SuperSatellite ||

You know, twice now I’ve started watching a television show because of a girlfriend. Both times the choice was good. I’m not sure who that speaks better of, my tastes, or my girlfriends’. I suppose either way, it’s a good thing. The first time around it was Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I now own all seven seasons, and I’m proud of it. This time it’s a Showtime show called Dexter. The show is based on the Jeff Lindsay book Darkly Dreaming Dexter. The first season basically follows the story arc of this first book. There are two more books, Dearly Devoted Dexter, and Dexter in the Dark. I haven’t actually read any of the books, though Michaele has read the first two and liked them. Apparently the second season does not, however, follow the second book. Just so you know…

Anyway, what makes this such an interesting show is the pacing and story arc. I think casual TV viewers have lost patience with stories in shows that take time to develop. Blame serial dramas like Lost for that. Even Heroes this season has been a pain in the butt to watch. They just can’t keep the steam rolling it seems. This is where Dexter has excelled in spades. Every episode reveals enough, answers enough, and raises just the right amount of new questions to keep you both satisfied and anticipating the next installment.

Very minor spoiler warning: Dexter Morgan is a serial killer. But he is the protagonist. Who kills people. But he’s well intentioned. We sympathize with him because he kills only the bad guys. So really, he’s the good guy. In our mind though, we know killers are caught and go to jail. Crime and punishment. Ultimately, we know this is one of the only ways that the show can ultimately end. But not so long as Showtime wants to milk the cash cow. Given the popularity, that won’t be soon. Even with that knowledge, the writers manage to still make you fearful that that is exactly what is about to happen at any given moment. You know that he must come through clean, yet you still question it even though you know better.

The word “catharsis” is what initially comes to mind, though that’s not quite right. First, I don’t consider the show to fall into the category of “tragedy,” second, I doubt most people would consider his fate something that could befall them except in a diluted or abstract manner. But you still get that crazy pity feeling for his situation, and in a lot of ways he is a tragic hero. The best part really comes from the fact that the feeling and fear never really changes. It always revolves around the idea that he will, inevitably, get caught. The how and the who might change, but the feeling never gets old, it never feels worn out. It seems strange to refer to a television show as something that is effective at playing emotional games with the viewers, but it does so in a stellar fashion.

And for no good reason, I just want to go on record as saying that Erik King (Sergeant James Doakes) seems to me like he graduated from the Wesley Snipes School of Acting™, with honors. I’m not saying that’s bad. Actually, if he’d been cast in the Blade television show, it might have stood a chance.