Dark Passengers

Sometimes, it takes a binge to stop a binge. I was able to tear myself away from World of Warcraft to, um, devour the first season of Dexter. The series has a novel concept -- a forensics expert for the Miami Police who is also serial killer -- and a string of winning performances throughout the cast. It gets silly sometimes -- especially the cop-cliche 101 plotting of many of the "mysteries" and a surprise reveal about one of the characters I saw coming from the second time he appeared on screen -- but Dexter (created on screen by Michael C. Hall) is such a dark, but engaging character. He is much vigilante as killer, targeting murders who have escaped the system. Even so, there is no question from his inner narration that the man is a monster, only controlled by a "code" his adoptive father instilled in him. Season two has run on Showtime as well, but is not yet out on DVD. Also, an edited version of season 1 starts next week on CBS. I'm not sure how this will work -- not only is the show pay-cable violent, but one of the characters will be rendered nearly mute once they remove his love of four-letter words.

My dwarf has dinged up to level 38, leaving the mount and chainmail less than two levels away. Of course, I don't know if I'll have enough cash for the mount at 40, but miracles do happen.

Some good things happening musically this week, but I need to spend more time with them before issuing any final verdicts. The latest from Lenny Kravitz is too long but surprisingly engaging. Meanwhile, the British Sea Power have returned with another crunchy and rocking effort. And there is still a stack of dance and pop CDs I need to go through. Looks like a fun weekend on this end.