The Empty Theology of Dexter

Dear “Dexter” writers, thou hast failed.

I’m a huge fan of Showtime’s “Dexter,” about a forensic blood spatter expert who secretly murders evil people. I’ve been a pretty avid fan of the show since about three quarters of the way through the first season. From that point on, I was hooked. The character of Dexter is a master of disguise, learning to blend in with human beings all the while knowing he’s a monster. The overall message of the show has always been kind of profound to me: We’re all monsters, trying our best to fit in with “real” humans, or at least that’s how I personally relate to the show.

In the most recent season, “Dexter” has failed to live up to its usual standards, both in suspense and in story. In taking a natural turn toward the religious, the writers of the show appear to have never actually spoken with a religious person. Instead, the plot of the newest season is rife with religious terms, but completely devoid of any real theology. Don’t get me wrong. I don’t mind bad theology. I don’t mind perverted theology. But when a show attempts to sound deep and philosophical without offering any theology, we have a problem.

It would be one thing if the theology was bland enough not to offend, if the big bad serial killer of the season was basic enough to murder but not outlandish enough to require actual thought. But nope. Not this time. The writers of Dexter instead have opted for grand displays of grotesque murder, and have thus far backed those murders up with religious terms that mean nothing. Absolutely. Nothing.

Colin Hanks does his best with a script that offers little in the way of actual substance. His all-knowing, all-powerful mentor scolds and rewards him using words like “defile,” or “pure,” all the while never outlining any real belief system.

And then there’s Brother Sam, played aptly by the too-cool-for-school Mos Def, whose voice alone rivals the collective coolness of most humans. Still, Brother Sam, a convict-turned-saint, remains as empty as the rest of the season’s scripts. In episode 4, Brother Sam explains that faith can make you do crazy things. Dexter asks why anyone would choose to believe if it could make you do crazy stuff. Brother Sam replies, “It’s human nature to believe in something.”

Stop the press.

It’s human nature to believe in something? Be that as it may, Brother Sam, is it not also human nature to simply do crazy crap? Do we not all have a tendency to do stupid things to glorify ourselves (See cars/houses we can’t afford, plastic surgery, viewing pornography, sitting for 4 hours to watch a football game, etc)? At what point does a man of faith, even a fictional one, actually defend the faith he’s chosen to base his life on? Guns don’t kill people. People do. And faith doesn’t kill people. People do. And faith doesn’t kill television shows. Writers do.

I sincerely hope that the writers of Dexter take more than five minutes to research their material for the remainder of the season. Tiny pieces of paper hidden in the bodies of the victims are page numbers?! Are the writers of the show familiar with the church joke of a pastor saying, “The verse is on page 1142, in case you’re having trouble”? The congregation always laughs, because they get the joke. Bible page numbers, just like everything in Dexter this season, are completely arbitrary.

I understand that it can be difficult to distill the complexities of religious thought within the context of a slasher show, but you’re the writers of Dexter, guys. If anyone can up the game, you can. If you’re going to have a religious killer, base him off of the Westboro Baptist idiots, or borrow from history. But please, don’t insult the complexity of religion with empty terminology and misguided “deep” conversations between main characters.