TV Show Info:
Writers: Various
Directors: Various
Cast: Michael C. Hall, Julie Benz, C.S. Lee, Christina Robinson, Jennifer Carpenter, Lauren Vélez, David Zayas, James Remar, Erik King, Preston Bailey, Keith Carradine, Jaime Murray
Rating: Not Rated
Studio: Paramount & Showtime
Release Info:
Original Air Dates: October 1, 2006-Present
Season Air Dates: September 30, 2007-December 16, 2007
DVD Box Set Release Date: August 19, 2008
Online Availability: Amazon for $
Episodes: All episodes in Season Two
There are only a few television shows I refuse to miss for anything. One of those shows is Dexter. The show, which debuted on Showtime two years ago, is one of the best series I’ve ever watched. Dexter is one of Showtime’s most popular shows. That means I’m not alone in watching this somewhat obscure show. Considering that Dexter is a show about a serial killer, it is not surprising (though it might be a bit shocking) that it is such a popular show.
It’s always hit and miss with television shows (or movies) that are based on books. Dexter is most definitely a hit. Dexter Morgan is an appealing character because he’s made human. In fact, some may even view Dexter’s actions as virtuous. He’s a serial killer. He kills people. He does it for a reason. All of the people he kills are bad. They hurt other people, and yet, in some way, the human emotion allows us to both empathize with Dexter and still view his actions as wrong.
This just emphasizes the human obsession with serial killers. We, as humans, are taught that killing anyone, no matter the reason, is wrong. Of course, that hasn’t always been the way of the law. Not everyone believes that the justice system in America works. People who are guilty get off. People who aren’t are convicted. Back in the day, a guilty man (especially for something like murder) was killed without the chance of appeals or the option of life in prison. Our softness on prisoners has created more criminals. Dexter, a blood spatter expert with the Miami police, sees this and he is willing to take matters into his own hands. All of his victims are those who he knows are guilty of their crimes.
In some ways, it is easy to see why Dexter does what he does. Due to his past, he has impulses and the desire to kill. However, he was brought up thinking that killing innocent people is wrong. That is why he only kills those he knows deserve it. He has a meticulous regime he follows for every kill. It’s very systematic and he rarely, if ever, slips up. Dexter, at one point, saw himself as a dark hero, but now he just sees himself as Dexter, a man who needs to kill. There were implications that he plans to start doing things his own way, in Season Three. We’ll have to see how this plays out.
The Dexter – The Complete Second Season Plot
There are twelve episodes in the second season of Dexter. The second season picks up a little over a month after the last events of season one. Dexter tells the story of a man named Dexter Morgan (Michael C. Hall). Dexter is a blood spatter expert for the Miami PD, by day, and a serial killer by night. Dexter only kills those who deserve to die. This means he murders those who commit crimes and either aren’t captured by police or get off for the crimes they commit.
Dexter was adopted by a police officer named Harry Morgan (James Remar) and his wife. Both of them are now deceased, but Dexter does have a sister, their biological daughter, Debra (Jennifer Carpenter). Deb is also a member of the Miami PD. She’s on he way to becoming a police detective. The primary people Dexter interacts with are his girlfriend, Rita (Julie Benz), who he’s mostly with for appearance sake, and her two children Astor (Christina Robinson) and Cody (Preston Bailey), as well as the people at work.
Those who like Dexter include police detective Angel Batista (David Zayas), Lt. Maria Laguerta (Lauren Vélez), and forensic specialist Vince Masuka (C.S. Lee). The only one who realizes there is something else off about Dexter is Sgt. James Doakes (Erik King). He keeps a very close, obsessively close, eye on Dexter. This season, the Miami PD is also joined by Special Agent Frank Lundy (Keith Carradine), a legend at the FBI who greatly impresses Deb.
The twelve episodes of Season Two are split across four discs.
Note: Some of these episode synopsis’ may include spoilers from Season One and Two of Dexter.
Disc 1:
“It’s Alive!” – Over a month has passed since he killed the Ice Truck Killer and saved Deb’s life. It’s been very hard for her to get back into it at work and her superiors worry she’s trying to take things too fast when she returns to her job. James Doakes has spent every off work hour tailing Dexter. This has made it hard for him to kill anyone and he’s getting a major itch he needs to scratch.
When Dexter finally gets the chance to kill, something internally stops him from doing it. In the meantime, Rita is happy to be with Dexter and she’s sort of growing on him, too. The only thing standing in their way is her abusive ex, Paul. He is convinced Dexter knocked him out and drugged him so he’d be arrested. He tries to get Rita to help him prove Dexter is behind his incarceration, but Rita can’t believe its true.
