Season one of the darkly delightful Dexter
introduced us to the life and loves of our lovable serial killer Dexter
Morgan. Now back for its second season, Dexter's life hasn't gotten any
easier - in fact after an underwater find by some divers Dexter's
dubious double life looks set to self-destruct. Will Dexter and Rita
find domesticated delight in their deepening relationship, or will he
run away with the duplicitous danger that is Lila? Will Dexter's
devilish diversion be discovered? How will Deb get over her dementedly
devoted lover being the Ice Truck Killer? Stay tuned for season two of
Dexter!
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When Is Season Two Set?
Season two of Dexter is set shortly after the jaw-dropping finale of the last season, both Dex and Deb are still shocked by the identity of the Ice Truck Killer - though for different reasons of course. Deb is now staying with Dexter as she can't face being on her own and needs to be looked after. Rita and Dexter's relationship has become very strained as Dex tries to mourn the loss of his brother without telling anyone who he was and to cap it all off some scuba divers have found Dexter's deathly dumping ground and the police swoop in to investigate - the police he works with. Awkward, no? Well on the upside, Dexter finally gets his very own serial killer name - The Bay Harbour Butcher - catchy but a worry for our undercover killer.
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Any New Characters?
But of course, as Dexter's double life deepens more characters arrive to make things just that little bit more difficult for him. And these two really have it in for him!
Lila (Jaime Murray): Ah, so sweet, so pretty, so undeniably insane. Lila and Dexter meet at his NA (Narcotics Anonymous) meeting and she becomes his sponsor, and his friend. Rita is rather threatened by the British beauty and she has good reason to be. She wants Dexter, and will stop at nothing to get him - even threatening to reveal his dark pastimes to the world.
Special Agent Frank Lundy (Keith Carradine): The crème de la crème of FBI agents, Lundy is sent to Miami to help the police in their search for the "Bay Harbour Butcher". Unlike Doake's this guy is actually good - really good. Has Dexter finally met his match? Will Doake's finally be proven right on his intense paranoia?
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Episodes
It's Alive: It's been a month since Dexter's last kill and that frustration is taking its toll on him, so much so that on his first chance in weeks he finds himself out of practice. Meanwhile a discovery is made that could put Dexter's life in jeopardy.
Waiting To Exhale: After botching his last kill attempt Dexter is determined to get himself back into the swing of things. In seeking out his victim again he is surprised to find that his intended is waiting for him. What will Dexter do?
An Inconvenient Lie: In order to quell Rita's questions Dexter tells her he is an addict (Not a complete lie as he's addicted to killing), and is then pushed into joining a NA 12 step group. So will he stand up in front of others and say "My name's Dexter and I am a serial killer"? Nah!
See-Through: Dexter's NA sponsor Lila and Rita meet for the first time, and Rita is decidedly threatened by her. Rita also has to face a meeting with her estranged mother while Dexter tries to cover his tracks with an FBI agent on his back.
The Dark Defender: Road trip! Dexter finds out that one of his mother's murderers is not only alive but running a pub in Naples courtesy of the witness protection program.
Dex, Lies and Videotape: A copycat killer is on the loose, emulating the Bay Harbour Butcher and drawing attention to things Dexter would rather not have publicly known. Will Dexter be able to stop the copycat before the FBI gets too deeply involved?
That Night, A Forest Grew: Doake's is on Dex's back once more as he tries to confuse the police and get them off his case. Will a manifesto to the Miami Tribune succeed in doing that?
Morning Comes: The FBI agent comes very close to figuring out the identity of the Bay Harbour Butcher due to some bad blood-work. Is it curtains for Dex?
Resistance Is Futile: Dexter's blood slide mementos have disappeared sending Dex into a spin. He thinks his number's up, but is there more than meets the eye.
There's Something About Harry: Doake's explains that he knows the truth about the death of Dexter's father whilst caged, leading Dexter to discover a truth he had never imagined about Harry.
Left Turn Ahead: With Doake's still held captive, Dexter gives himself a day to tie up loose ends before turning himself in to the police. But will he actually do it?
The British Invasion: Dex's NA sponsor finds out something big about Dexter and uses it to her advantage to try and get Dexter back. In the season finale Dexter must make his biggest choices, what will he decide?
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Why Should You Watch This?
