The British Invasion 

In the Season Two finale, Lundy and the FBI finally settle the case of the Bay Harbor Butcher, but the heat's not entirely off Dexter as his world literally becomes an inferno. Can he rise from the ashes once again?

Director:

Steve Shill

Writers:

James Manos Jr. (developed for television by), Jeff Lindsay (based on the novel "Darkly Dreaming Dexter" by)

Stars:

Michael C. Hall, Julie Benz, Jennifer Carpenter

Cast

Episode cast overview, first billed only:
Michael C. Hall	...	Dexter Morgan
Julie Benz	...	Rita Bennett
Jennifer Carpenter	...	Debra Morgan
Erik King	...	Sgt. James Doakes
C.S. Lee	...	Vince Masuka
Luna Lauren Velez	...	Lt. Maria LaGuerta (as Lauren Velez)
David Zayas	...	Det. Angel Batista
James Remar	...	Harry Morgan
Geoff Pierson	...	Capt. Tom Matthews
Jonathan Banks	...	FBI Deputy Director Max Adams
Jaime Murray	...	Lila Tournay
Keith Carradine	...	Special Agent Frank Lundy
Christina Robinson	...	Astor Bennett
Preston Bailey	...	Cody Bennett
Eli Goodman	...	Det. Weiss

Storyline

Lila finds Doakes imprisoned in the cabin, and realizes that Dexter is the Bay Harbor Butcher. She ignores his pleas for help, and kills Doakes by setting the cabin on fire. Doakes is found dead, and because the evidence of the Bay Harbor Butcher killings indicates him as the criminal, the case is closed. Debra and Lundy try to resolve their relationship problems and Dexter reconciles with Rita. When Lila threatens Rita's children, Dexter realizes that he needs to find a solution to Lila's obsession with him. After Lila attempts to kill him, Dexter follows her to Paris and kills her.

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Plot Keywords:

gps device | propane | propane gas | explosion | saving a life | 

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

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Certificate:

TV-MA

Did You Know?

Trivia

Voted number 49 on TV Guide's 100 Greatest Television Episodes.

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Goofs

At the beginning of the episode, Dexter and Deb are discussing whether to report for duty. However, from the count of bottles on the table, they have consumed too much alcohol to be considered fit for duty, especially on such a high-profile and dangerous case.

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Quotes

Dexter Morgan: You're emotionally colorblind. You use the right words. You pantomime the right behavior. Your feelings never come to pass.
Lila: It's not true.
Dexter Morgan: It is, Lila. You know the dictionary definition of emotions. Longing, joy, sorrow. But you have no idea what any of those things actually feel like.
Lila: You're wrong. I have feelings for you.
Dexter Morgan: You want to have feelings for me, but they're just impulses.
Lila: Enough!
Dexter Morgan: They're primitive responses to immediate needs. You know all the words, but you can't hear the music.
Lila: Don't do...
[...]

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Connections

References Sabotage (1936)

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Soundtracks

Perfidia
(uncredited)
Written by Alberto Domínguez
Performed by Mambo Allstars

User Reviews

Season Two Review

Revisiting the first season of Dexter was, in some ways, a little underwhelming. Though I still think the show was good, I remembered much about the Ice Truck killer storyline and so the mystery elements of it didn't land as hard. Season two held more surprises and, though I still remembered bits here and there, was all the better for it.

Though the Ice Truck Killer is gone, Dexter's (Michael C Hall) feelings of regret and guilt are having an effect on all aspects of his life, both public and very private. Only Sgt. Doakes (Erik King) still believes there's something fishy about Dexter, continuing to investigate him and the pressure only increases when his off-sea dumping ground is discovered and the FBI are called in. When trapped in a lie by Rita (Julie Benz) Dexter admits to being an "addict" and promises to go to meetings, where he meets free spirted Lila (Jamie Murray) who agrees to act as his sponsor.

I think that I enjoyed the second season of Dexter a bit more than I did the first. It might have just been, as I said, that little bit less familiarity than I had with the first season. But I also think that it was better written and found a tighter and cleverer way to clear up the loose ends than the first did. I really liked the scenes with Doakes and Dexter this season, as the balance of power between them shifts back and forth, as Dexter plays his hand a little more and sets traps for him to fall into. I do feel it was the right time for his character to leave the show though and I feel the same about a few others who don't last beyond this season - it was good for them to go before they started to become annoying. I was less convinced by the relationship between Deb and Special Agent Lundy, I think I'd have preferred that left as a more unrequited but gently healing relationship for her, rather than seeing them in bed together.

So, an improved second season of "Dexter" and it was already solid stuff. On to the 3rd.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

16 December 2007 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Aquarium of the Pacific - 100 Aquarium Way, Long Beach, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

The Colleton Company, Clyde Phillips Productions, John Goldwyn Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

51 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1