Dexter-The Second Season (2007)

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General		Extras
Category	TV Drama Series	Interviews-Cast-40 minutes with eight principals : 1.33:1, Dolby Digital 2.0
Rating
Year Of Production	2007
Running Time	611:16
RSDL / Flipper	RSDL Multi Disc Set (4)	Cast & Crew
Start Up	Menu
Region Coding	2,4	Directed By	Michael Cuesta Tony Goldwyn Keith Gordon Steve Shill
Studio Distributor	Showtime Paramount Home Entertainment	Starring	Michael C. Hall Julie Benz Jennifer Carpenter Lauren Velez Erik King David Zayas Keith Carradine C.S. Lee James Remar Jaime Murray
Case	Amaray Variant
RPI	$49.95	Music	Daniel Licht Rolfe Kent

Video		Audio
Pan & Scan/Full Frame	None	English Dolby Digital 5.1 (448Kb/s) English Dolby Digital 2.0 (192Kb/s)
Widescreen Aspect Ratio	1.85:1
16x9 Enhancement
Video Format	576i (PAL)
Original Aspect Ratio	1.78:1	Miscellaneous
Jacket Pictures	No
Subtitles	English English for the Hearing Impaired	Smoking	No
		Annoying Product Placement	No
		Action In or After Credits	No

On the first day of October in 2006 Dexter was unleashed on US television audiences. The idea sounded totally outrageous, a sick practical joke - a series about a serial killer! The season comprised of twelve episodes, with Episode No. 12 telecast on December 17th that year, followed by a CBS network announcement that there would be no Season 2. Dexter was finished! Out of the woodwork poured the fans, and the deluge of mail protesting against the demise of their homicidal favourite astounded executives. The peanut protest against the cancelling of another excellent series, Jericho, had led to that excellent show's truncated second season of seven episodes which brought the major plot lines to a satisfying close. The protest for Dexter was even more effective, resulting in a second season of another twelve episodes, and on the 28th of September 2008 the third season will begin in the United States. Such is the power of the people! Australian audiences will have to wait a little longer for Season Three, but the full twelve episodes of Season Two are about to be released by Paramount in Region 4, the same week as the Region 1 release.

The opening episode of the second season begins with a four and a half minute recap of Season One. It is possible to begin watching Dexter from the beginning of Season Two, but anyone with the slightest interest would be well advised to get hold of Season One first. Using as a basis Jeff Lindsay's novel, Darkly Dreaming Dexter, which was followed by Dearly Devoted Dexter, Season One is comprised of an excellent dozen shows, and, while not prerequisite viewing in order to enjoy Season Two, will add much depth to the appreciation of the second set of twelve episodes. Without spoiling Season One for the uninitiated, at its close Dexter had finally confronted the Ice Truck Killer, another psychopathic serial killer, and in doing so has learned more about his own clouded past. Season Two opens with Dexter Morgan (Michael C. Hall) continuing his double life as serial killer and police forensics expert with the Homicide Division of the Miami Metro Police, his special field of expertise being in "blood splatter". His sister Debra (Jennifer Carpenter), foul mouthed but vulnerable of heart, has recovered sufficiently from her ordeal at the hands of the Ice Truck Killer, who also happened to be her lover, to return to her police work, although Lieutenant Maria Laguerta (Lauren Velez) thinks the return is premature. At Miami Metro the ever vigilant Sergeant James Doakes (Erik King) continues in his conviction that all is not as it should be with one Dexter Morgan, while our doubts about Doakes continue to grow. The lovely divorcee, Rita (Julie Benz), still welcomes "Dex" to her modest abode, where he enjoys his contact with Rita's two children, while his relationship with their mother continues with two-sided sexual inhibition. Rita's ex-husband presents another problem, but Dexter finds a rather underhand way of dealing with him - without adding him to those bagged and dumped from Dexter's boat, quaintly called "Slice of Life". A major disruption to Dexter's relatively peaceful existence comes when his watery burial ground is discovered, resulting in Dexter's forensic partner Vince Masuka (C.S. Lee) being assigned to analyse the black plastic bags and their grisly contents, with a nervous Dexter watching over his shoulder. In an all-out effort to bring to justice the killer now tagged, much to Dexter's disgust, The Bay Harbor Butcher, a joint task force is set up in conjunction with the F.B.I., at its head Special Agent Frank Lundy (Keith Carradine), who provides a mature romantic interest for Debra, now part of The Butcher's task force. Further distraction comes when Rita uncovers Dexter's ruse in removing her ex from the scene, so, to cover up, our hero convinces to Rita that he is addicted to heroin, promising to attend rehabilitation meetings. At one meeting Dexter meets the seductively glamorous British import, Lila (Jaime Murray), who is made his patron in his supposed efforts to fight his addiction. Lila has no problem in opening Dexter's sexual floodgates in some explicit couplings, with generous displays of Miss Murray's mammaries. As a result of her obsessive love for Dexter, Lila has Angel Batista (David Zayas) charged with rape, and to repudiate these charges, Debra uncovers at least part of the truth about the devious Lila's past.

