What if you were born with a desire to kill? An insatiable desire to take the life of another? What if you daydreamed about killing people? Would you give in to the lust of killing? Or would you take a different path, as taken by Dexter Morgan in the TV series Dexter.Based on the book Dexter Dreaming Darkly by Jeff Lindsey, this Showtime TV series follows the life of Miami Police forensic specialist (specializing in bloodstain pattern analysis) Dexter Morgan (Michael C. Hall). By day Morgan investigates brutal killings in the neighborhood of Miami and by night he takes on a completely different persona. This by means is no Jekyll-Hyde syndrome, Dexter is good at what he does because he is truly fascinated by death and blood especially. Michael C. Hall – nominated for a Golden Globe Acting Award – truly captures Dexter’s cool calm exterior, yet his expressions also depict the monster he really is. After his foster father (James Remar) discovers a younger Dexter killing small animals, he realizes that to protect his son’s future he has to train him to hunt and kill serial killers.
Jennifer Carpenter (The Exorcism of Emily Rose) portrays Deborah Morgan, the carefree and enthusiastic sister of Dexter. Her character is totally different from Dexter’s but she too serves in the Miami Police Department. Her character struggles to get ahead in the Police force and is envious of Dexter’s perception and skills.
The first season deals with Dexter trying to discover the identity of the mysterious Ice Truck Killer. The series takes a very morbid look into the lives of the depraved serial killers and other devious criminals. All of whom Dexter feels some sort of kinship towards, but ultimately he hunts each one of them down through each episode.
The first season comes with no particular special features, just a commentary on two episodes and a feature on the first season. Dexter is a show not for the queasy or faint of heart. It deals with the monsters that lurk within society and feed on the helpless.–Khaver Siddiqi (September 16th, 2007, DAWN Images.)
