A Darker Dexter

You’ll have to forgive me as I’ve been away. In fact, to China. And back again. Though it’s a strange adjustment to make. You’ll see that I do want to make at least one contribution to the month of October before it’s done. Not surprisingly, it has a little something to do with Halloween.

I do love this particular day when the shadows start to drag and the mood begins to shift between the lonely houses down the streets. There’s a wide awakening of moonlight that comes earlier in the evening. A moon beast perhaps.

I’m catching up with a show that has been stirring up some controversy on the Showtime Chanel and television in general due to its stark content. It’s probably not everyone’s cup of tea. But Dexter provides some great blueprints for horror. And it’s a great get-away viewing for the Halloween spirit.

It’s not a gory show at all. Much of it is left to the imagination. And you can think up of a lot of stuff if you’ve sitting there in the dark corner with your thoughts moving. Created by James Manos Jr. for TV, Dexter plays like a literary novel on television as it goes through the episodes like an odd dream. It is told through the point of view of a serial killer named Dexter who happens to be working in the forensics lab for the Miami police department. Nice, huh? He’s sort of like a serial killer who gets rid of serial killers.

It’s this tone, the mood, that probably sets people off a little. The fact that this guy kills out of a singular purpose of getting to the bad people in the world in his own brand of justice… is a little warped. And it’s this creepiness that clings to the show that gives it so much color and depth. It’s like you’re watching a wild animal from outside of the cage. You’re seeing a different kind of mind being put to work. And it works like a clockwork. Though some glitches need to be fixed.

The second season of Dexter, now out on the shelves, shows out the main character is struggling. He is at odds with everyone in the world. He must understand his own identity and resolve his issues before he goes through a psychological crisis. Not only that, he must make amends with his girlfriend Rita who has broken up with him. There is also nice subplots regarding a new women in his life in the form of Lilah… a dark haired raveness who seems to control his urges just by inspiring him. And he must shake off the now suspicious Sgt. Doakes from his own department. It sounds complicated. That’s because it is.

The nice thing about this television show is that there’s enough material for the writers to roam freely, giving enough time to flesh out the characters and create tension through building up the mood.

“This guy thinks he’s a Batman,” FBI special agent Lundy says while trying to piece together a way to catch the Bay Harbor Butcher. Who happens to be Dexter.

So the whole thing really comes down to this: is he a superhero or just another killer? It’s a theme that keeps coming back to haunt us. And Dexter.

There’s a really nice episode entitled “The Dark Avenger” with a murder that takes place in a comic book beforehand. So there’s different levels playing out Dexter’s desire to be a superhero. And you can see that he wants to do some good in the world. He wants to help out others in his own way. Even the title has a superhero-y kind of sound to it.

The actor who plays the part is Michael C. Hall who is a familiar face to television viewers who followed the series “Six Feet Under.” He plays the gay brother who co-owns the funeral home in that show. In Dexter, he plays someone who is a little stranger, a bit more creepy. But the role really suits Hall. He feels more like a quiet stranger. And he can do that very well. You can hear the tone in his voice whenever he is angry, thoughtful, perhaps humorous.

There’s very few actors who could pull off a role like this that begs for no sympathy from the audiences. Just an understanding.

Whoever did the theme music for the show has a creative streak that’s near brilliant. The whole beginning part that shows the credits. You can see Dexter slapping a mosquito as he is waking up to another warm day of brilliant sunshine. And you can hear the haunting music from the drift of piano keys. The entire sequence of him doing the mundane things of morning duties such as eating breakfast, flossing his teeth and putting on his shirt all seem to elude to murderous things… suffocation, strangulation… it’s a little disturbing. But it’s brilliantly crafted.

The entire season is focusing more on Dexter’s shortcomings. When he is starting to lose everything, his control, his family, his girlfriend, all of these things that is a part of him, he becomes unhinged. And they’re slowly coming apart as the police department’s hunt for the Bay Harbor Butcher closes in like a trap. Everything becomes tighter, more claustophobic. It is like being put under observation all the time. You begin to feel as Dexter feels. There’s a paranoia setting in.

One of the things learned here is Dexter’s foster father, also a police man, who might have been responsible for putting Dexter on the path of who he is now. There’s probably more to his adopted father than meets the eye. And there’s a little bit of a shadow hanging over Dexter as he thinks of his family. His mother who was murdered. And if that is why he does these things.

One of the highlights of the episodes is where Dexter finally confronts the killer of his mother in a small town tavern that is many miles outside of the city. It’s a kind of black comedy. You can see many angles to the scene as Dexter suffers through his emotional impact. He is hanging on thread ready to explode any time.

But it is the ending of the season that will throw you aside as the series gets weirder. You’ll find a lot of surprises and some distractions. Yet Dexter is his own man. He appears to be socially responsible. And you can’t take that away from him. He’s been placed on the earth for a number of reasons. He’s not an angel. He’s a flawed hero which a remarkable survival instinct. And you begin to wonder how many people out there, walking the same grounds, maybe even tangling with us on a daily basis, are hiding secrets as well? How many of them are dark secrets they want to hide?

You’ll never really know. A show like Dexter just makes us feel a little more uncomfortable. Perhaps they might be a good things because it makes us more aware.