Acting upon his conviction that Dexter is more than he would have you believe, Doakes discovers the truth about The Bay Harbor Butcher, and steals Dexter's box of trophy slides - a blood sample from each victim. With twist upon twist, the plot soon has an on-the-run Doakes as the prime suspect in the serial killer case with Dexter placed under FBI protection too. With breathtaking pace the final two episodes have sensation piled upon sensation, with Doakes caged in a cabin in the Everglades, surrounded by swamp, alligators and illegal drug traffickers ... plus Lila! There is gunfire, a mighty explosion, a double kidnapping, a fire, a handful of deaths ... and a fadeout that promises more questions to be answered in Season Three.

The above resume probably makes these twelve episodes sound like Saturday Matinee Serials - for those who can remember. In a way Dexter is an old fashioned serial, as we have one continuing storyline with each week's episode leaving us, if not with a cliff hanger, at least with expectations heightened as to what is going to happen next. Dexter is, however, much more than a succession of cliff-hangers. The very premise instantly sets it apart, although as a result of its success we now probably will have a rash of criminals as heroes of series - we already have The Riches, and the upcoming Breaking Bad. The moral ambiguity of having a serial killer as "hero" is perhaps a sign of the times. Robin Hood was the hero of the thirteenth century oppressed, then during the Great Depression popular heroes were made of the likes of Al Capone and Dillinger. In today's troubled, ambiguous world we have Dexter.

The stock opening is brilliant, beginning with an enormous close-up of a mosquito sucking blood. The mosquito is then slapped into oblivion by the hand of Dexter, whose face is seen in the background, out of focus. The blood red credits are over an extreme close-up montage of our hero shaving, getting dressed, slicing an orange, preparing to go out into the world in which he is a stranger, with the final full body shot as he strolls panther-like along the deck of his building. The main title theme, by Rolke Kent, is rinky-tink catchy, reminiscent of Neal Hefti's theme for The Odd Couple, not in keeping with the image at all, and maybe suggesting that the two sides of Dexter constitute a very odd couple indeed. With the end of the credits we enter the head of Dexter Morgan, placed there by Michael C. Hall's hushed monotone narration. This device is only the first of a number of film noir elements to be found in the series. Camera angles, with ceilings prominent, the extreme close-ups, the hero resisting against forces that seem always to be dragging him down, the femme fatale luring him to disaster and the basic existential nature of Dexter himself, a questioning creature of the night and shadows who seems ill at ease in daylight, all are noir ingredients. The script is succinct, often witty and ironically biting, with the dramatic pace exhilirating. The best dialogue being written for the screen today is found on television, and Dexter's scripts are excellent examples of this expertise. In Season Two the writers have created an original plot trajectory and occasionally the storylines are not of the same quality and ideas as the individual scenes. The appearance of Rita's mother, played by the always welcome JoBeth Williams, is an example from this season. The character becomes an annoying disruption to the main interest of the episodes, Dexter's "dance" with those who would bring him down. It wasn't working, and so Miss Williams' character is unceremoniously discarded.

