Movie Shop: Dexter: The Fourth Season

If you haven't watched seasons 1 - 3 of Dexter yet, you have no idea what you're missing out on. For three days after the season 4 finale of Dexter aired on Showtime, the phrase "Dexter" was constantly in the top ten trends for most searched, most Tweeted, most blogged according to both Google and Twitter. Once you finally see the last episode of season 4, you'll completely understand why.

Season four started in a bit of controversy among Dexter fans when it was announced that John Lithgow was tapped to play the season's arch-villain, the Trinity Killer. For those of us who were used to Lithgow's comedic performances in shows like Third Rock and Harry and the Hendersons, he didn't seem to fit the normal profile of a Dexter guest star. However, like the casting of Jimmy Smits as Miguel Prado, Lithgow pulls off the demeanor of a "Normal, everyday kind of guy" serial killer to a tee.

The show starts up by reminding us that Dexter is now the family man - a brand new baby, a brand new wife, a brand new home in the suburbs, but the same ol' Dark Passenger. The struggle to constantly balance his false family facade with the urges of his darker side is the general theme of the season; and through most of the season it seems as if Dexter is doomed to failure as his family starts to fracture and his kills get sloppier. Enter the Trinity Killer - someone, who in Dexter's eyes is another possible mentor for himself. The Trinity Killer has been an enigma for over thirty years; never caught, never seen, and not even entirely believed to be real. Dexter finds the possibility of learning from the Trinity Killer as an opportunity he cannot let pass by.

As with all of the seasons, there are quite a few subplots involving the other Dexter cast members, but all-in-all, other than the one including Quinn and Debra, they feel somewhat tacked on. However the main plot line this season is such a driving force that the weak subplots are quickly forgotten and forgiven. The subplots are all mostly of an romantic nature, including one between Capt. LaGuerta and Angel Batista, the reappearance of a retired Frank Lundy, and the romance between Quinn and Christine Hill. This season also finds Debra digging into her past and discovering what kind of man Harry Morgan really was - which needless to say, also leads her to learn more about her brother, Dexter.

At the beginning of Season Four, you find Dexter juggling so many faces to figure out who he really is, and who he can be. By the end of Season Four, Dexter learns that the very act of juggling the different personas has changed his life forever. Season five has some big shoes to fill.

Addressing the subject of DVD versus Blu-Ray, having been forced to watch Dexter on standard definition on various occasions when the cable company had some "glitches," I can safely recommend the high def over the standard versions. While you won't really "miss" anything by lacking the sharpness of the HD presentation, the atmosphere just seems much more poignant and dramatic in the high def videos. I should also mention that Dexter does take full advantage of surround sound, and it's pretty creepy when you can hear sounds off and around corners when watching Dexter sneak around to grab his next kill.

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