Dexter -Sundays on Showtime 9/8c

For those who have never seen Dexter you really should check it out. Hopefully this post is not too cyriptic, but I don't want to reveal all those secrets that make this show so compelling but here it goes...

Dexter chronicles the life of a serial killer that works for the Miami Police Department as a blood spatter analyst. Dexter was orphaned at the age of three when his mother was brutally murdered right in front of him and was left in a pool of her blood for days before being found by the police. Harry Morgan was one of the first officers to arrive at the scene of the slaying of Dexter's mother and subsequently raises Dexter as his own. Harry quickly recognizes Dexter's sociopathic urges and raises him in a manner that helps Dexter exercise these urges through what is reffered to as the "code". The "code" is a set of rules which look like this:

1. Killing innocents is NEVER allowed
   


2. Always take time and make sure you have the right person-EVIDENCE
   


3. Be extremely careful with the killing and more importantly the PREPARATION!
   


4. Remember: YOU control your urges to kill, they don't control you.
   


5. Fake emotion and normalness to fit in.

Season 1 is basically an introduction to Dexter's character and how he uses the "code" to curb his sociopathic urges. This season also chronichles the "ice truck killer" which becomes an intense plot line late in the season and into the finale. Season 1 is availible now on DVD and is defenitely recommended.

Season 2 starts slow as the writers have to deal with the hangover of the "ice truck killer" plot line; however, Dexter is beginning to gain some serious momentum in the last couple of episodes. Fellow officer Sgt. Doakes of the Miami Police Department has always sensed something amiss about Dexter, but unlike last season the writers present a more proactive Sgt. Doakes this time around who is actively pursuing answers to these lingering suspicions. The Doakes and Dexter tension finally came to a head in this weeks episode (Episode 8) and is sure to be a very compelling plotline for the immediate future and remainder of the season.

Season 2 also shows the writers willingness to explore Dexter's vulnerabilities. The beginning of the season has Dexter on edge as the Miami Police have found the underwater graves of several dozen of Dexter's victims. The FBI is brought in and the hunt is on for what the media deems "The Bay Harbor Butcher" or unbenownst to authorities someone within the very police department trying to solve these crimes. With constant media pressure and an escalating investigation we begin to see a Dexter that is less confident and more vulnarable as he begins to feel emotions possibly stemming from his fear that if he is revealed for who he really is then Dexter will face his own mortaility. This vulnerability may not last long as Dexter is coming to grips with his emotions and is showing signs of returning to that perfect killer he was in season 1 which makes this season and this show truly great TV.