Strawberry Jam. Just Strawberry Jam.
Fine. Here we go. I’m attempting to keep this post as free of spoilers as possible, so theoretically there won’t be any problems with ZOMG SPOILARZ.
What to say about Dexter, then? Well, for one, it’s a series of wonderful books, with a TV series based off the first one. Let’s get down and gritty with a plot analysis.
For those of you who don’t know, Dexter is an edgy show. Simply put, it’s about a serial killer, Dexter Morgan. Though Dexter isn’t a normal serial killing maniac. He works at the Miami Dade Police Department as an expert in Blood Spatter (fancy that), and is known as the cheery optimist about the office, albeit with a slightly sick sense of humour. However, through reasons not revealed until the last few episodes of the first season, Dexter is pretty messed up. He’s gotten death into him from too early an age, and it shows. Dexter hosts something he calls the “Dark Passenger”. This Dark Passenger encourages Dex to kill. It’s a bit like the voice that tells you to eat that last slice of chocolate cake, to bring up a fairly weak analogy. Dexter can’t control the Dark Passenger; the urge to kill is always within him. However, Dexter’s adopted father, Harry Morgan, saw this in him. Knowing what he was up against, Harry taught Dexter a code. Obviously, number one isDon’t Get Caught. Though the most interesting tenant of this code is the one Dexter must live by: Only Kill People Who Deserve It. That is, murderers who escape the system. And Dexter does this very well. Well, it’s not as if he’s got anything else to do with his spare time. Oh wait; he does. To maintain the image of a Happy Human Life (he’s rather convinced he’s not Human), Dexter dates Rita, a woman who’s fairly damaged herself, having been assaulted by her ex-husband. Oh, and then there’s Dexter’s adopted system, Deborah, and Sargent Doakes, who’s certain there’s something messed up about Dex.
Takes Life. Seriously.
If I had to give a recommendation (and I do), I’d urge you to read the books first. Obviously, the TV series has been sanitised a bit (it may be hard to believe), and there are some scenes put in simply to fulfill the non-murder-loving audience. These bits range from mildly interesting to incredibly boring and insipid. Both the books and TV series are presented through a first-person perspective, narrated by the man himself, and both, though more so in the books, utilise a stream-of-conciousness delivery. In both mediums, the writing is top notch, and gives an interesting twist on the Murder-Mystery genre. Now, I’m almost 500 words in and I’ve just been gabbing off about the plot. Let’s get moving.
The music in Dexter is superb. Rolfe Kent’s compositions manage to invoke many emotions, and are clearly inspired by the Latino-American setting of Miami, Florida. The opening sequence itself is a thing of beauty, and I urge you to look it up. The music appears bright and cheery, but like Dexter himself holds a dark shadow that you only realise listening through several times.
Dexter features something a lot of cop shows don’t, or at least, don’t feature well (Horatio, I’m looking at you). The stream-of-conciousness allows for some odd thoughts to pop in, much like JD from Scrubs. Dexter often features dark comedy, very jarring amongst the murder but appreciated because of it.
The acting, however, is possibly where Dexter starts to trip up. Don’t get me wrong. Michael C. Hall portrays the character brilliantly, and Sargent Doakes quite often gave me the frights. Where it fails, though, is Lieutenant LaGuerta, played by Lauren Velez. I don’t know whether it’s calculated, but she irritates me immensely. Though maybe that’s the point.
Well, I’m out of things to say about this wonderful series. If you’re smart like me (hint hint) you’ll at least take a look at Dexter. There’s a lot worse. Like maybe getting garrotted.
Tags: Dark Passengers Are Fun, stabby stab stab, strawberry jam is fun
