Dexter: The Complete Second Season

Review By: Andrea Tuccillo
AndreaTuccillo@TheCinemaSource.com

Season One gave us the portrait of a cautious and careful serial killer. A man so meticulously rigid in his code of killing that we actually sided with him. He kills bad people after all, we rationalized. And, he loves kids. Such was the complex world of Dexter Morgan (Michael C. Hall)—forensics worker by day, murderer by night.

Season Two shows us Dexter’s dark side. Yup, season one was light compared to this. This season is Dexter’s unraveling. Put some FBI agents on his trail, add in an obsessed co-worker who’s also hunting him down, and throw in a psycho new girlfriend for good measure, and you’ll understand why Dex is having it so rough. Our killer is cornered, his world is closing in. What will he do? He’ll do a lot of lying, a lot of soul searching (does he have a soul?), and table-turning. And, morbid as it may seem, you’ll gladly follow this killer the whole way through. (Credit the amazing Mr. Hall for that!)

The season picks up with everyone still reeling from the Ice Truck Killer fallout. Dexter’s foster sis Debra (Jennifer Carpenter) is a mess, and Dexter’s not much better. He finds himself unable to kill—which throws his entire life off balance. In a comical scene in the premiere episode It’s Alive, Dexter’s out bowling with his police buddies. (Their team name? “Bowl Till You Bleed.” One of Dexter’s many bits of dark and ironic humor.) Detective Angel Batista (David Zayas) can sense something’s up with Dex and tries to give him some advice. “Tell the universe what you need,” he says. Cue Dexter’s droll voiceover that only the audience can hear, “I really need to kill someone.”

Of course, he does eventually get his mojo back. But not before police stumble upon his hidden stash of bodies dumped in the middle of the ocean where he thought no one could find them. It’s this pursuit that propels the season. He’s dubbed the Bay Harbor Butcher in the media (he hates that name), and the Miami PD calls in the FBI, namely Special Agent Frank Lundy (Keith Carradine), a sharp-as-tacks veteran who specializes in catching elusive serial killers. Will Dexter get caught? Seeing how he dodges the same detectives he works with—and especially how he out-plays Sergeant Doakes (Erik King)—showcases how the show masterfully handles suspense.

Dexter is also under pressure at home. Girlfriend Rita (Julie Benz) has become suspicious of his sneaking ways. She thinks he’s on drugs—and Dexter plays along so she won’t find out his real secret. At a Narcotics Anonymous meeting he meets a mysterious and seductive stranger named Lila (Jaime Murray), who seems to have him all figured out. She becomes his sponsor, then his lover. Lila’s bad news from the start and you’ll most likely spend the rest of the season pulling your hair out and wishing she’d just go away—or at least put a bra on. Thankfully, Deb has the same ...