Season Two

Big Bad
Lila West Sgt. James Doakes

Little Bad(s)
Frank Lundy Little Chino Santos Jimenez Gail Brandon

Air Dates

Premiere:

30 September 2007

Finale:

16 December 2007

DVD:

See: Dexter DVDs

Blu-ray:

See: Dexter DVDs

Guest Star(s)
Jaime Murray as Lila West JoBeth Williams as Gail Brandon John Marshall Jones as Curtis Barnes

The second season of Dexter premiered 30 September 2007 and ended 16 December 2007.

The season premiere, "It's Alive," attracted 1.09 million viewers in the United States, making Dexter the first Showtime series to attract more than a million viewers with a season premiere.

The season finale, "The British Invasion," attracted 1.4 million viewers, making it the program's most-watched episode until the airing of the Season Seven premiere, "Are You...?"

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%.

Reviews

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

Season Two Synopsis

The psychological fallout from killing his brother, Brian, and the constant surveillance by Sgt. James Doakes, who suspects that Dexter is connected with the Ice Truck Killer, have resulted in Dexter not killing anyone in more than a month. When he finally has a victim on his table, Dexter is unable to follow through and sets the man free with a warning. It takes three attempts by Dexter before he is able to kill the next victim.

Meanwhile, Debra's experiences with the Ice Truck Killer continue to traumatize her. For her safety and comfort, she moves into Dexter's apartment, further complicating his life.

Scuba divers discover the bags containing Dexter's dismembered victims in Bay Harbor. The police launch an investigation to find the unknown killer, who is dubbed the "Bay Harbor Butcher."

FBI Special Agent Frank Lundy—an expert on serial killers— is brought in to head the case. Debra later becomes romantically involved with Lundy. The "Butcher" begins to garner fans when it is discovered that his victims were themselves murderers.

Paul Bennett, still in prison, continues to assert his innocence to Rita, only to be killed in a prison fight. Against Dexter's wishes, Rita gives Bennett a funeral. After reflecting on Paul's claims, Rita confronts Dexter with the shoe that she had found and he admits to framing Paul. This admission, coupled with Dexter's other odd behavior, leads Rita to believe that Dexter himself is a heroin addict. Dexter tells Rita that he has an "addiction" to cover for his actual activities. Not knowing that Dexter's "addiction" is his need to kill, Rita compels Dexter to join Narcotics Anonymous. That is where he meets and becomes involved with his sponsor, Lila Tournay, a pyromaniac who starts to obsessively pursue Dexter.

James Doakes confronts Dexter leaving an NA meeting and is temporarily satisfied that Dexter's unusual behavior can be explained by a stressful law enforcement career combined with drug abuse. However, Doakes' suspicions about Dexter soon return, and he again goes after Dexter, which leads to Doakes losing his job when he attacks Dexter at work. Doakes then breaks into Dexter's apartment and discovers Dexter's blood slides, which he steals and plans to have analyzed.

The FBI discover the slides in Doakes' car, and they are matched to the bodies of the Butcher's victims. Doakes becomes the prime suspect and a manhunt begins for him. Lieutenant Maria LaGuerta, Doakes's former partner, is the only one who believes that Doakes is innocent. LaGuerta tries to prove to Lundy that Doakes was with her on a stakeout during one of the Bay Harbor murders. Lundy rejects LaGuerta's case files because she did not report a phone call she had received from Doakes after the hunt for him began.

Events set up a showdown in which Doakes holds a gun on Dexter at a remote Everglades cabin. It ends with Dexter overpowering Doakes and keeping him locked in a cage for days inside the cabin. Dexter begins to frame Doakes as the Butcher.

Dexter learns two upsetting things about Harry: that he was sleeping with Laura Moser, Dexter's biological mother and that, after walking in on Dexter in the middle of a kill, Harry committed suicide from the guilt. These discoveries cause Dexter's faith in The Code to waver, and he imagines scenarios in which he turns himself in to the police.

In the season finale, Lila finds the cabin where Doakes is imprisoned and deliberately causes a propane tank explosion, killing Doakes and blowing up the corpse of one of Dexter's victims. When the scene is investigated, evidence points to Doakes as the Bay Harbor Butcher and the case is closed.

Lila meets with Dexter at the aquarium, expecting him to accept her love now that she knows his dark secret. Although Dexter pretends to want a life with her, Lila discovers that he is actually planning to kill her. She seeks revenge by kidnapping Rita's children and using them to lure Dexter into a trap, intending to burn them alive. Dexter saves the children and escapes, suffering only scorched eyebrows. Dexter later exacts his revenge by following Lila to Paris and stabbing her in the heart.

In the closing scenes, Doakes' memorial service goes largely unattended, with the exception of LaGuerta, Dexter, and Doakes' immediate family. Dexter buys a new blood box and determines to set his own path and explore new rituals.