Dexter and his Life of Hero or Villain

Dexter was recommended to me by a friend and a professor, so obviously I had to start binging it.

For those who have ever heard of the show, Set in Miami, the series centers onDexter Morgan, a forensic technician specializing in blood spatter pattern analysis for the fictional Miami Metro Police Department, who leads a secret parallel life as a vigilante serial killer, hunting down murderers who have slipped through the cracks of the justice system.

I’m only two seasons in, so far I have these thoughts:

The first episode left me thinking “well ok, he’s sort of a vigilante”. Then I began to think “wow, this guy is a creepy criminal who gets rid of his guilt by justifying his actions by saying that he’s getting rid of the criminals that the justice system couldn’t handle”. Now I’m thinking “wow this guy loves to kill.”

Dexter has two kinds of fans: those who believe the good side of his actions, and those who love to see a character with two layers. With that I mean, he’s a hero by day and a villain by night.

The way Dexter is written as a character is actually really interesting. He wants to fulfill his craving to kill, but also wants to live a normal life with his Girlfriend, Rita, and her kids. This kind of conflict lives in all of us, but in different forms (obviously we don’t want to kill bad people as our night job). After getting past the first half of the second season, I was debating on stopping watching the show. So I stopped for a few days, and then realized I missed it. It made me question why I liked it, and I came up with a few reasons.

1. I want to find out what happens. Does he get caught? Does he surrender himself? Does he stop killing?
2. The relationship between him and Rita has got me wanting to see it through to the end.
3. How can he love Rita’s kids, but kill people so cold heartedly at the same time?

All in all, I will continue the show, and after some deep thought, I do recommend this show to you. It’s different from other crime dramas I’ve come across, and it’s definitely worth the watch.

White Collar

Need a dose of police crime drama? Netflix offer too many options? Look no further, White Collar saves the day. Different from your conventional Law & Order-esque plot, White Collar offers a new perspective on crime-solving. The USA Network show aired from 2009 to 2014, so there’s no need to wait around for the next season or episode, all 6 seasons are up there!

Here’s a quick rundown of the show: con artist Neal Caffrey is serving a 4-year sentence for his white collar crimes. With 3 months left in his sentence, Neal breaks out to find his girlfriend. In order to avoid an extension in his sentence, he strikes a deal with the FBI agent who caught him in the first place- Agent Peter Burke. Neal becomes a Criminal Informant for the NY white collar division and helps Agent Burke catch dangerous criminals.

Each episode deals with a new crime and criminal, and each season introduces a a deeper problem to solve- something that usual takes the entire season and deals with the main characters’ personal lives.

Now I know my short synopsis might not have 100% hooked you, so here’s a picture of Neal Caffrey:

Matt Bomer as Neal Caffrey

Convinced yet?

Not much more can be said because spoilers are no fun. What I can say is this: Neal Caffrey is one of the most interesting characters I have seen. He’s too good at conning, too good at FBI-ing, and too good at getting his way: he’s too good to be true.

Having finished all 81 episodes, I can say assuringly that White Collar is a wonderful option if you’re looking for a show to watch while multitasking.

How To Get Away With Murder: Annalise Keating

How to Get Away With Murder is a wonderful series that showcases how strong and powerful a woman can be without a man. That may sound very feminist, but it’s just reality. At the start of the series, Annalise was portrayed as a self-sufficient, confident, hardworking woman. She is highly respected for being a great lawyer and law professor, whom her students both respect and fear. As the show progresses, we see there are two sides to Annalise: her public life, and her behind closed doors. Every person around her knew her as the strong woman she is portrayed as, but her prodigies learned her different side after they were all involved in a murder plot (spoiler alert!).

Like any normal human being, Annalise has problems going on in her personal life, as well as professional life. After a lot of contemplation, I came to the conclusion that my favorite part of this series is that the writers made Annalise real. Although the plot line isn’t very realistic, her character is. Since the beginning of TV time, women have been portrayed as this perfect doll on a pedestal that keep their emotions in check and bow down to their husbands. It’s refreshing to see that although Annalise was portrayed this way at first, her true colors broke through during the show.