The burial ground of a new serial killer (who is actually Dexter) is discovered.
“Waiting To Exhale” – Dexter foibles a kill for the first time when he is unable to dispose of a bad guy named Little Chino. A witness who had planned to testify against him is killed in retaliation. Dexter is finding it hard to kill, especially with Doakes riding his ass.
With a new serial killer on the loose (Dexter) a special task force is formed with those on the Miami PD and the FBI joining forces. Doakes is mad when he learns he’s not on the task force. He intensifies his scrutiny of Dexter, as a result.
Debra has a breakdown of sorts while on a case, but this ends up working out for the best, in the end. When Paul winds up dead, Rita is upset. She starts to question whether Dexter really is responsible for sending Paul to jail. Dexter lies when she demands an explanation and ends up in NA (Narcotics Anonymous), as a result.
“An Inconvenient Lie” – Dexter’s NA meetings actually give Doakes his answer (so he thinks) to Dexter’s issues. Dexter is nervous about attending NA, because its a place where you can expose yourself too much. If Dexter doesn’t go, Rita will break up with him. Dexter decides having a girlfriend is important, so he finds himself a sponsor, a very attractive, British woman named Lila (Jaime Murray).
Debra is placed on the joint task force. She’s still having problems relating to the Ice Truck Killer incident. Debra tries to prove herself, and by going the extra mile she discovers Dexter’s murder pattern. With everyone looking at Dexter skeptically (so he thinks) he decides he must kill a serial killer, whenever he can sneak away to do it.
Disc 2:
“See-Through” – Rita and Lila meet. Rita doesn’t like her, but Dexter reminds her that NA was her idea and he’s now committed to the program. Lila is interesting to Dexter and dangerous, and for the first time, he seems to be developing an attraction for a woman. When Rita’s mom, Gail (JoBeth Williams), comes to town, she sees through Dexter. She also tries to run and monopolize her daughter and grandchildren’s lives.
Dexter has bigger fish to fry. Special Agent Frank Lundy, a legend by FBI standards, comes to work the case. Dexter must find ways to throw him off his trail, because Lundy doesn’t lose!
“The Dark Defender” – Lila tells Dexter he can only recover if he faces his past. To do that, he finds out about the men who killed his mother, leaving Dexter and his brother for dead. One of them is alive and Dexter knows where he lives. Dexter decides to confront him, with the help of Lila.
Deb is finally dating again. She’s wary of Gabriel, so she starts snooping around. After accusing him of something, she realizes its really not what it seems. Gail tells Dexter to go away because he’s just like Paul. Rita overhears this and tells her mother off. Dexter can’t deal with this though, because they now know that the murderer uses a certain boat harbor and one of them being monitored is Dexters.
Dexter doesn’t know that the marinas are now being monitored. He decides to clean up, not realizing he’s being recorded.
“Dex, Lies And Videotape” – A copycat killer to the “Bay Harbor Butcher” is discovered. If they can’t stop this copycat, the FBI is going to take over the case with no PD staff on the task force. Dexter finds out from Deb that the marinas are being monitored so he tries to find a way to delete the tape.
Dexter learns a shocking secret about his biological mother’s relationship with Harry. He begins to question why Harry adopted him. Gail invites Lila to dinner and Rita finds out about their trip to confront the man who killed Dexter’s mother. She breaks up with him and Dexter turns to Lila for more than comfort.
“That Night, A Forest Grew” – Dexter sends a newspaper his “manifesto”. At 32 pages long, the police are certain they’ll find him thanks to the manifesto. Dexter and Doakes have a tete a tete, while Rita takes on Gail. Later, Dexter takes Lila out to celebrate the sale of one of her sculptures. Of course, when Dexter says he’s going to a school event of Cody’s Lila becomes jealous. Her true colors and motivations become apparent.
Disc 3:
“Morning Comes” – Lila moves in with Dexter and Deb is still staying with him, as she has since the Ice Truck Killer incident. Rita tells Dexter he can’t stop by unannounced though the kids are trying to get her to change her mind because they need him in their lives.
Lundy discovers that the Bay Harbor Butcher is in a law enforcement related field. They decide to re-open all their old cases involved in the BHB case. Dexter almost slips up in front of Lundy though he’s able to cover his tracks. On the Lila front, he realizes she isn’t telling him the truth about the sculpture and is suspicious of her.
The killer of his mother visits Dexter. He ends up targeting the man as his next kill. With Dexter the reason for Doakes suspension, he breaks into Dexter’s apartment where he finds some incriminating evidence.
