The best thing I saw last week was Dexter, and a lot of it. On January 1st Netflix added seasons 5 – 8 to the instant queue giving people access to the entire series. On January second I started back into the show with the first episode of season 5 and as of around 2 am last night I finished watching the last episode of season 8, the series finale. Binge indeed.
It all started with the intriguing novel Darkly Dreaming Dexter by Jeff Lindsay. Lindsay presents his audience with a very simple concept, what if there was a serial killer that only killed other serial killers. Simple but beautiful, especially as he and later the writers for the show fleshed out the character of Dexter to present us with a protagonist that by all rights we should despise but give us reason to love. Dexter’s story may be one of my favorite ever. Having now finished watching the entire show I would have to rank it in my top 10 ever, maybe even fighting so a spot in the top five.
Michael C. Hall plays the titular character Dexter; professional in blood spatter analysis by day and serial killer killer by night and he is surrounded by the people in his life that basically begin as cover when we meet him in the first season. A psychopath with a strict code and a cover life that has kept him out of jail up to the point of meeting his character. Along the ride we meet family members, people who become Dexter’s friends, and his lovers, almost none of them learning about the true Dexter that we as the audience know about. And other killers. Lots of other killers. A large part of the shows charm is the invention of bad guys that we want to see Dexter hunt and kill knowing that his special brand of “justice” has been served and the world is a better place without these people in it.
Over the course of the 8 seasons there are many highs and a couple of lows but all in all it was a joy to watch. The writers kept the show fresh and intriguing, full of cliff hangers and who dun-its and a whole lot of whose gonna find outs.
If you’ve ever wanted to see someone face justice outside the law. If you’ve ever wondered what it would be like to actually stalk and kill another human being. If you’ve ever thought maybe I’m just really not like other people. Possibly seek help, but if you find that all is fine then go give this show a watch. A month of Netflix is $7.99, you could easily watch all 8 seasons in a month and I give you my guarantee that you’ll a hell of a lot more than $8 worth of enjoyment out of this show.
