Dexter: The Complete First Season

Review By: Andrea Tuccillo
AndreaTuccillo@TheCinemaSource.com

It’s no easy task to turn a serial killer into a likeable lead character on a television show; but Showtime’s provocative crime thriller Dexter achieves it. Thanks in no small part to the charms of brilliant actor Michael C. Hall (inexplicably robbed of an Emmy nomination this year), Dexter becomes an unlikely anti-hero—a character we root for and even, on some warped level, understand.

As soon as the show’s stunning title sequence begins, you’re thrown into this killer’s twisted world. Filmed with unsettling closeness, it cleverly shows how even the simplest morning routines contain an underlying violence for Dexter—the way he smacks a mosquito on his arm and gives a wicked grin, the way he cracks an egg, ties a shoe, even the way he flosses his teeth. After seeing the credits, you know the show’s going to be amazing before it even starts.

Dexter has built a cozy, make-believe life for himself. To the outside world he’s an average, law-abiding citizen. He works for the Miami police department as a blood spatter analyst, helping to solve crimes by day and then secretly committing them by night. He’s become a pro at faking emotions and bluffing his way through relationships in a bid to fit in and look normal to the people around him. And he’s got everybody fooled except the audience. Through insightful and often times humorous voice-overs (Hall’s deadpan delivery is terrific) we get to know the real Dexter—the Dexter with the dark secret.

Dexter’s aware of his psychopathic tendencies, but unlike most serial killers he kills with a purpose. He follows the strict code given to him by his foster father Harry Morgan (played by James Remar in flashbacks), a respected, honest cop who adopted Dexter when he was three-years-old. Harry recognized his son’s desire to kill at an early age and rather than try to stop his son’s impulses, he decides to help him channel it. He lays out guidelines for Dexter, telling him to only kill people who deserve it, criminals who think they’ve beaten the system. So that’s exactly what Dexter does.

It’s hard to imagine anyone but the talented Hall (best known as David on Six Feet Under) playing the title role of Dexter. Though Dexter claims to have no emotions, he’s no cardboard cutout. He’s an extremely complex character and Hall is able to master each and every scene. The supporting cast is superb as well. Jennifer Carpenter plays Debra, Dexter’s foul-mouthed foster sister who’s also an ambitious rookie cop. As Dexter bluntly puts it, “I don’t have feelings about anything, but if I did I’d have them for Deb.”

Dexter is trusted and well-liked by most of his colleagues including flirtatious Lt. Maria LaGuerta (Lauren Velez) and good-hearted detective Angel Batista (David Zayas), but the tough-talking Sergeant Doakes (Erik King) harbors suspicions about him. Doakes’ growing determination to uncover the truth threatens to blow Dexter’s cover.

When he’s not dealing ...