• Network: Showtime
  • Series Premiere Date: Oct 1, 2006
  • Season #: 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8
Dexter Image
Metascore

Generally favorable reviews - based on 11 Critics What's this?

User Score

Generally favorable reviews- based on 273 Ratings

  • Summary: Dexter tries to move on without Rita. Julia Stiles, Jonny Lee Miller, Chris Vance, and Peter Weller guest star.
  • Genre(s): Drama, Suspense
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 10 out of 11
  2. Negative: 0 out of 11
  1. Reviewed by: Brian Lowry
    90
    Dexter will be hard-pressed to match the big twists that punctuated last season, but the latest campaign is off to an impressive--and impressively unpredictable--start.
  2. Yes, it's worth asking how long this dance can go on, given that yet another cop is beginning to sniff around Dexter's affairs, but as long as the character keeps growing and changing, I'm content to see him practice his grisly hobby a while longer.
  3. Reviewed by: Dan Fienberg
    80
    Dexter returns as a slightly fresher show, without doing any damage to the character fans love. I enjoyed the first three episodes back and I imagine most fans will feel the same.
  4. 40
    Unfortunately, the rest of the episode follows Dexter's descent into a routine guilt spiral, blaming himself for Rita's death (he should have "been there" to "protect her"), rather than ruminating on how it feels to be on this receiving end of a serial killing. How a series this smart could overlook the far more interesting angle is as much of a wasted opportunity as it is a disappointment.

See all 11 Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 30 out of 37
  2. Negative: 3 out of 37
  1. This review contains spoilers. After watching this season I feel like Dexter is becoming complete. When I thought they were out of ideas, they brought me the best season I could possibly imagine. This season is just amazing and keeps bringing you highlights.

    The first episode of the season picks up right where last season ended. It's an extremely sad episode, when Dexter comes home and finds Rita dead in the bathtub, the moment didnt feel very sad, because of Dexter's soulless reaction, but afterwards when you see how Dexter copes with the death of Rita it shows a new side of Dexter. It shows us that he is becoming more like a human as time goes by, we even got to see him cry for the first time, and the start of the season were just very sad.

    I think this season has a better plot then any earlier seasons of Dexter. Just so exiting how a gang of torturers, which also mostly is succsessfull buisness men in the social life has to at the same time protect themselves from Dexter & Lumen and the police. I cannot think of anything boring with this season, it has a great plot and a lot of cool new characters (which is gone now), it expresses new feelings, and filled with highlights. But I would appreciate a little more new environments ( the only negative). This is why Im gonna give this season a 9.5/10, and I say this is the best season of Dexter. The best episode in my opinion is episode 1. Best show ever & peace
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  2. It's tough for any show coming off a great season (Season 4 is regarded by most as the show's best season) to match that level of success the next season, I felt that they did a pretty solid job. It was different seeing Dexter deal with a victim turn partner in this season but I quite liked it though because it's far from the Dexter norm that we are all use to. It's a rather solid season. Expand
  3. Following the tragedy that occurred in last year’s finale season five's opening episodes see Dexter trying to comes to terms with his true feeeelings when, in the process of killing a known murderer, he is spotted by a young woman (Lumen) that has been imprisoned and beaten by the same man Dexter has just killed. It soon transpires that things are more complex than they at first seem and that Dexter's victim was not working alone.

    Having failed to convince Lumen to leave the city he begins to realise that the he has a chance to help her and in some way make up for the tragedy he has experienced in his own life. As is usually the case in Dexter the way in which their relationship develops is brilliantly written and acted (Julia Stiles is superb as Lumen) and their attempt to track down everyone involved in the murders, and Lumens traumatic incident, makes for fascinating viewing.

    As has been the case for the last few seasons however it continues to get harder and harder to believe that Dexter's secrets would remain undiscovered. In the past this has been easy to ignore thanks to the overall quality of the show but during season five there were perhaps a few too many occasions where he came close to being caught in the act only to escape at the last minute. The creator’s insistence on having 'self-contained' seasons is also becoming a little jarring with some events from previous seasons being totally ignored for the convenience of the plot. For example how can Deborah fall for Quinn so quickly after it was his girlfriend that killed Lundy?

    Despite these quibbles Dexter remains one of the better dramas on TV, I just hope that season six can deal with some of the lingering plot threads and ensure that Dexter's actions don't continue to play out in a way that should surely get him caught.
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  4. This season is living roof that killing off Rita was a huge mistake.

    Judging by the interviews given by the writers that decision was made du
    ring shooting. Judging by the emotionally vacuous, often implausible and humour-free fifth season it's clear that prioritisng shock value over overall plot narrative was a mistake.

    Rita forced Dexter to confront his dark passenger, allowing viewers to imagine the redemptive/revelatory moment that made for far more gritty emotional tension. In this season Hall's previously good acting can't hide poor writing and poor direction. The narrative is clunky, the silence on last seasons loose ends (eg Trinity visiting a slack mouthed Dexter at work infront of a full office, no one remembering trinity's face as they all witnessed his man hunt hours later), weak anf boring subplots, and also Debs character acts beyond the realms of belief to name a few things...

    Dexter's dealings with Cody and Astor are just too painful to watch - and in general it's all tragedy. Without the whimsical humour that gave seasons 1 and 2 an edge, and made Dexter's character compelling; and without reliance on the code that raised so many moral dilemmas - I really wouldn't waste your time
    Watching this. So disappointed with the Rita killing now.
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See all 37 User Reviews

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