Everyone’s favorite serial killer made his return in the third season of Showtime’s drama, Dexter, on Sept. 28.
For those of you who don’t know, the show is centered around Dexter Morgan (played by Michael C. Hall), who enjoys getting doughnuts for his friends, analyzing blood patterns for Miami Metro Police and mass murdering some of Miami’s criminal scum.
No one knows that in Dexter’s spare time he likes to release some tension by proving criminals’ guilt and then delivering his own style of punishment (which usually includes saran wrap and a bone saw).
Dexter began showing signs of sociopathic behavior early on by killing the neighborhood animals. Harry, his foster father, noticed and decided that instead of reprimanding his son and sending him to the nuthouse, he would teach him to abide by a moral code. A strange combination indeed, but to Harry, a well-renowned Miami cop who saw criminals get away with no punishment, Dexter could use his sickness for good.
Season one was all about getting to know Dexter, and how he was unable to express any real emotion. Over time, however, he became a master of faking it, and everyone loved him.
The first season heated up when a new serial killer, nicknamed the Ice Truck Killer, arrived and left a sliced-up body drained of blood as a present to Dexter, asking him to come out and play.
The season continued with Dexter finding out more about the killer, and once the two killers met and found common ground, Dexter had to make a choice to continue on alone or accept the one person he could be completely himself with.
Season two, unlike season one, was not as gory or as interesting. It centered on Dexter once again trying to hide from the police but also coming to terms with his dark desires.
Instead of every episode featuring a new blood-curdling murder, it turned into more of a soap opera with a relationship triangle.
However, the macabre sense of humor and fascinating plot that make Dexter a gem among television today was still there, just not as mind-blowing.
Now on to the premiere that some of us have been waiting on for months. Season three opened with a bang but slowly lost its momentum as the episode wore on. Dexter makes a shocking mistake when on his way to serve justice in his own personal way to a drug-dealing murderer.
It seems that Showtime has replaced a lot of the graphic murder scenes that so many fans revered and have instead added some graphic sexual scenes.
My guess is that they want to increase their viewer base to more than just the people who enjoy watching a sociopath at work. However, this seems to deviate from Dexter’s original attraction.
Starting in season two, and now continuing into season three, it seems like Dexter has embraced more human qualities and, quite frankly, it is making him a less interesting character.
Where is our Dexter who is uninterested in sex with his girlfriend because he doesn’t understand why simple pleasures can be so gratifying to the rest of the world—a world of people so different from him? I personally would like to have that Dexter back.
Don’t get me wrong though. Season three started off on a different path than I would have liked it to take, but it was good nonetheless.
I’m sure this season will have its own gruesome stories unfolding soon enough, and who would want to miss that? Be sure to catch the next episode on Sunday at 9 p.m. on Showtime.