You should watch this because if you are reading a review about the second season chances are very high that you've watched the first season and been hooked into watching and rooting for the exploits of serial killer eradicator Dexter. And if you haven't, then you are probably very confused by most of what has been said in this review - in which case go read the first and catch up on one of the best drama's still going.
The first season set up the characters, the setting and the back-story for us, now the second season moves past this and onto a question many will have had during the first - what would happen if Dexter got found out? After all it was inevitable that one day Dexter would be found out, as precise and organised as he is, unless you can vaporise you victims into nothing this day was always coming. Oddly though, as meticulous as Dex is, he doesn't appear to have worried too much about that eventuality.
Bad for Dex but great for the viewer as you get to see a new side to the murderous man - he has emotions. He's scared about Lundy finding him out, frustrated at his mess of a relationship, worried about his sister, lusting after his sponsor and mourning his brother. Though he believes himself to be a complete emotionless monster this season proves him to be wrong, and it is amazing to see these sides of Dexter that he can't even see himself. And though he still doesn't feel and act like a normal human being, there are glimpses of it coming through that we as the viewer can see and yet frustratingly he can't.
If you thought that you loved Dexter in the premiere season you will love him even more now, his glimpses of humanity are very endearing and the fear you will feel for him when his graveyard is found will follow throughout the season. You'll also see a newer more vulnerable side of Deb since the season finale; still shattered from the epic finale which almost saw her killed she is softer and less tough than before. Though it isn't nice to see her in such pain the acting is fantastic and shows a new depth to the character who was such a feisty fighter previously.
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DVD Info, Special Features And Price
Season two is currently available for the princely sum of £10.99 on Amazon, It has a running time of 610 minutes which means you are getting a lot of murderous goodness for your money here.
The special features, though cool are nothing to write home about I'm afraid:
Dexter Victim Slides: Animated menu of Dex's blood slides, choose a slide and a clip of their murder will be shown. Good for jogging your memory on who died and where, but otherwise a little boring.
Trivia Track (Only on episodes 2, 4, 6 and 8): A subtitle track you can enable so that you can read trivia and fun facts about the show whilst watching. Interesting for a second viewing but would be a little distracting on your first view of the season, also is only featured on 4 episodes which is a shame as there must have been more that could've been said.
Trivia Game: A multiple choice quiz that unlocks hidden content that the box blurb doesn't mention. Very cool gimmick, especially good for testing friends but obviously has limited entertainment value after you've all tried it and won.
Code Of Harry: Montage of Harry's code. Interesting as we have only heard bits and pieces about the code throughout the show.
Interview With Rolfe Kent: A very short interview with the composer of the opening title theme.
Cast & Crew Bios: Cast biographies and a list of past and current film/TV projects. Essentially think of it as an IMDB search on each person without a computer.
Animated Stills Gallery: Pretty self explanatory - nice to see but not mind-blowing.
Jeff Lindsay Featurette: Another very short interview, this time with the writer of the Dexter books. A great addiction except for one problem - the word very in my description should be in bold, italics and double underlined. It would have been really nice to see a long interview with the man who made Dexter but perhaps we'll be luckier in the new DVD?
Dexter's Tool Kit: Stills of Dexter's tools and information on what they are used for. Very informative if a little creepy.
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Final Verdict
After watching the first season I thought it would be impossible to top it, especially after sitting open-mouthed watching the finale. But they have managed to with a surprising second season that kept me on the edge of my seat throughout. I love the character's new depths, the latest additions to the cast and that they didn't do a cop out and set the series much later when everything with the Ice Truck Killer had died down - which would have made for easier writing but a much more boring series. Seeing the fallout of the finale and the effect it had on monstrous Dex was well worth the hard work that went into writing it. The introduction of someone who could really figure out Dexter in the form of Lundy is great, though you may feel a tad guilty that you are rooting for the serial killer to kill what in any other series would be the good-guy hero of the piece. It's okay though, because my love of Dexter Morgan made any guilt fade away fairly fast as I prayed he wouldn't get found out.
This is a must buy for any Dexter fan - but of course any Dexter fan will know that already. However if you've been putting it off stop hesitating and pick it up now, especially if like me you gave up trying to watch it in what was truly the graveyard slot on ITV (not once did it actually start on time from what I could tell!). Channel 4, I implore you, pick up the next season from ITV and show it at a sensible time (perhaps in a double bill with the next season of True Blood...hint hint).
