WORDS Clementine Yost
Dexter returns to Showtime this fall to millions of devoted Dexter fans all over the world, especially in the United States and here in Ireland. But what is it about Dexter that lures people in so madly? Perhaps viewers are drawn to Dexter’s obsession with blood, or how he feels like a total outsider in society. It is both strange and captivating when Dexter kills with such chilling, emotionless precision. His total lack of feeling is so alien to most people, it actually draws them in.
Showtime’s hit series Dexter tells the chilling story of a serial killer working as a forensic expert for the Miami Police department. When Dexter Morgan was three years old, he was adopted from the crime scene of his mother’s murder into the home of Miami police officer Harry Morgan. Dexter lives and kills by “The Code,” a system Harry taught him after discovering Dexter’s desire to kill. Abiding by this code means Dexter only goes after unquestionably guilty people who are killers themselves. Police forensic expert by day, Dexter serially kills murderers.
In her New York Times article, “‘Dexter Watch: Annoyed by the Season Finale?” Ginia Bellafante complains that the season finale of Dexter leaves the audience wanting more. Not only did she find that audiences were left unsatisfied, but she points out that in some cases, people simply hate it. Her repeated use of the word ‘sloppy’ to describe the season finale, “This is the Way the World Ends,” is not only harsh, but an interesting contradiction to the show’s underlying premise. Dexter Morgan is a precise, organized and thoughtful serial killer. He is not sloppy. He is no Travis. Dexter does not kill for show or leave splatters of blood, he follows the same routine for every killing. From the nurse killing the elderly slowly with morphine to the valet boy who raped a mother of two, Dexter saran wraps the entire room, wears full body covering, wields his instruments methodically, and meticulously tidies up afterward. Dexter is not a sloppy show and the season finale is no exception. ‘Sloppy’ was the wrong word to use. Unless this is the first series Ms. Bellafante has ever seen, she should understand by now that season finales are always a cliffhanger. The studio, the writers, the actors, the network, the sponsors, the lawyers, the business executives, they all want a successful seventh season. They need to retain Dexter’s large following to succeed. This is why they cannot perfectly satisfy viewers in a season finale. The Dexter team must leave the audience wanting more to incentivize people to continue watching the show. It is really quite simple.
From Dexter’s blood themed opening credits to the season finale, “This is the Way the World Ends,” Dexter portrays violence in a way that leaves the audience knowing that the type of violence depicted could actually occur where they live. Unlike CSI and American Horror Story, where violence is somewhat flippant, Dexter discusses violence in a manner that is very real. Killings are made more upfront in this show, not discovered or happened upon like in CSI, rather they are obvious, open and somewhat ostentatious. Death is made tangible for viewers when Travis tries to kill Dexter with the ring of fire. Swimming alone in the Atlantic, our murderous hero seems relatively at peace with his would be fate. After grappling with being a serial killer for his whole life, Dexter says “I guess it’s fitting that I end up where I left so many others,” “I only wonder if the world will be a better place without me.” The episode was ripe with imagery and allusions. Referencing judgment day and blood sacrifice, Harrison became the sacrificial lamb, dressed in his pageant lion suit, walking hand in hand with the serial killer Travis. Keeping a promise to never spoil the ending of an episode, this is where I draw the line. For stomach-churning violence and gore, romantic interests, personal struggle, and a dusting of humor, tune in to Showtime’s Dexter, or check it out online. I expect something wild. Yet, as we’ve learned from experience with Dexter, expecting any outcome would be too simple. ‘Simple’ is simply not Dexter.
