Year: 2009
Running Time: 600 Minutes
Rated: Not Rated
SRP: $57.99
Studio(s): Showtime / Paramount
Release Date: August 18, 2009

Film/Feature: A-
There are fewer television shows that truly surprise you, and even though one can do play-by-play commentary of most police procedurals before the scene even happens, it’s difficult to do that with the Showtime hit, Dexter. In season three, Michael C. Hall reprises his role as Dexter Morgan, a blood-spatter specialist in the Miami City Police Department. At nighttime, he acts on his psychotic urge to kill those who guilty criminals who dare to escape law’s grasp. By working inside the police unit, he is able to carry most of his killings outside the knowledge of those around him. We pick up the third season, after the Bay Harbor Butcher storyline has run its course and Dexter’s taken an interest in a drug-dealer named Freebo. In his attempt to capture him, he finds Freebo struggling with someone else, and when this mystery man goes after Dexter, our blood-loving protagonist accidentally kills him.

Things get more complicated when the seemingly innocent man that Dexter killed is the brother of Assistant District Attorney Miguel Prado (Jimmy Smits). Dexter covers up the murder as best he can but Prado’s persistence and driven nature eventually penetrates our favorite serial killer’s shell. In an effort to share his burden and his urge to seek out vengeance on the guilty, Dexter befriends Miguel and they become a tag-team of bloody proportions.

If you’ve followed Dexter up to this point then you know that we’ve only seen so much of what’s most interesting about Dexter, and that’s is what is going through his head when he carries out these acts of violence while trying to acclimate to a “normal” life. By feeling that he can trust Miguel (which of course he shouldn’t) we get to see more of what he is internalizing and feeling. Dexter also feels the heat from Rita (Julie Benz) who we come to find out is pregnant. Should he do right by bringing a child into this world, when he was raised to be a killer? Should they even keep the child? Miguel’s uncontrollable urges and purely emotionally driven motives become an even bigger problem and is the glowing example of why it takes years of brainwashing to be as good at what it is that Dexter does.

I enjoyed season three because it’s more about Dexter letting his guard down and the consequences that come from not being careful beginning with the opening episode from which it takes him all season to clean up. Each season he is attacked in a different way. The first it was by another serial killer, the second season is from the discovery of his secret, and in this, it is his emotions that let him down. It deals with pathos and why Dexter’s convictions and procedure must be meticulous and mistake-free because being careless will be your end. And who in their right mind wants Dexter to end? Certainly not me.

Video: A
The third season of Dexter is presented in a 1080p AVC-encoded transfer in its original 1.78:1 aspect ratio. Consistent with the first two seasons, Dexter is a show that’s visually great for high definition. Everything from the texture of skin, sweat on the pores, and stubble on the chin, the detail is remarkable. The cityscapes of Miami in high definition are vivid locales especially whenever the skyline is shown next to the glistening beaches. The night hot spots seen in season three where Dexter’s sister, Debra (Jennifer Carpenter) frequents display a bright burst of colors, heavily contrasted to the dark shadows that Dexter operates in. I was pretty damn impressed with Dexter in blu-ray and I don’t think I could settle for anything less.

Audio: A-
Dexter can be heard through a 5.1 English Dolby True-HD audio track that is mixed and balanced appropriately so that it doesn’t sound overly produced, but the scenes are extended into your living room when the audio calls for surrounding noise. Both the eerie sounds of the Dexter’s score and blaring brass section from the roaring Cuban music show the range at which the show establishing tones and emotions through sound and language. It’s not going to win awards but you’d be wasting your time searching for flaws in this soundtrack. Other audio selections include: Spanish 2.0 Dolby Digital track and subtitles are available in English SDH.

Extras: C-
Much like season two, season three is fairly vacant as far as Dexter-related extras are concerned, at least on the disc. All supplemental material is accessible via BD-Live and they’re not really bad but they’re not great either. There is a Dexter by Design book excerpts featurette, and interviews with Michael C. Hall, Julie Benz, Jennifer Carpenter, Laruen Valez and David Zayas.

Available to download were the first Two Episodes of the Emmy Award winning, United States of Tara, Season One, and the First Two Episodes of The Tudors, Season Three. I’m all for free TV, but the Tara episodes are old BD-Live features, and while I would love to try out the Tudors, I think I’d prefer not to start at the beginning of Season Three. Each episode of the Tudors and Tara is separated into three parts so you can take that commercial break in between downloads.

I’m sorry Paramount and Showtime, but I want more commentaries like the one in season one. Maybe a look at how they make all of the corpses, on location stuff, something with some teeth to it. The possibilities are endless as far as giving fans who have already watched it on cable a reason to get this other than the desire to watch the episodes.

Overall Shock Value: B+
Creatively clever, very accessible, and always imaginative, Dexter is not the sole reason people are subscribing to Showtime but it’s one of the big ones. Each season there’s always something to see how much Dexter can handle to make him break–if he breaks, and more importantly, how he recovers. Dexter’s character undergoes some humility in this season and breaks the seemingly ice cold coolness seen in the first two seasons. However the recovery was nothing short of entertaining and should get you excited for the fourth season. While lacking in memorable extras, Dexter: The Complete Third Season on blu-ray, showcases one of the best ongoing shows on television.