dexter's thoughts have to be represented in meandering, tedious voice-over segments. He's a diabolical genius . . . except he can't stop making stupid small mistakes.

I may be biased because I read the book (which was also terrible, albeit a waste of wayyyy less time than the series) before I saw the show, but I don't understand the affection at all.

Posted by AJ Rossmiller | October 16, 2007 2:51 PM

Posted by Justin | October 16, 2007 2:45 PM

Now THAT is fantastic television.

And it occasionally has Yglesias-bait foreign policy satire -- e.g. "The Koreans are enriching the microbrew!"

Posted by AJ Rossmiller | October 16, 2007 2:56 PM

There isn't nearly enough violence in this show. It's all psychobabble and violence they want you to imagine yourself. Sorry, but that's boring.

Posted by abb1 | October 16, 2007 2:59 PM

Very entertaining TV. (A bit different from the books--I've just read the first two--but worthwhile on its own.) The opening credits alone are fantastic.

Posted by RSA | October 16, 2007 3:01 PM

It's ok. The only reason I even like it is because Anthony Michael Hall is so damn watchable. The rest of the acting ranges from bad to cringingly awful, and the writing bounces between bombastic and silly.

Posted by Antid Oto | October 16, 2007 3:10 PM

Oh god. Please tell me that was a mistake and you know the difference between Anthony Michael Hall and Michael C. Hall. Please.

Posted by ryan | October 16, 2007 3:18 PM

Woops. Yes. Mistake.

Posted by Antid Oto | October 16, 2007 3:22 PM

I don't watch this show. The idea that Miami is supposed to have an epidemic of serial killers -- when they are so rare nationally -- seems inherently silly. Showtime does have a few good shows though:

The L-Word. Mainly a soap, but an entertaining one.

Brotherhood. The Irish mob and crooked pols in Rhode Island. Like the Sopranos with plots and story arcs.

Huff. Hank Azeria as an f'd up Southern Cal psychiatrist. I missed a season or two, but the first season was good.

Posted by Fred | October 16, 2007 3:23 PM

i think the point about dexter's reported lack of emotions is that he's narrating the story (more clear in lindsay's fun books - which veer away from the story of the tv series) and he's pretty clearly an unreliable narrator.

in other words, when it comes to a lack of normal emotional responses, methinks dexter doth protest too much.

Posted by David | October 16, 2007 3:40 PM

Dexter doesn't have a conscience. He has a code that he relies on to keep him safe. He isn't emotionless either. He simply has no empathy or sympathy. At least this is how the character starts out.

Posted by Dave | October 16, 2007 3:42 PM

I enjoy watching Dexter. I also think Weeds is an excellent show. At the rate Showtime's originals are growing and HBO's originals are declining, Showtime will soon overtake HBO as the must-have premium cable network.

Posted by Just Karl | October 16, 2007 5:30 PM

Yeah, it's completely unbelievable- well, at at least the part about the killing policeman only killing other people who kill.

The rest of it is entirely believable. It's called police death squads and they've operated for years in central and south America, usually targeting street kids whom they kill pretty much at random.

So for two years you guys watched entranced as 'Jack Bauer' tortured people and now you're going on to a television show about a policeman who murders according to his 'code'. Very impressive.

Posted by serial catowner | October 16, 2007 5:33 PM

It's a TV show. Lighten up.

Posted by Dave | October 16, 2007 5:49 PM

If they sic Dexter onto the Neocons, watch the ratings soar.

If Hannibal Lechter invited gourmet Richard Perle over for "dinner" and cooked fat Richard's liver with some fava beans, I would be hard put to not grant Hannibal a pardon.

Posted by Don Williams | October 16, 2007 6:29 PM

You can't read Dexter too literally. It's actually shaped just like a Superhero narrative. There's a childhood formative experience that gives the hero a new secret identity. This identity gives him great powers, but it is also a great burden.

Strange, no? The serial murderer as superhero?

I'm Just about to start Disc 4 of Season 1. The last show in season 3 had one of the best cliffhangers I've ever seen.

Posted by Wagster | October 16, 2007 6:48 PM

Dexter is an excellent show. I’m note sure it will have the staying power of the Soprano’s, but it has a similar appeal. Rich textured and interesting characters and a compelling story. You can relate to many of the nuanced human dilemmas and emotions, while at the same time keep at a safe distance by the pure abstraction of the story premise.

Posted by erict | October 16, 2007 6:55 PM

Totally implausible. I just can't get into it.

Posted by Ted Bundy | October 16, 2007 6:56 PM

So for two years you guys watched entranced as 'Jack Bauer' tortured people and now you're going on to a television show about a policeman who murders according to his 'code'. Very impressive.

Er, Jack Bauer has been torturing people for 6 seasons now. And he'll back for more in January. Or whenever it is the new season starts. Bring on the waterboarding!

Dexter is indeed an excellent show. But I'm surprised no one has mentioned Brotherhood. I'd have thought it would be particularly popular with political junkies.

Posted by Mixner | October 16, 2007 7:43 PM

"But I'm surprised no one has mentioned Brotherhood."

I did. My gf's watching Sunday night's episode on DVR right now. Great show.

Posted by Fred | October 16, 2007 9:14 PM

IMHO, Dexter is fun for a couple of episodes, but plays out rather weakly as a series.

It's kinda the opposite of The Wire, which can take a bit to get into, but pays off with long-term viewing.

-----

Am I the first person to note that Californication is Entourage for old people?

Posted by Petey | October 16, 2007 9:17 PM

"They manage to make an almost completely emotionless character a pretty complex and interesting. (Something the Romney campaign is trying to do too, by the way, though with much less success)."

Heh.