“Resistance Is Futile” – Dexter leaves the obsessive Lila. He apologizes to Rita and they discuss possibly getting back together. Lila goes to the police station to wait for Dexter. She knows “something” about him and wants to tell them. She befriends Angel, in the process.
Dexter is being monitored by the FBI. He cannot dispose of the man he killed, and it is making him antsy. Doakes does his own investigation on the evidence in Dexter’s house. Dexter realizes his victim slides are gone. He thinks Lundy has them. Deb starts an affair with the much older Lundy. Doakes catches Dexter in the act.
“There’s Something About Harry” – Dexter keeps Doakes prisoner, while he considers what he should do next. Doakes gives Dexter a hint about his father’s death. He learns what he thinks is a devastating truth about Harry. The FBI believes Doakes is the Bay Harbor Butcher, much to Laguerta’s chagrin. She tries to prove him innocent, despite Lundy’s warnings against personal involvement in the case.
Batista and Lila have a fling, which Dexter warns him not to continue. When he doesn’t listen, Lila does something that could cost him his career, to get back at Dexter. Rita and Dexter get back together. Deb is upset when she realizes Lundy won’t be in Miami forever.
“Left Turn Ahead” – Dexter considers ending his murderous spree, simply because of what he learns about Harry. Doakes escapes, but is captured again by someone else. Deb digs up dirt on Lila and threatens her for what she did to Dexter and Batista. The Deputy Director of the FBI takes over the case from Lundy.
Disc 4:
“The British Invasion – Lila steals Dexter’s car. She finds the place where Doakes is being held. Doakes tells Lila the truth about Dexter, which ends up delighting her, once she gets over the initial shock. She takes Doakes’ future into her own hands.
Deb and Lundy are planning a trip, but the BHB case breaks wide open before they can. When Dexter learns Lila knows about him, he threatens to kill her if she doesn’t leave them all alone. Lila kidnaps Rita’s kids and Dexter must try to come to their rescue. He also wants to make sure Lila never bothers them again.
Storyline/Plot: 
Replayability:
Acting:
Directing:
Audio/Visual:
When I watched season two of Dexter originally on Showtime, the show looked great. All of the episodes included in the Dexter – The Complete Second Season Box Set are presented in anamorphic widescreen with a 1.78:1 aspect ratio. This is excellent quality for a series that has relatively few, if any, visual flaws. The colors are bright and realistic. The contrast is sharp with no soft spots. it can’t get any better than this.
The English Dolby Digital 5.1 surround track gets the job done and then some. The dialogue, sound effects and music are all incredibly dynamic. There is good use made of the speakers. There was no need for volume toggling, at all. There are other tracks available in Dolby Digital English surround and Spanish Dolby Digital mono. All three tracks offer closed captioning in lieu of subtitles.
Visual:
Audio: 
Bonus Features:
The Dexter – The Complete Second Season Box Set has a few worthy bonuses. There are two, full length episodes from the second season of Brotherhood. If you’ve never seen the show, you’ll get a chance to see it. If you already like the show, here’s a look back at what episodes are going to be in Brotherhood‘s second season box set.
There are a series of cast bios for the following cast members: Michael C. Hall, Julie Benz, Jennifer Carpenter, Erik King, C.S. Lee, Lauren Velez, David Zayas, James Remar, JoBeth Williams, Jamie Murray and Keith Carradine. There are a series of Season Two photos included in a photo gallery. That’s about all that is on this disc, if you don’t put it in a DVD-Rom.
While these worked in my DVD-Rom, these bonuses don’t work for everyone, and I’ve heard several complaints about that.There is also a podcast with Michael C. Hall and an interview with Michael C. Hall. I enjoyed both of these, but feel a bit jipped that there wasn’t more on the actual disc. Finally, the DVD-Rom has bonus episodes of The Tudors and Californication. While not as good as the bonuses on Season One, these weren’t that terrible. Still, I’m hoping Showtime gives more next time.
Bonus Features: 
Bottom Line:
Dexter is a show I never miss. Prior to receiving the DVD, I had already seen every episode on television. I love this show. It’s absolutely entertaining, well written and worth the purchase. Dexter – The Complete Second Season is the latest season that has been released on DVD. Whether you watch the show or not, buy this. If you don’t already watch you’ll start watching. Or you don’t like Dexter, I highly suggest you purchase a Hannah Montana DVD instead, because that’d be the only thing to keep you mindlessly occupied.
Overall Rating:
Technorati Tags: Dexter, The Complete Second Season, DVD Review, TV show, Showtime, Paramount, Serial Killer, Murder, Miami, Blood Spatter
