"People fake a lot of human interactions, but I feel like I fake them all, and I fake them very well, that’s my burden I guess.”

Such is the dilemma of forensic analyst/serial killer Dexter Morgan, our favorite television sociopath. A blood stain expert for the Miami-Dade police department, Dexter truly knows the minutiae of his vocation.

The viewer can not help being mesmerized by the title character, portrayed brilliantly by Michael C. Hall (“Six Feet Under,” “Paycheck”) and based on the novel “Darkly Dreaming Dexter” by Jeff Lindsay.

Dexter is shown through flashbacks to have developed his dark side beginning at age three, due to witnessing the brutal murder of his parents. He became the foster child of a detective at the crime scene, Harry Morgan (played by James Lemar, “Bent,” “Sex and the City,” “Cotton Club.”)

Fortunately for Dexter, Harry discovers early on he has taken on a very unusual child:

Harry: You're different, aren't you, Dexter?

Dexter: What do you mean, pop?

Harry: The Billups say Buddy disappeared. I found the grave, son.

Dexter: That dog was a noisy little creep, dad. He was barking all night, and mom couldn't sleep. And she's very, very sick, and that lousy dog was yapping at every leaf that blew down the sidewalk!

Harry: There were a lot of bones in there, Dexter, and not just Buddy's.

Thus, Dexter’s new dad educated the lad in becoming a “good” sociopath -- one who only kills those who are deserving, “bad” murderers like cop killers, and child molesters. He is able to find plenty in his present line of work.

Being a sociopath, Dexter must mimic every real human emotion, and his thoughts on this subject can be surprisingly poignant, and one of the prime reasons it’s so easy to get hooked on the show. When he sees human suffering, he’s happy not to feel, but when he sees love, he can see that he is missing something big.

Dexter searches for girlfriends in an attempt at normalcy, although he doesn’t have much interest in sex. He finds the perfect girl for him in divorced mother Rita Bennett,(Julie Benz, “Taken,” “Lackawanna Blues”) who has been so damaged in her marriage that delaying intimacy is fine for her. For awhile.

Dexter has a foster sister, Deborah, (Jennifer C. Carpenter, “Ash Tuesday,””The Exorcism of Emily Rose,”) on the police force as well. Unlucky in love and riddled with self-esteem issues, Deborah seems to be the closest thing to a best friend our sociopath has:

Dexter: (Voice over) She's the only person in the world who loves me. I think that's nice. I don’t have feeling about anything, but if I could have feelings at all, I’d have them for Deb.

There is much twisted humor in this show, and since of course our hero is only killing “bad guys” we feel permitted to laugh.

Mike Donovan: (about killing the boys) I couldn't help myself. I couldn't. Please, you have to understand

Dexter: Trust me, I definitely understand. See I can't help myself either. But children I could never do that. Not like you. Never, ever kids.

Mike Donovan: Why?

Dexter: I have standards.

Dexter: Talk to me about Jane Saunders.

Jaworski: Okay, I did her.

Dexter: How?

Jaworski: In a movie. A snuff film, but I'm not sorry.

Dexter: Of course not, and now I'm not sorry either. (Dexter swings blade for the kill)

There are remarkably astute social observations throughout this series, and they can cut fine indeed the line between the normal and not-so-normal (when observing a lobster feast):

Dexter: (Voice over) Needless to say I have some unusual habits, yet all these socially acceptable people can't wait to pick up hammers and smash their food to bits. Normal people are so hostile.

The innovative first season of “Dexter” concerns itself with developing the background and method of operation of the title character and the relationships that surround him. We learn about the inner working of Dexter’s mind through voice over, and the script is unfailingly alternately witty and touching.

“Dark Dreaming Dexter,“ the book of “Dexter”s origin is centered almost entirely around a story involving the Ice Truck Killer, while the Ice Truck Killer storyline is completed in the television show’s first season but complemented with several subplots. In the last episode, Deborah is kidnapped by the Killer, who poses as “Brian” to become her boyfriend. However, he is really Dexter’s estranged brother in blood, quite literally. In the book, the plot is drawn out with allusions through dream sequences to Dexter himself possibly being the Ice Truck Killer. Dexter kills his brother on TV, while in the original novel he assists in his escape.

The alarming visuals in Dexter are amazing, especially in the presentation of blood. In the opening sequence, Dexter is fixing breakfast and every graphic reference to blood and bodily fluids is employed: breaking egg yolk, ketchup, slicing raw meat and a blood fruit, juices flowing lubriciously.

Other characters in “Dexter” are:

Lt. Maria LaGuerta (Lauren Velez, “Oz,” “New York Undercover.”)

David Zayas (Angel Batista, “Burn Notice.”)

Sgt. Doakes (Erik King, “Kindred: The Embraced.”)

It’s especially amusing to watch Sgt. Doakes interacting with Dexter as he taunts him to his face with being a sociopath, seemingly having pegged him for what he is:

Dexter: (Voice over) The only real question I have is why in a building full of cops, all supposedly with a keen insight to the human soul, is Doakes the only one who gets the creeps from me?

However, “Dexter” would not be the thrill ride that it is without the absorbing Michael C. Hall in the lead role. His grasp of the character is uncanny, a cross between charming and inaccessible, cute and terrifying. We shouldn’t like him, yet we do.

“Dexter” is the first television series since “The Sopranos” to keep this viewer watching an entire season at one stretch. Hypnotic, startling, darkly humorous and new, we hope Showtime can keep it running for years.

(Showtime has renewed “Dexter” for a second season,scheduled to return in October with twelve fresh episodes.)