Pensamientos Acerca de Televisión

Dexter: “Love American Style”

It's Dexter Morgan the immigrant avenger as America's favorite serial killer goes after an illegal immigrant smuggler who has a nasty way of reducing overhead.

Okay, this episode doesn't especially claim to have any unique perspective into the illegal immigrant problem, apart from the oh-so-brave position that people who smuggle illegal immigrants are not nice people.

But the series itself does have an interesting take on the whole vigilante issue that has been explored in so many recent movies.

On one hand, Dexter Morgan is a vigilante enthusiast's dream. A self-appointed vigilante who only kills “bad” people and who never ever kills an innocent by mistake.

On the other hand, his story poses unwelcome questions that most vigilante movies would rather not deal with. Questions like, what kind of person would want to kill such people in the first place? Is society really better off with people like Dexter Morgan around? Would any sane person want to encourage a real-life Dexter Morgan, and if so, why?

I'm not sure this show has all the answers to such questions, but at least the show's writers are posing such questions and not merely attempting to portray a right-wing wish-fulfillment fantasy.

More power to them.