Despite all the rave reviews, DEXTER proves to be quite a disappointing series, failing to delve into the mind of a serial killer in an in-depth, challenging and compelling manner. After a promising set-up, the series goes nowhere, relying on quirky one-liners and slick production values rather than strong writing which gets under the skin of some potentially disturbing characters and themes. Every character never gets past their initial set-up, providing no depth, and a growing sense of annoying repetition. Despite being based on a novel, the series' writers seem to forget that character depth propels the story, and I don't know whether or not it happens in the novel, but the series makes some fatal mistakes that make the story less interesting. Michael C Hall proves a dull lead, but given the routine writing, he can't be fully blamed. Having him occasionally look at the camera and smirk was a huge mistake. The only actor who rises above the material is James Remar, a genuine film actor who has presence and knows how to inhabit a character. The episodes vary in quality, and the best episodes are those directed by Michael Cuesta (who directed the under-rated films L.I.E and TWELVE AND HOLDING), who keeps a better balance between quirky comedy and the darker series DEXTER could have been. With most modern films/TV series, the story can only progress by people acting stupid, and unfortunately DEXTER suffers from this failing, which seems more irritating when characters seem smarter than Albert Einstein most of the time. DEXTER is fun, entertaining, and very, very slick. But when one sees what a dark, disturbing, blackly comic show it could have been, one feels rather short-changed. Given one of the show's very clunky in-jokes, one should just watch American PSYCHO. It offers a better, darker view of a serial killer (not to mention a far superior lead performance), where the black humour is cleverly handled, not just a way to make off-putting material more acceptable for a mainstream audience.
Review of Dexter
