Dexter - The First Season

Studio: Paramount Home Video Release Date: 08/21/2007 Run time: 655 minutes

An interesting and original idea that's very skillfully executed, Showtime's Dexter is never less than watchable, often quite compelling, and sometimes thoroughly riveting. As the 12 episodes from the show's first season (packaged here in a four disc set) reveal, it's also the epitome of "high concept," a kind of Silence of the Lambs for the C.S.I. generation. Creator-executive producer James Manos Jr.'s title character, one Dexter Morgan (played by Michael C. Hall of Six Feet Under renown), works for the Miami Police Department as an blood spatter analyst, visiting crime scenes and helping figure out what happened. He has an avocation, too: during his off hours, he tracks down some very, very bad people who for various reasons have eluded the proper authorities. Seems his adoptive father, a cop himself, taught the kid how to channel his dark side in a "positive" direction; and so, having captured these evildoers (including a child molester-murderer and a recidivist drunk driver with a trail of bodies in his wake), Dex dispatches them with clinical precision, thus making him a serial killer who snuffs serial killers. But there's more--much more, as it turns out. By his own description, Dexter is "a monster," an empty shell who fakes all human interactions and admits to no real feelings for anything or anyone, including his foster sister (Jennifer Carter) and his nominal girlfriend (Julie Benz), a former crack addict and battered spouse who's as uninterested in sex as he is. There's an explanation for Dexter's weirdness, of course, one so deep and traumatic that even he isn't aware of it. It's gradually revealed over the course of the season as he and the cops (who include Erik King, Lauren Velez, and David Zayas, all first-rate) track down the so-called "Ice Truck Killer," a fellow monster whose grisly m.o. both fascinates and taunts our hero, leading to a genuinely shocking and squirm-inducing finale. Dexter can be a bit arch, with an ironic, too-hip-for-the-room tone that get a little old. Still, it's a safe bet that anyone who views this first season will be salivating for the second. Extras include audio commentary on two episodes, a featurette about real-life blood spatter analysis, and a variety of DVD-ROM items. --Sam Graham

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Stills from Dexter: The First Season (click for larger image)

This television series is perhaps one of the best of ever seen. I just recently became a fan, watching the newest episodes of season three, but season one has solidified my devotion to Dexter and his dark secret. Prepare to watch all 12 episodes back to back. You will not want to stop.

This made me go out and buy the first two Dexter books and now we're hooked and hate when the season ends!

I bought this season solely on the incredible reviews on Amazon. I had never heard of the show prior to the purchase, and had no idea what to expect. I fell in love with this show almost immediately!

The main character is an incredible actor, the plot is crazy (but completely believable), and the co-stars make the show great. What can be better than a serial killer hunter that turns out to be the best serial killer of all? I bought the second season after watching just two episodes of the first season!

You will absolutely love the end of the season! Get ready to spend a few days glued to the television as you blow through this series. You will have a great time!

Ive followed 11 series so far and I put Dexter in my top 3. GREAT!

Quickly gets you attached to the characters, and as long as you can put up with a healthy dose of foul language, it is one one of the best TV dramas because of the intensity of its suspense. I never expected this series to be as good as it is.