Dexter - Becoming Human
I just finished watching the Showtime Series Dexter. It was amazing. For those of you not familiar with it, here's the rundown - and don't worry, I'm not putting any spoilers in. Dexter is a serial killer. But he was adopted by a police officer when he was three who saw and understood who he was becoming and what his future held in store for him. So his dad taught "the code" - a series of rules on how to survive, not get caught, and how to pick his victims. Dexter only kills people who are murderers. And he must have proof of their guilt before he proceeds. Dexter sees himself as playing a vital role in society ''taking out the trash" that falls through the legal system.
It's definitely an interesting concept for sure. But for me, the show is more interesting because of his personal growth. He starts out as a typical psycopath. He's asocial. He lacks empathy or any emotion at all and all of his interactions serve him as a cover for his other life as a killer and nothing mroe. But over time, Dexter learns to feel the emotions he's been faking. He learns to understand other people. He falls in love. He becomes a dad - and a pretty good one at that. His growth as a character is impressive. Very few TV shows are able to showcase that kind of character development.
So while this show is about a serial killer who works in the Miami Metro Homicide Department and is full of suspense and action (and sex - this is a Showtime Series after all), this show is also about people. And what it means to be human. I think Dexter's growth can be summed up best from two of his voice-overs - one from the first episode of the series and one from the last:
"People fake a lot of human interactions, but I feel like I fake them all, and I fake them very well. That's my burden, I guess."
“As much as I may have pretended otherwise, for so long all I’ve wanted was to be like other people, to feel what they felt… Now that I do, I just want it to stop.”
All of us go through periods of time where we feel disconnected or that we don't belong. We have those moments where we do fake interactions and that - trying to but not fitting in - can be a real burden. But eventually we let those walls down and find ourselves in love with the people around us. And that, too, can be difficult. Life is messy. Relationships are complicated. Being human, as wonderful as it is, isn't always easy. But it's worth it. Life would be boring without the variety it presents us.
I'm just grateful I'm here for the ride. Go ahead and give Dexter a shot - it's on Netflix, so it's just a click of a mouse away. I think you'll like it.
I'm just grateful I'm here for the ride. Go ahead and give Dexter a shot - it's on Netflix, so it's just a click of a mouse away. I think you'll like it.
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