An Interesting TV Show
Recently I was sucked into the television show Dexter. Dexter is one of the shows I like due to the large wierdness factor (much like the movies Brazil and 12 Monkeys). The protaganist, Dexter, is a serial killer who works as a blood splatter speciailist for the Miami-Dade PD. Of course, no one has any idea that he is a serial killer — not even his sister.
As the series progresses, we learn lots more about Dexter’s childhood through flashbacks. For instance, in the first episode, it is revealed that Dexter’s adoptive father, Harry, discovered a cache of animals that Dexter had killed and questions him about it. When Harry realizes that his child is a sociopath, he decides to train him according to something Dexter calls the “Code of Harry.” Basically, Dexter is to only kill people that deserve it — they have to admit to him that they committed one of several heinous crimes, and Dexter has to confirm that the law has failed to bring them to justice.
In exchange for following the code, Harry teaches Dexter how to operate in society — as a sociopath, Dexter has trouble reading body language and contextual clues that indicate ‘proper’ actions to take. For me personally, this was the most interesting theme of the series, since Dexter still has trouble as an adult with these things.
Anyway, the first season is on DVD and is available through Netflix both as DVDs and using the Play it Now feature.
