Television

I never thought I would be one of those sad, strange women who falls for a serial killer.

My serial killer is different than all those others, though. My serial killer only kills bad guys. And I get to watch him every Sunday night on Showtime.

I'm talking about Dexter Morgan, of course, the anti-hero of Showtime's series Dexter, which begins its second season on September 30.

Dexter is one of those shows that appeals to its viewers on a much darker level than the average prime-time drama. When you watch it, you may find yourself feeling slightly, well, unclean. You're rooting for this guy, and you're not sure you should be.

Dexter Morgan isn't your run-of-the-mill Ted Bundy or Jeffrey Dahmer caliber serial killer. Dexter is a vigillante killer, only going after other killers, people who have escaped justice and whom he deems worthy of death. But Dexter doesn't just point a gun at them, pull the trigger and walk away. Dexter enjoys what he does. He takes his time. He relishes killing. He's a bona fide psycho.

But you like the guy. You can't help it. When he's not killing someone, he's a model citizen. He works as a blood-spatter analyst for the Miami police (how apropos). He's charming. He's quirky. He's devoted to his girlfriend and is a great role model for her kids, and for his foster sister Debra, who also works for the Miami police. He's your friendly neighborhood psychopath.

There's enough likeability there, in fact, to get you past the more uncomfortable parts of Dexter's personality. Like the weird enthusiasm in his voice when he discusses blood spatter with his colleagues. Or the way his face lights up when he is at the scene of a particularly gruesome murder. Or the way some of his victims' crimes just don't seem to be on the same level as, well, his own.

Dexter thinks of himself as inhuman, a "monster" without feelings or a conscience, but we viewers know better, and that's what helps us overlook those qualities he has that just don't sit right with us. If Dexter were truly a killer without a conscience, after all, he wouldn't care if he killed another psychopath or a helpless old lady. But Dexter takes great pains to make sure that his victims are—in his mind—the worst of the worst. And there are other moments, too, like when he is stalking one of his would-be victims and witnesses the almost-murder of a teenage boy. At the last minute he intervenes, saving the boy's life, and later questions why he, Dexter, a brutal killer, would do something so "human."

No doubt about it, this show is masterfully written, constantly walking the thin line between revealing a character that viewers know they ought to harbor a deep dislike for, and keeping that character sympathetic enough that viewers will root for him in spite of themselves. Dexter is a one of the best things going this television season, an impulsive, guilty pleasure that will mercilessly stalk you, even after you've turned your TV off.

Dexter airs on Showtime, Sundays 9pm ET/PT.