Dexter

[Guest AlexanderG]

I like what this show does, probing our morality and forcing us to go 'wait. I'm actually rooting FOR a serial killer?'

Does it scare you at all how easy it is to sympathize with a serial killer, how easily it is to justify murder of the 'evil' people around?

Is it to you just an entertaining TV show, or do you feel your morality/conscience is put at question (as in: on the show there's many people who applaud the Bay Harbor Butcher for 'cleaning up the mess' -- in real life this would be sure to be the case, too, I think. Would you be one of those people?)

I've found myself, when Dexter'd go 'but he doesn't fit The Code,' going, 'ah, crap the code, just kill him - he desreves it.'

Kind of scary.

Just TV - just TV.

But the other week someone in this country committed a murder and claimed to be inspired by Dexter.

Not just TV to them then was it?

[Guest Ev.]

I found myself rooting for Dex too, in the beginning anyway. Now that I've seen Season 4 I find myself rooting mostly for Deborah, surprising as I disliked her alot in Season 1. She grew on me though. ^^

It doesn't scare me though at how easy I "sympathize" with Dex though. The main reason I found the show so interesting was because he was so cut off from his emotions and was constantly in his head, thinking about things logically - much like myself until recently. So even though the show is about an emotionally challenged serial killer, it helped me realize a lot of things about myself. ^^

I have to say though, I wish they had left Season 2 until the end of the series, it was just so epic! Can't wait for season 5, saw the trailer a few days ago after watching S4, zomg, looks very interesting! Can't wait to see how it all plays out. By far my favorite TV show followed closely by Supernatural. =)

*Vanishes into the night after resurrecting such an old post* xD

~Ev.

[Guest PhoebeJoan]

I never really got into Dexter, but I can see why people love it. Nice concept.

If you like Michael C Hall, check out Six Feet Under, fantastic show.

My favourite TV show's on now are Mad Men and Breaking Bad, and the Wire is probably my all-time favourite.

[Guest TaraD]

Dexter is the bad guy you love. Because he taps into that part of the brain that says this person should die. Dex is that primal eye for an eye side of every human. This the only thing that I find im addicted to. but its just so good.

[Guest Shelley]

I don't sympathize with Dexter as much as I can relate to where I think his mind is. His mission is to do what law enforcement (and the general public) wants to do, but can't or won't (he is in forensics). He goes a little too far in his methods. Just killing the killer would be enough, but this guy has to make chop suey out of his victims. It's that part of the show that turns me off. Too graphic for me, although I did complete season 1.

[Guest TaraD]

the thing about him turning them into "chop suey" is because that is what his father taught him. It was so that he could dispose of the bodies without getting caught. I do sympathize with him because of his past. (i cant remember if it was season 1 or 2 that got more in depth about his childhood and what made him how he is.

[Guest Addis Hellfire]

Normally I loathe TV with a passion, and avoid it like the plague. Despite this, I fell in with Dexter, Battlestar Galactica, Caprica, and a few other shows.

Far as Dexter goes . . I love this series. I am a huge fan of characters and character development, mind you, and the character in this seriously rubs me in all the right ways. He's pushed to so many limits and decisions that even a few times we see him on the verge of a breakdown. Honestly, Dexter Morgan might end up being my favorite character ever, and that's including ones from books! The twists they pull are epic and . . Gosh darned thee, Charter! Well, when they go online I'll watch the new ones, but I've seen I believe every episode that's been aired so far.

[Guest sleeping chrysalid]

I have never gotten into dexter either but I have watched it on occasion. I mostly watch it when my father is watching it on dvd and I come in and join. I know that many people understand the rationalization of his killings and the notion that he is cleaning up the corruption but that is not what grabs me. It seems almost dramatic looking into his tortured soul and this is why asides are used. To see a man that is born to be a fugitive because of something he can not really control is very depressing. I view the show as a tragedy and not a thriller. To become an abomination through no fault of your own and being forced to hide to avoid being shunned by society is a terrible fate. How can anyone live like that? In a way I can relate to that. I am no serial killer and I do not consider transsexualism wrong but I know what it is like to live in hiding. I have been trying to hide myself for years and I've only recently started coming out to certain individuals I trust and the reason I have told them is because I can not take it. It is so mentally exhausting to bottle everything up and think about it every day without having anyone to talk to. I relate to Dexter's loneliness. I understand how tiring it can be to worry about every little thing that I do and to make sure I do not give away too many hints. I don't care about the violence as much as I care about the emotional aspect of Dexter. There is so much pathos and satire in it that is very entertaining. The violence adds to the show but I prefer the gloomy emotional aspect of the show.

[Guest Wulfhere]

I was really addicted to the show and can't wait for the next season to start.

When you think about it, Dexter really isn't as emotionless as he comes off in the first season. The deeper you get into his past, and especially looking at the last two seasons, I'm not sure that he's as emotionless as he perceives himself to be, but that because of his childhood he's pushed a lot beneath the surface. Which is what he's coming to discover, hence what seems to be his unravelling.

I also think that that's the reason why so many viewers sympathise with him. He's this "dark avenger" who stands above the law, and is free to bring criminals to "justice" where the average person could not. It really plays into that sense of following the rules until a loved one comes to harm and the law is powerless to do anything about it, or the feeling some victims' families have that the law could never grant the harsh kind of justice they believe the criminal deserves.

I think it would be interesting if the show followed Dexter the way he is in the novels, where he is far more sociopathic/less emotional and generally darker. But I also like the show's current plot line/version of Dexter as well. There should be a Dexter v.1 and Dexter v.2, lol

[Guest DawnK]

...There should be a Dexter v.1 and Dexter v.2, lol

Don't worry, if Hollywood has anything to do with it, they'll remake it, then remake the remake, then remake the remake of the remake like they're doing with Batman, Spiderman and Charlie's angles.

[Guest Cyndi]

Must say I'm a HUGE fan of Dexter as well, can't wait for the next season! I think we root for him because he acts on the things that many of us secretly wish we could do. While most of us let the courts pass judgment, there are plenty of times justice is not served and guilty people go free or are handed out too lenient a punishment, Dexter takes that feeling of vigilante justice to the ultimate degree. While I don't condone these actions in the real world, I think there are times when individuals need to stand up for themselves and not rely on others to take care of them. Anyway, as I said, great to allow ourselves to escape reality for a little bit and let our "dark passenger" free to express itself

Cyndi

[Guest Wulfhere]

Don't worry, if Hollywood has anything to do with it, they'll remake it, then remake the remake, then remake the remake of the remake like they're doing with Batman, Spiderman and Charlie's angles.

Until it no longer resembles the original? lol Yep, you're probably right.

[Guest Luuceee]

Ive been hooked on this show since i first started it, its addictive. Ive also been reading the books, im onto book 6 now some things are quite different but i wont post up any spoilers.

[Guest SebastianIAm]

Yeah, I definitely found myself rooting for Dexter. He was just so... honest? With the audience, I mean, not the people around him. And, I could relate to feeling like you have this great big secret and if you are found out then your whole life will be ruined. And, beyond that the show is just really engaging and you kind of find yourself questioning your own morals and so on. I almost found myself understanding why some people are for the death penalty by the end. Heck, I've wanted to go vigilante on certain criminals before, myself. I'm a non-violent person... and so it is kind of strange that this show appeals to me so much. And, yes, Deb grew on me too. She used to be kind of an annoyance, but now she's one of my favourite characters.

[Guest Thing]

I love Dexter...lots of dark humor. Sometimes it gets a little weird, though, especially in the later seasons. I haven't read the books but the show has definitely got me interested... are they any good?