20/36
Plot
He’s smart
He’s loving. He’s Dexter Morgan, America’s favorite serial killer, who spends his days solving crimes and his nights committing them. During season 8, Angel Batista wasn’t always played by David Zayas. His for David Zayas Jr.
Dexter Morgan: I’ve lived in the dark for a long time
replaces his father in some shots, as the two bear a striking resemblance. Visible throughout the first season, Dexter has a large scar on his left side. Later in season two, the scar moved to his right side, leaving his left side unmarked. Over the years, my eyes have adjusted, until the darkness became my world and I could see.
Main ThemeWritten by Rolfe KentPerformed by Rolfe Kent
After four episodes, I’m ready to proclaim this is the best TV show currently on, one that might one day rank with the likes of _The Sopranos_ and the first season of _Twin Peaks_ as a contender for second-best TV show of all time (after the incomparable _Buffy the Vampire Slayer_, one of the show’s producers and writers is former Buffy writer Drew Z. Greenberg, and the cast includes Buffy/Angel mainstay Julie Benz). But it had the great grace of being the adopted child of a police officer, who (as we see in great flashbacks) successfully instilled in her a complete moral code, which she adheres to on a strictly intellectual level. This is a completely brilliant concept (which I assume derives from the novels it’s based on), one that allows the writers to explore the nature of moral behavior and what it means to be human (Dexter is, in a way, an alien).
Another thing the show does brilliantly is move at different speeds in parallel
There’s a primary story arc that seems to run throughout the season (regarding a cat-and-mouse game between Dexter and a serial killer) and a secondary arc involving Dexter’s sister’s police career. The first few episodes include a very strong completed arc about one of Dexter’s fellow cops and a local crime lord, while two of the four episodes so far have also included a standalone story, split between (and playing off) the ongoing ones. I’ve seen the future of TV season structuring, and this is it. While the writing isn’t on the level of brilliance of the best of _House_, it’s been excellent.
The cast and production are great
The only reason you wouldn’t want to watch this utterly brilliant show is the frequent use of extremely graphic imagery: there have probably been more severed body parts shown in these first four episodes than in the first four episodes of any other TV show combined. If you can stomach it, tune in for a fascinating look at what makes us human — or inhuman.