Reading: Why Do I Like Dexter So Much?

I have recently discovered the show Dexter, and am officially addicted to watching episodes of the show on Netflix. (I'm in the middle of the 3rd season, so please don't give anything away in the comments, if you're more current than me!)

I have been wondering to myself why I like the show so much, because it's far from my usual TV/movie watching preferences. I like positive entertainment. I don't like to watch sad movies, I don't like unhappy endings, and I have no interest in shows like CSI. So why has Dexter captivated me so much? I decided to ask the cards.





Of course the first thing that called out to me in this trio was the Devil. How appropriate. (And the imagery in the card is oddly eerie, since last night I watched an episode where Dexter was at the dentist, and lost a crown at a crime scene.)

What I saw here was evil in the middle of two very lovely cards. The two outer cards represent Dexter's everyday life, the part he plays in society, while the devil is tucked away inside, in the middle... the center of his soul that no one else has access to. I found it fitting that the keyword on the side of this Devil card is "Deception". Regina di Bastone, the picture of innocence, is Dexter's naive and demure girlfriend, Rita, and the lamb represents her children. The Caval di Coppa is Dexter, riding toward both his girlfriend and kids, and also toward the evil of Il Diavolo. He has attachments to both. His head is hung, as though he doesn't want to be completely seen.

According to the cards, I seem to like the fact that his life isn't so cut and dry. It shows how nothing is ever really black or white. Every episode of Dexter provides an abundant variety of marvelous shades of gray. He is good, and he is bad. He kills and he cares. He feels compelled to do the right thing in one aspect of his life, while not thinking twice about doing the wrong thing in another. He breaks the law, but lives by a law of his own. I like the idea of living a life according to one's own values, and not blindly following the laws of the land just because someone else has declared that's the way it should be. Dexter's life isn't anarchy though. He has expectations of others, and of himself.

Another thing I thought of was with the devil being hidden in the middle, I see Dexter's secret life, which I think intrigues the Scorpio in me.

I love how Dexter can kill a person with no remorse whatsoever (yes, they had it coming, but still...), and less than an hour later he's giving Rita's kids piggy back rides around the living room. And you never have a fear, not even for a second, that he would ever harm a hair on those kids' heads. You trust him implicitly with them. He has the devil within him, but it doesn't completely define him. He has boundaries that he would never cross, nor would he even be so much as tempted to cross. He remains the faithful Caval di Coppa to those who matter to him.

I am actually rooting for a serial killer (and yes, the fact that he only kills bad guys is a strong defining factor here). I laugh at his quirky expressions and humorous understated comments. I love him playing dad to Rita's kids.

Quite honestly, I find the creepiest part of the show is Harry, Dexter's foster dad. He disturbs me so much that I literally have a hard time watching the flashbacks.

Dexter really is a sublime show. If you're not already watching it, I highly recommend checking it out!

~Kiki