Each year, I say that I'm going to cut back on my television viewing (in order to devote time to other things, not because I think there's anything wrong with TV), but I keep getting pulled back in. Much of the blame for this must go to reviewing television shows once they reach home video, as this is far easier than trying to watch/record everything during premier week. Yes, there are many excellent programs running right now and the growing diversity of cable has helped to create a wider palette from which to choose. However, the reality is that TV is a medium which demands constant quality and even the best shows slip up every now and then. This is greatly displayed in Season Six of Dexter.

Season 6 of Dexter begins not long after the conclusion of Season 5. Having dealt with losing someone who looked to become his protege, Dexter (Michael C. Hall) is trying to get his life back on track. He's raising his son, Harrison, with the help of his new nearly full-time nanny, (Aimee Garcia), and focusing on his job in the Miami Metro Police Department. He's also back to his old ways of killing criminals who get away with crimes. When a new series of murders which appear to have religious symbolism occur, Dexter is called in on the case. What he and his colleagues don't know is that religious zealots Professor James Gellar (Edward James Olmos) and his former student Travis Marshall (Colin Hanks) are convinced that doomsday is coming and these killings are all part of a ritual. Meanwhile, Dexter's sister, Debra (Jennifer Carpenter) is dealing with a promotion and the fact that her boyfriend wants to take their relationship to a new level.

One of the core elements of Dexter has always been that Dexter catches criminal who have fallen outside of the law and brings them justice (or is it justice to them?). Despite the fact that he's a "lab geek" who works amongst a group of detectives, he's actually the best detective in the bunch and using observation and technology, Dexter is often able to see or find things that the others don't, which allows him to hunt down the killer. Doing this, Dexter is able to deliver retribution in his own, special way. In years past, this has made the show very interesting, but in Season Six, it backfires. Dexter is way ahead of everyone else on the main case here, and his attempts to catch the criminals feels very long and drawn out. At one point, Dexter spots Travis at a crime scene and feels that there's something odd about the man. But, despite the fact that Dexter is holding a camera, he doesn't take a picture of Travis so that he'll have something to go on. This is just one example of how things seem to drag on purpose in this season. For once, I found myself wishing that Dexter would share his knowledge with the detectives so that they could catch the guy and be done with it. (Because he doesn't move quickly enough, several people die, but this is never made into an issue.) As if this sense of tedium isn't enough, a new subplot involving Debra comes way out left-field during the last few episodes which is too weird, even for this show.

That aside, Season Six of Dexter does have a few things going for it in the story department. Again, the first half of the season drags at times as we wait for Dexter to actually do something about the killings. While this is certainly a detriment to the season, it's something which may have been done on purpose in order to lull the audience, because when the first major twist emerges, it is a shocker. I certainly didn't see it coming, nor did my wife who has been known to spoil plot twists. The season also takes the path to redemption (more on that in a moment) with the cliffhanger. It wasn't necessarily a shocker like the previous twist, but it is effective and it's something which loyal viewers have been waiting for for years. Dexter has always excelled in scoring great guest stars for its individual seasons, and they score again in Season Six. Colin Hanks is such a calm and down-to-Earth guy (not to mention a dead ringer for his Dad) that casting him as the assistant of a murderer was a stroke of genius.

It's also interesting to note how the show tackles religious themes in this season. While Dexter has thought about morals in the past, I don't remember it ever being placed in the context of religion before. Dexter meets a reformed criminal turned preacher named Brother Sam (Mos nee Mos Def) who makes him ponder the influence of a higher power for the first time. This ties in well with the religious zeal of Professor Gellar. There are times when the show gets sidetracked with these ideas, but it never strays too far and it's able to incorporate this thread into the show very nicely for the most part.

Dexter is one of those shows which is still good even when it's not performing at its best. Season Six has its high points, but not since Season Two have I found the series to be so frustrating. I love watching TV series on home video, as I can plow through them at my own pace and when they're good, I don't want them to end. However, there were times during this season of Dexter when I wanted things to speed up. Michael C. Hall continues to make Dexter both chilling and funny, but he gets overshadowed by some needless subplots in this season. I hope that the promising cliffhanger means that good things are ahead for Season Seven.

Dexter: The Sixth Season lends Dexter a hand on Blu-ray Disc courtesy of Paramount Home Entertainment. The three-disc set contains all 12 episodes from the show's sixth season. The show has been letterboxed at 1.78:1 and the Disc contains an AVC 1080p transfer which runs at an average of 20 Mbps. The image is sharp and clear, showing only a light amount of grain at times and no defects from the source material. Again, the grain is minimal and won't be distracting to most viewers. The colors look very good, especially those which highlight the pastels of Miami, and the image is never overly dark or light. The level of detail is pretty good, however some shots are a bit soft. The depth is adequate, but doesn't rival that seen on feature films. Overall, this rivals HD broadcast quality. The Disc carries a Dolby TrueHD 5.1 audio track which runs at 48 kHz and an average of 4.0 Mbps. The track provides clear dialogue and sound effects. The music featured in some nightclub scenes sounds very good, as it fills the speakers and provides nice bass. The stereo effects are well-done in some scenes, especially those meant to draw attention to something happening off-screen. The surround sound effects are subtle, but effective at times.

The Dexter: The Sixth Season Blu-ray Disc doesn't officially contain any extra features, but for those whose player is connected to the internet, there are some special features available through BD-Live. This contains interviews with Colin Hanks, C.S. Lee, David Zayas, Desmond Harrington, Lauren Velez, and Michael C. Hall, all of who talk about their experiences on Season Six.

Review Copyright 2012 by Mike Long