(MAJOR SPOILERS; but if you don't plan to watch the show then I guess you won't mind)
I love Dexter. It is one of the smartest, edgiest, and most supenseful and fun shows on television. You will recall that it was in my top 3 TV shows. In case you haven't heard, Dexter centers around the titular Dexter Morgan, a mild mannered blood spatter analyst for the Miami Police Department who moonlights as a vigilante serial killer. The show focuses on his attempts to juggle a social life with family and friends while also satisfying his psychotic urges by murdering Miami's worst killers, as per a code taught to him by his cop father. Now a main element of the series that has thrived even into the fifth and current season is the mystery as to whether or not Dexter's good nature is merely an act, a building emotion, or true feelings. I'd go with the last, but here are my reasons for why.
8. He kills the evil people
Simple enough, right? If Dexter was merely a psychotic killing machine, he would have disregarded his father's code and satisfied his desires in any way he pleased. I would doubt even the sickest serial killers would want to take up the task of thoroughly investigating someone almost or just as dangerous as they are, stalking, and then killing them. Too much work, and very often risky. The fact that he has stuck with the code with such discipline and devotion, and his often strict and serious no-innocents policy, are not solid but they do make humanity somewhat evident.
7. Admittance
As the late-great and fictional John Locke once said "Crazy people don't know they're crazy, they think they're getting saner." Dexter knows he is a psychopath. He admits it very often, even to the people around him in very subtle ways. The fact that he knows, and is ashamed of the fact, that he does horrible things (killing bad guys is understandable, but there is also dismemberment) is very thoughtful for a man claiming to be an emotionless monster.
6. His longing for normalcy
One thing Dexter has always wished for is to be like everyone else. This is a wish that so far has always been so close and then taken away from him. Granted, Dexter's last nemesis, the terrifying Arthur Mitchell, also wanted to be normal and good (unlike Dexter, he never really tried). Still, because Dexter hasn't taken much pride in what he does and would give it all up if he could is a sign of humanity.
5. Sense of right and wrong
The main thing Dexter looks for in his ventures is evil, and if you've done murder you're done. Dexter doesn't let the murder of an innocent slide, not even for himself (he doesn't kill himself but the deaths do haunt him). The fact that he abides by that standard of good and evil, right and wrong that all people abide by is more proof that he is good.
4. Dreams
When his victims were found at the bottom of the sea, and the identities revealed, Dexter, called simply "The Bay Harbor Butcher" was given somewhat of a hero status. A comic book was made inspired by his deeds called "The Dark Defender." Dexter liked the idea of being a hero. Even if he does usually see himself in a negative light, he clearly knows and seems to feel at ease at the fact that he is ridding the world of true evil. Sounds like a hero to me, even if his method is vicious.
3. Kindness
Many of the people in his life (though they don't know what he does in his spare time) look upon Dexter as a true friend and an important part of their lives. His foster sister Debra sees him as the "strong one" and her best friend. Angel Batista and Vince Masuka, his cop colleagues, are probably the closest people he has to actual buddies, who both admire, respect, and appreciate him. Even his boss, Maria Laguerta, who at first only had a twisted kind of crush on him began to truly care about him. Of course the biggest impact he had was on the love of his life, Rita. He met her while she was broken and weak, and through their relationship and his being there for her (passive as it was for him in the beginning) built her up and made her a strong, confident woman again. All of this proves that Dexter doesn't have to kill the bad guys to make people's lives better.
2. Guilt
Dexter has done many things in his life that he has felt extremely guilty for. Notably when he kills innocents, Dexter is in a frantic and sort of dumbfounded state where he can't even mask his guilt and shame while in front of people. I would say however in the few times he did kill "innocents" they were usually innocent of murder (which is what he kills for) and another was a mercy killing. Then there are times when the people he really does love are hurt because of him. He murdered his long lost homicidal brother, the one person who would understand him, accept him, and love him unconditionally, in order to protect the other people in his life. After learning that him becoming the instrument of justice his foster father and mentor originally actually drove the man to suicide, Dexter was in a completely depressed and confused state. He felt his whole life was a mistake. Or very recently when his own selfishness got the woman he loved killed, Dexter murdered a vulgar stranger and then screamed his lungs out in anguish (and you could feel the pain and sense of failure he had). The monster Dexter so often described himself as would not feel guilty about anything.
1. Love
Dexter does love. He had love for his father, the mother he never knew, the brother he had to kill, the sister whose always stuck by him, the woman he loved and lost, the children he's helped to raise, his own son as well. Dexter has always thought he couldn't love, but that was because he felt someone like him didn't deserve it. He cared deeply about his foster father and was always trying to make him proud in his own twisted way. He of course loves his sister, who he always backs up whenever he can and has even killed his own blood to protect her. Then there is Rita and her kids Astor and Cody. He grew to love them all over time; he was especially enraged and terrified whenever an enemy would target them. Dexter has always had a kinship with children as they sort of represent his lost innocence as a child, so he was great with Astor and Cody. He eventually arrived at a point where disappointing Rita made him feel "like the scum of the earth." and often made strides to embrace the good she saw in him. Rita was his hope and the aforementioned anguish and pain he felt after she died because of him was proof of his love for her. Dexter has a lot of love to give and usually gets it right. I think if anything love will be his guiding light, the factor that saves him in the end.
So yes, I think any Dexter fan should be able to tell that he is not a monster, more of a necessary evil. He is a good man with a bit more darkness inside than most others. Still, I would be lying if I said the world would be a better place without him. The one thing people who do or don't watch the show can grasp, the one thing those who are intrigued or disgusted by the serial killer aspect can't deny: the people he kills deserve it and got it coming.This is the first of hopefully several Dexter posts from Your Modest Guru. Thanks for reading.
No comments:
Post a Comment