Review by Stuart O'Connor
Stars Michael C Hall, Julie Benz, Jennifer Carpenter, Lauren Velez, David Zayas, CS Lee,
James Remar, Desmond Harrington, John Lithgow, Keith Carradine | Written by James Manos Jr
UK certification x | UK RRP £xx.99 | DVD Region 2 | Runtime xx minutes | Directed by Keith Gordon
I really do need to stab something — Dexter Morgan
Dexter getting stabby equals very good telly indeed. And our favourite serial killer killer comes up against his greatest challenge in this season – in the guise of the Trinity Killer, aka guest star John Lithgow.
Yes, the Darkly Demonic Dexter may have met his match. Dex is now, for all intents and purposes, a happy family man, living in the suburbs with his wife, step-kids and new baby son, Harrison. He's learning more and more how to put up a human front, how to behave like a proper husband and father. And when he learns that the Trinity Killer is a husband and father much the same as him ... well, everything changes.
Four seasons in, and Dexter has lost none of its edge. A lot of that is down the great writing, great directing and a brilliant supporting cast ... and awesome guest stars such as Lithgow. But as with the first three years, everything comes down to Hall and his portrayal of the title character. Each season, Hall has managed to bring somethng new to his performance, a little tweak here and there. Watching Dexter adjust to his new role while still keeping his true self hidden has been remarkable, and probably wouldn't have worked in the hands of a lesser actor. Dexter is still bloody good television ... and wait until you see the season finale!
EXTRAS ★★★½ An audio commentary on the season finale with Lithgow and episode director Steve Shill; A Sitdown With Michael C Hall and John Lithgow (11:00) ... do NOT watch before seeing the final episode; the featurette Blood, Guts and Body Parts: The Blood (5:59); the featurette Blood, Guts and Body Parts: The Props (6:52); and Tracking Trinity, a trivia quiz.