Dexter: Season Two

Data
Title: Dexter: Season Two
Year: 2007
Network: Showtime
Episodes: 12, at c. 53 minutes each
Creator: James Manos Jr. (developer), from a novel by Jeff Lindsay
Directors: Marcos Siega (3 episodes), Tony Goldwyn (2), Nick Gomez (2), Keith Gordon (2), Steve Shill (2), Jeremy Podeswa (1)
Writers: Daniel Cerone (3 episodes), Melissa Rosenberg (3), Scott Buck (3), Tim Schlattmann (2), Clyde Phillips (1), Lauren Gussis (1), Scott Reynolds (1)
Starring: Michael C. Hall, Julie Benz, Jennifer Carpenter, Erik King
Music: Rolfe Kent (theme), Daniel Licht

My reaction
Synopsis: the serial killer who kills other killers goes to Narcotics Anonymous
How I saw it: online (streaming from Netflix), over the past couple days
Concept: Indifferent. After season one I wondered how much show you can make about a serial killer without him ever getting caught. About one season, I'd say.
Story: Bad. While I was watching it I was completely engaged and eager to find out How They'll Get Out of This One. Turns out, the writers had no idea how they'd get out of it either. The ending is full of plot holes, and, more importantly, is completely unsatisfying.
Characters: Bad. There are a couple new characters this season. One is a cliche, and the other is stolen. On top of that, they manage to turn Dexter into a bumbling jackass - pretty much the opposite of who he was in season one (except he still kills people for fun, so what's not to like?). The returning supporting characters are still good, though.
Dialog: Great.
Pacing: Great.
Cinematography: Indifferent. Improved from last season, but still mediocre.
Special effects/design: Great.
Acting: Good.
Music: Good. No more spontaneous mambos this season - one of the show's few significant improvements.
Subjective Rating: 6/10 (Okay). Pretty much the whole point of season one is that you're rooting for a "bad guy." This time around, I not only wasn't rooting for him, but I kind of hated him and would have been much more satisfied with the show if Sgt. Doakes snapped and killed him around episode six or seven. Of course, it's an ongoing series, so it's no spoiler to say that doesn't happen. I spent most of the last few episodes thinking, "If this is where they're going with this show, why would I want to watch season three?" If they're never going to catch the bastard, what's the point? But I have to admit, if they put season three online, I'll probably feel compelled to find out exactly how pointless it is.  Part of me is even holding out hope that they'll get around to plugging some of season two's plot holes.
Objective Rating: 2.6/4 (Good).