Plot
He’s smart
He’s lovable. He’s Dexter Morgan, America’s favorite serial killer, who spends his days solving crimes and his nights committing them. During season 8, Angel Batista was not always played by David Zayas. His son, David Zayas Jr., fills in for his father in some scenes because they look remarkably alike.
Performed at the 64th Annual Golden Globe Awards (2007)
Dexter has a large scar on his left side that is visible throughout the first season. Later, in season 2, the scar has moved to his right side, leaving his left side unmarked. Dexter Morgan: I’ve lived in the dark for a long time. Over the years, my eyes adjusted until the darkness became my world and I could see…
Greenberg, and starring Buffy/Angel’s heel Julie Benz
Main Theme Written by Rolfe Kent Performed by Rolfe Kent. After four episodes, I’m ready to declare this the best show on TV right now, and it may someday rank alongside the likes of _The Sopranos_ and the first season of _Twin Peaks_ as the second-best TV show of all time (after the incomparable _Buffy the Vampire Slayer_, co-produced and written by former Buffy writer Drew Z. Dexter is a sociopath with no human emotions and thus no natural internal moral compass, and he has an unquenchable bloodlust that drives him to kill. But he was given the great grace of being the adopted son of a cop, who (as we see in some great flashbacks) successfully instilled in him a perfect moral code that he strictly adheres to on an intellectual level.
Another thing the show does brilliantly is move at different speeds in parallel
This is an extremely brilliant concept (which I assume comes from the novels it’s based on) that allows the writers to explore the nature of moral behavior and what it means to be human (Dexter is, in a sense, an alien). The primary, seemingly season-long story arc (concerning the cat-and-mouse game between Dexter and a serial killer) and the secondary arc of Dexter’s sister’s police career. The first handful of episodes feature a very strong, established arc involving one of Dexter’s police colleagues and a local crime lord, while two of the four episodes so far have also included a personal story that is connected to (and plays on) the ongoing ones. I’ve seen the future of TV season structure, and here it is.
The cast and production are brilliant
While the writing isn’t quite at the level of House’s best, it’s been excellent. The only reason you won’t want to watch this utterly brilliant show is the repeated use of extremely graphic imagery: these first four episodes have probably featured more severed body parts than the first four episodes of every other TV show on air combined. If you can stand it, tune in for a mesmerizing look at what makes us human—or inhuman.