Friday, October 21, 2016

DEXTER-THE COMPLETE SERIES: SERIAL SOLUTION



Since I’m one of those people not enthralled by the shows and repetitive movies that movie channels like Showtime have become you’ll find me among that group that waits for those series to arrive on disc before delving in. Such was the case when folks were talking non-stop about the series DEXTER. I waited, picked up the first season when it came out and loved it.

For those who haven’t jumped on the bandwagon let me first explain what the series was about. Dexter Morgan (Michael C. Hall) is the blood splatter forensics expert for the city of Miami. His father was a police detective and so is his sister Debra (Jennifer Carpenter). Dexter is also a serial killer. But here is where things get different. Dexter only kills other serial killers and the most wretched of criminals alive. He is an anti-hero taken to the extreme.

Each season found Dexter dealing with the possibility that his friends on the force as well as his own sister would discover his secret. Showing homicidal tendencies at an early age it was his adoptive father who steered him in this direction, a form of vigilante justice if you will. Think of it as Batman gone bad without the gadgets and wealth. The first season jumps in letting us know from the start who and what Dexter is. It then draws us in as a competitive serial killer who knows his secret shows up and begins copying his style. Now not only must Dexter keep his secret from the police he must track down his competition as well.

Subsequent seasons found Dexter dealing with other serial killers as well. There was also the ongoing story of his relationship with a regular woman with two young children and an ex-husband who abused her. While Dexter was supposed to be a killing machine devoid of emotions in reality it was through various interactions with her and her children as well as his co-workers that the reality of his emotions came through. As I said, he was a killer you actually rooted for.

The dark humor at play in this series flooded out from the first scenes of the show. The entire cast was a perfect fit for their characters. Hall was magnificent as Dexter, employing just the right amount of coldness tinged with a subtle touch of humor that made fans love him. Carpenter as the devoted officer seeking the truth and a suspect yet clueless that her brother could be involved did a fantastic job as well. The rest of the cast, too numerous to name, also was amazing.

As with a number of the series in their catalog CBS has offered this one in season collections for some time now. They also released a special collection of the entire series that was contained in a microscope slide box, a tie in with the series since Dexter would collect a small blood sample on a slide from each of his victims. Now they’ve released the entire series in a more contained and less extravagant blu-ray box set at about half the price of that special collection.

The 24 disc box set is contained enough to not take up your entire shelf or even the space the collected editions would have. Priced at around $80 it is far less money than you’d spend colleting each of those sets in total. Best of all you have the opportunity to binge watch at your leisure, starting with the first season and working your way to the series finale.

I have a deeply dark sense of humor when it comes to films and TV series. I laugh at inappropriate things. And watching this series there are plenty of moments like that. If you find you have that same sort of sense of humor then this is a must have series for you. And with this particular box set you can have it all at a great price in great format. Fans of the series, this is a must have. For everyone else, it’s about time you became acquainted with Dexter Morgan.

Click here to order.

No comments:

Post a Comment