Director: Tony Goldwyn
Cast: Michael C. Hall (Dexter Morgan), Lauren Velez (Lt Maria LaGuerta), Julie Benz (Rita Bennett), Jennifer Carpenter (Debra Morgan), David Zayas (Angel Batista), Erik King (Sgt Doakes), James Remar (Harry Morgan), Mark Pellegrino (Paul Bennett), C.S Lee (Vince Masula), Devon Graye (Teenage Dexter), Matthew J. Willig (Chino), Judith Scott (Lt. Esme Lundy), Glenn Plummer (Jimmy), Max Gail (Banana Boat Tour Guide), Christina Robinson (Astor), Preston Bailey (Cody), Claude Shires (Annoying Man), Anna Maganini (Eva), Jillian Bruno (Marissa), Ron Rogge (Blue-Collar Guy) & Craig Patton (Customs Officer)
Dexter Morgan's life has taken a downward turn since the death of his brother; constantly shadowed by a suspicious colleague and unable to regain his killer instinct…"… my life's been all Jekyll and no Hyde.
My brother would be so disappointed."
My brother would be so disappointed."
- Dexter Morgan (Michael C. Hall)
The problem facing all television shows in their sophomore year is development. This is particularly true for a series like Dexter, because its first season was particularly focused on a clear-cut ending, making it a serialized story of 12-parts. Can the writing staff successfully plot another dark mystery for season 2, particularly now they're not adapting the "Darkly Dreaming Dexter" novel?
It's Alive! provides brilliant echoes to season 1's fallout, while striving forward with a fresh angle. Following last year's revelation that The Ice Truck Killer was Dex's long-lost brother, who had been dating Dex's foster sister Debra, the knotty resolution has been given some distance...
It's now just over a month since Dex killed his brother, and things haven't been the same. It appears he's lost his killer instinct, having found some humanity by choosing his oblivious sister's life over his likeminded brother. This becomes most apparent when he gets uncharacteristic second thoughts midway through one of his ritualized killings... and allows his victim to go free.
Other aftershocks from The Ice Truck Killer continue to reverberate, not least with Sgt. Doakes (Erik King), who's even more convinced something sinister's going on with Dexter. Doakes has taken to following Dex around, night after night, meaning Dex is forced to spend his evenings bowling with work colleagues -- in the "Bowl Till You Bleed" team, natch. Debra (Jennifer Carpenter) has also moved in with Dex to recover from her ordeal, meaning he has less time alone with his dark thoughts, while sexy girlfriend Rita (Julie Benz) is growing closer to Dexter ever second…
As a season premiere, It's Alive! hardly puts a foot wrong. Having a chink in Dexter's personality is a nice idea and it also provides evidence that the influence of his "normal" life is affecting his homicidal tendencies. Will the series eventually lead to Dex finding redemption instead of a death sentence?
It's also nice to play catch-up with these characters, as they're one of the more interesting groups on television. Of course, Michael C. Hall is ice-smooth and terrific as Dexter, but the strong support from everyone else shouldn't be taken for granted, particularly Jennifer Carpenter, Lauren Velez (LaGuerta) and Julie Benz. Each character is given a chance to shine in Daniel Cerone's script, and I particularly liked the development between LaGuerta and her replacement Pascal, who isn't a total bitch. In fact, she seems to be getting her own continuing sub-plot with an annoying fiancé...
Dexter's use of flashbacks could become a problem for the series (as Lost discovered in season 3), although they nicely tie-in with events in this episode. It helps that Dexter isn't reliant on flashbacks, so they can be distributed evenly throughout the season. James Remar (Harry Morgan) and Devon Graye (Teenage Dexter) do well with limited appearances, managing to craft genuine characters from bite-sized roles.
I was a little disappointed the writers have decided to end the plot with Rita's abusive husband Paul (Mark Pellegrino), but perhaps it has run its course. The seeds of fresh plots are nicely sown here, particularly with the formidable sight of suspected machete killer Chino (goliath Matthew J. Willig), who becomes the "wild boar" Dexter missed out on hunting with his dad in a flashback.
Overall, the season 2 premiere is an impressive opener that proves there's mileage in the premise. As season 2 isn't adapting one of Jeff Lindsay's source novels, it also means we'll get to see what the writers can do with the characters and premise themselves -- without having to stick to a book's narrative structure.
There's welcome and genuine change to the characters since season 1, it throws up new ideas and dynamics, provides neat parallels to season 1's premiere ("Tonight's the night…") and culminates in a heart-pumping look at who the new season's villain will be....
Quite literally!
30 September 2007
Showtime, 9.30 pm
