I should feel bad about some of the television I watch. I’m not talking about reality television; I would feel bad if I regularly consumed the high-fructose corn syrup of pop culture. No, my problem is that I should feel bad about some of my favorite shows, but I don’t. I’m obsessed with shows that you might expect a Christian like me to shun. Maybe a little confession will help assuage my guilt over not feeling guilty.
I love Dexter and Breaking Bad. That might not be so bad if I appreciated them for the writing, acting, and production (all of which are excellent). No, I get a visceral charge from cheering for the protagonists. And even that might not be so bad if the first wasn’t a serial killer and the second didn’t cook crystal meth.
Dexter is a serial killer who kills serial killers. He’s not merely a macabre Batman or Superman; he has a compulsion to cut people up. His father teaches him to direct these urges at people who harm the innocent. He rationalizes being a monster by killing only other monsters. I eat it up. And I’m a psychologist, for crying out loud! Dexter is a very sick puppy, but I don’t want him to get well and I definitely don’t want him to get caught. I get aggravated every time he stops killing bad guys and settles into a happy home life.
I feel even worse pulling for Walter White, the protagonist in Breaking Bad. At least Dexter kills bad guys; Walter White makes a ton of illegal cash cooking crystal meth. He’s a chemistry teacher who turns to making drugs after he’s diagnosed with cancer. His insurance won’t cover the chemotherapy so, in order to save his life and ensure financial security for his family, he turns to making meth. He doesn’t save anyone but himself, and even that becomes cumbersome as he faces the predictable consequences of collaborating with drug dealers. Still, I don’t want him to get caught by his DEA agent brother-in-law. I want him to kill his rivals before they kill him. And, against every moral and intellectual fiber of my being, I want him to keep cooking drugs and making money.
