‘Hello, Dexter Morgan.’ [Dexter – Season 4 Review]

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While I can’t remember if a show about a serial killer has ever been done before, I know for a fact that a show about a serial killer has never been done like this.

Dexter has emerged from the primetime scene on channels like Showtime or The Movie Network in Canada a few years ago, and it immediately struck home with millions of viewers across North America. The funny thing is, the series of novels it was based on wasn’t even that good to begin with, so using what they had, the writers of Dexter decided to make this author’s name awesome by creating probably one of the best dramas of the current age of television.

No offense to Jeff Lindsay, who I give praise to for creating ‘everyone’s favourite serial killer.’ Enough about the book, it’s the Dexter television show that we’re talking about. And I don’t know where to begin. Probably the best place to start is a summary.

Season 3 left us on a high note, with Dexter and Rita’s formerly rocky relationship reaching an optimistic point. The finale’s final scenes were of Dexter and Rita’s wedding, moments after Dexter had finished off his heated mental and physical battle with Miguel Prado. The whole arc was intense enough for our hearts to bear. Still, Dexter showed no sign of stopping, even after vanquishing his own brother, the Ice Truck Killer in Season 1, and then moving on to Assistant District Attorney Miguel Prado—Dexter’s best friend for most of the season.

With each season completed, it seems Dexter calculates and carries out effective solutions to the problems that arise in a serial killer’s life, and he does it with class. Every time you see Dex in a particularly sticky situation, you hop up and down on your seat and wait to see if he can contemplate his way out of it. He always does, which is why I love Dexter.

By the end of Season 3, Dex has learnt that human connection is a viable option in his life, he is capable of showing genuine emotions, people do care about him, and he can lead a double life if maintains his own ‘Code’ along with his father’s—the man who taught him everything about killing the guilty and feeding the ‘Dark Passenger’ inside him. Now he must face another challenge, with a new child in his home and his closer relationship with Rita.

New obligations have entered, and so have new obstacles. Special Agent Frank Lundy returns from Season 2 to tackle on a new foe: The Trinity Killer. Unlike other seasons, this plot immediately begins and wastes no time for Dexter and the viewers to get immersed in it. You would think that with so much attention devoted to the growing reputation and importance of the Trinity Killer, there would be no space for sub-plots to distract us from the main storyline.

Not so, as a literal pile of sub-plots accumulate not only to distract the viewers, but complement the increasingly dense main storyline that would reach its apex in the finale. More on that later. But the niceties like Frank Lundy and Debra Morgan hooking up, Quinn from Season 3 and news reporter Christine Hill; maybe even Lieutenant LaGuerta and Sergeant Batista, end up having a much more significant role than they should in the plot, and it provides us with some surprising, if not shocking, twists and turns throughout the series.

I’m going to assume that you’ve watched the season already, and if you haven’t I hope you’re not wasting your time reading about a season of Dexter instead of watching it, because that would mean you’re a tard. But I don’t need to explain to you the surprises that this season has in store, because you’ve already witnessed them. And by fan reaction, it’s safe to say that this season’s surprises were like no other. It’s also the most jam-packed of the four, with so many characters’ lives addressed and delved into, it seems that Dexter may be getting a back seat to those supporting him.

But the kicker comes in the season finale, which aired yesterday. Already the response has been as expected; a completely incredible episode to conclude the season. The writers and producers of Dexter have outdone themselves, as it seems that this season’s finale beat all others, and I would agree.

I mean, John Lithgow, guest starring as Arthur Mitchell, is enough of a reason to watch this season. His character is amazing, simply put. Michael C. Hall reprises his role with the same narrative and perspective that made us love the show in the first place. Supporting characters like Debra, played by Hall’s wife, Jennifer Carpenter, and FBI Agent Lundy, played by Keith Carradine, have significantly more depth and personality than prior seasons, which is saying a lot. Carpenter’s character especially, with the events that unfold during this season, it can be said that the personality of some of these characters change drastically by the season’s end.

And at the end of the season, change is what defines this show. Characters have changed, the tone of the show has changed, and Dexter’s own attitude towards his obligations is greatly altered. Sure, Dex always prevails, but at what cost? Is this where it begins to fall apart? Has he met his match? Will those around him pay a similar price?

Dexter is a series that thrives on questions. They are always answered with brutally enlightening truth. This season is no different. Between the lovable Masuka-isms to gawk at, the various sub-plots to drool over, and the revamped all-star cast to enjoy, one thing always remains certain.

Dexter is a damn good serial killer.