Dexter: Season 4 (DVD, 2010, 4-Disc Set)

Best Dexter of Seasons 1,2,3,4, all available on DVD and Blu Ray. Dexter's fourth season is a taut game of cat and mouse between Dexter (Emmy nominee Michael C. Hall) and Arthur Mitchell, "a very special kind of monster," unnervingly portrayed by John Lithgow in his Emmy and Golden Globe-winning performance. Whoever guest stars in seasons to come has a very hard act to follow. Mitchell's greeting, "Hello, Dexter Morgan," from the episode of the same name, will disturb your sleep.) But let's not forget Hall's consistently cutting-edge work. John Lithgow racks in the Top Five of All Film Villians. Namely, 1981 Blow Out, 1991 Ricochet, 1992 Raising Cain, 1993 The Pelican Brief, etc. As all great series, this one can be watched over and over.

I think we all secretly wish that there actually was a Dexter around to eliminate that part of society who gets away with murder.
Imagine: a serial killer with a code that targets only murderers and leaves the rest of us alone... PLUS eliminates the burden of court costs and the prison expenses. He does the research, determines the guilt and makes them disappear without a trace so that the rest of us do not have to worry about any loopholes in the law, shifty lawyers or parole...
John Lithgow plays Trinity to perfection. Conflicted, cold and cunning....
Dexter, now a family man, tries to learn about leading a normal life from Trinity.
The twists and turns during the season culminates in the surprise ending in the final episode.

This season marks a major turning point in our main character. Dexter is now a husband and father, and this causes issues with the Dark Passenger. During the course of the season, Dexter matches wits with the consumate killer (Played by the wonderful John Lithgow) and ends with a major twist and death of a major character. This will shape Dexter' future in season 5. Well worth the time -- one of the best shows on television.

Your post summed up exactly why Dexter (the character, and the show) is so popular. I`ll add to that: Identifying with Dexter in and of itself is one thing, but what really puts the concept on a special level is that because the notion of identifying with a serial killer is so taboo, we also can believe that we alone feel connected to him. When the truth is, it’s a universal truth that he embodies.

I disagree on only one point, your first one. Killing off Rita does not work. Not for me. And truly, it smacks of a `top that` sort of cliche to end the season on. I`m just catching up, and a few minutes ago finished the final season 4 episode, so I say this without knowledge of what is to come. But so much of the show is about `getting what you deserve` that I don`t feel it was the right way to go at all. Once you have Dexter committing to family life, you can go one of two paths. One, go all the way with the family/killer duality, which was explored this season, or two, he leaves his family. The only thing this accomplishes is that it leaves Dexter innocent in that sense (though completely guilty of bringing it upon his family), as opposed to a scenario in which he leaves them — which would make us dislike him. So now, having lost Rita, his life comes full circle, which is compelling, but at the same time it puts him back to being alone. And we’ve already seen that. This show has had very few missteps in its writing (but yes, it’s had a few), and it would be a shame to see the quality dwindle because the writers ran out of new ideas.

And by that I mean, other than killing Rita. As a story device, killing a main character is not a new idea; it’s a cheap tactic to keep us watching when we’ve seen it all.

This off beat series of a police blood splatter specialist/serial killer void of emotions comes across in two ways that I see. One, a child in a mans body working tirelessly to void his share of serial killers who kill for pleasure. Dexter meets a sole mate, and begin changing, with his fathers voice in his ear for every mistake he makes. Evidently, his dead father believes Dexters best work at ridding the world of the most vile of individuals must be done alone. Dexter does not agree with the voice of his father.
The casting, C.S.I. type crime scenes are fair at best, but the story line does keep an individuals attention, due to the fast pace story line, and ongoing obstacles.
I attempted selling the new fourth season I purchase, due to my roommates request, and it did not sell, so evidently, there are many others who prefer more realistic shows, with emotion, compassion, and grace. That is my take.
Sincerely,
pluto_green_eye