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By
WAYNE KLEIN
If you're reading this you
either are 1) a fan of the show 2) want to know
more about it to see if it will appeal to you.
Michael C. Hall ("Six Feet Under") plays Dexter a
vigilante serial killer. By day Dexter works as a
splatter analyst in the police department using
blood patterns to help determine exactly how a
crime occurred.
We have a true anti-hero as the focus of the
series--a serial killer who almost seems to have a
conscience because he focuses on dealing out
justice (and focusing his urges)to those he feels
are evil. His father a police officer instilled a
code to help him direct his "urges" and
distinguish between good and evil.
Showtime has attempted to improve the quality of
their shows and their DVD releases with some mixed
results. I found the image quality to be anything
but subpar for a DVD. It's a very good transfer.
Is it high definition? No, but this isn't an
HD-DVD and the quality for a standard DVD is very
good although there are some digital compression
issues that crop up occasionally.
The one complaint I have is simple--no chapter
indexing where you can see specific scenes for
each episode. Sure you can skip through it by
hitting the next button but it's kind of unusual
in this day and age for new shows to NOT have
this. The second is minor and others have pointed
it out--the menu is a very basic design that looks
like it could have been done by an amateur.
You also have to reset audio for each disc as you
watch it for 5.1 as it automatically defaults to
2.o. To be sure many of these are minor points but
they do contribute to the enjoyment of the show if
handled well.
The special features are an improvement over some
previous Showtime series but far from perfect. We
get two episodes of the excellent Showtime drama
"Brotherhood". We also get "Witnessed in Blood - A
True Murder Investigation" a very good featurette
that focuses on splatter analysis and what it
reveals about a murder. It ties in to "Dexter"
because that's what Dexter does for a living on
the show and it also helps him to break a number
of cases. We also get a commentary track that I
haven't listened to yet as well as an online link
to watch two episodes of the new Showtime series
"The Tudors" and a pdf file with the first two
chapters of the new Dexter novel. I suspect that
"The Academy of Blood: A Killer Course" is along
with the DEXTER novel excerpt buried in the
DVD-Rom portion of the disc. You won't be able to
watch it or access it on a regular DVD player
which is just plain sloppy as this isn't indicated
on the package.
We also get biographies for the actors. While the
extras here (including two commentary tracks on
the set are very good, the show could have used
more commentary tracks and the involvement of star
Michael C. Hall on at least one of them. Also, the
special features really need to be more clearly
indicated as to whether they are DVD accessible,
PC accessible and where you might find them on the
disc.
PLOT SPOILERS:
Dexter's father a police officer recognized early
on his son's proclivities and tried to give him
moral guidence and boundaries so that he can
function in our world but, more importantly, use
his "skills" to hunt down those that prey on
others.
Dexter is conflicted--he knows that he's not
normal and he also knows he doesn't fit in (he has
difficulty with emotions having to fake his way
through it). He also recognizes what he is and how
his father tried to shape him into something
"better".
When he goes toe-to-toe with the Ice Truck
Murderer and tries to track down this nasty serial
killer he gets a glimpse into his own soul but
also recognizes that unlike his evil doppleganger
he can choose his actions and not just act on his
instincts.
END OF PLOT SPOILERS:
Overall, Dexter is a terrific show. The second
season has also gotten off to a bold start. The
first season used the novel DARKLY DREAMING DEXTER
as a starting point. For the second season the
writers/producers have chosen to depart from the
novels which should make for an interesting move.
This is a solid set that could be improved with
future seasons. |
