Product Details

• Actors: Michael C. Hall
• Format: AC-3, Blu-ray, Dolby, Dubbed, NTSC, Widescreen
• Language: English
• Dubbed: French, Spanish
• Region: Region A/1 (Read more about DVD/Blu-ray formats.)
• Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
• Number of discs: 3
• Rated: Unrated
• Studio: SHOWTIME ENTERTAINMENT
• DVD Release Date: August 16, 2011
• Run Time: 60 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (452 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B003L77GRY
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #11,488 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• Learn more about "Dexter: The Fifth Season [Blu-ray]" on IMDb

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

When executive producer/showrunner Clyde Phillips exited Dexter at the end of the fourth season, he left the remaining cast and crew with a puzzle worthy of a cackling supervillain: not only find a way to top John Lithgow's stunning performance as a Big Bad, but also somehow rebuild the main character's life after the season finale's devastating ending. While this subsequent season definitely shows some signs of early fumbling, it sports more than enough twisted drama to keep viewers firmly on (or behind) the couch. Picking up scant seconds after the previous episode, the story arc follows the conflicted sociopath Dexter (Michael C. Hall) as he struggles to uphold his newly amplified role as a family man, while fending off his increasingly demanding killer urges. Salvation, of sorts, comes in the form of a brutalized female victim (Julia Stiles), who enlists him to take down her tormenters. As the duo circle in on their targets, Dexter's sister (Jennifer Carpenter) investigates a gruesome string of ritualized murders and starts an awkward romance with a fellow homicide detective (Desmond Harrington), who has some growing suspicions about how Dexter spends his off hours. Fans of the morally ambivalent tones of the first two seasons may have difficulties with the increasingly human tendencies of the main character (unlike Lithgow's disorienting charisma, the bad guys are so over-the-top evil here that it's difficult not to root outright for their gory demise), but Hall's beautifully subtle performance makes the leap. While his character's situation has definitely changed over the course of the show, Hall still chillingly manages to illuminate his central inability to connect, especially when paired with Stiles, who does a terrific job of balancing vulnerability and righteous bloodlust. Dexter can be a frustrating show to follow at times--especially when dealing with the increasingly flat antics of the supporting cast--but when Hall and Stiles are onscreen, the possibilities seem freakishly infinite. --Andrew Wright

Product Description

This season, Dexter goes from happily married husband to guilt-ridden single dad. How will it affect his ability to maintain an average-guy façade while satisfying his need to kill?

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 28 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Dexter Never Disappoints Me!! August 6, 2011

By ArTchiXx

I never imagined I of all people would be a Dexter fan!
The reason I write this is because I've never been a fan of horror movies & am not that great watching blood & guts....in fact, I most avoid both of these!!
But, a close friend kept raving about Dexter & I gave the show a shot.
Even at Season 5 - when most shows start to lose steam & sometimes viewers - I am still glued to the screen & always left wanting more Dexter!
I was wondering how Season 5 would handled Rita's death & I feel like they did an awesome job!
I promise Season 5 will not disappoint the die hard Dexter fan!
Or, even if you are a first time viewer....you will quickly become a fan! (Although, I highly recommend watching Dexter in all its glory from the very beginning - Season 1-5!)
Season 6 can't come fast enough since I don't subscribe to Showtime!

183 of 222 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The Best Season Yet December 2, 2010

By Grady Harp HALL OF FAMETOP 50 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:DVD

DEXTER Season 5 is the best of the seasons so far. While last season was dominated by the presence of John Lithgow, the shining star of and surprise of this season is the presence of Julia Stiles as Lumen, an abused victim who escapes her abusers and pledges to join Dexter in 'stabbing out' her revenge. The writing is tighter and the subplots or sidebars are far more interesting: the many different love entanglements keep your head spinning. The fellow workers with Dexter (Michael C.Hall) remain the same - Jennifer Carpenter (the real Mrs Hall), Desmond Harrington, David Zayas, Lauren Velez, CS Lee, and James Remar - all better than ever. But the added attraction characters this year include Maria Doyle Kennedy (from The Tudors) as the nanny for Dexter's son, and Jonny Lee Miller as a twisted Inspirational Coach.

