Media Exercise Assignment
Derek Hayward
500393516
POL 128 SEC. 011
Laurinda Hartt-Fournier
February 10, 2012
Dexter

POL 128 Media Exercise Assignment “Dexter” is an American dark satire that goes against many of the social ideologies of standard American society through presenting a paradoxical perspective of a justified serial killer. In this way, the show reinforces its defiance through the absence of the traditional American family and the lack of trust in the judicial system, all while contradictorily supporting the aspect of fitting in among society.
The series “Dexter” follows a man with a meticulously crafted life. By day, he is a blood splatter pattern analyst for the Miami Metro police department. By night, he takes on an entirely different persona: serial killer. However, he is not your average serial killer. He follows a very strict moral code, taught to him by his late foster father Harry, and only kills other serial killers. Season one, episode one, also known as the pilot episode titled “Dexter”, starts off with Dexter stalking and killing his first victim of the series, where it is learned that his victim had killed three young boys previously. Through a series of flashbacks with his late father Harry, it is discovered that at a young age, Dexter had psychopathic tendencies, which Harry was unable to control. Afterwards, his foster sister, Debra, a vice squad officer, pulls him into her world when a series of hookers are being murdered around Miami. The murders involve the victim being chopped into pieces with all of their blood drained, and Dexter is strangely intrigued. Meanwhile, Dexter's girlfriend, Rita Bennett, a single mother of two whose abusive ex-husband is in jail, suddenly wants to take their relationship to the next level. During one of their dates, he leaves her to view another crime scene nearby, discovering that the