Julie Benz Movie:

		List Price: $39.98		Label: Showtime Ent. / Paramount Salesrank: 131 Released: August 21, 2007
		Our Price: $17.99
		Used Price: $13.99
		MPAA Rating: Unrated Media: DVD

Editorial Review:
Dexter is based on the compelling novel "Darkly Dreaming Dexter" by Jeff Lindsay. Orphaned at the age of four and harboring a traumatic secret, Dexter Morgan (Dexter Morgan (Emmy- and Golden Globe- nominated actor Michael C. Hall from "Six Feet Under") is adopted by a police officer who recognizes Dexter's homicidal tendencies and guides his son to channel his gruesome passion for human vivisection in a constructive way - by killing those heinous perpetrators that are above the law or who have slipped through the cracks of justice. A respected member of the police force, a perfect gentleman and a man with a soft spot for children, it's hard not to like Dexter. Although his drive to kill is unflinching, he struggles to emulate normal emotions he doesn't feel, and to keep up his appearance as a caring, socially responsible human being.

Description of Dexter: The First Season:
An interesting and original idea that's very skillfully executed, Showtime's Dexter is never less than watchable, often quite compelling, and sometimes thoroughly riveting. As the 12 episodes from the show's first season (packaged here in a four disc set) reveal, it's also the epitome of "high concept," a kind of Silence of the Lambs for the C.S.I. generation. Creator-executive producer James Manos Jr.'s title character, one Dexter Morgan (played by Michael C. Hall of Six Feet Under renown), works for the Miami Police Department as an blood spatter analyst, visiting crime scenes and helping figure out what happened. He has an avocation, too: during his off hours, he tracks down some very, very bad people who for various reasons have eluded the proper authorities. Seems his adoptive father, a cop himself, taught the kid how to channel his dark side in a "positive" direction; and so, having captured these evildoers (including a child molester-murderer and a recidivist drunk driver with a trail of bodies in his wake), Dex dispatches them with clinical precision, thus making him a serial killer who snuffs serial killers. But there's more--much more, as it turns out. By his own description, Dexter is "a monster," an empty shell who fakes all human interactions and admits to no real feelings for anything or anyone, including his foster sister (Jennifer Carter) and his nominal girlfriend (Julie Benz), a former crack addict and battered spouse who's as uninterested in sex as he is. There's an explanation for Dexter's weirdness, of course, one so deep and traumatic that even he isn't aware of it. It's gradually revealed over the course of the season as he and the cops (who include Erik King, Lauren Velez, and David Zayas, all first-rate) track down the so-called "Ice Truck Killer," a fellow monster whose grisly m.o. both fascinates and taunts our hero, leading to a genuinely shocking and squirm-inducing finale. Dexter can be a bit arch, with an ironic, too-hip-for-the-room tone that get a little old. Still, it's a safe bet that anyone who views this first season will be salivating for the second. Extras include audio commentary on two episodes, a featurette about real-life blood spatter analysis, and a variety of DVD-ROM items. --Sam Graham

Beyond Dexter

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The Book that Started It All

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Dexter: The First Season Reviews:
Well crafted series
2009-11-09 - As creepy as the plot line is for this series, it is very well done. Michael C. Hall is outstanding as Dexter. We really enjoyed the character development.

Air Conditioning is overrated
2009-11-08 - In the first season, we find ourselves introduded to the characters that will stay with us for quite some time. amongst those is our loving host, Dexter, and the wonderful slide collection he takes time and energy collecting. This seems to be the one driving force in his life until he sees something that changes everything: he is called to a crime scene and finds a body that is devoid of all blood. This makes Dexter drool and, before long, he becomes entangled in what the press is calling the Ice Trcuk Killer, actually finding himself invited to play a game with him. This leads to a lot of revelations about his past, and awakens a few things that make him wonder what Harry really was when it came to the both of them.

When looking at Dexter, there are a lot of things that catch the eye. From the script (that follows the book in ways that are beautifully orchestraed) to the way the lighting for each death secene makes its own type of visual sexiness, this series has so much to offer its viewers. I hung on each episode as I watched them, and this feeling has continued all the way to where I am now - in the middle of Season 4. The reason for that is because you don't find yourself slighted in the story but instead you find yourself continually smitten by the way the story grips and doesn't let go. I have a love for that whenever I find it in a show, and this series is one that really brings everything to the table. From the actors that stay with us to the surprised that twist and turn, Dexter delivers on everything it promised and more.

If you've ever wanted to root for someone doing bad deeds, this is your chance to feel good about it. I personally love the way Dexter plays games with everyone he meets, putting on his mask and pretending long enough to seem normal in even his victim's eyes, and I also love the way Dexter is present here. From flashbacks to finding out bits and pieces about the man behind the bloodslide, you'll definately come back for more.
I haven't seen anything this addictive in a long time.

I had doubts however was pleasantly suprised
2009-10-21 - I must admit that I had doubts when my ex-husband said I should purchase this series...I did and at first I had doubts but I became a fan and I'm now watching season 2. the caracters all have their quirks and intermingle well with each other, well written, well directed, BRAVO!!

A Killer
2009-10-13 - What more can I say that hasn't already been said? Funny, thought-provoking, thrilling! I loved the books when I read them and am happy to see they have been so well adapted (at least the first one, which is all I've seen so far). The Dark Passenger seems to get short shrift in this first series, and that left me without much of an insight into what Dexter really thinks. I know his narration spells everything out, but I just wasn't convinced without some more description of what was in the Dark Passenger's mind. Still, I enjoyed this thoroughly. Sgt. Doakes is perfect!

I can't believe I love this.
2009-10-11 - I don't watch that much TV and I don't have Showtime. I discovered Dexter only because they are constantly filming in my neighborhood. The first time I walked by the location set, I asked what they were filming, and when they said "Dexter," I said, "Oh! That's a kid's show, right?" (I think there was a kid's show called "Dexter's Lab.") To a few guffaws and a sarcastic "Um, no." No, it sure is not a kid's show.

A couple of weeks ago, after watching the fake Miami police running around this SoCal neighborhood again, I decided to take a look at Dexter on Netflix. I knew it had good reviews. The first couple of shows were interesting, compelling, and almost too gross to watch. So there were days between watching each episode. But after the third or fourth show, I was completely hooked. I needed one Dexter a night just like Dexter needed to "put out the trash."

The characters are better drawn and better acted than almost any TV I've ever seen. Even the side characters are richly fleshed out, and you get to sympathize with many of them in different ways. It's CSI on steroids, with people you grow to care about. The dialog is realistic, though too many f-bombs for me. You forget you are watching a show. It's edge-of-your-seat time, and woe on anyone who disturbs you while you are watching.

When I watch CSI (Vegas only), my mind never forgets that it's a show, written by somebody, and my mind is always thinking alongside the viewing to see which way the plot will go, and which things will be planned-unpredictable, and which will be set ups of predictability. To me, true success at greatness means SHUTTING DOWN that parallel thinking.

And when I watch Dexter, I forget all else. I highly recommend it for un-squeamish adults.