Dexter is a pretty important TV show in terms of pop culture, both for its well-recieved early seasons and infamously derided finale. We'll see how the finale goes, but for now, Dexter's first season is pretty damn great.
Dexter is a show about a serial killer who works in forensics, who has to hide his true nature and try to live a normal life without really feeling anything. This core premise demands something from the audience, it asks that they empathize with a serial killer. The show wants you to root for him, which starts off incredibly difficult as the pilot episode tries really damn hard to paint Dexter in the most unflattering light possible. However, as much as this ended up surprising me, I couldn't help but warm up to Dexter as the season goes on. Of course, there's the fact that he only kills people who deserve it, making him more like a viligante, but even that could alienate the audience. I think a big reason why Dexter is sympathetic is Michael C Hall's great performance which manages to embue the serial killer with just enough humanity and dorkiness to make him likable while still being menacing and scary when he needs to be. Another part is the fact that the show uses narration to let us hear what Dexter is thinking in any given scene, which unveils a lot of self-hatred and brief glimpses of humanity. But I think most effective of all is his relationship with Rita, which starts off feeling like an obligation but slowly feels more and more natural for the both of them. But of course, the show does still frequently remind you that he's a serial killer with a lust for blood, keeping his character into a nice balance of moral greyness.
As a whole, I think this season was a bit tough to get into a first. Putting aside the hurdle of empathizing with a serial killer, there's also the fact that Dexter felt fairly procedural initially. There was a bit of an overall story arc involving the Ice Cream Killer, who freezes his victims to drain them of blood and holds an odd fascination with Dexter. However, much of the first half of Season 1 felt like one of those crime procedurals where the main protagonist has a weird gimmick that makes him super good at crime (As much as I love Psych, that's a big example). However, around Episode 6, where Dexter got in danger of being outed as a serial killer, I started to get hooked. After the reveal of who the Ice Cream Killer is, I was even more hooked. While this season was a bit of a slow burn, the escalation of stakes, fantastic villain, and an ending that made for a great overall package. Even more, I ended up really liking a lot of the side characters, who all had subplots of their own that wrapped up in the finale. I was especially engrossed in Rita's story about dealing with her abusive ex-husband getting out of prison.
While most of the episodes were pretty good, the end of the season especially had some great highlights:
Shrink Wrap: This was a fantastic turning point for the series. I thought the main standalone storyline about Dexter going undercover at a psychiatrist's place was incredibly fascinating and entertaining, but of course, the highlight is the big reveal that Rudy was the Ice Cream Killer, which ends up making the last four episodes all the better.
Truth Be Told: Befitting a penultimate episode of a season, Truth Be Told had an absolutely terrifying cliffhanger, with Dexter finally realizing that Rudy is the Ice Cream Killer only for him to take Debra out on a boat and knock her out. The whole final ten minutes was tense and chaotic, fantastic set-up for the finale.
Born Free: This was a really satisfying season finale. The reveal that the Ice Cream Killer was Dexter's brother was very well-executed and made a lot of sense in hindsight, and Dexter sorrowfully killing his own brother was a very emotional scene. All of the subplots got some great progression, from simple resolutions like Pascal's first appearance and Batista leaving the hospital, to genuine hooks for Season 2 like Rita finding the shoe and Doakes continuing to stalk Dexter.
Overall, while it had its growing pains, once Season 1 of Dexter got going, it was immensely engrossing. The titular character is fascinating and incredibly well-acted, the antagonist is memorable, and the ending did a great job of tying the whole season together.
4/5 Stars
