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Showtime has a winner with "Dexter" its unusual series
about a serial killer who preys on other criminals. He's
a vigilante with more than a chip on his shoulder. Dexter's
step dad a police officer early on recognized that the boy
was different. He knew what Dexter was and channeled the
boy's desire to kill in a positive way getting him involved
in police work (Dexter is a forensics expert) and directing
him to kill those criminals who are evil. Dexter is essentially
Batman without a conscience (not that Bats has all that
much) who is driven by his compulsion to commit crime but
for the RIGHT reason. Dexter struggles with who he is and
what he does recognizing that he is different and far from
normal. He's surrounded by family and friends (a sister
and a girlfriend among others) who have no clue as to what
really goes on his head much less how he fills his free
time. ***
Dexter wouldn't work if not for actor Michael C. Hall
from "Six Feet Under". He perfectly captures both the compulsion
and conflict that drives Dexter to go after the predators
in our society. It's a complex performance hidden under
an often impassive mask that we get little peaks of now
and again. The show is based on a novel entitled Darkly
Dream Dexter and while much of what we see in the novel
is translated to the screen, there's also quite a bit of
expansion on Dexter's character and his actions that make
this a fascinating series. There's an element of black humor
at work here as well (how could there NOT be with a quirky
premise like this?) and the series glides on that humor
like a well oiled track. ---
Image & Sound:
Unlike some other Showtime series, "Dexter" looks terrific
in its DVD presentation. Colors are bold and accurate but,
more importantly, unlike "The 'L' Word", the image is remarkably
crisp with terrific detail for a standard DVD. ***
The 5.1 Surround format is nicely used with the rear
speakers primarily for ambient effects. While the mix could
be more aggressive, it's not bad. Dialogue comes through
with clarity and the music sounds bold and powerful when
it does make the circuit around the surround speakers. ---
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