Released on October 1, 2006, the hit series “Dexter” follows a seemingly typical guy named Dexter Morgan who works as a detective, specifically a blood spatter analyst, at the Miami Metro Police Station.
He enjoys taking his boat out on the water, bringing donuts for his coworkers, including his adoptive sister, Debra, and loves his girlfriend, Rita. However, he has a “dark passenger”, as he calls it, which no one knows about.
Dexter’s secret voice within him is his urge to kill. But he can be considered a vigilante as it is in his “code” to only kill those who have done bad.
For example, in the first episode, we are shown his typical killing routine of finding the evidence of a criminal and his execution of his killing code. He quietly attacks a man who is a local pastor, but Dexter knows of his cruel past. Dexter kills this man for his serial murders of young boys and quietly disposes of him in the ocean.
Through this, we are shown what to expect for the following episodes.
In the first season, one of his coworkers, James Doakes, is very suspicious of Dexter’s demeanor. Doakes’s hostility towards Dexter is very strong as he calls him a “freak” and tells Dexter that he can “smell the weird on [him]”. These are just some of the examples and these specifically are pretty nice compared to other quotes of Doakes.
We as watchers want him to keep his mouth shut about Dexter’s potential actions, but in reality, Doakes is a great detective and is right on the nose.
The first season also follows the investigation of the “Ice Truck Killer” and Debra’s relationship with Rudy.
Throughout the season, the Ice Truck Killer seems to be trying to toy with Dexter, anonymously leaving him clues around his apartment pertaining to the crime scenes left by this faceless criminal. Come to find out, Debra is dating the Ice Truck Killer who also happens to be Dexter’s blood brother separated after their mother’s death!
Although the plot is addicting and the characters are intriguing, the actual format of the portrayal of the plot and characters is interesting as well!
The idea of an unreliable narrator is used, keeping the viewers on edge at any moment. The audience is put in a position to root for the main character who is committing gruesome kills by the week, give or take, all while living a “normal” life.
So in most other instances, the viewers would be hoping for Dexter’s fellow cops to catch on to his odd behaviors and lock him away. Instead, the watchers are intended to want Dexter to keep taking out the bad guys and avoid being found out.
The recent addition of this series to Netflix has sparked a sudden uprise in the fandom across social media. A surplus of funny videos with references to “Dexter” can be seen on TikTok and Instagram.
Alluding to him and Rita’s relationship, or Dexter’s way of life, these posts are idolizing Dexter, who might not be the best character to idolize, though humorous at times.
Overall, the 18-year-old series is making a comeback, and for a good reason as it is packed with quick-witted dialogue and nail-biting scenes.