Dexter Morgan - Methods That Make Sense

Many people tune in to Showtime's weekly to watch Dexter Morgan bring a grim sort of vigilante justice to a brutal world. Outwardly, Dexter represents much of what we have been told we should put our trust in; he works as a forensic scientist helping the police catch the bad guys, he protects his sister, his step son and daughter, his friends. He tries, in short, to be a decent person and do the right thing.

So here we are rooting for a serial killer who, unlike most killers on the show, doesn't break many codes of morality except hiding his dark secret and killing other criminals who are guilty of some pretty heinous crimes. Which brings up the question; is Dexter's method more efficient, humane and justifiable than the law system for which he works by day?

The short answer to that question is "Yes". It is a multi-faceted question, and many may disagree with the explanation given, but given the option of a system that only works half the time to vigilante justice such as Dexter Morgan's "code", I'd take the serial killer that kills other violent criminals.

Think about it; no lengthy court procedures that cost the average citizen tax money for one, especially since in modern society it seems half the time there's some crooked deal going on in which the judges have been paid off, the evidence tainted or the jury swayed by slick lawyers that can turn a spin on nearly anything. No, with Dexter Morgan's type of court, there simply is a bit of research to prove guilt and locate the criminal, and then a quick dispatching of that criminal. Far more efficient.

It's arguably more humane, too. Most of us have heard or seen stories and documentaries about prison life, and how it seems to make most inmates worse instead of better. Isolation, violent groups and gangs, no privacy, and years of restrictions on even the most basic of human needs can twist a person who was already going bad and make them far worse. It's been proven that a large percentage of felons who return to society are incarcerated again within a few months or a year. Dexter's solution? No lengthy prison sentences; if you're guilty of multiple, violent crimes you simply get the death sentence without delay. Harsh, but it still might be "kinder" to someone than repeated prison sentences.

All in all, it seems that the show Dexter scratches beyond the surface of just an entertaining drama to watch on weekend evenings. His method is brutal but justifiable, his actions more grimly humane than a prison system, his skipping of the lengthy and sometimes very corrupt court system more practical. This could be why so many people find themselves rooting for this particular serial killer an hour out of the week and he seems more a hero (or anti-hero at worst) than a villain to despise.