I when I first heard the idea behind Dexter, police scientist kills baddies who escape the clutches of the law, I was not particularly impressed by what seemed a not very original idea and so I did not watch the series.Then one night there was nothing else on so I started to watch it (about half way through series 1) and I've been hooked every since!
Without going into all of the gory details (and there are lots of those) the thread which weaves through the series is Dexter's past and how he is trying to both understand it and live with it.
In series 1 the main story was the search for the Ice Truck Killer who we discover at the very end is Dexter's estranged and forgotten brother. In series 2, which is showing in the UK now, Dexter's handiwork has been discovered and the police are now looking for the "Bay Harbour Butcher".
But I find the second plot line equally interesting and more intriguing. To cover up an earlier incident, Dexter has admitted to a non-existent drugs problem and is now attending a group-help program. Through this Dexter realises that his need to kill is exactly like a drug addiction and his sponsor in the programme (played by ex-Hustle star Jaime Murray) understands him better than anyone else, including himself.
It is the psychological element running alongside an unusual cop story that makes Dexter stand out from the crowd and an essential part of my weekly viewing.
It's interesting how the old cop series now have given way to all these scientists, digging up old bodies, using old DNA from god-knows-when, all blood 'n gore, and now even they kill?
ReplyDeleteWhich channel is this Dexter on?
In the new multi-channel world, Dexter is first shown on ITV1 (Thursday 22:30) and then repeated on ITV4 (Monday 22:00). I also watch Numb3rs and that has different series showing on Five, Five US and ITV3, that's 11 showings a week!
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