Big Picture Big Sound

The Film

It's hard to wrap up any TV show, let alone one as lengthy and intense as Dexter. However, Showtime did it in a mere 12 episodes, known as Dexter: The Final Season. Unfortunately, the one thing they didn't do was satisfy the show's long-time fans -- like any of them.

[Now, careful: This review may contain what some people consider to be spoilers. There's just no other way to review it. Proceed at your own risk.]

Up to this point, we've had seven seasons of Dexter (Michael C. Hall) and his killing spree. Some were certainly better than others. To most, it would seem insanely difficult to dissect everything that's been going on in Dexter's brain and wrap up the storylines of so many supporting characters, all in 633 minutes. Right? Well, the Showtime clock was ticking, so Dexter's showrunners didn't even try to wrap up all of the show's loose ends. And what they did wrap up just comes off as sort of sloppy.

As with the show's previous seasons, Dexter: The Final Season introduces us to a new killer, known as the "Brain Surgeon." This is part of Dexter's "code," but this season's killer also offered an easy out for quite a few of the characters. Oh, and if you hated Colin Hanks (I didn't), you are going to loathe Darri Ingolfsson. Pinocchio laughs at how wooden this guy is.

The real star of the season is Deb (Jennifer Carpenter), who runs the gamut of emotions and plotlines. She loses her mind, does a little coke, swaps jobs and lovers, and rejoins the force -- not necessarily in that order. It's basically like she was handed three seasons' worth of character segues and was told to make it work. She absolutely does just that, which is impressive, especially when you consider the time she was allotted. Through all of the B.S., however, her character just never stops loving her brother. For that, her outcome is possibly the most disappointing, as well as the most rushed.

Despite the season's many faults and characters (I could have done without Charlotte Rampling), all could be forgiven if the ending weren't so... well, lame. Dexter: The Final Season takes going out with a whimper to a whole new level.

The Picture

Like most recent TV releases, Dexter: The Final Season has a 1.78:1 image. That said, it's certainly a cut above most. Dexter is the type of show that offers a lot of colors and textures, all of which look really nice on Blu-ray. It's hard to not notice whether or not there's detail on a severed head, a blotch of blood splatter or some skeletal remains. Dexter gives you all of that and then some. If you've enjoyed any of the seasons, this one is a no-brainer (sometimes literally!).

The Sound

Once again, Dexter gets a TrueHD 5.1 track, and it's pretty engaging throughout. All of the dialogue is always crisp and clear, even in its most hectic moments. However, this mix really makes use of the surrounds, but not just for the show's active score. The blows, cuts and guts come through the surrounds with a lot of detail. Overall, the track does a good job at making you jump -- and a little squeamish as well.

The Extras

If you thought Dexter was a bit of a mystery before, this section isn't going to help you figure anything out. To date, none of the Dexter Blu-ray sets have given behind-the-scene peeks, deleted scenes or interviews. However, this is the last season, so it should be different -- right? As usual, Showtime uses these Blu-ray releases to plug its other programs. In this case, you'll get the first two episodes of Ray Donovan spread across the first two discs. The third disc does have six super-short featurettes (think 2 or 3 minutes each) about Dexter -- all of which seem to be promos from before the season even aired. There's no retrospective, no episode commentaries and no real parting words. This collection is as meh as the season.

Instead, the studio has saved all of the extras for Dexter: The Complete Series Collection. Available inside a collectible slide box or one that looks like a severed head, each set includes 25 discs with all eight seasons, as well as three hours of special features. That collection includes interviews, promos and other featurettes, as well as a pair of documentaries: "The Evolution of Dexter Morgan Documentary" and "The Code."

Final Thoughts

Yeah, Dexter: The Final Season is far from the best of the series, but if you've come this far, you may as well see how everything is wrapped up. For that and the AV, it may be worth a peek. However, unless you're weird about completing your Blu-ray collections, you probably don't need to own this 3-disc set. The lack of special features, the season in general, and especially the finale will keep you from picking it up that often. Instead, go back and watch season 4 again and get your Trinity on!

Product Details

• Actors: Michael C. Hall, Jennnifer Carpenter, Desmond Harrington, C.S. Lee, David Zayas, Aimee Carcia, Geoff Pierson, James Remar, Charlotte Rampling, Yvonne Strahovski, Sean Patrick Flanery
• Directors: John Dahl, Holly Dale, Ernest Dickerson, Keith Gordon, Michael C. Hall, Alik Sakharov, Stefan Schwartz, Steve Shill, Romeo Tirone
• Audio/Languages: Dolby TrueHD 5.1 (Englsh), Dolby Digital 2.0 (Spanish)
• Subtitles: English, English SDH
• Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
• Number of Discs: 3
• Rating: NR
• Studio: Paramount
• Blu-ray Disc Release Date: November 12, 2013
• Run Time: 633 minutes
• List Price: $55.98
• Extras:
  • Ray Donovan: Episode 1
  • Ray Donovan: Episode 2
  • "From Cop to Killer" Featurette
  • Dexter: The End Begins
  • Dexter with Scott Buck Executive Producer: Episode 801
  • Dexter: Episode 802 Directed by Michael C. Hall
  • Dexter: Dissecting Episode 803, Scene 30
  • Dexter with Scott Buck Executive Producer: Episode 804