Julie Benz

Deranged, Devastating Dexter

If you think, as many of you do, that Denis Leary’s Tommy Gavin on FX’s Rescue Me is a controversial antihero whom it’s not always easy to love, wait until you get a look at Dexter Morgan of Showtime’s much-buzzed-about new twist on crime drama, Dexter (premieres October 1).

He’s TV’s first (in my memory) serial-killer hero, a Miami forensics analyst by day — blood spatter patterns are his ironic specialty — and a vigilante dismemberer by night, who stalks bad guys who’ve escaped justice, extracting a keepsake from each victim: a drop of blood he preserves on a glass slide. Creepy? Yes. Disturbing? Unquestionably. Entertaining? Somehow, yes.

The character first surfaced in a terrific series of novels by Jeff Lindsay, with titles like "Darkly Dreaming Dexter" and "Dearly Devoted Dexter." Played with unexpected charisma by Six Feet Under’s Michael C. Hall, who is almost unrecognizable here, Dexter is damaged goods. Luckily for society, his sociopathic and murderous leanings were discovered at an early age by his foster father, a policeman, who urged Dexter to channel his dark urges for good.

"He’s an extremely moral individual, as long as you take situational ethics seriously," Lindsay said at a Showtime press conference for Dexter on Friday. "He has earned the right to kill because he follows the rules he has learned to live by. They are very definite rules and he follows them definitely."

Lindsay gives the production his blessing, and why not? Judging from the first hour, it follows the mischievously ghastly spirit of his books to the letter. Dexter is gruesome, riveting and in a weird way, amusing.

"I think the show very much aspires to a moral ambiguity," says Hall. "It’s not black, it’s not white. Dexter’s a cowboy who wears like a 10-gallon gray hat. But I think people should be torn. I think it fosters a sense of ’Oh my God, I’m rooting for someone who’s doing something that I, along with pretty much everybody else, on paper suggests is reprehensible.’ "

On paper, the Dexter books are a blast. On Showtime, it may even be more unforgettable.

But it’s definitely not for the squeamish. "We’re provocative on purpose," says executive producer Sara Colleton. And she’s not kidding. Don’t say you weren’t warned.

He talked again about the show in his column:

Question: Thanks for your first review of Dexter. You asked yourself if it’s the first serial-killer hero on TV. Do you remember Profit with Adrian Pasdar as the new vice president of a multibillion-dollar conglomerate? He wasn’t a real serial killer, but all his actions to get power were pure evil. Your review made me think of this (first?) evil hero. I know people didn’t flock to the series, but it became a real cult show (even if all the episodes weren’t aired - thanks, DVD!). Do you think the audience is now ready to care about that kind of character? - Hudson

Matt Roush: I think it’s probably wise that Dexter is airing on a pay service like Showtime, where none of those tiresome my-morality-should-be-your-morality watchdog groups will have any impact. In my circle of colleagues, even those with stronger constitutions were pretty much creeped out by this show, though all agree that Michael C. Hall is astonishing as the deeply disturbed Dexter, who preys on bad guys who’ve slipped through the system (which makes him sort of an avenger against evil who uses methods that would normally classify him as evil). Is the audience ready for it? I guess we’ll find out in October. I know I am, but then I read and thoroughly enjoyed the novels on which this series is based, so I guess I’m not the most objective observer here. I certainly wouldn’t recommend it without giving viewers due notice about what they’re in for. And speaking of controversial antiheroes, read on about the summer’s biggest bad boy....

"Profit" was a short-lived show by David Greenwalt, co-creator of "Angel". Keith Szarabajka was one of its stars. He later starred on "Angel" as Holtz.

Julie Benz stars on "Dexter" as Rita.