Showtime really knows how to serve up a hot dish of AntiHero. These AntiHeroes can be as comforting as a mug of hot chocolate on a cold day, or a big chilled beer on a hot one. With Showtime's Dexter and Weeds, we, the audience, get a peak into the lives of a serial killer and a drug dealer. Now, you may stop yourself and think, I don't like serial killers or drug dealers. Why would I ever watch a show like this? Because, my friend, the AntiHero is so damn refreshing.
Take Dexter for example. He is a serial killer who kills serial killers, meaning, he only tracks down and kills other monsters. He does the world a service, but mostly this "good deed" is a by-product of his own selfish desire. Dexter calls himself a monster. He doesn't know why he likes to kill. He has enjoyed it since he was young, and the constant struggle to keep in check is what drives the show. Adopted at a young age by a police detective (who found baby Dexter in a cargo container, sitting in the blood of his recently murdered (by chainsaw) mother) he grows up having a father and mother. Under the guidance of his watchful father, Dexter develops his own code of conduct which he follows to a T. (Never hurt an innocent and always make sure your kill deserves it.) With his desire to kill and his necessity to fit in and appear normal, this is one show that delivers. You won't be disappointed.
Take Dexter for example. He is a serial killer who kills serial killers, meaning, he only tracks down and kills other monsters. He does the world a service, but mostly this "good deed" is a by-product of his own selfish desire. Dexter calls himself a monster. He doesn't know why he likes to kill. He has enjoyed it since he was young, and the constant struggle to keep in check is what drives the show. Adopted at a young age by a police detective (who found baby Dexter in a cargo container, sitting in the blood of his recently murdered (by chainsaw) mother) he grows up having a father and mother. Under the guidance of his watchful father, Dexter develops his own code of conduct which he follows to a T. (Never hurt an innocent and always make sure your kill deserves it.) With his desire to kill and his necessity to fit in and appear normal, this is one show that delivers. You won't be disappointed.
And if Dexter is Showtime's Adam, then Nancy Botwin is certainly its Eve. In the first episode of Weeds we meet Nancy Botwin, a recent widow who sells weed to upper class white suburban dwellers and local community college students, all to make enough cash to keep the roof over her kids heads and the housekeeper employed. You see, Nancy has become accustomed to a certain lifestyle. One that involves the finer things (gated community and a range rover), and she certainly doesn't want her husbands untimely death to affect that. Now, before you get all "she's a heartless bitch, why doesn't she just move and get a job?" on me, you have to hear about the cast of characters that she is surrounded by in her picturesque private community of Agrestic. They folks make up 75% of the show. You have the PTA mom, Celia Hodes who wants her fat daughter to be skinny and her rebellious daughter to go away. You have Doug Wilson, City Council member and one of Nancy's most devote buyers. You have Heylia James and her crew of suppliers. But most importantly you have Nancy's family: her overly sexual son Silas, who can't keep it in his pants. Her super smart son Shane who no one listens too and her bumbling brother in law Andy, who brings his own charm to every situation. This show does lots of things well, but it really excels at keeping you engaged and routing for Nancy. (Full disclosure: Season 5 and 6 get weird.)
