DEXTER

      

                   It all starts with Dexter driving though the streets of Miami thinking that something is going to happen on that night. Dexter kidnaps Mike Donivan, a pastor who had raped kids and had killed them. Dexter takes him to a cabin in the woods where he makes Mike look at the dead bodies of the kids Mike had killed. After that Dexter straps Mike to a table naked. Then, he makes an incision in Mike’s cheek and collects his blood and then he tortures him until he dies. While Dexter is going home, he explains how he doesn’t know why he has the need to kill. He also talks about his parents and how they are both dead, although he didn’t kill them. He loved his adoptive parents. Dexter explains how he kills following his dad’s code, who as a police officer, taught him how to avoid being caught and to kill those who deserve it because the police can’t get all the bad boys so there needs to be someone out there to get the rest, Dexter. Dexter receives a call from his sister Debra who says she is at a crime scene and needs help. Dexter investigates a series of murderers that are all related and helps his sister to have more recognition from the police department. Dexter next victim is Jamie Kaworski, a rapist and murderer. He kills Jamie, collects his blood and adds it to his collection. Dexter has a weird boyfriend- girlfriend type of relationship. He is dating Rita Benett, a domestic violence victim. They both are uncomfortable with sexual activities for different reasons so it makes the relationship a tiny bit awkward. After almost having sex for the first time with Rita, Dexter goes home and finds a doll’s head on his refrigerator door. Inside the freezer, he finds the other parts of the doll, chopped like the series of crimes he has been following. 

          Although Dexter is a serial killer, American society loves him.  The director did a really good job selecting the casting and getting all the scenes right. Due to the good directing and good casting the audience empathizes with an undercover serial killer. As critic Lucia Grosaru said, Dexter is not portrayed as a monster, he isn’t the typical serial killer marked by obvious deviant behavior. He is just a man with an addiction. American society understands addiction, one extra piece of chocolate, one last cigarette, one last line of cocaine, and one last victim. Another reason the audience can relate with Dexter is because he is really rational. Every single time he kills someone he seems to have a rational explanation for it, therefore the audience thinks it is right too. Also, in several cases, American society hasn’t been too happy with the judges and courts. Everyday, rapists, murderers, and thieves get away without any kind of punishment, but Dexter is there to get them what they deserve and the audience is fine with it. 

            On the one hand, Dexter isn’t much different from all the other superheroes. He has a secret double life, he appears from nowhere when he is needed, he has a different outfit when he is in action, and he is here to make this world a better place. 

            I believe the public has a fascination over serial killers because they are the only representation of death. Although most of us can't relate to any of the criminal cases because we haven't experienced anything like that ourselves, someone else has experienced it and that is the representation of death we are looking for.