Gore-Bore

ATTORNEY
Then it's safe to say blood is your life.

DEXTER
Safe to say.

Getting an Amazon package in the mail is great. A DVD-shaped package is better than great. And all that for free is The Greatest. Move over Cassius, my Dexter Season 1 is here.

The nice thing about crashing with your folks is that they pick up the tab. I can justify a DVD purchase by saying it's for studying purposes, so as to better write a spec script. And it is.

I'm now on an episode blitz. The best way to write a spec is to immerse myself in the show. Get the voices down, study character quirks, take note of the episode topics, the common themes, the story structure. It helps me get to know the show, but it also lets me figure out why I was drawn to the show in the first place.

The show is known for being dark, but that's hardly what appeals to me. Gore is boring.

I re-watched the first episode with my mother (bad idea) who hates gore. She actually covered her face during one gruesome murder scene. I really should've seen that coming. I didn't forget that this show about a serial killer features several murders, and I'm not some sadistic child who wants to torment his parents. I managed to plum overlook those aspects, 'cause they ain't what I focus on.

It's about his struggle. Who cares that he kills people? The cool part is just that he's different. He's not a monster; he's an ugly duckling. It's dark and twisted to argue that Dexter's urge to wrest life from his victims is what makes him a beautiful swan, but that's the show. That IS the show. And that's what I love about it.

Alright, maybe I am drawn to the darker parts. But gore is still boring.