It took me two days to watch through the entirety of Dexter's second season. I have no idea how I managed to watch through twelve episodes within such a short amount of time, but those episodes kept rolling on and I found myself getting more and more engaged within the story. Dexter's first season was an interesting introduction to the world of Dexter, not only with the character himself but the people he surrounds himself with and the lifestyle he has chosen in attempt to keep that identity hidden. This second season was a totally different series of events as Dexter's character starts doing things totally out of that previously introduced character, which leads to the threat of his entire world collapsing as his guard is lifted a little too much. This is met with some existentialism within Dexter, as he starts to find priorities within life and people he discovers he actually does feel something for. This is quite an impactful turn of events given Dexter's character is built on the the idea of being totally void of emotion, a psychopath that just cannot find a reason to care for others. We see that this isn't actually the case anymore, from family members to friends, to those who bring him some peace under the assumption that they truly know who Dexter really is without considering him a monster. And this theme of being a monster comes in throughout the season, the question of what a monster really is, who can be considered one, and what good could mean.
In the first season, from the very first episode, it's revealed that one character that works with Dexter in the police department sees straight through Dexter's charade. I didn't think much more would take place under this, but it turned into an entire narrative within the second season as Dexter's entire world comes crumbling down with the discovery of all of his victims that had been thrown into the sea. Throughout the season, the police slowly start to come to the conclusion that the person responsible must've been one of their own, from that very same police department with particular access to certain things like information and evidence. Dexter works hard to sabotage things and ensure that the eyes don't come his way, but slowly that becomes inevitable. Doakes, of course, being the one person that maintains his interest in Dexter from the events of the first season, leading him to discovering the entire truth. This main narrative of the season was great, I loved how much tension it added to things and I really felt it was the stress would build up around Dexter, as everything crumbled and became closer to him being seen as a suspect. To the point in which Dexter almost decides to just come clean. The conscience really setting in due to his morals that came with being raised by a police officer that taught him to control his blood thirst urges.
The season had a few weird moments that didn't make much sense to me though. One of which was Dexter slipping up when his girlfriend suddenly assumes Dexter is an addict, to which Dexter does in fact admit that he has an addiction, but he doesn't specify what that addiction is. Of course to us it's clear his addiction is killing. But not specifying what that addiction is leads to a series of struggles in his personal life as people begin thinking it's either alcohol or drug related. This takes Dexter to an anonymous group where he's meant to speak about his addiction and seek help for it. Ultimately meeting an attractive woman there that becomes his sponsor, while also opening an entirely new can of chaos in the process. It felt like a lot of things didn't quite make sense within this season just to set things up for later on, to use them as convenient plot points to progress the story for when Dexter gets a little too stuck in a corner. It got a bit frustrating at parts as it was clearly a bit out of Dexter's character to put himself in such situations, where he's typically a good liar and finding ways to get himself out of something, instead not providing answers to people which just built assumptions and lead to more problems. This added to a lot of the drama, of course, but became annoying to watch in parts. Dexter just not finding a way out of these things felt out of place, particularly with how he goes against his ways and putting himself into situations he knows he's best avoiding.
This is mixed with Dexter discovering more about his past, from the revealing of watching his mother get murdered as a child alongside his brother, to how his adoptive father raised him and guided him with his psychotic ways. It became a more frequent theme in how Dexter pursues the truth behind his past, trying to figure out who his mother was and what connection it all had to Harry, his father. Dexter in general does seem more lost within this season, and it does make sense as to how he makes a few mistakes here and there as his priorities are shifted. From getting involved with other women to revealing himself to them and giving up many of his secrets. With all of this I really thought that Dexter had dug himself into a hole that there was no getting out of, and I really thought that somehow things would absolutely lead back to him. To which in some degree it does, with of course some miracles and convenient events unfolding that helps divert attention from him.
This season removed a little bit of the directing creativity from the show, it felt a lot more serious and without the stylistic choices the first season had. Primarily in how the lighting would change to red and pursue a more horror aspect to it over Dexter. But one thing I really liked was the cinematography that would use really fun perspectives to highlight Dexter's emotions in a particular moment. From the fear of getting caught leading to framing that was off-centred and wavy, almost like a drunken feeling to it. I liked seeing these additions that amplified the feelings Dexter had as his world tightened up around him, that claustrophobia that felt with each new discovery that is made. At the same time the people around Dexter each have their own problems and are given a lot of screen time this season, making them feel more like real people and showing a deeper look into their stories. Characters like Angel really add to the world of Dexter given they're incredibly vulnerable people that end up caught in the greater scheme of things and it becomes something Dexter feels responsible for. After all, Dexter's goal is to punish those who deserve it, and not let bad things happen to the good. This idea is tested to a greater level when it comes to the handling of Doakes as he discovers everything about Dexter and can't be set free.
I can't imagine where the next season goes with things. This one really jumped into momentum and had Dexter right in the eyes of the law enforcement. Spreading its characters all over and giving us plenty of depth and utilising each of them in various ways. Though I suspect things will only get worse for them the more the story progresses. Over all, it was a very strong season that felt incredibly stressful, but it had its bumps here and there that I didn't enjoy too much for the sake of story.
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