Find Your Dark Passenger with Dexter Morgan

For those of you who are down for a psychological, suspenseful, explicit thriller,  Dexter is the show for you, especially when you’re bored over break! The premise of the show is a serial killer that kills serial killers. Confusing right? Bear with me.

The first season is a definite must-see for the series, centered around a

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new serial killer showing up in Miami where the show takes place. Dexter is a seemingly quiet lab geek working on the forensics team as a blood splatter analyst for the Miami Homicide department. He uses what he knows about forensics in addition to what his adoptive father, Harry, a former detective, taught him about how the police track down killers in order to avoid being captured himself. When a new killer named the Ice Truck Killer hits town, it appears that the killer is trying to send a message to Dexter. As the season progresses Dexter is forced to face himself as well as the new adversary.

The first episode of the season is enough to hook an audience. The internal monologue of a sociopath is sometimes humorous, but also chilling to view things through the mind of a killer. Not only does the vigilante nature of Dexter make him empathetic to the audience but the dark secrets of his past only help to add dimension to Dexter as a character, struggling to find the balance of satisfying the needs of his “Dark Passenger” the force within him that makes him kill as well as battling the legacy and code of Harry, who always wanted him to find the light within himself. Throughout the series, Dexter’s character has hills and valleys. He grows and decays as a character with deep influences that only add depth to the character as the series progresses.

The writing of the show itself is full of symbolic meaning in addition to subtle clues

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and foreshadowing woven beautifully into the plot. From each character of the Miami Homicide Department to the people in Dexter’s life are each crafted with strong views and morals and behaviors that add further levels to the plot. The twists in the plot themselves, which are numerous, are not only shocking but also not random. If one looks back through the episodes the clues are subtle and present and inspire awe at the finesse of the writing team of the show.

The first, fourth and currently-in-progress sixth season are the strongest seasons of the series. Each season is worth watching, if only for the development of relationships and characters, however for the non-hardcore marathoners those three are essential. The show is beautifully crafted, and also has a strong presence in television, however if gore and explicit content is not your thing, I might advise against it.

Watching Dexter is like jumping into a cold pool, a shock at first but once adjusted to the concept of siding with a murderer, Dexter is a wild rollercoaster that will put you on the edge of your seat and drop your jaw. For those of you who are not avid followers of America’s Favorite Serial Killer, it’s time to jump on the bandwagon; the in-progress sixth season is the best one yet.