We are watching the first season of Dexter, the Showtime series about a serial killer, that is now in its fifth season. Yes, we are a little behind but we weren’t sure we wanted to weigh in on the side of serial killing which is the dilemma the series presents for viewers.
But Dexter has made us think about writing and what influences writing. The character Dexter is a first person narrator. He observes along with the camera and viewer. He reports events as well as what is going on in his secret world. Occasionally, the writers throw in third person scenes in which Dexter is not present or knowledgeable about to advance the plot. There are also some flashbacks.
So what to make of the curious scene we saw the other night in which a minor character is yelling out a major clue and Dexter is seen in his car, chatting with his girlfriend and not hearing what is hitting us viewers loud and clear. The erstwhile first person narrator is a sudden plot pawn and the writers get away with it because by this time – nine episodes in – the suspense is high. But it is jarring. There is our trusted serial killer cast temporarily as a complete, uncharacteristic patsy.
It makes us wonder if television isn’t why so many of our bookwriting clients have trouble with point of view. Are they watching series like Dexter and thinking to create a novel in their image? If you want to write a book, read. If television is your thing, then consider writing for the small screen. Or maybe, try a book with video inserts, something that electronic readers now make possible. We wonder what these will do to point of view.