Although the last few seasons of Dexter were flawed (to say the least), the entire series still possesses some entertainment value and one can marvel at the performance by Michael C. Hall who was pretty consistent even in those weaker seasons.
“Dexter”: The Complete Series
(2006-13)
Genre(s): Drama, Crime, Suspense
Paramount | NR – 5092 min. – $135.99 | October 4, 2016
Date Published: 09/27/2016 | Author: The Movieman
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THE SERIES — 3.5/5 |
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Based on the book Darkly Dreaming Dexter; Showtime’s adaptation, Dexter, takes most of what made the book really good as well as changing things up a bit (certain deaths, characters etc.) to make those who have read the book still feel comfortable all while giving those same readers a reason to watch the show. The show is an interesting concept – Dexter (MICHAEL C. HALL) works for the Miami Police Department where he is their lead blood splatter analyst. His sister, Deb (JENNIFER CARPENTER), also works with him. The first season of Dexter deals with the fact that Dexter is in fact a serial killer – kind of ironic considering the job he is in. You see, Dexter has a set code he follows (imparted to him by his dead father who knows his son was a bit different) and only goes after someone who has wronged another person… so if you killed someone else you sure as hell would want to be caught by the police before Dexter gets to you. Why is that? Because he will track you down, hunt you and eventually get you into some room where you are strapped on a table and forced to re-live those that you have harmed. At that point expect to get your face cut while Dexter puts a drop of your blood on a slide frame to keep as a souvenir. After that, you’re done for. The following seasons, while not as strong as its freshman year, were still solid… until really the last couple seasons culminating with one of the worst series finales since perhaps Seinfeld. Still, the acting never waned even as the writing became sloppy and the situations they put Dexter in even worse as it appeared the producers didn’t know what to do with him and the supporting characters. However, throughout its eight seasons, the list of guest stars were well done from Keith Carradine serving as a great foil for Dexter, Jimmy Smits as a D.A., Colin Hanks and John Lithgow (especially) as vicious antagonists, Ray Stevenson is wonderful as a crime syndicate leader and even Julia Stiles turns in a fine performance in her 10 episode stint in the fifth season. All that said, seasons 7 and 8 were pretty brutal and even the enigmatic, albeit serial killer, Dexter portrayed by Michael C. Hall couldn’t help and by the end of its eighth and final season, it was time for the series to come to a merciful end as even its most fervent fans had pretty much given up. |
SPECIAL FEATURES – 2.0/5 |
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This massive 24-disc set is contained in an extra wide keep case and if you’re familiar with the recent Star Trek and Star Trek: The Next Generation complete series releases, it’s the same with a big spindle inside and can be removed for easier search and disc removal. Unfortunately no new features are included. Seasons 1-6 have features available only through BD-Live. As I only count features that are actually on the disc (as at any time BD-Live could shut down), those are the ones that factor into the rating. However, these include interviews with the cast and crew and some behind-the-scenes featurettes. SEASON 1: SEASON 2: SEASONS 3-7: SEASON 8: |
VIDEO – 4.0/5 |
| Dexter: The Complete Series slashes onto Blu-ray looking about on par with the previous Blu-ray releases. The picture, presented with a 1080p HD transfer and 1.78 widescreen aspect ratio, looks very nice on home video. Having not watched much of the series live, I can’t say how it compares but it’s got to be close. The video isn’t overly impressive yet at the same time the detail levels are there and the color array especially pops given the bright locale. |
AUDIO – 4.25/5 |
| The Dolby TrueHD is very nice, if not a little average by comparison with other TV shows on Blu-ray. But dialogue is very clear and the great music (including the incredible “Blood Theme”) sound nice through the five channels with the front and front speakers getting the most use. |
OVERALL – 3.0/5 |
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Overall, although the last few seasons of Dexter were flawed (to say the least), the entire series still possesses some entertainment value and one can marvel at the performance by Michael C. Hall who was pretty consistent even in those weaker seasons. As far as this Complete Series re-release is, the discs are the same and the features are rather thin, which is par for the course by Showtime/Paramount. |