Waiting to Exhale

That whole child bit was so annoying like its so convenient that it turns out he can lead the police right to were the gang is like its so convenient and such a stupid plot point. The rest of the episode is fine mainly cause of Doakes aura farming and Lundy being the absolute chad that he is on entering the show.

This is the second episode of the second season of Dexter and it successfully expands on the first episode, and more so the first season. This episode is all about the feelings of our characters. For example, Dexter is insecure especially after the discoveries of his bodies, Rita is more aggressive, and Debra shows she's still being affected by her past.

In this episode, "Waiting to Exhale," Dexter goes after Chino to find out he is waiting for him. Rita is struggling with the death of her husband and she confronts Dexter on whether he is to blame. Meanwhile with the discovery of the bodies, a special task force has been created. Debra has an encounter with a child, which ultimately leads to a drug bust.

Overall, this is a fantastic episode. While not as good as the opener, it still manages to hold it's own. There's no shock or surprises here, but this episode is all about the feelings and more so, that Dexter may be a caring person after all. I rate this episode 9/10.

Dexter finds himself brooding, self-doubting and trying to understand why he has lost his lethal touch and struggling with his kills, and on top of that the additional stress of having his underground burial site revealed, and in the process earning the nickname "Bay Harbour Butcher", which he strongly dislikes.

He also ends up feeling guilty about his recent inability to kill when his failure to murder Little Chino leads to an important witness being killed by Chino's henchmen, and the victim's little daughter suddenly finds herself without a mother.

Meanwhile, Debra still struggles with her traumatic experiences, and in this episode the issue is explored thoroughly, with the effects of her trauma clearly affecting her in a negative way both personally and at work. This storyline is very well-handled and I look forward to seeing more of how this theme is explored later on in the season. Jennifer Carpenter gets a few good scenes here and her acting talent is well-used.

Letting go is one of the major themes of this episode, as Dexter's relationship with Rita becomes strained when Dexter's lack of social skills leads to trouble when he fails to grasp the concept of mourning when Rita deals with the demise of Paul and his subsequent funeral. However, he's clearly having problems of his own as well, as he keeps seeing visions of his dead brother, and he gradually begins to understand more about the complexity of letting go of your past. I think the scriptwriters handle this well, and the scenes are both witty and thought-provoking.

I think the episode was good, it opened up a few interesting possibilities for the rest of the season, but I don't rate is as a classic as I think it builds for the future more than it is instantly rewarding.

Dexter is feeling drifting and losing control of his life after his failure in killing Little Chino and the discovery of the body parts that he had dumped in the sea. The press calls Bay Harbor Butcher the new serial killer and the efficient FBI Special Agent Frank Lundy is assigned for the case to investigate together with Miami Metro PD. Meanwhile Rita is aggressive with Dexter after the death of Paul. When the local Eva Arenas is murdered by machete by Little Chino, Dexter feels responsible for her death and promises to finish with the criminal. Debra is still affected by her affair with the Ice Truck Killer and Sergeant Doakes offers to work with Agent Lundy that refuses his offer. Rita is suspicious of Dexter and asks him if he had framed Paul.

In this second episode, Dexter is totally insecure and anxious after killing his brother associated to the recent events. Rita is suspicious and aggressive with Dexter. Debra is still unbalanced and traumatized for her affair with the serial killer. Let's see the confrontation of Dexter and the famous FBI agent assigned to the case. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "Prendendo a Respiração" ("Breath Holding")

'Waiting to Exhale' kicks off right where the second season premiere left us. The themes and plots continue to grow from 'It's Alive!'

Deb's psychological state is put on presentation, while on the clock.

Dexter makes rushed decisions and goes places he never thought he would. He also puts things to rest after observing others do the same.

Suspenseful and eventful.

This episode marks a crossroads where certain elements are tied up but the effect they made still lingers strongly. The show could go anywhere from here.

The sub-plot involving Lt. Esmee Pasquale is the only thing holding back a 10/10.