Darkly Dreaming Dexter Becomes Showtime Masterpiece

"People fake a lot of human interactions, but I feel like I fake them all, and I fake them very well, that's my burden I guess."

Such is the dilemma of forensic analyst/serial killer Dexter Morgan, our favorite television sociopath. A blood stain expert for the Miami-Dade police department, Dexter truly knows the minutiae of his vocation.

The viewer can not help being mesmerized by the title character, portrayed brilliantly by Michael C. Hall ("Six Feet Under," "Paycheck") and based on the novel "Darkly Dreaming Dexter" by Jeff Lindsay.

Dexter is shown through flashbacks to have developed his dark side beginning at age three, due to witnessing the brutal murder of his parents. He became the foster child of a detective at the crime scene, Harry Morgan (played by James Lemar, "Bent," "Sex and the City," "Cotton Club.")

Fortunately for Dexter, Harry discovers early on he has taken on a very unusual child:

Harry: You're different, aren't you, Dexter?
Dexter: What do you mean, pop?
Harry: The Billups say Buddy disappeared. I found the grave, son.
Dexter: That dog was a noisy little creep, dad. He was barking all night, and mom couldn't sleep. And she's very, very sick, and that lousy dog was yapping at every leaf that blew down the sidewalk!
Harry: There were a lot of bones in there, Dexter, and not just Buddy's.

Thus, Dexter's new dad educated the lad in becoming a "good" sociopath -- one who only kills those who are deserving, "bad" murderers like cop killers, and child molesters. He is able to find plenty in his present line of work.

Being a sociopath, Dexter must mimic every real human emotion, and his thoughts on this subject can be surprisingly poignant, and one of the prime reasons it's so easy to get hooked on the show. When he sees human suffering, he's happy not to feel, but when he sees love, he can see that he is missing something big.