The premise of following a serial killer who chooses as his victims criminals who would have otherwise not been punished is by now, after four seasons, a character we can all understand - emotionally, motivationally, and as a brilliant law enforcement team member. But the coups of the season was the addition of Julia Stiles who does some of the finest work of her career here. Enough said. The suspense is what drives this show! Grady Harp, December 10

147 of 180 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Pre-Release Of Season 5: A Few Thoughts November 29, 2010

By Rhonda Poynter

Format:DVD

Firstly, this is the best show on television, plain and simple. I came to it late, discovering just a little over two years ago, and so I've had to catch up - I completely agree with the many, many reviews on different sites which really go after the quality of the DVDs for "Dexter", by the way. If you can get Blu, do so. Now, a series about a serial killer didn't quite seem like my kind of trip when I first began watching "Dexter", but this show quickly pulls you in with excellent acting, writing and directing. (Trivia: Are any of you old enough to remember the geeky guy who lets his haunted car, Christine, take over his life and get even at everybody else, in the Stephen King classic, "Christine"? That actor, Keith Gordon, is the same man directing this series. Anyhow!) Michael C. Hall is nothing less than superb as the tortured title character, and he continues hitting it out of the ballpark this season, despite having spent the majority of this last year or so sick as a dog and undergoing chemotherapy in real life for leukemia. (His agent says that he's doing well, right now). As we all know from decades of anti-heroes, the audience has to like a killer (Warren Beatty as Clyde Barrow, for instance), or watching this type of show is going to leave you with a - well, weird feeling: I've seen shows, both fictional and biographical, where the 'hero' was so revolting an individual that I couldn't figure out why anybody thought he/she deserved a show, and I had to take a shower after watching the piece of garbage.... This series is so well-written that even though we know Dexter is a bad man - he himself constantly describes himself as a 'monster' -, he is redeemed in our eyes by wanting a normal life, by wanting to be a good family man, even - as in this season -, becoming an avenger of sorts to another individual who is as troubled as he is, the gangrape survivor, Lumen. Lumen is portrayed by Julia Stiles, and I did not know her work before this, and she has quickly become a contender in my list of favorites - she plays Lumen with the perfect pitch, and the viewer (SPOILER) truly follows the character as she goes from victim to terrified survivor, to vigilante to trusting Dexter, et al. I found myself conflicted by this specific plotline of the season - Would our 'good' Dexter actually teach somebody else what he knows, and how to kill? It took me a few episodes to realize that yes, Dexter, with his tangled ideals of justice and self-preservation, would think that the right thing to teach a victim would not so much be revenge, but...how to make certain she is never a victim again. I think that this series is truly an example of the "What would I do?" school, rather than simple slash and trash; non-fans of the show say that we read too much into the series, but there are many, many things to think about when watching it. I suppose the simplest point to make would be that this is a thinking man's series, and it addresses the fact that we may not like having to admit it, but there are people out there who do bad things to other people, for no palpable reason other than to be evil. Then there's Dexter - admittedly, usually more on celluloid than in the real world - promising us that at least a few of those evil people will never get near our kids. In today's Armageddon-round-the-corner way of thinking, Michael C. Hall, therefore, portrays a fascinating character who both intrigues us and frightens us, and - admit it - more than a few of us are hoping that everything will, in some odd draw of the Fate cards, will work out for him. This, then is a successful antihero, and the show should be seen as more than a small screen slasher flick. It is very rough in language, there are plenty of sexual situations, etc., and so remember all that if the blood stuff hasn't been enough of a warning that this is not a show for the kids. Five stars - oh, and Michael: Get Better!!!! Read more ›

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Best Season Yet! September 10, 2011

By M. C. Hewins TOP 1000 REVIEWER

I didn't know what to expect with the developments from season 4. I was happy to see the end of the Rita character and story line. The writing team on Dexter have a wealth of creativity that has kept the show fresh each and every season. But season 5 is something special. A richly developed storyline, enhanced by the superb performance of guest star Julia Stiles made this season the highlight of the show so far. Bravo!

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Dexter Morgan: An American Anti-Hero May 10, 2011

By Ryan Matthews

Format:DVD

This would be a 5 star season if it weren't for some bizarre stories and plot holes within the main storyline. I love Dexter, but I felt like there was some sloppiness and too many loose ends in the handling of Season 5. It's a season with an excellent premise, but mildly disappointing execution.

