DEXTER, SEASON 4 (DVD)

Release Date: November 29th 2010
Certificate: 18

Developed by: James Manos, Jr.

Cast: Michael C. Hall, Julie Benz, Jennifer Carpenter, C.S. Lee,
Lauren Vélez, David Zayas, James Remar, Desmond Harrington, John Lithgow, Keith Carradine, Courtney Ford

For those not familiar with Dexter, the show is based on the book Darkly Dreaming Dexter by Jeff Lindsay where a Miami blood spatter-pattern analyst working for the Miami Metro Police Department moonlights as a serial killer. Each season sees Dexter unravelling a little bit more as he struggles to keep his secret hidden from his peers and family. This season is no different, but how long can he keep his secret?

Season 4 kicks off with Dexter (Michael C. Hall) failing to settle into married life and raising a new baby. Suffering from exhaustion, it finally takes its toll on him when he falls asleep at the wheel of his car. A bad situation only made worse by the fact that he was driving with a body in the trunk.

John Lithgow is the season’s new Big Bad, the Trinity Killer; a man who always kills three people in the exact same sequence starting with a young woman in a bathtub, then an older mother of two falling to her death, and lastly a father of two bludgeoned to death. As he leaves a murder trail across the country, Special Agent Frank Lundy (Keith Carradine) tracks him down to Miami where he hopes to finally catch him.

On the other side of the fence, Debra (Jennifer Carpenter) starts looking into her father’s extra-marital affairs. This will lead her to a discovery about Dexter’s troubled past but she is unsure whether or not to confront him. Rita (Julie Benz) juggles her mom/wife role but starts to see the cracks appearing in her marriage when she realises Dexter has been lying to her. Maria (Lauren Vélez ) and Angel (David Zayas) try to keep their affair hidden from their colleagues and are forced to take drastic action when they’re caught red-handed! Joey (Desmond Harrington) grows increasingly suspicious and hostile towards Dexter.

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With season 4 there’s much going on with the relationships of the characters. We see them mostly trying to keep secrets from their friends, colleagues and families as well as law enforcement. As we watch Dexter continuously try to keep his moonlighting activities under wraps we know there has to come a point when it all starts to unravel and this season looks like the beginning of that, especially with the season finale!

Disc 4 features a nice chat with Michael C. Hall and John Lithgow who play the show’s two killers. Probably best known for his role in the comedy series, 3rd Rock From the Sun, playing a serial killer was a different direction for Lithgrow and earned him both a Golden Globe Award and an Emmy Award for his portrayal. There’s also a 2-part behind-the-scenes look at the show’s blood effects and props department.

With season 5 already airing with record breaking ratings, Dexter doesn’t show any signs of slowing down and after the events of this season; it’ll be interesting to see the effects it has on him. Will he finally feel emotion?