Dexter: The First Season

So you think you've seen the wildest and weirdest that episodic TV has to offer? Check out this Showtime sensation based on Jeff Lindsay's novel Darkly Dreaming Dexter. Dexter Morgan (Michael C. Hall) is a Miami forensics expert whose secret homicidal tendencies are known only to his ex-cop foster father Harry (James Remar). By day, Dexter is a genial, hail-fellow-well-met police scientist whose skills are justly celebrated. By night, however, he yields to his murderous impulses by vivisecting heinous criminals who have slipped through the law's fingers. The victim of a childhood trauma, Dexter struggles to keep up appearances while clandestinely pursuing a lifestyle that's as dangerous as it is sociopathic. Whether he's truly capable of maintaining balance is the crux of the show, and each episode dips into a big, bubbling bucket of black humor and serves up a perversely entertaining hour every time. As befitting the artistic freedom that comes with being on pay cable, Dexter pulls no punches and traffics in some of the grisliest situations you're likely to ever see in a TV series. All 12 episodes from the 2006 first season are included here, along with a pair of audio commentaries, a featurette on real blood splatter analysis, two episodes of Showtime's Brotherhood series, and the first two chapters of Lindsay's new book Dexter in the Dark. While definitely not for the squeamish, this is highly recommended for those with strong stomachs and a wicked sense of humor. (E. Hulse)[Blu-ray Review—Jan. 20, 2009—Showtime, 3 discs, 651 min., not rated, $54.98—Making its first appearance on Blu-ray, 2006's Dexter: The First Season boasts a great transfer and a Dolby TrueHD 5.1 soundtrack. Blu-ray extras include the two audio commentaries from the previous DVD, with the rest of the extras only accessible through the BD Live function: a “Witnessed in Blood” true murder investigation (also available on the DVD version), an “Academy of Blood: A Killer Course” featurette, a podcast with star Michael C. Hall, the first episode from the 2008 third season, and two episodes of Showtime's United States of Tara. Bottom line: Dexter looks fine on BD, although the removal of some extras to the web means that those without Internet-enabled players will be unable to access the bonus content.]