The Series
For years when it came to original series on premium cable networks HBO reigned supreme. Rival network Showtime has long been in its shadow as accolade upon accolade has been laid upon HBO's hit series like Dream On, Arliss, The Larry Sanders Show, Sex and the City and The Sopranos. Recently, however, with HBO's loss of their recent heavyweight anchor series, Sex and the City and The Sopranos, things have begun to shift.
Showtime's persistence in spinning out series and their determination to outdo the controversial style pioneered by HBO has begun to payoff. Today, some of the most buzzworthy and critically acclaimed original series on cable, nay, on television in general are coming out from Showtime with series like The L Word, Weeds, Californication and The Tudors.
Among those shows leading the rebirth of Showtime as a respectable network at the forefront of original programming is
Dexter.
Dexter is the story of Dexter Morgan (Michael C. Hall), a vigilante serial killer working as a forensics specialist for the Miami Police Department. The first season introduces the viewers to Dexter, allowing them into his psyche and offering up some background on why he is how he is.
Through Dexter's narration, we find out that he has a sense of emotional detachment and it was his foster father, Harry (James Remar) who first discovered Dexter's proclivities for killing, and taught him how to live by a "code" to blend into normal society. His foster father, who also was a policeman, channeled Dexter's urges to kill and taught him to only kill with purpose and to kill only those who deserved it -- "the code of Harry."
Throughout the season, Dexter not only must hide his true self from his girlfriend Rita (Julie Benz) a single mother with two kids and an abusive drug addict ex-husband to-be in prison, but he must keep his secret hidden from his foster sister Deb (Jennifer Carpenter) and the entire Miami Police Department, particularly one Sergeant Doakes (Eric King) who takes a disliking to him.
Interestingly enough, Dexter: The First Season intertwines a subplot involving a second serial killer dubbed "The Ice Truck Killer" who drains the blood from his victims and cuts their bodies into segments. The Ice Truck Killer takes a particular interest in Dexter, sending him secret clues, which Dexter naturally must keep hidden from everyone else.
Having just finished up its third season, and already committed for a fourth - even spawning an edited version of the series on the more mainstream CBS network - it's quite clear that Showtime's series about a serial killer who only kills bad people has struck a nerve. It's a compelling show, no doubt, and having watched through this first season for the first time since it originally aired, I'd say this is the strongest of the three. Dexter is still, however, holding its own and I look forward to Season Four.
The Picture
Dexter comes to Blu-ray Disc in its original televised aspect ratio of 1.78:1 in an AVC/MPEG-4 encoding that averages 30Mbps. Fundamentally, Dexter looks strong, but its picture quality is uneven. Most of Dexter's brightly lit scenes of daytime Miami and its pastel color palette, clear blue skies and white sandy beaches are balanced with good contrast settings and extended detail. However, occasionally there are scenes that soften a bit and display an inordinate amount of grain in comparison to other scenes, such as cut scenes of the skyline. Perhaps this is due to the use of varied quality footage or film stock, but it still hampers the viewing continuity. Night scenes display good black levels with a fine level of shadow delineation.
The Sound
Dexter arrives on Blu-ray Disc with a decent Dolby TrueHD 5.1 lossless mix that offers up some good ambient levels in the surrounds, decent use of the LFE and balanced placement of sound effects with dialogue firmly placed in the center channel. The mix displays a good use of dynamics and the lush sounds of Miami streets and nightlife make for a lively and engaging presentation however, the mix is not without its issues. Although the dialogue is always intelligible, it does display some occasional harshness and distortion during louder passages. It doesn't absolutely ruin the presentation, but it can be a bit annoying and disrupt the suspension of disbelief on occasion.
The Extras
Dexter is a bit light on the extras. There are two audio commentaries, on Disc 1 there is a commentary for the episode "Return to Sender" with Jennifer Carpenter, David Zayas, Lauren Velez and Eric King and on Disc 3 there is the commentary for "Born Free" with producers Sara Colleton, Clyde Phillips & Daniel Cerrone.
Disc 3 also adds BD-Live functionality, but despite the claims on the cover about containing the first episode from Season 3 of Dexter, the first two episodes of the new Showtime series The United States of Tara, a Michael C. Hall podcast and more, all that was available via BD-Live at the time of this review was Season 2 Episode 1 of Dexter split into three parts. PErhaps more will be coming soon?
Final Thoughts
This strongest of the three seasons of Dexter is a perfect introduction to any newcomer to the show and a welcome collection for fans. It's easy to make a weekend of this three-disc set, which will keep you on the edge of your seat. The video presentation is a definite step-up from its broadcast quality, but it's not the best I've ever seen for TV on BD. Still, I highly recommend this collection.
Where to Buy
Product Details
- Actors: Michael C. Hall, Julie Benz, Jennifer Carpenter, Erik King, Lauren Vélez
- Directors: Adam Davidson, Keith Gordon, Michael Cuesta, Robert Lieberman, Steve Shill
- Writers: Daniel Cerone, Drew Z. Greenberg
- Video Format: AVC/MPEG-4
- Language: English Dolby TrueHD 5.1, Spanish (Dolby 2.0)
- Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
- Region Code: A
- Number of discs: 3
- Rating: Not Rated
- Studio: Showtime Ent.
- Blu-ray Disc Release Date: January 6, 2009
- Run Time: 600 minutes
- List Price: $54.98
- Extras:
- Disc 2:
- Audio Commentary: "Return to Sender" with Jennifer Carpenter, David Zayas, Lauren Velez, & Eric King
- Disc 3:
- Audio Commentary with Producers Sara Colleton, Clyde Phillips, & Daniel Cerrone: "Born Free"
- BD-Live
