Stumptown: Private Eyes, PTSD, and Portland

The violent life of a flawed and dysfunctional detective.Dex Parios is a quick-witted, sharp-tongued Army veteran who makes reckless decisions in order to combat her PTSD and alcoholism. Living in Portland, Oregon (also known as “Stumptown”), Dex has become an infamous member of the community, with a huge gambling debt at the local Native American casino, more unpaid parking tickets than friends, and a reputation for having one-night stands with men that end with her “ghosting” them or just forgetting them completely. But underneath her hard exterior, Dex is vulnerable. In times of stress, she has PTSD flashbacks to her fellow soldier – and fiance’s -- death in Afghanistan. Dex’s military training does prove to be an asset to her new career as a private investigator, but she often gets in her own way by intimidating people, and often making things more difficult than they need to be.In the pilot episode, her former fiancé’s daughter, Nina, goes missing, and Dex is asked to find her. Dex learns that Nina has run away with her boyfriend. Dex is forcibly taking Nina home when two men attack her and kidnap Nina. Dex is badly beaten and left unconscious in the street. Over the course of the episode, Dex’s determination and cunning allow her to solve the case.Stumptown was an interesting show with little offensive about it. Sex wasn’t actually depicted, even though it was implied that Dex slept with a man. Sexual talk was limited to various references to Dex’s frequent one-night stands with various men. Profanity was present but not excessive. Violence was excessive and seems to be a central theme to this series. Not only does Dex put the hurt on the bad guys, but the bad guys put the hurt on her as well. This show is not recommended for young children, and older children should have parental supervision.