A good portion of my unwatched movie pile are TV sets. Most our shows I’ve either wanted to watch or were recommended to me and so I just picked them up blindly at various sales. Now that I have some time on my hands I decided to dive into a season of something I hadn’t watched before, so I began with season 1 of Dexter.
It seems most of the good shows on TV these days are on the paid cable channels, especially HBO. However, Showtime has made a big push with their programming as well. Not having any of the paid channels I’m forced to wait till DVD release.
Dexter had been recommended by several people so I picked up the first two seasons and just sat them on the shelf figuring one day I would get to it. After finishing the first season I’m ready to get the rest of the seasons and quickly catch up with what I’ve been missing.
The premise is pretty unique. Dexter, played by Michael C. Hall, is a forensic officer that specializes in blood splatter. During the day he investigates murders, but at night he’s a serial killer that uses his psychotic urges to hunt and kill bad people. Dexter is a very complex character and needs to walk a fine line to balance his two different personalities. Hall does a great job portraying the title character. He puts on the facade of a normal person with just the right amount of oddness and calculating persona to hide his true nature. And when he switches roles into his true personality it’s a frightening portrayal.
Within the first season Dexter has to investigate a new serial killer that wow’s him. He is truly impressed with his technique, which quickly turns to jealousy and feelings of inferiority. Soon the killer begins to leave clues specifically for Dexter, letting him know that he is aware of his true nature. He is teasing Dexter, and this drives him nuts. It also puts him in a very complex situation because to reveal the true nature of the clues would require Dexter to reveal his true nature to his colleagues at the police force. The storyline makes for some very compelling drama with lots of tension leading up to a very tense conclusion as the game of cat and mouse between Dexter and the Ice Truck Killer intensifies.
The supporting characters for the most part and pretty one dimensional and offer enough to further along Dexter’s story line. This doesn’t make them bad, there are plenty of interesting stories to be told, but none of them seem as fully developed as Dexter. The look and direction of the episodes doesn’t offer anything new or unique as well. In some ways it almost looks like something made by a film student, but again it doesn’t detract enough from the episodes. The real reason to watch is simply for the character of Dexter and the performance of Michael C. Hall.
The episodes weren’t as graphic as I thought they would be, but there is still plenty of blood and gore that could be tough for the squeamish.
Once I started I really didn’t want to stop and I got through the first season pretty quickly, and I’m ready to start the rest and get caught up. Dexter is simply a fascinating character and fun to watch. I’ve had a few elements of future seasons spoiled for me so I have an idea where it is heading, but I’m still ready for the ride.
If you haven’t seen the show I would highly recommend checking it out. If you are interested in purchasing it you can click on this link to Amazon to purchase it:Dexter: The First Season
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