Year after year, season after season, we’re constantly reminded of how quickly a show can make or break itself with a single idea. Sometimes, these shows can pull themselves out of their rut, persevering themselves for many seasons to come. Dexter – a show that has garnered itself multiple Emmy and Golden Globe nominations – never really went too far wayside; in fact, it managed to consistently be better than most other television shows for the last 4 years. But during the second and third season, myself and many others found themselves saying, “Yeah, season X was great and all, but the first season is really where it’s at.” After watching season four, not only can I say that the series has once again risen to the heights of the first season, but in some ways it also surpasses our introduction to Dexter Morgan.
It’s not that season two and three were bad; they were actually quite good. But I would argue that having just a moral adversary, rather than a true villain who not only threatens Dexter’s life but also his code, just isn`t as interesting in this universe. His moral compass is the very core of the show, so someone who merely threatens that is just reinforcing what we’ve already explored season after season. A villain and situation that does more than that not only provides something new and exciting to wrap your mind around, but makes for better entertainment, plain and simple. The combination of John Lithgow’s Arthur Mitchell – aka the Trinity Killer – and the stress of Dexter’s new marriage and child puts season four on the same level as season one.

While the season starts out strong with a villain that actually feels like he’s on the same level of expertise as Dexter, ala the Ice Truck Killer, it becomes truly great television when we’re introduced to Officer Zoey Kruger (Christina Cox). Dexter suspects her of murdering her family and during their final confrontation, she tells him that he’ll have to pick between his dark passenger and raising a family. It’s true, this is an idea that has been bandied about a few times before, but it’s never really been explored. Not only does this idea give something new for fans to dissect over the course of the season, but it also leads up to one of the most talked about finales in recent memory. In hindsight, we really should’ve seen it coming.

The rest of the season is non-stop entertainment. Lithgow’s Arthur is the troubled, but somewhat sympathetic, villain that the show had gone too long without. His troubled history and strict methodology behind his killings makes him a formidable opponent for Dexter, making their interactions much more intense than they were with Lila or Miguel Prado. The most surprising aspect of the season is Jennifer Carpenter, who really steps up her performance this time around. It’s amazing to look back and see how grating Debra was in the beginning and how much she slowed down certain episodes; on top of the writing for her character improving by leaps and bounds, her growth as an actress has never been more apparent.

The most puzzling aspect of the show is the relationship between Lt. Laguerta (Lauren Velez) and Angel Batista (David Zayas). It’s not that the chemistry isn’t there; it just doesn’t go anywhere at all. What might’ve seemed like an interesting subplot to the show during the scripting phase ultimately just slows a few episodes down. The growth of their relationship really had no bearing on the main plot at all and wasn’t particularly interesting.

Dexter: The Fourth Season arrives on Blu-Ray with a transfer consistent with previous seasons; in other words, it looks great. Blacks are deep, colors are vivid, and it looks exactly like its broadcast on Showtime HD. My only complaint is that , once again, some of the nighttime scenes are overly grainy and murky, displaying uneven lighting and coloring. The Dolby TrueHD 5.1 mix is crisp and clear, giving equal attention to dialogue and Daniel Licht’s wonderfully haunting score. As usual, the extras are on the non-existent side, offering up two episodes of Californication and The Tudors, episode one of Episodes (whatever that is), and interviews with various cast and crew members via B-D Live. At the time of writing, none of these special features were available on B-D Live.

Dexter is easily one of the top five best shows of the last decade, finding permanent residence in the minds of everyone who’s ever watched it. Michael C. Hall’s portrayal of America’s favorite serial killer continues to impress and, along with the new characters and themes explored in the fourth season, puts his latest storyline on par with that of the Ice Truck Killer saga.

Rating: 4.5/5
Blu-Ray: 3.5/5