“Have you ever seen that show ‘Dexter’ on Showtime?”

I’d turned my head from the screen, where I’d been scanning the titles of television shows on Netflix to start with my mom. She was looking at me innocently, a bottle of water in her hand. “It’s good, I think you’ll like it. You’re into that serial killer stuff.”

This was true. I’ve watched certain episodes of “Law and Order: SVU” enough times to speak the lines with the characters. “Criminal Minds”? Duh, and I’d watch it again if I hadn’t had recently rewatched the series over summer with my brother. I read The Girls by Emma Cline almost the day it came out.

There’s just something really scary about a guy with a knife who just… snaps. *wink*

Anyway, I was intrigued. Yeah, let’s check it out, I thought, clicking the title before settling into the couch. Ah, I just love the beginning of a great series. Beginnings are always the best part, when you don’t know the character, and everything is just a field of possibilities, potential directions. Glances have several meanings and you’re on your toes even when the character is asleep.

I was immediately into “Dexter.” For those who are not familiar (um, go watch it right now… or don’t. That’s not the point of this article), “Dexter” is about a blood spatter analyst who works in the forensics department of Miami Metro Homicide. Right there is the potential for good casework, interesting insights into blood spatter, and that detective banter we all love. But Dexter (the character) holds a secret: he’s a homicidal psychopath who kills his fellow murderers who escape the law.

There’s a lot that goes into “Dexter,” but that pretty sums up all the good stuff without giving anything away. Each season does that special thing where characters grow within the season’s specific storyline, aligning the point of the show with the challenges that plague both Dexter’s Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde sides.

In summation, it’s a great show. However, as with every great show, it has wreaked havoc on my life. This semester at NYU, I have both lucked out and been screwed by my professors’ decisions to assign grand research projects in lieu of the several papers and exams that normally dot my planner.

At first, I thought this was great! No papers to keep track of, no exams to stress over? I’m good until May!

Uhhhh no. You see, the thing about research projects is that you actually have to spend a lot of time on planning them, doing the research for them, creating them, and then polishing them before presenting them. They can be fun, sure, but they’re work. And they’re not to be taken lightly.

But I lucked out again and managed to secure two professors who like to check in with students on their project’s progress. Some would be annoyed by this, sure, but it’s helpful to have set deadlines and check-ins to work towards. I work well with deadlines. I mentioned my planner, right?

But maybe this is where I get screwed again, because with deadlines come work. If I have a project proposal and thesis with an annotated bibliography due in two weeks, I better get to work on drafting said proposal and scourging the library and catalog for sources to use. Of course, this could be done seamlessly, perfectly, if not for Netflix. Or “Dexter.”

“Dexter” has ruined my life. Home from class, make lunch, watch an episode of “Dexter.” Okay, you don’t have anything big due tomorrow, right? Watch another episode. Do a few hours of work. Whew, I need a break. Better watch a 45-minute episode of “Dexter.” Kind of work while talking to my roommates for another hour. Boy, I am hungry. I should make dinner and watch “Dexter” while I eat.

And so on. And so on. And so on.

But enough is enough! I can no longer be distracted by Dexter’s dry humor, special kill outfit, or strangely intimate relationship with Rita (I mean, for a man who claims he doesn’t feel emotions, he sure does seem to like her). No, I have school to think about! A future! A social life, on occasion. Meals, those are very important.

So I’ve decided to only watch two episodes a week of “Dexter.” I figure that this restriction will keep me focused on the tasks at hand. If I happen to feel overworked, I can watch an episode. If I finish all my work and want a break before working on the complex and extremely thoughtful research projects I have dreamed up, I can watch an episode.

The hard part is stopping myself at one episode, of course, but that’s what roommates are for, to make you feel extremely guilty and lazy while they, too, take an obscenely long time to eat dinner or watch an episode of “Outlander.”