In my spare time, I like to dabble in screenwriting, and as part of this, I came up with an idea for a television show. But, that's all that I have -- an idea. I know who the main characters are and how the first season would end and that's about it. Therefore, I can't imagine how TV writers come up with stories week-after-week, much less season-after-season. Given this, it seems inevitable that even the best shows will run out of gas at some point (and then we know what happens with the shark and the jumping). Dexter has proven itself to be among the cream of the crop of TV, but Season Five shows the program on rocky shores.

(Editor's Note: It's impossible to discuss the events of Season Five of Dexter without referencing what happened in Season Four. So, if you haven't seen Season Four, read with caution.) Season Four of Dexter ended with a devastating event. Dexter (Michael C. Hall), a serial killer who deals justice to those who deserve it, had worked hard to build the perfect life with his wife, Rita (Julie Benz). They had a infant son, Harrison, together and Dexter cared for Rita's two children, Astor (Christina Robinson) and Cody (Preston Bailey). However, while pursuing the Trinity Killer (John Lithgow), Dexter was outsmarted and Trinity murdered Rita, leaving her corpse in the bathtub with Harrison nearby.

As Season Five opens, Dexter finds himself reeling from Rita's death. The man who once considered himself a monster is now lost, having no idea what to do with himself and how to be centered again. Rita's parents come to look after Astor and Cody, while Dexter watches Harrison. Dexter's sister, Debra (Jennifer Carpenter), offers support as well. Even after killing a predator, Dexter isn't himself. Dexter rents a truck to move some things and notices blood in the truck. He does some investigating and finds some clues which lead to a man who is not only a killer, but a member of a group of killers. When Dexter rescues the man's last victim, he suddenly finds a new calling. Meanwhile, Debra becomes involved with Detective Quinn (Desmond Harrington), while Sergeant Batista (David Zayas) learns that being married to his boss, Lieutenant LaGuerta (Lauren Velez) isn't easy.

Let's get one thing straight, Dexter is a great show and has consistently brought us a surprising level of suspense, drama, and even laughs. However, the stories have gotten a bit redundant. Each season, we watch Dexter do his handiwork while someone gets close to discovering his secret. Be it someone on the police force or another serial killer, there is always someone who is right on the verge of learning that Dexter is a murderer. The show teases us with the idea that Dexter is going to prison, only to have him get away at the last moment. These stories are intertwined with a story in which Dexter must stop another serial killer. Again, the show has always been entertaining, but at times it feels as if the writers have run out of fresh ideas.

Season 5 changes this pattern...to an extent. Dexter has always applied a twisted sense of morals to what he does, as he only kills those who have escaped from justice. As the show has progressed, Dexter has gained more and more "humanity", as he's realized that his father, Harry (James Remar), may have worked too hard to cut off Dexter's emotions. In Season 5, Dexter once again goes after a criminal, in fact, it turns out to be a group of criminals. But, he's not just doing it for justice, he's doing it to help someone else. This, combined with the fact that Dexter is now in charge of raising Harrison, helps to further define his character.

The issue that I have with Season 5 is that the way in which Dexter stumbles across his new "assignment" is incredibly random and far-fetched to the point that it's almost laughable. In the past, Dexter has found his "victims" through his police work, but the blood in the moving truck really asks the viewer to suspend their disbelief. The other major issue with Season 5 is that the sub-plots are tedious. The show has always insisted on shifting focus away from Dexter at times, and these moments have always paled in comparison. But, this season, the storylines with Debra, Quinn, Batista, and LaGuerta were especially dull. The story of Debra pursuing killers involved with strange rituals really doesn't go anywhere and feels like filler.

Based on my comments, it may sound as if I'm implying that the fifth season of Dexter is the worst so far, but that's not the case. (The one where Dexter moved in with that crazy lady would probably get my vote for worst.) Season 5 certainly has some issues, but it's nonetheless gripping and interesting, with Dexter's growth as a person the focal point. It's not great, but it's still one of the best shows on TV.

Dexter: The Fifth Season made me want to look into getting a full-time nanny on Blu-ray Disc courtesy of Paramount Home Entertainment. The two-disc set contains all twelve episodes from the show's fifth season. The shows have been letterboxed at 1.78:1 and the Disc contains an AVC 1080p HD transfer which runs at an average of 25 Mbps. The image is very sharp and clear, showing only a slight amount of grain at times and no defects from the source material. The colors look very good, as the show shows off the bold colors of Miami, and the image is never overly dark or bright. Textures are clearly visible, as the level of detail is and for a TV show, the depth is impressive. The Disc carries a Dolby TrueHD 5.1 audio track which runs at 48 kHz and an average of 1.5 Mbps. The track provides clear dialogue and sound effects. The stereo effects are nicely done and they are most notable during crowd scenes. These effects show good stereo separation. The surround sound effects come into play during action sequences, and, in particular, the night-clue scenes. The action scenes are also accentuated by the subwoofer effects.

The Dexter: The Fifth Season Blu-ray Disc doesn't contain any extras on the discs themselves. Instead, it allows access to extras such as interviews with case via a BD-Live portal. However, as of the time of this writing, those extras could not be accessed.