It is vital for a successful series to have a central character with whom the audience can relate, and Michael C. Hall has created the most fascinating character at present on television. An actor with stage training and experience, Mr Hall came to television screen prominence in the five brilliant seasons of Six Feet Under, playing David Fisher, the rather stodgy, uptight, gay undertaker son. As Dexter, the actor creates a totally new screen persona for himself. With increasingly toned body and subtle make-up embellishments to hair, eyebrows and complexion - he appears to be a redhead - we see a very different character on screen. He walks almost like one of the dead, with no movement in the arms and shoulders, his body seeming to roll on his legs. Wickedly arched eyebrows, steelily clear eyed, and with a voice rarely raised, Dexter is totally hypnotic, with just a hint of Malcolm McDowell's A Clockwork Orange. We follow him in his search for someone with whom he can be himself, someone who can truly know him. In a moment of almost self-pity, Dexter the captor laments to a caged Doakes ;

I lie to everyone I know - except my victims right before I kill them.

Except, that is, for us, the audience. Through the internal monologues we alone know the truth about Dexter, or at least as much of the truth as Dexter himself knows. We have an intimate knowledge of this fascinating man, a knowledge shared by no-one else - except everyone else who watches the show - and our fascination with him keeps us glued to the screen.

This is an extremely large ensemble cast, and there is not a dud amongst the extremely talented group of actors, although Julie Benz and Jennifer Carpenter are standouts. Every character is clearly delineated, interesting in his or her own right, and contributing to the thrust of the plot. No one seems to be acting, but just perfectly cast. Then you watch the interviews on the final disc and realise that they are quite different from the characters they play, the glamorous, assured beauty of Julie Benz a total contrast to the almost homely warm loveliness of her Rita character.

An added plus is the frequent location work in and around, I presume, Miami. We have scenes set in bars, at the beach, in the bayous, exteriors of the Miami Metro Police, the waterfront and an aquarium. Miami is glowingly alive, depicted in lush, vivid colour with appropriately Latin flavoured rhythms of Daniel Licht's score pulsatingly setting the mood. Miami is sunwashed in the day, with Rita's home, for example, in cartoon like pastels, and by night is frequently rainwashed and glistening with newly fallen tropical rain, alive with deep, dark blacks and vibrant splashes of primary colours. Camerawork is excellent, vital and dynamic without ever being distracting. Technically the entire show is first rate - except for Michael C. Hall's make-up. His natural fair colouring must be a problem - should Dexter conform and be Miami tanned, or should he be the deathly pale loner? Too often he looks like he's had a quick facial splash of marching-girl tanning lotion.

Dexter the show is Dexter the character, and millions love it and him. This is a fascinating character and a generally enthralling show, pulsating with vitality and imagination. I was hooked Season One, Episode One, devoured this Season Two set in just a couple of days and ready and am waiting for whatever Season Three has in store.

Video

The video transfer on each of the four discs is excellent.

The transfer is presented in an aspect ratio of 1.85:1, 16x9 enhanced.

The transfer is extremely clean and clear throughout. Close-ups often extreme and are absolutely brilliant, with every follicle and blemish leaping off the screen.

Shadow detail is excellent in the mysterious and sinister night sequences, whether in alleys, the bayous or neon lit byways.
There is no low level noise.
There is no noticeable grain.
Colours are rich and vibrant.
Skin tones are excellent.
There were no MPEG artefacts noted, and there were no film artefacts.

The English Descriptive Subtitles for the Hearing Impaired were sampled and found to be accurate.

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Each disc is dual layered. Any layer change within an episode in undetectable.

Video Ratings Summary

Sharpness
Shadow Detail
Colour
Grain/Pixelization
Film-To-Video Artefacts
Film Artefacts
Overall

Audio

The audio is excellent.
There are two audio streams : English Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround Encoded @ 192 Kbps; and
English Dolby Digital 5.1 encoded at 448 Kbps.

The dialogue was always totally natural, intelligible and superbly recorded.
There were no drop-outs and no sync problems.
There is very little movement across the fronts, with all dialogue centred.
Front directionality occurs rarely, reserved mainly for action sequences.
Surround channels are used extensively for ambient sounds and the either eerie or attractive score - as is the subwoofer.
The occasional explosion or other SFX sequence makes full use of surrounds, plus the subwoofer.

Audio Ratings Summary

Dialogue
Audio Sync
Clicks/Pops/Dropouts
Surround Channel Use
Subwoofer
Overall

It is disappointing that the only extras are a selection of interviews with the cast, to be found on Disc Four.
The information below basically applies to all four discs with any exceptions noted.
All extras are presented 1.33:1 in 4x3 transfers without enhancement, utilising Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround Encoded audio @ 192 Kbps.

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Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall