TV schedule: every Sunday 9:00 PM et/pt
TV Channel: Showtime
Genre: Drama
Dexter Story Summary:
Originally based on a novel by Jeff Lindsay called "Darkly Dreaming Dexter", "Dexter" is a Showtime masterpiece. While Lindsay has written more in his Dexter series, "Dexter" spun away from the author's vision after the first season which aired in 2006.
Dexter Morgan, the character who is followed in the series, is a blood spatter analyst for the Miami Metro Police Department by day, and he is a serial killer by night. Unlike most stories that involve serial killers where the killer is deeply disturbed and creepy, "Dexter" works to show Dexter in a more sympathetic light.
"Innocent" people are not to be killed, according to "The Code," a strict creed that Dexter must live by to keep his urges in check. The creed is attributed to his adopted father, former Miami Metro officer Harry Morgan. Harry found Dexter sitting in a pool of blood as a toddler during a call to respond to a homicide in which Dexter's mother and a number of other people were killed.
Harry goes on to teach Dexter how to control his "Dark Passenger," as they call Dexter's killing urge, and how to kill without being caught. An additional part of "The Code" is that an innocent must never be harmed. While Harry is dead by the time we enter Dexter's life, he plays the part of Dexter's conscience throughout the series.
Like Dexter or not, it does have some brilliant writing. When real life serial killers are talked about, we are told about their uncontrollable urges to kill and their uncanny ability to mimic certain emotions that they don't actually feel. Dexter refers to those urges, as mentioned, as the "Dark Passenger." The "Dark Passenger" is Dexter's dark side that must be kept in check and only unleashed under the iron-clad rules laid out by "The Code."
Dexter is wonderful with kids, but his interactions with other adults, including his adoptive sister, Debra, are often mystifying to him. While his relationships with adults are often awkward, he is naturally great with kids. Unlike the killers he's pitted against in the series who are devoid of real emotion, Dexter has developed some emotions he didn't know he was capable of.
Dexter's discovery of real emotions, though, has him at a disadvantage. Because of his family ties, he's started to question himself and his "Dark Passenger." Season Six left audiences with a major cliff-hanger in which it's unclear as to whether or not Dexter has accidentally revealed his "Dark Passenger" to Debra. He was nearly caught as the "Bay Harbor Butcher" but he managed to pin that on another killer.
For a unique look at a serial killer and his strangely "normal" life, Dexter is a captivating show with a well-developed cast of characters. Season Seven is set to air September 2012 on Showtime.
