Everybody loves Dexter - but why?

DeepBlue

The guy is a f***ing serial killer but everyone loves him - besides Doakes . And Doakes doesn't even know for sure that he's a serial killer but the audience does - and the audience still loves him :eek:.

What's going on? Shouldn't we really be hoping that he gets caught and locked up? If not, why not?

The_Minister

Personally I think it's the sme way people support the IRA, or make jokes about gangland killings of drug-dealers. It's easy to be liberal and support the rights of the innocent and the cute, but it takes are far stronger and more vigalent person to care if a British soldier* or drug-dealer is shot.
Dexter doesn't kill babies or single mothers, he kills the bogeymen of society. It's like expecting people to feel sorry for the vamps that buffy kills (yes, I was that sort of teenager!;)), he kills the random terrors that go bump in the night.


*I'm not a SF republican, so of course I feel this is wrong, but I mean if someone is a nationalist.

Karl Hungus

DeepBlue wrote: »

What's going on? Shouldn't we really be hoping that he gets caught and locked up? If not, why not?

Because deep down, we're all serial killers.

The_Minister

Karl Hungus wrote: »

Because deep down, we're all serial killers.

And yet, I couldn't find a support group.

Sir Digby Chicken Caesar

I felt sorry for the vampires and demons.

buffy was a self righteous whore

r3nu4l

The_Minister wrote: »

...he kills the random terrors that go bump in the night.

Exactly. Dexter doesn't kill the 'innocent', he kills people that have done terrible deeds and gotten away with them for so long. I think it's our internal ideal of Karma that allows us to gloss over the fact that Dexter is also a murderer.

Of course, in an ideal world he would bring his evidence to the attention of his colleagues and the bad guy would get jailed for life but then the show would be kinda boring

The_Minister

r3nu4l wrote: »

Of course, in an ideal world he would bring his evidence to the attention of his colleagues and the bad guy would get jailed for life but then the show would be kinda boring

As someone who used to watch CSI (until I realised that lab-rats didn't have tans), I find that offensive and innaccurate. It's only boring if they stick to reality and show a bunch of dateless, pencil-necked chemistry grads sniffing underwear before running trace on it.;)

r3nu4l

The_Minister wrote: »

As someone who used to watch CSI (until I realised that lab-rats didn't have tans), I find that offensive and innaccurate. It's only boring if they stick to reality and show a bunch of dateless, pencil-necked chemistry grads sniffing underwear before running trace on it.;)

That's exactly why it would be boring because we already have CSI and the likes...the last thing we need is yet another scientifically inaccurate show on TV. As a scientist I laugh at the amazing capabilities of some of these machines on CSI. They can identify every compound in a mix using a Gas chromatographer without even changing the column. Yeah. Right. :rolleyes:

At least with Dexter we get something different and that's what makes the show so exciting.

DeepBlue

Karl Hungus wrote: »

Because deep down, we're all serial killers.

You could be onto something there .

The show does seem to have *some* similarities to Man bites Dog.


Thus far we have only seen him kill those that "deserved it" but who's to say he would limit himself to that?
Harry's code is just a convenient way to contain his urges but the urges would still be there even if there were no murderers to satisfy it so what then?

Obviously Dexter has to be likeable as otherwise the show just wouldn't last.
The pilot showed the truest picture of Dexter and it was probably one of the darkest episodes. Along the way he's given insights into how he thinks:
"If I had a heart it would be breaking now" - how he feels about Rita's kids i.e. he's just not capable of loving them.
"If I could love anyone it would be Debs" - he can't even love Debs.
"Rita's perfect because she's just as damaged as me" - he just has Rita to "appear normal".

The weird thing is that the audience has access to all his thoughts and how he really views things and what he does and yet they'd prefer to see the good cop Doakes go down rather than see Dexter caught.

Dexter is charming, funny, fakes human interaction very well and is very competent while Doakes has a gruff demeanour - is that all it takes?

Suaimhneach

I think its really interesting the play they do on it when the other charachters are discussing it. Like, is it *ever* okay to kill people...

I am also interested in the question of will Dex ever be 'normal'. Will his urges ever subside...

doonothing

dexter does the things we all feel guilty about not doing! well, you know, the things we occasionally feel "grrr... just kill the bastard..." about.

3 cheers for the bay harbour butcher!

...ish

i don't think it's ever okay to kill someone, honestly! i'm talking about momentary lapses and instant reactions to hearing about certain atrocities!

Stark

My goal in life is to have his shirt collection. Nothing like looking sharp while your co-workers whisper behind your back.

qwertplaywert

Mordeth wrote: »

buffy was a self righteous whore

Ah but the other characters always relised this at least once every series, and had a short arc about her redeeming herself.aww.

The Walsho

Stark wrote: »

My goal in life is to have his shirt collection. Nothing like looking sharp while your co-workers whisper behind your back.

Ha his shirts are indeed quite brilliant.
Just found this forum now, delighted that others know and love this show. On topic, Dexter's normal and charming to others, and we know he only kills the bad guys. What's not to like?

BKtje

"If I had a heart it would be breaking now" - how he feels about Rita's kids i.e. he's just not capable of loving them.
"If I could love anyone it would be Debs" - he can't even love Debs.
"Rita's perfect because she's just as damaged as me" - he just has Rita to "appear normal".

I should probably spoiler the following since no spoiler tags in thread name

Ya know, i'm not totally convinced that he is as "dead" inside as he thinks he is. I think that he is starting to feel a bit more (due to lila) but that these feelings are confusing him and thats why it looks like he's starting to "loose" it a bit. Having led a life without "human" emotion it must be confusing to suddenly get different "urges" than what he is used to causing him to stray from the code. Least thats my theory

He basically does what we are wishing to do anyway. A child murderer, someone who carries out multiple hit-and-runs, and the various other scum that the law lets slip away. Thats why we love him.

The characters love him because he has become so used to faking emotion, that he appears to be a genuine guy.

Saruman

I get the feeling that towards the end of the show, he will be caught because he gives in to his "urges" and does not confine them to the obviously guilty. (maybe kill doakes)
I think the show should end this way rather than him getting away with it. I also think the show should not go for too much longer, maybe one more season.
I do not want them to drag it out.. it should end while it is still original.
I also think he should be killed in the end... maybe by his sister.

User45701

DeepBlue wrote: »

The guy is a f***ing serial killer but everyone loves him - besides Doakes . And Doakes doesn't even know for sure that he's a serial killer but the audience does - and the audience still loves him :eek:.

What's going on? Shouldn't we really be hoping that he gets caught and locked up? If not, why not?

Well i dont know whats different about me, its either that my brain has a slightly different composition/releases different quantitys of chemicals or if im just an asshole

but i dont see anything wrong with what dexter has done, except for when he was a child and he killed/tourtured animals, he is lucky i didnt come accross him when he was a child.

But Dexter as an adult does great work, extremly smart and adaptive. Quick thinking, carefull. Also even though he is a fictional charactor he has a better grasp of right and wrong than anyone i have ever met or known or any fictional charactor i have seen.

Ivan

Well, personally, I think its ultimately because Dexter is just another victim. He is a victim of his surroundings and upbringing. Harry identified this and tried to help the kid out by channeling it towards a specific goal or task.

But even before any of us learned any of that, I think there is a certain amount of humour and honesty in the show from the very begining that draws people in. Besides that, its a work of fiction and therefore the audience grants him (dexter) a certain amount of leeway in what we can morally justify.

Finally, there are also quite alot of morally questionable people on the intarweb, so shít... we all crazy

User45701

Ivan wrote: »

we all crazy

There is nothing wrong with me, There is something wrong with everyone else.