Dexter Season 1 Episode 10: Seeing Red

I’m on the last leg of finishing up the first season of Dexter.  I’m about 7 years late, but I tend to catch on to popular television shows & movies late.  I had heard about this show, but the explanations didn’t make sense to me.  A popular television show about a serial killer?  I was curious about the contents of the show, but it wasn’t available on my Netflix account until recently, so I didn’t get a change to quench my curiosity.

I’m not sure if it’s just me, but things usually take a while to catch on for me.  Through the first few episodes, I wasn’t feeling it.  I forced myself to continue watching because I figured even if the show wasn’t my cup of tea, I’d eventually figure out why so many people loved it.  Took me 10 episodes, but I fully understand now.  Dexter is really a dramatic, suspense version of The Punisher, whereas The Punisher is more action based.  In Dexter, he only kills people that the viewing audience feels deserves to die.  His behavior is always justified, similar to a Time to Kill, who didn’t think those guys deserved to burn in hell (with the exception of Zimmerman supporters)?

Episode 10 made me think about fatherhood.  I often think about the lack of fathers in the black community and how so many people take on the challenge of having children and abandon the responsibilities that come with it.  Although I find it less prevalent than it is being portrayed in more recent television, it is nice to see that men aren’t always portrayed as negligent and uncaring.  It has been a little bothersome to watch the show and watch how this man really wants to be in his children’s lives and how difficult it gets.  I feel like there is a lot of reality in that, but I don’t think people see things that way (either parent) when they have children outside of wedlock.  I don’t think that marriage eliminates the possibility of the situation, but I think it demonstrates a level of commitment to having a family that should be a precursor to having a child.  Like going to college doesn't decrease the odds of finding a job, getting married doesn't decrease the odds of keeping a family together.  I find it crazy that people are afraid of the commitment involved in a marriage which can be dissolved at any time and a home which is just debt to be added to the unavoidable list of other debts, but don’t fear the lifetime commitment of having a child.

Watching this show makes me wonder about the psyche of some women.  This woman’s estranged husband was abusive to her so I understand the reluctance to have him as a part of her life; however, I feel like she has to know that he should be a part of her children’s lives.  That’s what she signed up for when she gave birth to their children.  She speaks about how she allows him to see his children as if she’s doing him a favor and they aren’t his children too.  I wonder if she had a father in her life or if people are just so detached from the concept of putting themselves in other’s shoes that they don’t think like that even when it’s their own children.  I feel like in reality there are more mothers pursuing fathers to be a part of their children’s lives (at least financially) than there are fathers pursuing mothers to be in their children’s lives.  Either way, that situation has got to be tough.