Dexter season 2

Dexter
Season 2
DVD cover
Starring
No. of episodes12
Release
Original networkShowtime
Original releaseSeptember 30 (2007-09-30) –
December 16, 2007 (2007-12-16)
Season chronology
← Previous
Season 1
Next →
Season 3
List of episodes

The second season of Dexter premiered on September 30, 2007,[1] and ended on December 16, 2007.[2] Starting with this season, the show no longer adapts the Dexter novels. The season premiere "It's Alive!" attracted 1.01 million viewers in the United States,[3] making Dexter the first Showtime series to attract more than a million viewers with a season premiere.[4] The season finale, "The British Invasion", attracted 1.4 million viewers,[5] making it the program's most-watched episode until the airing of the season three finale, "Do You Take Dexter Morgan?".[6] Including digital video recorder (DVR) usage, season two was watched by an average of 2.4 million viewers on a weekly basis through 11 full weeks, outperforming season one by 21%.[5]

In the season, the bodies of Dexter's victims are uncovered and an investigation is launched in Dexter's own department to find the killer, dubbed the "Bay Harbor Butcher".[7] During this time, Debra struggles to recover after surviving the Ice Truck Killer's attempt to murder her, and Rita sends Dexter to Narcotics Anonymous meetings when he tells her that he has an "addiction".[7] Sergeant James Doakes (Erik King) stalks Dexter, suspecting that he is connected with the Ice Truck Killer murders.[8] Three new characters are introduced:[9] Keith Carradine appears as Special Agent Frank Lundy, an FBI agent who heads the Bay Harbor Butcher investigation;[10] JoBeth Williams as Rita's mother Gail; and Jaime Murray as Lila Tournay, Dexter's Narcotics Anonymous sponsor.[11]

The season was praised by critics as "one of the best shows on TV this decade" by the Chicago Sun-Times,[12] while Variety considers Hall's portrayal of the title character as a "towering achievement, one that eclipses the show's other shortcomings and rough patches";[13] the aggregate site Metacritic scored the season at 85 out of 100 based on 11 reviews.[12]

  1. ^ Goldman, Eric (September 28, 2007). "Dexter: "It's Alive!" Advance Review". IGN. Retrieved February 14, 2009.
  2. ^ Goldman, Eric (December 17, 2007). "Dexter: "The British Invasion" Review". IGN. Retrieved March 19, 2009.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference S2E1ratings was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Lafayette, Jon (October 2, 2007). "Dexter Debut Is Showtime's First to Draw 1 Million Viewers". TV Week. Archived from the original on May 1, 2008. Retrieved February 21, 2009.
  5. ^ a b Nordyke, Kimberly; Gough, Paul (December 19, 2007). "Dexter kills in second-season finale". Reuters. Retrieved March 20, 2009.
  6. ^ Martin, Denise (December 16, 2008). "Dexter finale makes off with killer ratings". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 20, 2009.
  7. ^ a b Tallerico, Brian. "Dexter Review". UGO Networks. Archived from the original on October 24, 2007. Retrieved March 19, 2009.
  8. ^ Andy Dehnart (December 14, 2007). "Dexter is poised for a graceful, conflicted finale". Today.com. Retrieved March 20, 2009.
  9. ^ Deggans, Eric (December 15, 2007). "Dexter thrills, and wraps up dexterously". St. Petersburg Times. Retrieved March 20, 2009.
  10. ^ Donnelly, G.J. (October 15, 2007). "Keith Carradine: From Serial Killer to Dexter Nemesis". TV Guide. p. 87. Retrieved March 20, 2009.
  11. ^ Bellafante, Ginia (November 23, 2007). "Sympathy for the Devil: The Nice-Guy Serial Killer Next Door". The New York Times. Retrieved March 20, 2009.
  12. ^ a b "Dexter Season 2 (Series: Showtime, Sunday 9:00p)". Metacritic. September 30, 2007. Retrieved August 14, 2009.
  13. ^ Lowry, Brian (September 26, 2007). "Dexter Review - TV Show Reviews - Analysis Of Dexter The TV Series". Variety. Retrieved August 14, 2009.