Dexter is back with a vengeance
Furrah Qureshi
Issue date: 10/16/09 Section: Arts & Entertainment
Dexter is everyone's favorite serial killer. Lacking all the creepy drawbacks of conventional murderers, like cannibalism or desires to make a cat-suit out of human skin, Dexter is meticulous and paternal. He is a good friend and a devoted husband. Back when "Dexter" first began to air on Showtime, Dexter was an asexual, somewhat awkward, sociopath without feelings. Since then, we have witnessed him forge a romantic sexual relationship with Rita. and express care for his sister. Now, for the first time, we are seeing him as a father.
In season four, Dexter is trying to balance his day job as a blood spatter analyst, his unofficial job as a vigilante serial killer, and his new job as a father. Much like us in all of our own struggles with competing social and professional aims, Dexter waivers.
This season, Dexter is suffering from a lack of sleep. After making a kill, he gets in his car in the middle of the night to dispose of the body but the car gets into an accident and flips over. Dexter wakes up in the hospital and the plot then becomes an enthralling struggle to stave off sleep just long enough for him to find out where he hid the body.
It's a competition we're all familiar with. The competition we continuously carry with ourselves: ignoring our body's needs, overcoming our psychological desires, hiding our true emotions, pretending to be OK, fighting off sleep, skipping meals and of course, crashing.
Seeing Michael C. Hall play Dexter to a drowsy perfection is the mark of a truly amazing actor. Unlike other crime shows like "Law & Order" or "CSI" that focus on single-serving stories to hook the audience, Dexter shows instead of tells.
I've always felt that we don't watch Dexter with the disgust and scrupulousness that we watch characters like Freddie Kruger or The Joker. We watch the glints of humanity that Dexter shows, and we root for him. We find ourselves in him.
For example, the theme of fatherhood has resonated with viewers throughout the entire series. Flashbacks and illusions of Harry (Dexter's perceivably perfect father) have haunted Dexter more than any of his victims every have. I think all viewers of "Dexter" can relate to challenging the identity that their parents have laid out for them. Dexter is torn in between two worlds. Should he be a good son to Harry? Or should he be a good father to his new baby? Why is it so hard to be both?
One thing about "Dexter" that has not changed from the first season to the fourth is the show's opening sequence. When I first started watching "Dexter," it was on DVD and I admit, I forwarded through the opening. But when I finally did watch the sequence it hit me how genius it really was. The introduction shows Dexter getting ready for work on any given morning, it shows him shaving, squeezing some orange juice out of a blood orange, getting dressed and eating. However, all of these normal activities are shown with sinister wit. When Dexter ties his shoelaces, it reminds us of him using wire to choke his victims. When he nicks himself shaving, it makes us think of him cutting his victims to collect their blood. When he puts on a white t-shirt, the image calls to mind a dead body in a bag. The opening sequence has been consistent in the series and it has served as a constant reminder of how normal Dexter really is, and how abnormal we really are.
In season four, Dexter is trying to balance his day job as a blood spatter analyst, his unofficial job as a vigilante serial killer, and his new job as a father. Much like us in all of our own struggles with competing social and professional aims, Dexter waivers.
This season, Dexter is suffering from a lack of sleep. After making a kill, he gets in his car in the middle of the night to dispose of the body but the car gets into an accident and flips over. Dexter wakes up in the hospital and the plot then becomes an enthralling struggle to stave off sleep just long enough for him to find out where he hid the body.
It's a competition we're all familiar with. The competition we continuously carry with ourselves: ignoring our body's needs, overcoming our psychological desires, hiding our true emotions, pretending to be OK, fighting off sleep, skipping meals and of course, crashing.
Seeing Michael C. Hall play Dexter to a drowsy perfection is the mark of a truly amazing actor. Unlike other crime shows like "Law & Order" or "CSI" that focus on single-serving stories to hook the audience, Dexter shows instead of tells.
I've always felt that we don't watch Dexter with the disgust and scrupulousness that we watch characters like Freddie Kruger or The Joker. We watch the glints of humanity that Dexter shows, and we root for him. We find ourselves in him.
For example, the theme of fatherhood has resonated with viewers throughout the entire series. Flashbacks and illusions of Harry (Dexter's perceivably perfect father) have haunted Dexter more than any of his victims every have. I think all viewers of "Dexter" can relate to challenging the identity that their parents have laid out for them. Dexter is torn in between two worlds. Should he be a good son to Harry? Or should he be a good father to his new baby? Why is it so hard to be both?
One thing about "Dexter" that has not changed from the first season to the fourth is the show's opening sequence. When I first started watching "Dexter," it was on DVD and I admit, I forwarded through the opening. But when I finally did watch the sequence it hit me how genius it really was. The introduction shows Dexter getting ready for work on any given morning, it shows him shaving, squeezing some orange juice out of a blood orange, getting dressed and eating. However, all of these normal activities are shown with sinister wit. When Dexter ties his shoelaces, it reminds us of him using wire to choke his victims. When he nicks himself shaving, it makes us think of him cutting his victims to collect their blood. When he puts on a white t-shirt, the image calls to mind a dead body in a bag. The opening sequence has been consistent in the series and it has served as a constant reminder of how normal Dexter really is, and how abnormal we really are.
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