Dexter – Season 1
Reviewer: Tom Leins
Issue 104 June 2008
(2 votes, average: 8.5 out of 10)
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There will be blood!
The Lowdown: Orphan-turned-forensics expert Dexter Morgan harbours a dark secret – when he isn’t analyzing blood spatter patterns for the Miami Police Department, Dexter hunts down sickening criminals and inflicts his own brand of gory justice on them. This first series sees Dexter tangle with the sadistic ‘Ice Truck Killer’…
Review: US drama Dexter began in earnest back in 2006, attracting much controversy Stateside for its disturbing content. Its reputation has preceded it in recent years, and the subversive show mysteriously crept into the ITV schedules earlier this year! The show’s offbeat quality hinges on a wonderfully creepy turn by ‘Six Feet Under’ veteran Michael C. Hall, who stars as the titular forensic expert. He is ably backed up by an impressive cast, including Jennifer ‘The Exorcism of Emily Rose’ Carpenter (who plays his adopted cop sister) and Julie ‘John Rambo’ Benz (as Dexter’s troubled girlfriend Rita). Erik King (best known as death row inmate Moses Deyell in ‘Oz’) also deserves special mention as Dexter’s antagonistic boss Sgt Doakes.
Dexter’s sociopathic night-time pursuits make him one of the more unusual TV anti-heroes currently doing the rounds, and whilst his vendettas against child molesters, drunk drivers and mob assassins come perilously close to haywire vigilantism, the show gets away with it by the skin of its teeth. Suggestions of emotional depth go pretty much unfulfilled, but Dexter himself is still an engaging character. With just 12 episodes on offer, Dexter is a very approachable series to get stuck into. It has enough cop-show elements to appeal to crime fans, and enough kookiness to satisfy those who like their TV shows a bit freakier. It may be an acquired taste, but anyone with a taste for blood will undoubtedly lap it up. Sick, slick and eminently watchable – a cult hit in waiting.
FILM: 8 EXTRAS: 5
DVD Info:
Certificate: 18
Starring: Michael C. Hall, Julie Benz, Jennifer Carpenter, Erik King
Directed By: Various, 2006
Distributor: Paramount Home Entertainment
Audio: Dolby Digital 2.0, Dolby Digital 5.1
Visuals: 2.35:1 Anamorphic Widescreen
Running Time: 650mins
Price: £39.99
Special Features:
Episode Selection
Audio Commentary On ‘Return To Sender’ Episode With Actors Erik King, Jennifer Carpenter, Lauren Velez and David Zayas
Audio Commentary On ‘Born Free’ Episode With Executive Producers Sara Colleton & Clyde Phillips and Executive-Producer/Co-Writer Daniel Cerone
