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If movies like Freddy vs. Jason, Kramer vs. Kramer, Alien vs. Predator, Ecks vs. Sever and King Kong vs. Godzilla have taught us nothing else, it's that everything is somehow better in battle format. We here at BOP recognize this fact, but at the same time realize that our breed of super-smart readers sometimes yearns for a touch of the intellectual at the same time. And since Hollywood and television networks have a certain obsession with turning literature of all types into moving image adaptations, we're afforded the perfect opportunity to set up grudge matches galore.

Dexter

This time, attention turns toward a mysterious man named Dexter Morgan, a character created by author Jeff Lindsay, who first appeared in the 2004 novel, Darkly Dreaming Dexter. The serial killer has since been the subject of two additional sequels, as well as a fourth book, Dexter By Design, due out in 2009. A mere two years after Darkly Dreaming Dexter was published, Showtime optioned the rights to the character and produced a pilot, which debuted on the pay cabler in October 2006 with Michael C. Hall (Six Feet Under) in the title role.

The series has since played a vital role in the emergence of Showtime as viable pay-cable competitor to HBO, its historically dominant foe. The show's third season finale, which aired on December 14th, attracted 1.5 million viewers, the network's most-watched telecast since Nielsen began reporting Showtime ratings separate from Showtime Plex in 2004.

After catching up with the drama's roller coaster ride of a first season on DVD recently, I thought it a good idea to next digest the Showtime series' original source material: Jeff Lindsay's debut Dexter novel. Is the book, Darkly Dreaming Dexter, comparable to Dexter's genius freshman season?





The TV Show

One of the most addicting television seasons I've ever had the pleasure of viewing, Dexter's debut season is a basic exercise in what makes great television. I'm hesitant to call it something like popcorn television, because its purpose is much more than Miami Metro's season-long takedown of a maniac killer with a thirst for prostitutes.

It's at the same time a character study of one Dexter Morgan, a foster kid with a desire to kill things. Recognized by his foster dad, Harry, at an early age, Harry teaches his son that murdering people can prove to be beneficial, so long as Dexter carefully covers his tracks and solely hunts people who deserve to die (i.e. persons with that same desire to kill, and with no intentions of stopping). Through the Ice Truck Killer, as his nemesis (ally?) is soon named, Dexter grows increasingly aware of his life before Harry and foster sister Deb, and how the tragic day when he lost his mother (death by chainsaw) will forever change his life for reasons outside of inheriting a new family.

It all begins one sunny day in Miami when Dexter receives a call from Deb, who works for the same police department, concerning the death of yet another prostitute. Except this time, Dexter is intrigued by the remains (more so than usual) because the limbs and bones and excess skin are missing a fairly important part: blood. Soon enough, more bodies end up all over Miami, severed heads are thrown at car windshields, Barbie parts are discovered in freezers, pieces of one man (a hand, a foot, you get the picture) are strategically placed downtown, and so on. All are pieces to one gigantic mystery puzzle that takes the entire season to crack. And its final result, including the human responsible for the mess, proves to have unexpected, albeit significant ties to Dexter's past. Oh, what fun indeed.

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