Blu-ray Review: Dexter The Complete Second Season

It’s time to head back to Miami to visit our favorite serial killer, Dexter Morgan, with the Blu-ray release of Dexter: The Complete Second Season.

Michael C. Hall impeccably reprises his Golden Globe and Emmy nominated role as the titular character. The story takes off about a month after Dexter saved his sister Debra (Jennifer Carpenter) and killed his brother, the Ice Truck Killer.  But, of course, Dexter isn’t in the clear; the Miami PD discovers Dexter’s burial ground and labels the new serial killer the ‘Bay Harbor Butcher’. Hot on his trail is Sergeant Doakes, whose growing suspicious of Dexter begins to hamper his extracurricular hobby.

Meanwhile, Dexter again finds himself trying to balance his personal life, especially his relationship with girlfriend Rita (Julie Benz). As meticulous as he intends to be with his kills, he is forced to act impetuously on one, which has huge ramifications. As a result, he’s forced to lie to Rita that he has a drug addiction, which results in him enrolling in a Narcotics Anonymous class. This new development brings an even more mysterious person in his life, Lila, who he not only befriends, but also starts sleeping with and confiding in. Feeling pressure from all sides, Dexter struggles to handle it all.

Even more so than the first season, this set of a dozen episodes is all about Dexter covering up his double life and exploring his dark past. As he begins to dig deeper into the details of his youth, he unearths revelations that make him question the code he holds himself to.

Season 2 is yet another vicarious thrill ride and there is no apparent loss of steam from the amazing first season. If anything, I enjoyed this season more given the emphasis on exploring Dexter’s dark past and the increasing contrast of his dark secret and his personal life. And, for the record, this season makes further deviations from the Jeff Lindsay novels that the show is based on (whereas the first season was more closely based on Darkly Dreaming Dexter).

The Blu-ray release is a solid release, but probably only worth it to you if you must watch the series in Hi-Def. The special features, which are mostly BD-live downloads, are all in standard definition and probably not worth the price of an upgrade if you already have the second season on DVD. There are a number of insightful interviews found in the BD Live features that provide some additional insight into how the show is made.

Special Features:
•    BD Live Special Features
•    “Blood Fountains” Featurette
•    Dark Defender Series
•    Podcasts
•    First two episodes of Showtime series United States Of Tara

For newcomers, before you dive into Season 2, definitely check out the first season of Dexter (available on both DVD and Blu-ray) and then come back and pick this release up. And for all you fans of the series, this is a must-have for your collection.