'Dexter' takes a stab at normalcy

This undated photo released by Showtime shows actors Michael C. Hall, center, as Dexter, and C.S. Lee, right, as Vince Masuka in a scene from the Showtime dramatic series "Dexter." This undated photo released by Showtime shows actors Michael C. Hall, center, as Dexter, and C.S. Lee, right, as Vince Masuka in a scene from the Showtime dramatic series "Dexter." Photo: Randy Tepper, Showtime Photo: Randy Tepper, Showtime Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close 'Dexter' takes a stab at normalcy 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

Dexter: Drama. 9 p.m. Sundays on Showtime.

Despite all the advances made by creatively daring and alluring cable series, there's still a Pavlovian response engineered in our brains by the networks. And it's this: "Whoa, slow down, 'Weeds,' you're moving too fast! Watch it, 'Shield,' you're spilling all your cool plot twists on the ground! Hey, tap the brakes on your youth, 'Mad Men.' "

Translation: Really good cable series take chances without worrying about Season 5 and syndication. And for people who grew up on network television - 22 episodes, plot or no plot, year after year and nobody ages a bit - it's a scary proposition. This is America. We want our television supersized. Give us 389 episodes of "ER," and then do a crossover episode with "Law & Order."

Sure, some of us pretend we want the British television model to come to America: six episodes a season, two seasons max, then a sad Christmas special and it's all over forever. But we don't. The best we can come up with is "Lost" giving fans an end date that's still like five British seasons away.

But, over on cable, the creative types are getting some crazy kicks. They are compressing story arcs, speeding character development - even inviting demise. It has been virtually impossible to watch "Weeds" on Showtime and not think that Jenji Kohan, the creator, is out of her mind, spinning too many plates, putting the series into a death spiral.

And now, "Dexter," America's favorite serial killer on Showtime, is back for Season 3, having just scared the bejesus out of fans in Season 2. Not because Dex (Michael C. Hall) cut somebody into pieces, but because the second season started with all of his bodies floating to the surface - his world crashing in. On a network, that would have taken, at minimum, five seasons. On Sunday, when Season 3 kicks off spectacularly, there's a slight exhale in the first 59 minutes - then a twist. And not a small one, either. By the second episode, the writers give you roughly 40 minutes to digest that twist, then drop a real stunner.

Which is - just to cut to the chase here - truly and incredibly exciting television. But watching that second episode makes you impulsively think, "Whoa! Too much, too soon." As it thrills you - the plot advances coming far faster than you're used to - it also kicks in that network-trained response: Stretch it out. Let's make this a long-lasting relationship. Let's soak in it. What's the hurry?

It's understandable. Viewers become attached to a series and the characters in that world. They don't want Stringer Bell to be killed or Tony Soprano to shut the window on his world. But sophisticated viewers also know that great television has a short shelf life. Even if people think "The Sopranos" ended too soon, the truth is it probably ended a season too late.

Where will "Dexter" go? A fourth season? Maybe. Early episodes certainly indicate that the producers (and to its credit, Showtime) are worried about quality first, longevity fifth. They are telescoping the moral quandaries of our anti-hero. The early episodes of Season 3 give viewers a magnificent tease: the whiff of normalcy for Dexter. He's not in a corner, desperately trapped. He's at the dentist. He's buying doughnuts for the staff again. He says the word "beautiful."

Our initial impulse is: good. Let him kill some bad guys. Space it out. Let's find out what's going on with Angel (David Zayas) or Masuka (C.S. Lee). But that's wrong. It's bad for us to think like a network. It's greedy. And it's not good for the drama. Oh, the writers deftly show us more about Angel and Masuka and even revitalize Jimmy Smits right in front of our eyes. But Dexter touching goodness is very short-lived. By the second episode, there's a jolt - like a knife in the throat - and the series begins cutting its life expectancy.

It's an unexpected rush, the urgency of brilliance. Let's hope "Dexter" keeps it up - but not for long. It's the complicated emotion of a superb series.

Tim Goodman reviews another Showtime series, "Californication." E9