BLU-RAY DISC REVIEW: "Dexter - The Complete First Season"
POSTED
ON
01/19/09 AT 7:30 A.M.
by Ryan Telesca THE SERIES:
Along with Weeds, Dexter is the lynchpin of the Showtime Network’s original programming. The story of a police blood-spatter specialist moonlighting as a serial killer who targets those wrongly skirting justice has struck a chord with audiences, as the show is currently filming it’s fourth season. Starring Michael C. Hall as our antihero Dexter Morgan, a charming and likeable forensics agent in the Miami Police Department, Season 1 follows Morgan’s exploits both by day and by night, exploring one case in particular in depth, that of the “Ice Truck Killer”, who seems to be leaving clues specifically for Dexter.
Not currently having a Showtime subscription myself, this was my first exposure to the series, and I must say I was delighted that the glowing reviews of I’ve read about this show have been spot on. Hall is mesmerizing as the dark and complex Morgan, and the writing is entirely clever and multi-layered; a thinking man’s CSI. With a strong supporting cast and competent direction from an assortment of experienced television personnel, Dexter is a winner in nearly every conceivable way. I can’t wait to get my hands on Season 2.
HD SOUND + VISION: Showtime, like fellow pay station HBO has always been known for a quality cable HD presentation, and the care taken in their broadcast has carried over nicely to the Blu-ray format. Dexter’s 1080p/AVC MPEG-4 transfer at the original 1.78:1 aspect ratio features an accurate, if slightly hot, color palate and excellent flesh-tones. Detail is generally spot-on, with a few softer shots occasionally popping up generally in longer focus situations. Likewise, digital noise and excess grain occasionally pop up, but these effects are infrequent enough to avoid detracting from an otherwise solid presentation.
Equally competent is the supporting audio track, with the single English option a lossless Dolby TrueHD 5.1 Surround track that provides a good amount of depth and spacing across the front soundstage. The show’s soundtrack is supported nicely by excellent subwoofer integration, and although dialog is always clean and well prioritized up front, little takes place in the surround speakers for the majority of Season 1 episodes. Still, this is a nice example of TV audio done right, and I would be pleased to see all network Blu-ray and DVD releases with audio this consistently strong. An alternate Dolby Digital 2.0 track is available, as is a single set of subtitles in English SDH format.
PACKAGING/ LAYOUT: Dexter’s twelve Season 1 episodes are included on three 50GB double layer Blu-ray discs housed in an extra-wide elite snap case with staggered disc-holders. Artwork is shared with the previously released DVD, and the reverse jacket includes a listing of the discs special content and technical details. Menuing is clean and well laid out, as was Showtime’s other disc I have reviewed, Weeds. Overall this adds up to a nice, if unremarkable, presentation. SPECIAL FEATURES:
Long have Blu-ray fans bemoaned the lack of content on studio BD-Live sites. Hyped as the future of interactivity and content development for the Blu-ray format, BD-Live has thus-far mostly been used for holding trivial content like trailers and blooper reels. Dexter however features a deluge of content on its BD-Live site; in fact, nearly the entirety of the season one supplemental material is hidden away there. Unfortunately this means those viewers with previous generation Blu-ray players are left in the cold; therefore the value you find in Dexter’s bonus content may very well depend on the compatibility of your player.
Audio Commentaries – Two audio commentaries are included here: “Return to Sender” and “Born Free” each include an optional audio track featuring various cast and crew. Noticeably absent from both commentaries is Michael C. Hall, but these tracks are interesting enough on their own merit, and deserve a listen.
BD-Live – Several features are included via Showtime’s Dexter BD-Live site for those viewers with Profile 2.0 Blu-ray players. Available on the January 6th release date are two interesting featurettes (“Academy of Blood” and “Witnessed in Blood”), a Podcast with star Michael C. Hall, the first episode of Dexter Season 3, and finally the first two episodes of Showtime’s new seriesUnited States of Tara.
FINAL THOUGHTS: Dexter is a delightfully original series whose high definition debut is largely a success. Boasting strong video and audio, as well as a good amount of supplemental material, Season 1 sets a strong precedent for subsequent Dexter high-def content. My primary gripe with this presentation is the fact that the majority of bonus content is included on the show’s BD-Live site, which is only accessible to a fraction of total Blu-ray adopters, and to which access can be spotty or slow. Still, compatible player or not, this is a series well worth your time either via rental or purchase.
SHOW GRADE: A
HD SOUND GRADE: B
HD VISION GRADE: B+
PACKAGING/ LAYOUT GRADE: A
SPECIAL FEATURES GRADE: B (for those with BD-Live compatible players) OVERALL BLU-RAY DISC GRADE: B+
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