**Possible Spoilers Below**

A new partnership forms between Dexter and Lumen Pierce, a victim of Dexter's latest target. Lumen, who's played by Julia Stiles, is easily the dark horse of the season as far as I'm concerned. Her character is semi-unoriginal (Season 3's Miguel Prado shared a similar role), but she brings a freshness and emotional element to the show that Dexter Morgan lacks and Rita left behind. I thought the story of Lumen courting Dex to help track down the men who'd abused her and held her captive was magnificent. The chemistry between the two characters was far beyond anything I could have hoped for considering how invested I'd become in the Dexter/Rita dynamic. Additionally, there was something about this particular vigilante quest that feels different from any of Dexter's previous work, possibly because for the first time vengeance is being delivered by the victim. Either way, I was really drawn into Lumen and Dexter's story; it was dramatic, entertaining and charming all at the same time.

Unfortunately from there, the season becomes a bit of a subtle mess. I have no problem looking past minor errors or drawing up my own conclusions as to why this or that could've fit the story, but a few of the subplots just didn't seem to come together in Season 5. The first thing I couldn't understand was why so little time was spent wrapping up Rita's story.... After watching the Season 4 finale, my first thought was why the writers would kill off Trinity when they could've built the ultimate vengeance story revolving around the two serial killers in Season 5. I really thought Dexter hunting down Trinity to avenge Rita's death could've been the defining plot line in the series. Rather, the writers chose to focus on Rita for just one episode, only sporadically mentioning her from that point on. Astor's struggles in coping with her mother's death was just about the most invested the writers got in Rita from that point forward, and it felt unrealistic, even for the emotionally challenged Dexter, to write her off so quickly.

The Santa Muerte killer story is nothing more than a stall, if you ask me. It's not bad at all, but essentially it has no tie-in whatsoever to the barrel girl murders. I'm not really sure what to make of it; you just figure each subplot is linked to the main story in some way, shape or form. Aside from a couple very minor connections, this really wasn't, and considering what a big part of the first seven or so episodes it was, I was surprised what an irrelevant, distant memory it became by season's end.

Finally, Quinn's refusal to work with Agent Liddy after news of his suspicions reached Deb caused him to ignore very incriminating evidence against Dexter and Lumen. It was so blatant that when Dexter finds Liddy's pictures in Quinn's apartment, he mistakenly thinks Quinn is uncovering his secret life. The short of it is this: Quinn becomes so enamored with Deborah Morgan that he decides to drop his investigation of Dexter and ignore any and all dirt Liddy digs up in favor of preserving his relationship with Deb. Quinn was all over the place in Season 5, and I just found him to be completely out of character at times and his story impossible to believe.

On the flip side, I found Lumen's reason for leaving Dexter a little easy, but definitely feasible. I'd like to see her return to the show at some point in the future if the writers find a good way to work her into a story.
Though their characters were a little more unlikeable than usual, Maria and Angel deliver a very dramatic and tense subplot with their personal lives and professional lives clashing out in the open. Agent Liddy quickly develops a "here comes trouble" reputation, certainly a welcome addition to the show despite his malicious intentions. Lastly, I thought Trinity was too likeable for an antagonist (doesn't help that I'm a big fan of John Lithgow), so I was thrilled at how easily I could dislike Jordan Chase. Not only is that attributed to excellent character development, but Jonny Lee Miller deserves a lot of credit for his portrayal of the motivational speaker leading a double life.

Of course, some things never change. Michael C. Hall brings Dexter to life, continuing to make the serial killer one of the most compelling characters on television. Michael's performance coupled with that of Julia Stiles really gave the plot a head of steam in Season 5. I thought in spite of Lumen's sad departure, the season finale was well crafted and well executed. It not only leaves you with a feeling of closure, but also leaves you wondering whether or not the status quo has changed.

** **

It has its problems along the way, but ultimately Season 5 was as good of a television drama as you'll come across. I gave it 4 stars; it's probably a little bit less than that, but I like giving shows the benefit of the doubt for sustained excellence. Dexter is absolutely still one of the best shows on television, and with Season 6 in production, we have more to look forward to.

Grade: B+ Read more ›