Dexter: The Second Season

By: Iggy Michniacki on 5.27.2009

The Movie Itself:
If you’re not familiar with Dexter, I recommend you get familiar. Dexter is simply irresistible and entertaining and has seemed to catch the eyes of millions of viewers world-wide.

Michael C. Hall stars as Dexter, a Miami-Dade blood splatter analyst who also moonlights as a serial killer that brutally murders serial killers. He’s got a sister on the force, Debra Morgan (Jennifer Carpenter), who he has helped become a detective. Dexter also has a girlfriend, Rita (Julie Benz), who has two children and a troubling past that she just wants to get as far away from as possible. Dexter’s life is complicated for sure, but all the drama and complications in Season 1, well, that was just the beginning.

Dexter: The Second Season picks up where the first season left off with Dexter still following the strict ‘Code of Harry’. Dexter’s life is a bit tougher than it was in the first season, even with the Ice Truck Killer out of the picture. Sgt. Doakes (Erik King) is following Dexter’s every move as he knows something isn’t right. Also, Rita starts having some issues with Dexter’s secrets and her mind begins to fill up with ideas that put Dexter in the same league as her ex-husband. Also if that doesn’t seem like enough to sidetrack a serial killer, Dexter’s sister moves in with him as she is still trying to recover from the fact her ex-boyfriend tried to kill her.

The drama of being a serial killer is something that Dexter: The Second Season goes far beyond as it seems temptation, trouble, and the chance of being caught is around every corner. Of course, Miami is big enough to supply enough psychos for Dexter to hunt down and get rid of keeping each episode filled with blood. And even though Dexter is with Rita, a new love interest (Jaime Murray) arrives on the scene causing more twist and turns in Dexter and Rita’s relationship than ever before. Most interesting though, is the fact that for the first time in Dexter’s life, he has stumbled into the situation of his crimes being a topic discussed at Miami-Dade Police Department and now he must fight the concern of his whole life being overturned.

Dexter continues to be successful and I believe there are many reasons for such. The story itself is possibly the biggest reason, taking an original idea and putting twist and turn after twist and turn into each episode. The writers in this series do not get enough credit as they really do a fantastic job. Each episode is brilliantly deep and wildly entertaining, while they seem to be able to carry itself, as there seems to be an independent story that helps make sure every single episode is as good as the previous. However, at the same time there are story lines that last all season long and even the important story lines that carried over from the first season keep the whole season tied together and make the viewer want to invest in it all. Both seasons seem to have very little down time, never giving you a scene that lacks importance, and this makes for some great viewing.

The acting is far superior to many great dramas you go see in theater, let alone anything else on television. Michael C. Hall is a mastermind, and plays the psychotic, secretive Dexter maybe a bit too well. Hall’s brilliance carries over to the rest of the cast, as they all seem to act very well together. Being the second season, the cast is well aware of each other and knows the direction the show is heading. The little roles of officers are treated with importance, and the casting for the major roles is great as every actor and actress seems to fit their part just right.

Dexter: The Second Season is nothing to dismiss, as the series is just becoming more and more brilliant with every passing moment. Dexter, as a character, is sick, twisted, brilliant, and very likeable. Dexter as a show shares those same exact characteristics as Dexter the man, leading to some great success and some great programming.
Rating: 9/10

The Presentation:
For those of you familiar with our Dexter: The First Season review know that the second season would have to be great looking in order to stay in the game. Well, Dexter fans rejoice as Paramount has delivered another TV on Blu masterpiece here. Dexter: The Second Season comes to Blu-ray with a AVC 1080p Mpeg-4 encoding that is a definite upgrade from the cable broadcast, and thankfully seems to be the standard for Blu-ray now. There’s no doubt that Dexter the series uses a great variety of outdoor and indoor shots, with a lush color palette and some beautiful scenery from around Miami (and wherever else they film). There is also no doubt, after two seasons that the Blu-ray is maximizing every bit of those shots.

Colors are grand, just absolutely grand throughout all twelve episodes, as this show really knows how to utilize great colors for contrast, image pop, and making needed material or props to standout. The picture is three-dimensional the whole way through making everything seem to pop off the screen. Dark areas in light scenes contrast nicely and hold a high amount of detail. Skin tones are great and detail in characters clothing or face are stunning and deep. The only complaint here is the same complaint I brought up in the first season, and that is that some indoor and night shots seem to muddy up a little and fill with noise. It’s not every shot, but it is enough of them to notice.

The audio sounds great as well. Loaded with a Dolby TrueHD 5.1 track Dexter: The Second Season works just as hard in the audio department as the first season did. Sounds are distinct and clear, everything seems to be right with this episode. Dialogue comes over the center channel crisp and clear which is important in all movies and shows, but especially these that are dialogue driven. Every suspenseful moment is filled with clean music that seems to be just the right volume compared to everything else going on at that moment. The surround sound speakers do just as they are intended. Most noises come across great from the direction they are supposed to. The subwoofer is active during action and suspense sequences never over powering the rest of the show. The show seems a bit front heavy, but most of it is because it is a television drama. And even though this audio track is not perfect it is simply stunning.
Rating: 9/10 (video 9/10, audio 9/10)

The Extras:
After reading the back of the case I was ready to say that Dexter: The Second Season is loaded with extra features both on the disc and through BD-Live. After inserting the discs into my Blu-ray player, I come to find out that this isn’t the case at all. In fact there is only one feature on the discs, and all the other extras that are listed on the case are available on BD-Live and are mostly the same extras you had access to via Dexter: The First Season. Basically you get Tools of the Trade on the third disc which is an interactive game where you choose Dexter’s correct tools of ‘death’ and you also get access to some podcasts, episodes from United States of Tara and a few other little things via BD-Live.
Rating: 2/10

Overall:
Dexter is hands down one of the best shows on television right now, and many could (and would) make the argument it is one of the better series of all time. Handing out another solid twelve episodes, giving us just as much excitement as the first season, and adding amazing picture and audio quality, Dexter: The Second Season is a no-brainer on Blu-ray and should be in everybody’s collection.
Rating: 7/10