People used to tell me about "Dexter," and I'd be like, "Are you kidding me?! That show looks like it will make me want to hide under my bed! No way in hell am I watching some creepy ass show about a serial killer!!"
You see, I have a little "history" with dark TV and movies. I watched Prom Night 4 when I was in middle school and it absolutely terrified me -- so much so that the movie's cliche of "letting the virgins live" was one of the main reasons that I didn't even kiss anyone until I was 19. (Yes, it had nothing to do with the fact that I was a total loser in high school). I remember watching "Girl, Interrupted" and having to come home and watch "Golden Girls" for an hour to ensure that I would not have nightmares about people killing themselves. I turned down seeing "Inception" because it looked "scary." So, you can imagine my hesitance in watching an uncensored premium cable show about a serial killer who kills serial killers.
But, it was on Netflix instant watch, and my boyfriend was interested, so we watched an episode. I said, "That was really good! Now can we watch Comedy Central for a bit so that I don't have nightmares?"
The first season of Dexter is amazing. The plot-line involves the mysterious "Ice Truck Killer" and goes in so many twists and turns you don't see coming, at all. I watched two or three episodes a night and slept with the lights on.
While season 2 was less memorable, it was still awesome. And Season 3 features some incredible acting from Jimmy Smits--you'll be impressed, I promise. The only problem is, when you start watching, you know that you can't walk away, even it means staying up four hours past your normal bedtime, and probably not sleeping that night anyways.
The 4th season will make you crap your pants. I watched half of it away from home, and when I did come home, I checked in my closet and behind my shower curtain for John Lithgow at least twice a day. He earned a Golden Globe or something for it, and it's no surprise, because he is truly terrifying. After finishing off the 4th season (also away from home), my mind was completely blown. And admittedly I made sure that I got home before dark that night, and I checked behind my shower curtain again (but not the closets -- does that make it better?) for John Lithgow. He still wasn't there. What a relief!
To top it all off, Michael C. Hall is amazing in this role. He goes seamlessly from terrifying soulless serial killer to dorky neighbor to doughnut bearing cop. The cast is all pretty attractive, at least in my opinion -- even Masuka!!
So, if you haven't watched Dexter, the first two seasons are on Netflix, so hop to it. The preview for season 5 looks insane, so you better get on this trolley before it leaves the station. And if you don't want to watch it because you're a wuss--get over it. I did, you can to!