Media Representations

The main people who are being represented in the show are the police force, but also white collar workers to a certain extent as well. The show shows the situations that happen in the police force, the drama, intensity etc. While where the protagonist works is almost like an office; appealing to a wider audience.

This represents most white collar workers. There are two main settings; the office is where the protagonist works and the actual police force department, while linked you can tell the difference. Debra Morgan, his sister, works in the police force along with one of his friends Angle Batista. These two actors represent the modern day police force, with a female officer and a Latino detective.

The office representation isn’t accurate and it’s hard to judge it fairly as it caters to one profession despite the variety of people who will actually watch the show. The police force representation is exaggerated to help make the show more interesting, it’s not a fair or accurate representation.

Media Language and Form

The denotative levels are low, where you get some facts in the narrative however most of the levels are connotative, leaving the viewer to get sucked in and try to interpret many of the scenes. This also compared to the target audience; age, class etc. The settings, camera angles and non diagetic sounds help change levels, his voice-overs help the viewer get in the mind of him however everything is from his point of view, if he’s confused we are as well, so while the non diagetic sound of his thoughts are denotative, the fact that we’re following him is denotative.

The non verbal structures are connoted through the mise en scene. The setting always indicates what almost to expect, if it’s public it would be a less serious situation, but at night it would be a serious incident.

The mise en scene is very significant. It helps change the situation completely. While Dexter is a relatable character that is likeable, when he is actually killing someone it looks like a ritual to dramatize the situation making it look sinister. It also helps add tension to any situation as it would be suspiciously isolated. The only work done in terms of commentary is the non diagetic sound which is Dexter Morgan talking. It’s there are the show follows him and we are almost him through the way the show is presented, the voiceover helps get in his head.

The dominant image throughout the show is the fact that Dexter is not only a seriel killer but also a forensic officer. So it's almost as if he has morales when he's killing. It turns him not only to a likeable character but also is presented as a clever and almost good character despite the fact he kills (he only kills bad people).

Narrative:

The narrative is structured chronologically and is split up to two parts of his day; his day life, where he’s an average forensic officer and night life, where he’s a serial killer. They are positioned in the driver seat as they way the story is unfolded and the voice over of Dexter’s thoughts mean that you are almost Dexter. There isn’t an instant where you know something the protagonist knows, so it makes the show deeper. The show steadily creates the hero in Dexter Morgan, as he kills evil people; he’s a likeable family man etc. He is a forensic officer and also a serial killer, a strong sense of irony. Other characters such as Debra, his sister, and his colleges, Batista etc, help Dexter is shown as a hero whereas the fact he kills shows him as an anti hero.

The normal life problem Dexter faces is used to help audiences be able to identify with him, despite the fact that he is a serial killer. He goes through family problems, problems at work etc. He has trouble with his bosses, he doesn’t know who he is etc, help make him a character that the target audience can relate to. The role of the voiceover helps the viewer get in his head and become more involved with the protagonist. The show deals with strong ideologies, morale choices such as; is it okay to kill bad people?

Genre

The tv show is a hybrid of drama mixed in with mystery. The show is a drama with Dexter’s normal life but when it turns to his killing it’s more mystery with thriller. He always, hypocritically, asks his victims why they committed the sin that they did and there’s a revelation. Plus the idea of him being a forensic officer plays in as there are many incidents where he is almost caught. Audience’s expectations are thrown out of the window. Dexter Morgan is a forensic officer by day and by night a serial killer. He’s also ironically represented as a Hero throughout the show by the choices and the fact that the show puts us in his shoes.

Institutions

It’s a show from SHOWTIME, which are known for their mature range of TV shows and award winning shows. The fact that they adapted this kind of text from a novel shows the target audience and what they have expected from Showtime, its aired where it’s made. The source is a commercial institution, it's aired from a cable network in America and it’s shown on FX in the UK, on Sky Digital. It's distributed through TV and DVD, while early episodes available online.

Media Values and Ideology

The main values are that not all institutions are good, there are dark secrets underlying in the police force, even psychologists have secrets. Never judge a book by its cover, in the way that Dexter may be seen as a good guy but at night he kills people.

Media Audiences

The target audiences are late teens-young adults, the average age group who watch Showtime. The show is targeted at them, as it has mature themes, comes on at night etc. It comes on at around 10pm or 11pm. The show has a lot of graphic scenes of nudity and blood, so that would be the time to expect it to come on. It also comes on a Friday night, when the target audience would watch the show. The show is available on ShowTime in USA and FX in the UK; it’s made by Showtime so it’s suited for their audiences etc.

The viewing figures in America are strong at around 5 million per episode, whereas in the UK it’s a mere 200,000 an episode, which connoted the amount of people who would watch it on Sky Digital and the population size. As an audience viewer I find the show entertaining and addictive to watch as it always ends in a cliffhanger.