A Serial Killer To Die For

THE PREMISE

During the day, Dexter Morgan is a mild-mannered blood spatter analyst with the Miami Police Department.  But come the night, he takes a walk on the sinister side, as he tracks down evil-doers who have somehow eluded the law, and executes his own brand of justice on these no-good scum-of-the-earth murderers who are often child molesters or rapists as well. 

Dexter is, by his own admission, a monster, with a driving need to slake his blood thirst.  But he has a code—the Code of Harry (his foster-father)—that he adheres to with rigid tenacity: he only hunts those who deserve the harshest penalty and he must gain proof of their guilt before he delivers the coup de grace. 

To assimilate as best he can in society so no-one will be the wiser to his true nature, Dexter fakes his way through interactions with other people.  He does this so well that he endears himself to those around him, save his co-worker, Sergeant Doakes, who suspects that not all is as it seems with our Dexter.

THE STORYLINE

Being a blood spatter analyst with the Miami Police Department has its own rewards.  For Dexter, it is relishing crime scenes even as he analyses them.  But all a sudden, dead bodies are appearing all over the place without any blood at all, a state of affairs that not only frustrates but deeply intrigues Dexter.  This new serial killer with a very specific modus operandi appears to be as highly professional and meticulous as Dexter himself.  Worst of all is that this Ice Truck Killer seems to be aware of Dexter’s self-imposed métier.  Indeed, he appears to be taunting Dexter, and our hero is forced to respond.  And so begins a danse macabre between two alter egos, which threatens to undo all Dexter’s hard work and reveal to the world his darkest secrets. 

Who is the Ice Truck Killer?  Why is he harassing our hero?  Dexter already has Sergeant Doakes stalking him.  With The Ice Truck Killer coming out to play cat-and-mouse with him, the stakes, already high, ratchet up even higher until it builds to an explosive climax that is as jaw-droppingly unexpected as it is inevitable.

THE CAST

Emmy and Golden Globe-nominated actor, Michael C. Hall, inhabits the character of Dexter to the point where the viewer suspends all disbelief.  Perfectly cast and playing his character to the hilt, Michael C. Hall exudes a sense of menace lurking beneath a carefully-cultivated veneer of soft-spoken amiability.  We believe that Dexter is capable of extreme violence, and at the same time, we can’t help really liking him.  Even though he maintains that he lacks human emotions, we detect a sense of humour in him, an appreciation of the irony of his situation, stuck as he is between his choice of profession on the one hand and his nature on the other.  Michael C. Hall is a master at conveying irony, through the arch of a brow to a crooked smile to the voiceovers that tell us what Dexter is really thinking. 

Michael C. Hall is strongly supported by a cast of actors all pitch-perfect in their roles.  I particularly like Julie Benz as his girlfriend Rita, a single mom recovering from spousal abuse, chosen by Dexter as he considers her as ‘damaged’ as himself.  Dexter’s foul-mouthed foster sister, Debra, an ambitious cop who desperately wants to prove herself, is played by Jennifer Carter.  Workmates include Erik King as the scarily intense and highly suspicious Sergeant Doakes who stalks Dexter and cramps his style.  Lauren Velez as the over-ambitious Lt. Maria Laguerta and David Zayas as Angel Batista even have their own character arcs.  C. S. Lee as Vince Masuka, the other forensic expert, brings a good deal of light relief to the office interplay.  Dexter’s foster father, Harry, features strongly in many flashbacks and is ably played by James Remar.

WHAT ABOUT THE GORE?

In a series about serial killers, there’s bound to be some violence.  However, most of the violence is perpetrated by Dexter himself and is so steeped in black humour that the viewer is so busy laughing that the flinching is almost incidental. 

But as the series progresses, there are some disturbing (and extremely gory) flashbacks to Dexter’s early childhood.  However, this particular event is a highly relevant link in Dexter’s make-up and is not at all gratuitous.  

So, this is not something for the kiddies or the very faint-hearted.  Other than that, this has to be one of the best drama series on television ever. 

CONCLUSION

Ladies, look no further than this 4-DVD set of 12 episodes if you want a Christmas present for your husband that you can both enjoy.  My husband enjoyed the series so much he insisted on watching at least two episodes at a time.  We finished watching all 12 episodes in record time and bought the second season immediately after.  We’re now already halfway through the second season and the storyline just keeps getting better. 

Based on the novels by Jeff Lindsay (Darkly Dreaming Dexter, Dearly Devoted Dexter), the writers for the TV series took the premise and really ran with it.  The novels and the television series are quite different—Dexter is the same, but what happens to him is much better developed in the latter.  Kudos to the writers for really building on Lindsay’s template and creating something much more detailed and even more enjoyable. 

Highly recommended.