Everybody’s favourite serial killer is back for another series, only this time things are no longer based on the novels; instead, the show’s writers have taken the big step of going it alone for Season 2, and the results are interesting.
For people that enjoy watching complex, plot-driven shows at random intervals, dislike Wikipedia, or who are too lazy to check out my review of Season 1, the show focuses on the ‘adventures’ of a forensics blood-splatter expert with the Miami police name Dexter, who just so happens to also be a prodigious serial killer.
At a young age Dexter’s foster-father saw the sociopathic tendencies within him, and trained him to use them for good, hunting down and ritualistically slaying other killers. Dexter continues to do this while attempt to hide his grizzly habits from his family, friends, and co-workers behind a facade of normalcy.
Despite the often brutal subject matter and the unflinching violence, Dexter is a surprisingly well-written, entertaining, and darkly humorous show, and I am still amazed that a character as dark and inhuman as Dexter can sometimes be, can still attract so much empathy from the audience, to the point that you find yourself rooting for a guy that is often terrifying.
This second season picks up right were the first one left off; Dexter is recovering from the traumatic events involving his family from the last season, Doakes is still convinced there is something wrong about him, and there are more killers to be found and more work to be done. To talk anymore about the twists and turns would be to spoil the best part of the show, but suffice to say there are as many surprises and interesting plot directions in this season as there were in the first.
The real question is, of course, how does this latest season compare to its predecessor?
The answer: very well indeed.
While initially starting off a bit slower than the previous season (and feeling slightly weaker as a result), things soon pick up dramatically, with events reaching a feverish state towards the end that will literally have you white-knuckled in suspense.
I must admit that I had my reservations about how things would go with formulating an entirely new story arc (although certain events from the second Dexter novel do occur in the series), but the show writers and cast perform admirably here, crafting a story that challenges what we know about the characters in the show, and pushing Dexter especially in directions we haven’t seen him go before; be especially on the lookout for new character Lila, she is simply phenomenal and plays a vital role in making this season as entertaining as the first.
The second season of Dexter remains as stunning, breathtaking, and disturbing as the maiden season of the show. This is, quite simply, as good as television gets, and there is absolutely no reason for anyone over the age of 15 to not watch this immediately.
I rate Dexter – Season 2: 10/10 (Television perfection wields a blade and has murderous tendencies; who knew?)
- Tim Sweeney
Dexter is an awesome show i liked season 3 a lot I liked all the seasons really.