Watch this and roll on season 3!
In Short: Deeply dark Dexter, damn it just gets better!
---------------------------------------
When Is Season Two Set?
Season two of Dexter is set shortly after the jaw-dropping finale of the last season, both Dex and Deb are still shocked by the identity of the Ice Truck Killer - though for different reasons of course. Deb is now staying with Dexter as she can't face being on her own and needs to be looked after. Rita and Dexter's relationship has become very strained as Dex tries to mourn the loss of his brother without telling anyone who he was and to cap it all off some scuba divers have found Dexter's deathly dumping ground and the police swoop in to investigate - the police he works with. Awkward, no? Well on the upside, Dexter finally gets his very own serial killer name - The Bay Harbour Butcher - catchy but a worry for our undercover killer.
---------------------------------------
Any New Characters?
But of course, as Dexter's double life deepens more characters arrive to make things just that little bit more difficult for him. And these two really have it in for him!
Lila (Jaime Murray): Ah, so sweet, so pretty, so undeniably insane. Lila and Dexter meet at his NA (Narcotics Anonymous) meeting and she becomes his sponsor, and his friend. Rita is rather threatened by the British beauty and she has good reason to be. She wants Dexter, and will stop at nothing to get him - even threatening to reveal his dark pastimes to the world.
Special Agent Frank Lundy (Keith Carradine): The crème de la crème of FBI agents, Lundy is sent to Miami to help the police in their search for the "Bay Harbour Butcher". Unlike Doake's this guy is actually good - really good. Has Dexter finally met his match? Will Doake's finally be proven right on his intense paranoia?
---------------------------------------
Episodes
It's Alive: It's been a month since Dexter's last kill and that frustration is taking its toll on him, so much so that on his first chance in weeks he finds himself out of practice. Meanwhile a discovery is made that could put Dexter's life in jeopardy.
Waiting To Exhale: After botching his last kill attempt Dexter is determined to get himself back into the swing of things. In seeking out his victim again he is surprised to find that his intended is waiting for him. What will Dexter do?
An Inconvenient Lie: In order to quell Rita's questions Dexter tells her he is an addict (Not a complete lie as he's addicted to killing), and is then pushed into joining a NA 12 step group. So will he stand up in front of others and say "My name's Dexter and I am a serial killer"? Nah!
See-Through: Dexter's NA sponsor Lila and Rita meet for the first time, and Rita is decidedly threatened by her. Rita also has to face a meeting with her estranged mother while Dexter tries to cover his tracks with an FBI agent on his back.
The Dark Defender: Road trip! Dexter finds out that one of his mother's murderers is not only alive but running a pub in Naples courtesy of the witness protection program.
Dex, Lies and Videotape: A copycat killer is on the loose, emulating the Bay Harbour Butcher and drawing attention to things Dexter would rather not have publicly known. Will Dexter be able to stop the copycat before the FBI gets too deeply involved?
That Night, A Forest Grew: Doake's is on Dex's back once more as he tries to confuse the police and get them off his case. Will a manifesto to the Miami Tribune succeed in doing that?
Morning Comes: The FBI agent comes very close to figuring out the identity of the Bay Harbour Butcher due to some bad blood-work. Is it curtains for Dex?
Resistance Is Futile: Dexter's blood slide mementos have disappeared sending Dex into a spin. He thinks his number's up, but is there more than meets the eye.
There's Something About Harry: Doake's explains that he knows the truth about the death of Dexter's father whilst caged, leading Dexter to discover a truth he had never imagined about Harry.
Left Turn Ahead: With Doake's still held captive, Dexter gives himself a day to tie up loose ends before turning himself in to the police. But will he actually do it?
The British Invasion: Dex's NA sponsor finds out something big about Dexter and uses it to her advantage to try and get Dexter back. In the season finale Dexter must make his biggest choices, what will he decide?
---------------------------------------
Why Should You Watch This?
You should watch this because if you are reading a review about the second season chances are very high that you've watched the first season and been hooked into watching and rooting for the exploits of serial killer eradicator Dexter. And if you haven't, then you are probably very confused by most of what has been said in this review - in which case go read the first and catch up on one of the best drama's still going.
