`DEXTER'S' PERVERSE WORLD.Byline: -- David Kronke In a single, determined leap, Dexter Morgan Dexter Morgan is a fictional character in a series of novels by Jeff Lindsay, which include Darkly Dreaming Dexter (2004), Dearly Devoted Dexter (2005), and Dexter in the Dark (2007). (Michael C. Hall Michael Carlisle Hall (born February 1 1971) is a Golden Globe and Emmy Award-nominated American actor, best known for his roles as David Fisher in the HBO drama series Six Feet Under and the title character of the Showtime series Dexter. ) emerges as TV's most twisted anti-hero anti-hero, principal character of a modern literary or dramatic work who lacks the attributes of the traditional protagonist or hero. The anti-hero's lack of courage, honesty, or grace, his weaknesses and confusion, often reflect modern man's ambivalence toward . He's not as lovable as Tony Soprano, nowhere near as sexy as ``Nip/Tuck's'' Christian Troy or ``Prison Break's'' Michael Scofield, not as slick as ``Smith's'' Bobby Stevens, or anything near as witty as ``Rescue Me's'' Tommy Glavin. Still, he's indisputably very ``anti-.'' ``Dexter,'' based on Miami novelist Jeff Lindsay's demented series of books, concerns a Miami Police Department's forensics See computer forensics. investigator who specializes, both on and off the job, in blood spatter spatter, n droplets of airborne particulate matter larger than 50 μm that fall to the ground. . When not solving crimes, Dexter's committing them, offing serial killers who have slipped through the cracks of the legal system. Even as a child, Dexter was a sociopath so·ci·o·path n. A person affected with an antisocial personality disorder. so  ci·o·path . His cop father did what he could, curbing his murderous impulses into meting out justice to those who eluded it. But Dexter's blood lust knows few, if any, boundaries, which makes him a tricky guy for audiences to root for. Not a people person Dexter allows that he's not much into human interactions, though he notes, ``I fake them well.'' When working on a victim, he'll tell them, ``Soon you'll be packed in a few neatly wrapped Heftys, and my own small corner of the world will be a neater, happier place.'' He keeps blood samples of the victims he dismembers on glass slides. When a colleague tells him, ``You have a morbid sense of fun,'' he doesn't disagree. Appropriately enough, his boat is named ``Slice of Life.'' ``I'm a very neat monster,'' is the most he'll allow of his hobby. Except for Doakes (Erik King), a dedicated cop who has his own suspicions regarding Dexter but has issues of his own, making him a bit of a liability, all of Miami is blissfully oblivious to Dex's machinations. His sister Debra (Jennifer Carpenter) is a vice cop who wants to work homicide and depends on his insights to advance her own career. His boss (Lauren Velez) is actually kind of hot for him. He's dating his current girlfriend Rita (Julie Benz) only because she's disinterested in sex (``It always seems so undignified,'' Dexter notes), but as she slowly regains her passion, the relationship could be doomed. The season's mystery, involving a crafty killer whose perverse MO (dismembering hookers drained of blood) weirdly turns Dexter on, is both been-there-done-that and intriguing. His boss' blithe blithe adj. blith·er, blith·est 1. Carefree and lighthearted. 2. Lacking or showing a lack of due concern; casual: spoke with blithe ignorance of the true situation. treatment of his sister feels contrived and inconsistent, as do a number of plot mechanics. But little of this matters, because Dexter remains such a compelling enigma, and he's as engaged as viewers will be by the season's mystery when the hooker killer actively engages him personally. (``Yes, I wanna play,'' Dexter says; ``I really, really do.'') Contradiction in terms Noun 1. contradiction in terms - (logic) a statement that is necessarily false; "the statement `he is brave and he is not brave' is a contradiction" contradiction logic - the branch of philosophy that analyzes inference ? Hall seems to pull the toughest acting jobs in TV. He portrayed David, the whining, semi-closeted brother in ``Six Feet Under,'' and now ``Dexter.'' (His shows also seem to inspire the greatest of opening- title sequences.) How do you play an empathetic em·pa·thet·ic adj. Empathic. em pa·thet i·cal·ly adv. sociopath? Nervily Adv. 1. nervily - in a brash cheeky manner; "brashly, she asked for a rebate"brashly, cheekily , Hall doesn't wink at viewers to make his character likable, though he has some great comic scenes, particularly when Rita rescues him from unwanted sex; his phony rueful rue·ful adj. 1. Inspiring pity or compassion. 2. Causing, feeling, or expressing sorrow or regret. rue reaction is cheeky. Still, Hall's work scarcely defines ``Dexter''; other actors' interpretations might've been even more inspired. Nonetheless, when Dexter observes, in episode three, that ``all you can do is play along with life and hope that sometimes you get it right,'' it defines both Hall's and the producers' statement of purpose. This is a show that takes enormous risks in its efforts to engage viewers. They're not looking to make easy friends; they're hoping viewers will accept ``Dexter'' on its own terms. Their perversely grandiose aspirations deserve to be met. DEXTER - Three stars What: A Miami forensics investigator (Michael C. Hall) moonlights as a serial killer who murders other serial killers. Where: Showtime. When: 10 and 11 tonight; also 11 p.m. Monday, 9 p.m. Tuesday, 10 p.m. Wednesday, 11:30 p.m. Thursday and 10 p.m. Friday. In a nutshell: Great character, gruesome mystery. CAPTION(S): photo Photo: Michael C. Hall plays the title character of ``Dexter,'' a sociopathic so·ci·o·path n. One who is affected with a personality disorder marked by antisocial behavior. so forensics investigator who kills serial killers who slip through the cracks of the legal system. |
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