Dexter - Season 4 [DVD]

I got this DVD for christmas and what a season it is. Having watched Dexter since the first season was aired on ITV, I have been hooked. Fans of the show will know what I mean as Dexter is such an addictive show to watch. This is the first season I have seen straight on DVD and not on TV. As such, you naturally lose some of the suspense as you don't have to wait for the next episode to air.

Now, season 4 is very strong. It has different airs and graces compared to others but this is natural as I think we have to agree that each season of Dexter has its own distinctive feel, which is what keeps it so fresh. This season sees the arrival of a new serial killer, dubbed the Trinity Killer, played by the virtuosic John Lithgow. Lithgow is undoubtedly the star of the season and you will soon find that he illuminates (or should I say darkens) every single scene he is in. He is perhaps the creepiest character ever seen in the show and he even freaks Dexter out! Personally, I think Lithgow's performance makes the show here. Dexter seems to have lost his slick and cunning style we are so used to. This is no reflection on Michael C Hall as he is merely playing his part to perfection as the guy juggling too many balls. Lithgow oozes with cool, disturbia, violence, sympathy and evil all in equal proportions. Perhaps the finest performance by an actor in Dexter history.

I will not reveal any plot twists, as the show relies on them so much, but all I will say is that be prepared for some shocks and twists and turns as per usual with Dexter. The first few episodes are dominated by Dexter trying to balance his new family life with his job and his habit. I thought the baby would feature more heavily in the season but actually it is Astor and Cody who provide the most interest out of the children. There are some logistical changes due to Dexter's need to be at home with Rita all the time (I won't reveal them).

In terms of the other characters, again being careful not to reveal too much, Debra Morgan is given some great material to work with and is featured heavily. Also, I am thankful that she grew her hair back as I think it suits her better. Batista and LaGuerta are a bit wooden in this season and don't seem to be as involved in the main action although they still provide relief from the tension in other stories. Quinn. who arrive in season 3, is developed further in this season and, I think I can say this, is starting to slowly become Dexter's new Sargeant Doakes. Masuka is still providing his crude commentary throughout you will be glad to hear.

I am a Dexter fan who thought, truth be told, that season 3 was the weakest. I thought Miguel Prado was a welcome addition to the team but I thought it did not match up to the first and second seasons. It was only when season 3 got towards the end, ie when Prado became a killer Dexter was trailing, that the show caught fire. Dexter is at its best, for me, when there is a rival killer on the loose which puts Dexter under pressure and you get the whole admiration/hatred dilemma that faced him with the Ice Truck Killer. The 'man hunt' situation is when the show gets really gripping and that was what was missing for me in season 3 but, with Trinity on the loose, season 4 has that vibe again.

As I said, each Dexter season has a distinct feel about it. Comparably, this season is most similar to the first so if you love the first (personally season 2 is my favourite) then you will love this season. The presence of Trinity (though not Dexter's brother) gives the show that tension when you have the rivalling man hunts of the same man pursued by Dexter and his own homicide department. As always, Dexter has to pursue the killer whilst putting his colleagues and sister into an opposite direction. This is when the show is at its best and, with family demands, Dexter is finding this as hard as possible. The juggling act required of him means that Dexter is far more emotionally expressive in this season and loses it at times. There are many dramatic moments in this season and it is truly fantastic. Watch it. You must.

After season 2 I was a little disappointed by the direction taken by the writers. The coincidences and plots were simply too far fetched to ask even the most willing viewer to suspend belief. That said series 3 picked up and was simply spectacular, right up there with Breaking Bad for some of the best TV you'll be fortunate to see.

A recent trip presented the opportunity to catch up on season 4 and I can honestly say Dexter has once again raised the bar. Dexter is married, has a young baby, growing stepchildren added to which a new predator is killing in Miami. The game is on.

Casting John Lithgow was inspired and he leaves a very memorable character in Dexter history.

It is just starting on TV (FX) but this is one you might very well wish to buy. Outstanding.

Who ever thought that Showtime would end up commissioning what, at least to me, is pretty much the best TV show in decades ... watching Dexter is an extraordinary experience: in technical terms it is exemplary - from the music to the lighting, it's obvious the producers have put a stellar team together.

Season 4 is my favourite season so far. I have to admit I'm slightly bemused that some viewers have been surprised by John Lithgow's performance. I know that in more recent times he's become associated with a sitcom character. However, even the most perfunctory look at his career reveals his capacity to inhabit dark characters, and in this season he really does provide the darkest of counterparts to Dexter's own dark traveller.

And this is what, at least for me, makes season 4 stand out. The parallel families spell out in no uncertain terms what happens to a cultural dream once it becomes infected by incurable dysfunctionalism. Thus we get to witness a hilarious encounter with neighbourhood vigilanteism, itself implicitly compared to charitable acts (a subtle comparison - no sledgehammer moralising here); two different but intimately entwinned attempts to reconcile traumatic family histories with contemporary family life; a fascinating exploration of the idea of self and social control ... it is these comparisons/juxtapositions that drive the narrative. Had it been the other way around, the writers would probably have ended up with a pretty artificial, forced narrative. But because Dexter remains driven by its characters, even the most outlandish situations retain plausibility.

A note of warning - buy the region 2 edition. Rather foolishly I decided I couldn't wait until it was released so I purchased the region 1 DVD ... which I've since replaced because the image is so compressed as to produce pixelation upon the screen. The region 2 edition is infinitely superior, unless you want the 'bonus' first episodes of some other Showtime programmes (to be honest these don't interest me).