The first season set up the characters, the setting and the back-story for us, now the second season moves past this and onto a question many will have had during the first - what would happen if Dexter got found out? After all it was inevitable that one day Dexter would be found out, as precise and organised as he is, unless you can vaporise you victims into nothing this day was always coming. Oddly though, as meticulous as Dex is, he doesn't appear to have worried too much about that eventuality.
Bad for Dex but great for the viewer as you get to see a new side to the murderous man - he has emotions. He's scared about Lundy finding him out, frustrated at his mess of a relationship, worried about his sister, lusting after his sponsor and mourning his brother. Though he believes himself to be a complete emotionless monster this season proves him to be wrong, and it is amazing to see these sides of Dexter that he can't even see himself. And though he still doesn't feel and act like a normal human being, there are glimpses of it coming through that we as the viewer can see and yet frustratingly he can't.
If you thought that you loved Dexter in the premiere season you will love him even more now, his glimpses of humanity are very endearing and the fear you will feel for him when his graveyard is found will follow throughout the season. You'll also see a newer more vulnerable side of Deb since the season finale; still shattered from the epic finale which almost saw her killed she is softer and less tough than before. Though it isn't nice to see her in such pain the acting is fantastic and shows a new depth to the character who was such a feisty fighter previously.
---------------------------------------
DVD Info, Special Features And Price
Season two is currently available for the princely sum of £10.99 on Amazon, It has a running time of 610 minutes which means you are getting a lot of murderous goodness for your money here.
The special features, though cool are nothing to write home about I'm afraid:
Dexter Victim Slides: Animated menu of Dex's blood slides, choose a slide and a clip of their murder will be shown. Good for jogging your memory on who died and where, but otherwise a little boring.
Trivia Track (Only on episodes 2, 4, 6 and 8): A subtitle track you can enable so that you can read trivia and fun facts about the show whilst watching. Interesting for a second viewing but would be a little distracting on your first view of the season, also is only featured on 4 episodes which is a shame as there must have been more that could've been said.
Trivia Game: A multiple choice quiz that unlocks hidden content that the box blurb doesn't mention. Very cool gimmick, especially good for testing friends but obviously has limited entertainment value after you've all tried it and won.
Code Of Harry: Montage of Harry's code. Interesting as we have only heard bits and pieces about the code throughout the show.
Interview With Rolfe Kent: A very short interview with the composer of the opening title theme.
Cast & Crew Bios: Cast biographies and a list of past and current film/TV projects. Essentially think of it as an IMDB search on each person without a computer.
Animated Stills Gallery: Pretty self explanatory - nice to see but not mind-blowing.
Jeff Lindsay Featurette: Another very short interview, this time with the writer of the Dexter books. A great addiction except for one problem - the word very in my description should be in bold, italics and double underlined. It would have been really nice to see a long interview with the man who made Dexter but perhaps we'll be luckier in the new DVD?
Dexter's Tool Kit: Stills of Dexter's tools and information on what they are used for. Very informative if a little creepy.
---------------------------------------
Final Verdict
After watching the first season I thought it would be impossible to top it, especially after sitting open-mouthed watching the finale. But they have managed to with a surprising second season that kept me on the edge of my seat throughout. I love the character's new depths, the latest additions to the cast and that they didn't do a cop out and set the series much later when everything with the Ice Truck Killer had died down - which would have made for easier writing but a much more boring series. Seeing the fallout of the finale and the effect it had on monstrous Dex was well worth the hard work that went into writing it. The introduction of someone who could really figure out Dexter in the form of Lundy is great, though you may feel a tad guilty that you are rooting for the serial killer to kill what in any other series would be the good-guy hero of the piece. It's okay though, because my love of Dexter Morgan made any guilt fade away fairly fast as I prayed he wouldn't get found out.
This is a must buy for any Dexter fan - but of course any Dexter fan will know that already. However if you've been putting it off stop hesitating and pick it up now, especially if like me you gave up trying to watch it in what was truly the graveyard slot on ITV (not once did it actually start on time from what I could tell!). Channel 4, I implore you, pick up the next season from ITV and show it at a sensible time (perhaps in a double bill with the next season of True Blood...hint hint).
Watch this and roll on season 3!
