After cementing its spot on Cable television with two excellent seasons, the third season of “Dexter†upped the ante even more by challenging its audiences to answer a couple of mammoth-sized questions.
Can Dexter be a father?
Can Dexter share his secrets with someone and not pay the consequences?
With these dilemmas driving the story, the third season of Dexter is the best yet. While it’s not as bloody as the previous years, it has grown to the point where it doesn’t have to rely on gruesome death scenes to hold on to its audience, despite the fact that there are still plenty present. Over the course of the third season, Dexter, played by the incomparable Michael C. Hall, seems to be getting more normal by the day, as he is slowly beginning to violate his father Harry’s code that keeps him out of the authorities’ way and safe from danger.
It may be just another excuse to get James Remar more camera time, but who cares. Remar is stellar as Dexter’s dad and their scenes alone build a tension that fuels the season.
That mainly has to do with the fact that our favorite serial killer now has a best friend in Miguel Prado, played by the surprisingly devilish Jimmy Smits, who works hard to gain Morgan’s trust. Throughout the season, we see these two get closer and closer, making for incredibly addicting, engaging and thought-provoking television. Smits does an excellent job of not only keeping the audiences’ attention throughout the season, but is a great guest star due to the fact that he has great chemistry with so many of the other characters as well, making him believable and important in this world.
The same thing goes for newcomers Desmond Harrington and David Ramsey, who play detective Joey Quinn and CI Anton Briggs, respectively. Both good-looking and cool under pressure, Harrington and Ramsey play crucial roles in the season and don’t let anyone down in the process. Like puzzle pieces, they fit perfectly with the rest of the cast.
Speaking of the rest of the cast, both Batista [David Zayas]and Masuka [C.S. Lee] are back and up to their old tricks in the third season, but like the rest of the characters, have been through a lot and show other sides of themselves. Because of that, they are even better supporting characters than they were before and make even the sub-plots in the story intriguing ones.
The same thing goes for Jennifer Carpenter, who as Dexter’s younger sister, Debra, fails to learn her lessons in the love department, creating another fun season-long story. It’s not as steamy as the ones she’s had before, but again, just like the sub-plots with Batista and Masuka, it’s worth your time.
In spite of all the new things going on in the show however, it’s the work of Hall as Dexter that keeps fans coming back. Make no mistake about it, Hall is still the center of this show and still bloody good at what he does in season three. Some may even argue that he’s honed his skills to a master level and it’s only a matter of time until Hollywood scoops him off the set of the show for good.
For the time being however, Hall is simply continuing to further establish himself as one of the best performers on television.
With plenty of action and drama away from the main plot and a main storyline that will leave you addicted from the catchy opening theme to the eerie end credits, “Dexter†is easily the best show on cable today. Furthering those loft sentiments, its third season on DVD is a treasure to behold and one that dedicated fans will not be disappointed with.
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