Dexter: The Complete Second Season

The dark exploration of an anti-hero’s battle with his yin and yang continues in season two of Showtime’s serial killer with a conscience saga. Based on Jeff Lindsay’s novels about a blood spatter analyst for the Miami Metro Police Department who moonlights as a vigilante serial killer, Dexter seriously amps up the tension this season. At the end of the first season, Dexter Morgan reaffirmed his commitment to using his murderous urges for the good of society, according to his adopted father Harry’s code, by saving the life of his sister Deborah and killing the "Ice Truck Killer,” who was the primary antagonist of the initial story arc. Dexter doesn’t come away clean from the encounter however; Sgt. Doakes’ suspicions about him rise due to his proximity to the "Ice Truck” incidents and at the start of season two, he begins tailing Dexter. This makes his usual rituals of stalking and killing more than a little difficult and Dexter experiences something akin to extreme sexual frustration, as he’s unable to exercise his sinister urges. And when he does get the opportunity, he finds himself faltering with uncertainty. Meanwhile, his erratic behaviour, emotional detachment and habit for making oddly timed trips arouse suspicions in girlfriend Rita, who attributes his behaviour to drug addiction and pushes him into a rehab. Dexter finds a like-minded destructive soul in addict/artist, Lila "pardon my tits” West, who becomes Dexter’s sponsor and instigates much of the rest of the season’s tumultuous plot. Michael C. Hall owns the role of Dexter. His memorable Six Feet Under turn is obliterated by his absorption into the coldly horrid but somehow philosophically noble and loveable psyche of Dexter. The rest of the cast are similarly impressive, from Julie Benz’s sweetly guarded Rita and Jennifer Carpenter’s increasingly crass and spunky portrayal of Deborah to C.S. Lee’s delightfully perverted mega-geek lab tech Masuka and David Zayas’s teddy bear of a good cop, Angel Batista. All the carefully measured violence, relationships and unfolding mystery of Dexter’s past and questions of how the hell he’s going to keep getting away with it all made this season top notch television, and should be plenty of reason to keep tuning in. Apparently, special features weren’t a priority. There are none to note beyond some downloadable content and a couple episodes of Brothers from Showtime’s marketing department.