Dexter - Killer TV on DVD
The award-winning drama starring Michael C. Hall is reviewed.
A Killer Concept
Dexter Morgan is a blood spatter analyst in the Miami Metro Police Department. By day, he is charming, efficient at his job and polite company around others. By night however, Dexter is himself a serial killer, preying on the killers that slip the net of the police. The premise of the hit television series is intriguing enough, but the performances by the ensemble cast are what set it out as must-see TV. As well as pursuing his own quarry, Dexter must try to find out the identity of the elusive Ice-Truck Killer, who gets closer and closer to Dexter as the series reaches its climax. Michael C. Hall as Dexter is a revelation, making his fine performance in previous sleeper hit Six Feet Under seem almost a forgotten memory. As well as Dexter, the leading characters are Dexter's girlfriend Rita, and his sister Deborah, who is played with undestated passion by the excellent Jennifer Carpenter.
Slaying the Field
From the visceral viewpoint of Dexter's eye, the series focuses on Dexter's real-life charade and how it combines, often with dramatic results, with his alter-ego's night-life of blood and death. At times brutal, gory television, the series manages to skate the line between horror and thirller with a deftness that is rare amid the prime-time dramas of today, and the relationships of the characters at the Miami Metro PD are played out with poise and vigour by a talented set of actors. Daniel Licht's haunting score compliments perfectly the knife-edge on which Dexter's secret life is balanced. The series poses the question - could a killer really live amongst us and remain undiscovered? To date the series has met with great acclaim, scooping award nominations (including an Emmy for Michael C. Hall) and widespread critical applause. Coupled with a devoted fanbase, the programme has proved a hit on both sides of the Atlantic, and goes from strength to strength.
DVD Extras
As well as the twelve episodes in Season One, the DVD features an exclusive documentary behind a real-life case where blood spatter proved decisive in proving the guilt of a murderer. Around 20 minutes in length, the reality beyond the magic of the make-believe series of Dexter is ultimately a darker truth, and it fits well as an accompanying documentary. The usual scene selections exist too, but there is no Behind The Scenes featurette from the series itself, perhaps the only disappointment on what otherwise is a slick, well-presented package. Dexter has proved to have a lot more life than his prey, and the DVD is a more than worthy purchase of what is sure to grow into a long-running drama series.
