Dexter season 2 slays me

After watching the first season of Dexter, and now getting to the midpoint of season two, I am so utterly bummed that I haven’t been watching from the beginning and recapping this show for you guys.

Granted, Pop Critics didn’t exist until earlier this year, but still.

For a simple idea of a serial killer who kills bad guys, the writers behind Dexter have given us one of the most prolific characters on television.

I thought the first season arc was going to be unbeatable. The plot with the Ice Truck Killer was exciting, scary and seriously one of the best 12 episodes of a show I’ve ever seen. Dexter is like finding one of those gems that only come around every once in awhile.

But here I sit, halfway through the second season and it’s still blowing me away.

I think the biggest, most intriguing aspect of this season’s “Bay Harbor Butcher” story arc is the way in which Dexter himself has been transformed. He’s evolving, changing…becoming less robotic and more emotional. This newcomer in Lila has been a great addition to the cast and Dexter has seen himself in ways he couldn’t before meeting her.

Week to week, the hunt for the Butcher is spellbinding. I’m not sure any show has tackled a situation like this, where the person being hunted as a mass-murderer is a guy helping your investigation.

Or sabotaging it…as we’ve seen.

And in the first season review I wrote, I compared him to a superhero and wondering if a comic book or graphic novel would be on the way someday. Well one of the recent episodes involved a murdered comic book store owner, who had done a drawing of the hooded vigilante Bay Harbor Butcher, with a blood-dripping knife in hand.

The Dark Defender.

I loved it, and loved that episode. Dexter’s subtle smirks while admiring the art was awesome. As much as he is a serial killer, a lot of the people in Miami are behind him. He’s a cross between Batman and Hannibal Lector. He’s keeping the criminals off the streets, but they get dumped in the ocean instead of going off to jail.

He even has a costume in a way, because he always seems to wear that long-sleeved shirt when he’s out to kill someone.

I’ve also completely enjoyed the subplot with Doakes.  He follows Dex everywhere to start the season, but then believes all Dex is hiding is that he’s an addict.

But now even that has been proven to be a lie and Doakes is ready to bring our vigilante hero down. Eric King, who plays Doakes, has such an intense way about him that I totally dig. Those burning eyes whenever he looks at Dexter almost makes me feel like I’VE done something wrong.

I have the next two episodes already sitting on my DVR thanks to DTV’s On Demand, so hopefully I’ll be caught up soon.