Bloody good show
Chicago Sun-Times, Sep 30, 2007 by Doug Elfman
Dexter leans over his captured prey (wrapped in plastic and tape) and prepares to kill him with a stab to the heart.
"Why are you doing this to me?" the about-to-be-dead guy asks?
"I'm not so much doing this to you, as I'm doing it for me," Dexter says quietly, then draws blood from the man's cheek -- a red- splattered souvenir.
And so, the second season gets under way for "Dexter," one of the best shows on TV this decade. High praise, indeed. Deserved. The first season was ridiculously engrossing and entertaining. "Dexter's" second season is creative, compelling, thoughtful and even fun.
Dexter is a Miami forensics cop whose hobby is to serial murder. He uses cop skills covertly to kill only other killers, never innocents. He's a vigilante by default. Mostly, he's a sociopath who feels no emotions, but he abides by his dead dad's cop code: Only the bad die young.
As tonight's season debut begins, Dexter tries to shake off a fellow cop, Doakes, who trails Dexter around Miami because he suspects him of being vaguely evil. This briefly crimps Dexter's lifestyle. But Dexter finds a way to slice and dice.
The feds will track Dexter, too, even as he works under their noses. Cops luck upon corpses of Dexter's victims and start examining them. Dexter thought he was so sly, dumping bodies in the water. Maybe not. Will they realize Dexter's their man?
One of the triumphs of "Dexter" is how writers turn plots into dualities. In an upcoming episode, a bitter woman tells Dexter she hopes the newest serial killer gets away with his crimes, since he kills only criminals. She is essentially giving Dexter her blessing, to his face, even though she has no idea he's the killer.
It's charming that Dexter studies his victims' talents before he slashes them. Last season, he killed an evil shrink, but not until Dexter got a free session from the guy, who ended up wrapped in that to-be-dead-soon plastic.
This season, Dexter will capture a professional liar (a salesman), which gives Dexter the chance to study the man's deceptions so he can better employ lying techniques himself.
"It's like watching someone ski moguls," Dexter compliments the liar in plastic. "You just hop from one lie to the next. No shame. No embarrassment. You just don't give a s---. That's the key, right? Not to care about anyone or anything?"
The imagery is always pretty. Blood drips over a cross tattoo. A cop speaks in slow motion at Dexter while we hear Dexter's elegant, twisted thoughts.
The cast is improved even over last year, filling the roles of Dexter (the incredible Michael C. Hall, who should have just won the best drama Emmy), his sister Debra (Jennifer Carpenter), Doakes (Erik King), Lt. Laguerta (Lauren Velez), Detective Angel (David Zayas) and Dexter's weak girlfriend, Rita (Julie Benz).
Dexter finds a "sponsor" of sorts in Lila, played by Jaime Murray. She adds needed romantic competition to sad-sap Rita. Murray gives an absorbing performance as a 12-stepper who isn't as repulsed by death as most people are; Lila is right up Dexter's alley.
"I really need to kill somebody," Dexter says.
I really want to watch.
delfman@suntimes.com
- - -
Michael C. Hall
On his workout routine
"Cardio, weights, stretching. But there are some days when I'm killing someone, and that sort of serves as my workout."
On playing murderous
Dexter with affection
"That's part of my job of playing the character -- to open my heart to him. ... We all have our shadow. His shadow is about as formidable a shadow as you can have."
On whether I'm a bad person, because I want Dexter to kill more people
"That's really something you need to ask yourself."
Dexter leans over his captured prey (wrapped in plastic and tape) and prepares to kill him with a stab to the heart.
"Why are you doing this to me?" the about-to-be-dead guy asks?
"I'm not so much doing this to you, as I'm doing it for me," Dexter says quietly, then draws blood from the man's cheek -- a red- splattered souvenir.
And so, the second season gets under way for "Dexter," one of the best shows on TV this decade. High praise, indeed. Deserved. The first season was ridiculously engrossing and entertaining. "Dexter's" second season is creative, compelling, thoughtful and even fun.
Dexter is a Miami forensics cop whose hobby is to serial murder. He uses cop skills covertly to kill only other killers, never innocents. He's a vigilante by default. Mostly, he's a sociopath who feels no emotions, but he abides by his dead dad's cop code: Only the bad die young.
As tonight's season debut begins, Dexter tries to shake off a fellow cop, Doakes, who trails Dexter around Miami because he suspects him of being vaguely evil. This briefly crimps Dexter's lifestyle. But Dexter finds a way to slice and dice.
The feds will track Dexter, too, even as he works under their noses. Cops luck upon corpses of Dexter's victims and start examining them. Dexter thought he was so sly, dumping bodies in the water. Maybe not. Will they realize Dexter's their man?
One of the triumphs of "Dexter" is how writers turn plots into dualities. In an upcoming episode, a bitter woman tells Dexter she hopes the newest serial killer gets away with his crimes, since he kills only criminals. She is essentially giving Dexter her blessing, to his face, even though she has no idea he's the killer.
It's charming that Dexter studies his victims' talents before he slashes them. Last season, he killed an evil shrink, but not until Dexter got a free session from the guy, who ended up wrapped in that to-be-dead-soon plastic.
This season, Dexter will capture a professional liar (a salesman), which gives Dexter the chance to study the man's deceptions so he can better employ lying techniques himself.
"It's like watching someone ski moguls," Dexter compliments the liar in plastic. "You just hop from one lie to the next. No shame. No embarrassment. You just don't give a s---. That's the key, right? Not to care about anyone or anything?"
The imagery is always pretty. Blood drips over a cross tattoo. A cop speaks in slow motion at Dexter while we hear Dexter's elegant, twisted thoughts.
The cast is improved even over last year, filling the roles of Dexter (the incredible Michael C. Hall, who should have just won the best drama Emmy), his sister Debra (Jennifer Carpenter), Doakes (Erik King), Lt. Laguerta (Lauren Velez), Detective Angel (David Zayas) and Dexter's weak girlfriend, Rita (Julie Benz).
Dexter finds a "sponsor" of sorts in Lila, played by Jaime Murray. She adds needed romantic competition to sad-sap Rita. Murray gives an absorbing performance as a 12-stepper who isn't as repulsed by death as most people are; Lila is right up Dexter's alley.
"I really need to kill somebody," Dexter says.
I really want to watch.
delfman@suntimes.com
- - -
Michael C. Hall
On his workout routine
"Cardio, weights, stretching. But there are some days when I'm killing someone, and that sort of serves as my workout."
On playing murderous
Dexter with affection
"That's part of my job of playing the character -- to open my heart to him. ... We all have our shadow. His shadow is about as formidable a shadow as you can have."
On whether I'm a bad person, because I want Dexter to kill more people
"That's really something you need to ask yourself."
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