Dexter: The Fourth Season

Dexter is freaking awesome
If you haven't watched seasons 1 - 3 of Dexter yet, you have no idea what you're missing out on. For three days after the season 4 finale of Dexter aired on Showtime, the phrase "Dexter" was constantly in the top ten trends for most searched, most Tweeted, most blogged according to both Google and Twitter. Once you finally see the last episode of season 4, you'll completely understand why.

Season four started in a bit of controversy among Dexter fans when it was announced that John Lithgow was tapped to play the season's arch-villain, the Trinity Killer. For those of us who were used to Lithgow's comedic performances in shows like Third Rock and Harry and the Hendersons, he didn't seem to fit the normal profile of a Dexter guest star. However, like the casting of Jimmy Smits as Miguel Prado, Lithgow pulls off the demeanor of a "Normal, everyday kind of guy" serial killer to a tee.

The show starts up by reminding us that Dexter is now the family man - a brand...

Best Season Yet!
Dexter fans are reeling from the shocker of a season finale that aired last Sunday Dec. 13th, and rightly so. Yet for people curious about the show, Season 4 is a great place to start. Season 4 begins with Dexter adjusting to life as a new dad and a married man. As a viewer, I didn't want the show to turn into 'Dexter changes a diaper' or 'Dexter Buys Formula' and the writers exposed Dexter to those things and Dexter reacts to them as best and as humorously as he can. Dexter is still in there, with his Dark Passenger, leading a double life and trying to cope in his own way with new challenges. It seems like Dexter doesn't do a lot of killing in Season 4, it's more of a tense cat and mouse game leading up to the season finale. Season 4 stars John Lithgow as father/deacon/volunteer/serial killer Arthur. A great casting decision as Lithgow can act the gamut of emotions. His portrayal of the character will perhaps go down as one of the most complex and notorious bad guys in TV or...

Michael C. Hall and John Lithgow as Antagonists--Heavenly Hell!
Update: both Michael C. Hall and John Lithgow won the Golden Globe for their performances this season. Michael C. Hall also won the Screen Actor's Guild Award.

The success of this type of show, serial killer crime, is usually dependent on how good the villain is. Dexter is, of course, semi villainous since he is a serial killer himself but he kills bad guys. So the series needs a "real" bad guy as well. John Lithgow is that bad guy this season and quite simply, you couldn't ask for a better one. It is a very complex role of a supposedly ideal father, husband and dedicated volunteer for the homeless who also is the serial killer Trinity. He is a very nuanced and layered character. These two characters are not the whole show but they firmly anchor it and everyone else revolves around them. There are surprising twists this season and none more so than the ending. But this is how Dexter always works as a tv show. All the other characters are quite good again too,...

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