Dexter

In Miami, the orphan Dexter Morgan (Michael C. Hall) is raised by detective Harry Morgan (James Remar) that discovers that his foster son urges to kill. Harry directs the impulse of the boy to kill bad people, teaching him how to operate without leaving any trace. After the death of Harry, Dexter works in the forensic department of the Miami Police Department, where his stepsister Debra Morgan (Jennifer Carpenter) works in the Vice and Narcotics Unit. During the vacant nights, Dexter has a double-life, chasing and killing murderers and collecting samples of their bloods, or dating Rita Bennett (Julie Benz), a woman brutally raped many times by her husband and drug-dealer that feels no sex drive like him. After executing a pedophile and a rapist that have killed their victims, Dexter investigates an intriguing serial-killer that drains the blood and freezes the severed bodies of his victims.

The promising "Dexter" has an original and weird plot about a nice serial-killer of the killers that are not punished by law and a great potential of cult. The awesome Michael C. Hall (from "Six Feet Under") performs a contradictory and twisted vigilante with conflictive feelings, actually a very bad "good-guy". His character has no feelings for anybody and his attraction for the character performed by the gorgeous Julie Benz (from "Angel") is just because she has no sex drive, lost due to her abusive husband. In flashbacks, it is disclosed that Dexter is orphan of unknown parents and his impulse for killing unleashed when he was a boy. My vote is nine.

Title (Brazil): "Dexter"

Michael C. Hall, who delivered a near perfect character in the role of David Fisher in SIX FEET UNDER, serves up yet another sumptuous performance as a serial killer with a difference in the darkly comedic DEXTER on the Showtime Channel. What makes the meat and potatoes of this show actually work is some heavy duty psychological theories about what turns a human into a serial killer and what happens if someone redirects that person early enough in their life to channel all that negative thought and behavior into something else...just as lethal but so much easier to watch on TV. And, work it does. Michael Cuesta, who directed some of the SIX FEET UNDER episodes, gives the show a familiar feel while James Manos, Jr writes some excellent introductory teleplays to establish what I'm sure is about to become another cult favorite.

The opening episode of "Dexter" is a glossy and well produced affair. With an unconventional, bold premise, the show is likely to have a long future.

"Six Feet Under"'s Michael C. Hall plays the lead character, a serial killer turned CSI forensic examiner. Hall delivers lines with a deadpan, black as night humour and the show really entertains despite its unwholesome content. Dexter is a "good" serial killer - he only chases the bad guys (in this episode we see him dispatch a paedophile and a mother killer). The show's an interesting test of the viewer's moral compass. Does Dexter deserve to be caught or is he performing a public service?

"Angel"'s Julie Benz plays Dexter's love interest, a woman who is uninterested in physical closeness (much to his relief).

Dark and macabre content but entertaining and humorous, this is a genuinely original show. Long may it continue.

After gaining critical praise but little international fame with bold shows like Queer as Folk and the prematurely terminated Huff, Showtime has finally imposed itself as a cable channel to rival HBO with its bravest project yet, an unconventional take on the cop series, inspired by a novel by Jeff Lindsay. Then again, the success of Dexter shouldn't come as a surprise, considering many important people working on the show are HBO veterans, like series creator James Manos Jr. (a former Sopranos writer/producer) and actors Michael C. Hall (Six Feet Under), Lauren Velez, Erik King, David Zayas (all of whom appeared on Oz) and James Remar (Sex and the City).

Hall is the show's star, Dexter Morgan, a most peculiar man: the first we see of him is one hell of an opening scene where he states "Tonight's the night" before kidnapping a businessman and dismembering him on the grounds that he raped and killed three boys. So is he a vigilante? Not exactly: Dexter has had homicidal urges since he was a child, and the only person who noticed this was his stepfather Harry (Remar). Under the guidance of the latter, who was a cop, Dexter developed a "moral code" according to which he only kills murderers who manage to get away with it, following a specific ritual: a sample of the victim's blood is collected and placed on a glass slide, the act itself is committed somewhere safe, so that our "hero" won't get caught, and the remains are dumped into the ocean.

Of course, this only occurs during the night. By day, Dexter works for the Miami Metro Police Department, just like his stepsister Debra (Jennifer Carpenter), a Vice officer. To be specific, he's a forensics blood specialist, and frequently uses his skills to give valuable clues to Det. Angel Batista (Zayas) or Lt. Maria Laguerta (Velez). The only one in the precinct who just won't get along with him is the suspicious Sgt. James Doakes (King). It's a very calm daily routine, soon shaken up by a new challenge for the police: a serial killer who mutilates prostitutes with a unique method, leaving no blood in or on the bodies.

The tricky aspect of the series was getting away with the fact that the main character is a psychopath with no emotions, especially when he's played by someone best known for portraying an introverted gay man. As it turns out, there was no need to worry: Hall nails the role from the first frame, his paced voice-over being a fundamental tool in expressing the thoughts and feelings (or lack thereof) of one of contemporary TV's most original creations. A similar casting gamble occurred with the main female role, that of Dexter's girlfriend Rita, a fragile single mother who used to get repeatedly raped and beaten by her ex-husband, who's now serving time in jail. Normally, network execs wouldn't think of one of television's most famous villains, the vampire Darla of Buffy and Angel fame, as the ideal choice for such a complex part, but Julie Benz gets it right instantly, especially in her scenes with Hall, making the relationship between the two oddly moving.

This has all the ingredients of what is set to be an excellent series: an intriguing premise, strong writing and solidly built characters. Not to mention a healthy dose of black humor. Line of choice? Dexter's remark about a bizarre food-related tradition that takes place at a fair: "Needless to say I have some unusual habits, yet all these socially acceptable people can't wait to pick up hammers and smash their food to pieces. Normal people are so hostile". How can one not love a character like that?

Dexter seems to be a very intriguing show with an interesting plot and great character development. This show seems to be popular and judging from this first episode, I can see why. I love the voice-over narration since it adds more to the story and through the voice-over, we learn a lot about Dexter. Even though Dexter is a serial killer, I can't help but feel sympathy for him since he only kills the bad guys.

This pilot episode is about Dexter and his profession. By day, he's a blood spatter analyst and by night, he's a killer hunting people down. This episode focuses on a killer who leaves his bodies bloodless.

I think Anthony C. Hall is perfect for this role. His persona is just right for Dexter and this guy shows no emotion for people whether he likes them or not.

Overall, this is a great episode to start of a series. I also learned a thing or two about some forensics. Bring on more episodes! I rate this episode 9/10.