Posted by Petey | October 16, 2007 9:19 PM

"I don't watch this show. The idea that Miami is supposed to have an epidemic of serial killers -- when they are so rare nationally -- seems inherently silly."

This strikes me as a deeply weird criticism.

Posted by Petey | October 16, 2007 9:20 PM

"This strikes me as a deeply weird criticism."

Why?

Posted by Fred | October 16, 2007 9:48 PM

"But I'm surprised no one has mentioned Brotherhood."

"I did. My gf's watching Sunday night's episode on DVR right now. Great show."

I need to give Brotherhood another try. I found the violence in the first episode too raw and realistic(Scorsesesque), as compared to Dexter, where the killings are literally ritualistic and stylized (Capra-like??).

Posted by erict | October 16, 2007 9:48 PM

"Why?"

Because it's odd to make watchability so dependent on verisimilitude.

Posted by Petey | October 16, 2007 9:54 PM

Why?

Well for one it's not true. Miami is a weird place. A quick google of Miami serial killers pulled up this gem:

The forth serial killer investigation in which I participated does not fit the mold of "serial killer," so far as one exists. Robert Rozier was a former pro football player drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals who later played with the Oakland Raiders. He joined a radical black-supremacist Hebrew sect called the "Temple of Love." The cult, led by self proclaimed "Son of God" Hulon Mitchell Jr., who called himself Yahweh Ben Yahweh, was suspected of having killed 14 people in various states.

Other high-profile killers from Miami are Andrew Cunanan, the guy who shot Versace, Christopher Wilder the killer racecar driver, and whoever it was that killed Adam Walsh.

I'd say Miami is the perfect setting for a show involving serial killers.

Posted by Just Karl | October 16, 2007 10:05 PM

The show is basically a superhero comic book.

Unfortunately, like a comic book (or most of them), it's not actually well-crafted or well-written, and it doesn't have any power or depth. It can be a good shut-off-your-brain way to kill some time (which is fine), but it's not, you know, actually good.

Posted by Toadmonster | October 16, 2007 10:21 PM

"Unfortunately, like a comic book (or most of them), it's not actually well-crafted or well-written, and it doesn't have any power or depth. It can be a good shut-off-your-brain way to kill some time (which is fine), but it's not, you know, actually good."

Yup. Depth is the problem.

I watched about 3/4 of the first season, and my enjoyment level slowly decreased as I went along.

It's a one-trick pony. And the trick is only mildly good.

Posted by Petey | October 16, 2007 10:28 PM

"It can be a good shut-off-your-brain way to kill some time (which is fine), but it's not, you know, actually good."

Well, Toadmonster, it is TV, not Shakespeare on the Park. Perhaps nothing on TV meets your standard of “good”? Understandable. Most is pure shit. But for HBO, Showtime, flics and sports, I would be reading these damn blogs with no noise in the background.

Posted by erict | October 16, 2007 10:33 PM

I'll second your criticism of Toadmonster's overall approach, erict. But I do agree with him that Dexter lacks depth and power.

Posted by Petey | October 16, 2007 10:38 PM

"I'll second your criticism of Toadmonster's overall approach, erict. But I do agree with him that Dexter lacks depth and power."

Petey. Perhaps your right. But I feel I get a good share of real "depth and power" drama from watching what hell this country is causing around the world. I do look for diversions now and then. Dexter satisfies.

Posted by erict | October 16, 2007 10:51 PM

Well, Toadmonster, it is TV, not Shakespeare on the Park.

Oh come on, this is so weak. Like I said in my post, not everything has to be resonant and complex; mindless fun is perfectly fine and (um) fun. "It's just TV" is just a way to shut down discussion.

My problem with Dexter is that the quality of the writing makes it less enjoyable even on its own terms. Unlike a lot of Showtime stuff, the show has no pretensions about what it is, which is great. But the simplicity (in terms of characterization and plot) which is its basic principle is also its weakness.

Posted by Toadmonster | October 17, 2007 1:17 AM

Petey,

Verisimilitude isn't something I look for in all cases, but that just bugged me. It would be as if there were a show about a Miami hospital had a physician on staff whose sole job was to treat lightning victims. Also, the show seemed gory from the commercials and the lead actor seems a little creepy. That said, glad you enjoy it.

Erict,

The type of violence you remember from the first episode isn't typical of the show. It's got less of that sort of thing than the Sopranos did. Definitely worth giving it another try.

Posted by Fred | October 17, 2007 1:20 AM

Don Williams writes: "If they sic Dexter onto the Neocons, watch the ratings soar."

I'm holding out for the Bloody Billy Kristol episode.

Posted by MoeLarryAndJesus | October 17, 2007 1:36 AM

I like this show lots!

However, my vicarious enjoyment of gratuitous violence would be greatly enhanced by one detail which I hereby humbly request of the bigs at TV headquarters:

The next hit Dexter makes, he should take the guy, wrap him inside a Persian rug like an enchilada, then drop him smack dab on Magnolia Boulevard so that any pedestrian-citizen can trample the perp at their leisure and discretion. At the end of the day, the battered and bloody remains should be unwrapped in a close-up shot.

Thank you very much.

Posted by georgieporgie | October 17, 2007 6:54 AM

This show is incredible, and the finale of season 1 is amazing. I've only seen the first two episodes of season two (don't know how many are out yet- I'm not in a place where they're available), and it looks like they're taking the show in yet another interesting direction.

I also agree with the "superhero" analysis. Dexter is definitely out of a superhero mold.

Posted by Loren Michael | October 17, 2007 9:57 AM

"If they sic Dexter onto the Neocons, watch the ratings soar."

Complicity by Ian Banks may give you some of what you're looking for, although the political context is British ad smaller-scale. But it's a very enjoyable book.

Posted by kali | October 17, 2007 12:32 PM