Was Dexter believable as a serial killer?
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gluserty — 9 years ago(October 28, 2016 09:44 PM)
Yes, I think he was believable. He was smart, followed his code, and stayed under the radar. What was fascinating to me was how Dexter evolved and became more human as the series wore on, which really became what was his personal conflict.
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magicmtn — 9 years ago(November 13, 2016 11:33 AM)
Long story short : no.
And as much as I love the show ( the first 4 seasons atleast ) , this was one of my main problems. He was just not a believable psychopath. At all.
Some people like to theorize that he had Asperger's , though. I'd say that's a better excuse than telling me he's a psychopath yet still clearly shows feelings such as regret/remorse ( the defining trait of a psychopath is that they feel NO remorse what-so-ever ) -
ginger-51 — 9 years ago(January 16, 2017 03:04 PM)
Definitely not convincing as a sociopathic/ASPD type character. He constantly talked about not having feelings or feeling love for people (at least in the beginning) but his behaviour showed something very different.
I'm not very far into the series yet (season 2; I have a low tolerance for the actress who plays Deb so I have to take breaks or she irritates me), but I have consistently had the doubt that Dexter was a REAL sociopath or psychopath. I feel like his foster dad saw some behaviors in him that he interpreted as a POTENTIAL for psychopathy/sociopathy, and then he took it and ran with it because he (Harry) had an axe to grind and Dexter was the tool that he used. It seemed like his dad was always the one suggesting to Dexter that he "will eventually lose control of his impulses and HAVE to kill," and it was Harry who suggested his early victims and the whole code. I can't help but wonder if Dexter would have outgrown/overcome his problematic behaviors if his foster parent hadn't been encouraging them.
I feel like now that Dexter is an adult, he's more of a product of Harry's suggestions than an actual psychopath. Which is why we see glimpses of the humanity he might have had if only the adults in his life had responded appropriately.
I mean, Deb is pretty messed up too, isn't she? Even in the early seasons, she falls in love with another serial killer. My guess is their foster dad did a number on her (mentally) too. -
Loves-Bitch — 9 years ago(December 09, 2016 11:29 PM)
Yes, he had the same drives as a serial killer. He had the NEED to kill. He wasn't just a dark avenger, because he would even screw up investigations to ensure that the killer went free so he could satisfy his desire to kill, rather than just going after people that killed and would have not met justice.
To Love and win is the best thing. To Love and lose, the next best. -
jking086 — 9 years ago(December 23, 2016 07:13 PM)
Honestly, around season 6 things kind of fell apart in that department.
From seasons 1-4, dexter felt like a serial killer who was tamed by his father. The natural progression for his character after the death of Rita and the moral dissolution of his code, would have been much more radical then what we saw in the series and it's why I hated the last 3-4 seasons of the show. The show's writers had many chances to push Dexter into a more interesting territory but they kept shying away from it.
I actually thought that the last season would have Dexter on the run with no more Miami or blood spatter. That kind of progression would have made much more sense then what happened. Then they could have ended the show with Dexter dying in some kind of stand off as his character reaches a moral catharsis.
What made Dexter an interesting character from the get go was the moral dilemma between him wanting so badly to be human and him being a serial killer. Its this sort of catch-22 in a way. Had he ever become human he would have not been able to live with what he had done. Think about it, the best seasons of Dexter involved some kind of anchor character which Dexter tried to connect with, only to have it end in failure. He did it in season 1 with his brother, in season 2 with Doakes and Lila, in season 3 with Prado, and in season 4 with the trinity killer.
The writers killed Rita because they knew they had painted the show into a corner and they revealed the truth to deb for the same reason. However, I fully believe that they could have easily just had dexter run full psychopathic serial killer for the last few seasons and it would have been much more interesting. Had they done with dexter what the writers of breaking bad did with Walter White, I fully believe that the show would have been much better. -
kuatorises — 8 months ago(July 15, 2025 12:24 AM)
- No. No one would get away with what he did. IT was too easy and like 2 out of 4 people in this universe were serial killers.
- Killing LaGuerta was…. weird. The show spends like 7 seasons making you like him, then
- He kills her.
- Dates Hannah.