‘Stumptown’ based on one episode: Dex Parios character analysis (ABC)

Dex Parios is a fun character. Sure she has her problems but her sarcasm, love for her family and friends, plus a willingness to go above and beyond to call of duty make her likable.

We meet her in her ex-fiances mother’s casino gambling away what little money she has left, not out of desperation but hope that she’ll get lucky.

Her relationship with her ex’s mother is strained, but not too strained because when her granddaughter, Nina, goes missing, Dex is the one she calls to bring her home.

Through every obstacle, Dex perseveres and follows her gut by ignoring oblivious, but well-meaning, detectives when they tell her the case is closed. She tracks down leads for possible suspects and figures out that Nina’s boyfriend was in cahoots with the kidnappers.

She puts her life in jeopardy and it pays off as she ends up being the reason both Nina and her grandmother live when Mike (the kidnapping boyfriend) opts to shoot them even after he received his money.

Dex suffers from PTSD after 5 tours in Afghanistan and copes by having one night stands, but as I previously mentioned, her positive qualities outweigh the ones that are meant to demean her character. Plus, watching Dex frequently interact with her best friend, who opens a bar during the 1st episode, and her brother shows that she is likable and someone we should care about.

Dex may be a badass, but she’s vulnerable and does need caring for. Her budding relationship with Michael Ealy (detective) shows that. And seeing how Dex handles her adventures moving forward will be interesting. We’ll do a mid-season check in on this series.