Diving into the Dark Side of Dexter

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The second season of Dexter has evolved in delightful ways that we never would have anticipated. The looming May-December love affair between Debra and Agent Lundy is mesmerizing, as Lisa has so eloquently described in her postings. The arrival and (thank God) recent banishment of Rita's overbearing mother has been odd and unpredictable. I vote for Mommy Dearest as the most evil person yet in a program where bad guys sprout like mushrooms in the night. This series is a burlap bag full of oddballs and sweaty psychopaths, and Episode 7, "That Night a Forest Grew", has revealed some of the most damp and twisted layers yet. Our boy Dexter is becoming quite the awful fellow. Last season he was such a sweet guy, a cuddly do-good boy scout with a really mean knife. Yeah, he had a thing for blood spatter and dismemberment, but hey...they were all bad guys, so it was fine. Wasn't it?

But lately Dexter has started to morph into a bad guy too. He lies and cheats on sugary, clueless Rita. He obsesses about saving his own skin, even to the point of implicating an innocent man in murder. He's into rough sex with Lila the nutcase artist. (By the way, best sex scenes ever in this latest episode...had to hit the TiVo reverse button many times. I highly recommend it in HDTV).

However the darkest side of Dexter yet was revealed quite suddenly this week when he head butted Sgt Doakes, causing the ex-Special Forces veteran to go utterly berserk and get fired. It happened so suddenly I actually felt sorry for the hapless Sergeant. He KNOWS that Dexter is guilty as sin, and for his conviction he's now headed for the unemployment line.

I love the tough new Dexter. He's creepier and sexier. He's less a victim now and anything could happen. Bravo to the writers too (wherever they are...probably on a picket line somewhere) for keeping the tension in the program in perfect balance. One minute we're watching crazy Lila burn down her cannibal sculptures and the next moment it's all about awkward love as Debra and Agent Lundy eat their one o'clock briefcase sandwiches by the Miami Bay.

Watching Dexter is all about love for me. Love for television at its absolute best.