Normally, I talk about music videos in these breakdowns, but I figured it's time to change it up a bit. This time, we are going to be looking at the opening sequence of the once popular Showtime series, Dexter.
In case you aren't aware of who Dexter is, I'll break it down for you. Dexter is a serial killer. Not just any serial killer though, he's a serial killer with a code of conduct. Cop by day and vigilantly by night. He always talks about his intoxicating ritual and that's what the opening sequence references too. You may not want to read any farther if you don't want me to ruin breakfast for you.
In the opening sequence, you see a mosquito biting Dexter's arm, which is symbolic to the predators that feed off the rest of us. After it takes some blood from his arm, he kills the mosquito and grins. This is also symbolic to what he does to the predators once he finds his prey.
You then see him go about his normal morning routine, cleaning up, shaving cooking breakfast tying his shoes and going to work. If you pay attention to what's being shown to you, you'll see more of his "intoxicating routine".
First, he cuts himself shaving. You see the blood fill the tissue paper up and spread out past the screen. You then see him cutting up some ham, slicing the meat and ripping it apart so he can start cooking. Obviously he doesn't eat his victims but he does cut them up.
Next you see him smashing, cooking and eating the eggs with a little hot sauce thrown in for some spiciness. Grounding up the coffee beans is after that and then cutting up some grapefruits. Making breakfast in this order never happens unless you want to spend an hour making a small breakfast meal so you know the D.O.P. is trying to convey a message.
Then you see him back in the bathroom getting ready to floss his teeth, but you'll notice that he has the floss a certain way between his 2 index fingers. This is then followed by a shot of his throat and his head tilting down to show he is flossing (Sure). You then see him tying his shoes very harshly, as if he is trying to strangle someone.
Finally, you see him putting his shirt on, but he makes it a point to push his face as much as he can into the fabric of his shirt. This one kind of gives you a hint of what some of his victims may be doing when he puts a bag over their heads.
The entire sequence was shot with a purpose and they did an amazing job. Most people probably didn't realize what was really going on with what was on the screen. To say it in Dexter's case, his intoxicating ritual is as normal to him as making breakfast is for anyone else. If you haven't seen the show, you should at least give it a shot. There's tons of symbolism in every episode and it's very intriguing to watch. Some of you may not have the stomach for what he does, but if you can watch The Walking Dead, you can watch this with no problem.
Adam