I just finished watching the Pilot episode of Showtime’s new show Dexter and I am enthralled.  I have always found serial killers fascinating, so it’s no surprise that I would enjoy this kind of series.  I think Michael C. Hall does a superb job playing a very dark, intelligent, and humorous character.  I have not read Jeff Lindsay’s book, Darkly Dreaming Dexter, which the series is based on, so I have no set image or expecations to be met and feel like I can take in the series as it is presented.  Of course, when I do read Lindsay’s books, I will now have Michael C. Hall in my mind as Dexter.  I usually prefer to read material before viewing it on TV or film to paint my own personal images of characters and their environs, but as there is so much to read & see it’s not always possible.

It’s a fascinating premise really - a father knows his foster son is a sociopath and decides that the best course of action is to teach him to kill people that deserve to be killed while covering his own path.  A serial killer who kills disgusting specimens who have killed innocent people – how could you hate him?  Watching this makes me want to go and delve into all the material I know is out there on serial killers.  I caught a show on Discovery not too long ago that discussed how one scientist was trying to discover if there was a biological connection to known serial killers, and discovered that most convicted killers that he spoke with had been abused as children and had lost (or never had) the ability to understand the link between cause and effect.  Sociopath or psychopath – how is one supposed to tell once the person has grown into adulthood?  In any case – the brillance and darkness of serial killers makes me want to study the human mind & condition … I have plenty of reading to do.