Dexter (TV Series) The British Invasion (2007) User Reviews

Dex monologue: Your going away with me alright - in a garbage bag.

[antisocial1 · 9/10 · 22 March 2011]

Lila kills Doakes, which solves Dex's problem. Not happy to see Doakes go, such a great character.

Dex is in quite a predicament at Lilah's place with Deb there, Lila could tell Deb he's the butcher, seeing his killing tool bag and not luggage on the floor. I mean she doesn't really have anything to lose there, it would be safer.

Love the taxi scene with Deb as she receives a call from Rita about the kids being taken. Taxi Driver: Honey could you make up your mind. Deb: Why do I have to make up my mind. Cab driver looks puzzled :)

Pretty somber ending. We see Doakes' funeral, no-one attends. His life's work and friendships are destroyed and his family has to live with it. You also even feel a little sorry for Lila, she only wanted Dex.

Dexter Season 2 "British Invasion" Season Finale **SPOILERS**and PLOT

[BanningZ · 10/10 · 15 December 2007]

An excellent ending to the second season of Dexter. the nice thing about this show is that it has many twists and turns but makes sure to cut off all loose ends.

************WARNING SPOILER BELOW****************************************

In the "British invasion" Dexter's problems are solved when Lila steals Dexter's Navigation system and finds the cabin hidden in the Florida Everglades where Sargent Doakes is being held captive. She breaks in and Doakes informs her that Dexter is the Bay Harbor Butcher. Lila in a delusional state feels that she now truly understands Dexter and wants to protect him. She leaves a gas line open and turns on the stove locking Doakes in the Cabin. Almost escaping Doakes is instead nearly all but incinerated by the huge explosion which destroys the cabin.

Dexter is relived by the instance but is unaware how it happened.

Dexter is given a new lease on life and begins to appreciate all that he could have lost should he have confessed or be caught as the true killer he is. Taking advantage of this renewed sense of freedom reconciles with Rita and they have an early morning romp before the kids stumble upon them to interrupt or as dexter put it "The Sex Police are here."

Later in examining charred evidence in the Forensics department from the Cabin explosion Dexter discovers his burned yet still recognizable Navigation unit that was taken from his car. Realizing that Lila could be the only person to take it he makes contact and arranges a meeting.

In this meeting Lila and Dexter profess their true fondness for each other and arrange to leave town the next day. Dexter has other plans.

Dexter hides in Lila's apartment waiting to "Remove" her when Deborah walks in almost becoming Dexter's victim on accident. She assumes that he was there to make sure she had left too when Lila walks in. Lila then sees Dexter's bag of tools and realizes what is going on. She grabs his bag and leaves telling Deborah that shes leaving town, and walks out.

Dexter leaves and tries to phone contact Lila to no avail.

Lila Pulls her jeep on the beach and looks at Dexter's tools. She then goes to Rita's home and knocks out the babysitter that was watching Astor and Cody.

Dexter returns to the Police station when Captain Astor tells Dexter that a woman called saying that she had specific knowledge to the Bay Harbor Butcher case and that Dexter has something to do with it. Realizing that Lila is trying to stall Dexter and he immediately rushes to Rita's house.

Upon arriving at Rita's house Dexter finds the children missing and the babysitter unconscious. Rita walks in and Dexter informs her that the children are missing and to call Deborah get get police searching for the children.

Dexter immediately goes to Lilas Loft and finds the children awaiting him who appear to be fine. Turning around Dexter sees Lila and she tells him that that essentially he "Screwed up". She grabs a lit standing candleabra and throws it to the ground igniting the curtains on fire. Lila runs out of the apartment shutting the steel doors and locking them closed with a chain. As the apartment engulfs in flames dexter kicks out two small windows and rushes the children through them to safety. once out he attempts to open the locked doors again with no luck. Gasping from smoke inhalation on the floor he remembers his father telling him that he will always be the way he is. Waking out of his daze he sees the lathe and plaster opening a hole in the wall as it burns. He jumps up wrapping himself in a blanket and rams the wall numerous times before flying through the wall to the outside entry way collapsing to the ground. Deborah grabs him and pats the flames away.

Dexter is sitting on a stretcher and asks Deborah how she knew to come to Lilas place and she stated that it was pretty obvious.

Lila is seen boarding a plane to Paris France.

Deb and Dex have a cute moment together stating that Deb is now taking care of Dex and not the latter.

Scene End. Black.

A tram or lift goes riding past the screen and the shot is taken to Lila opening the Door to her apartment in Paris. She checks her mail that has been slid trough the mail slot in the door and finds a Postcard that says "Greetings from Miami" on the front and a picture of Sargent Doakes on the back with no writing. Dexter leaps out from the shadows piercing Lilas spine with a needle. Lila tells dexter that she couldn't feel her legs or the rest of her body. He tells her thats why he did a spinal injection because he has a plane to catch.

He lays her on her and she tries to use reason and excuse to not do this but he tells her that she of all people always said how she understood him. He plunges a knife into her chest and waits for the life to leave her eyes. He seals her in a bag, and zips her up.

Black.

Impressive.

The best episode so far

[Scarlet_Syndicate · 10/10 · 3 June 2012]

Having just recently discovered this TV programme (completing the first two seasons in three days flat) you could probably say I'm a little obsessed with it at the moment. And for good reason, Dexter is possibly one of the war shows around right now as far as I could tell. Having just finished this episode I felt the strong need to write a review on how excellent it actually was. Personally I thought season 2 a lot better than season 1, the latter of which was more of a murder mystery whereas the more recent season focusing on the titular character and his life and relationships. And I must say they pulled it off perfectly. This last episode In particular is like a rule book on what TV should be like. The amount of different emotions in this episode were monumental, coming to the point where the audience did have to question themselves on whether Dexter really is the good guy as we had previously believed for the past 23 episodes. Doakes was an excellent character who brought a lot to the story and I was quite sad to see him leave. Relating to this, I must give kudos to the writers and the actress who plays Lilac for creating such a despicable character where it got to the point I ended up yelling 'die b**** die* at the TV screen (no joke) I was glad she got her come uppence although I must admit that scene in Paris did seem a little rushed. The acting was top notch as usual and I did like the changes in locations in this season where there was more variety. Dexter was intended initially to be a sort of thriller, tense type show but this season has evolved from that and also managed to include so much more emotions; Doakes' empty funeral ceremony in particular I thought was quite a strong one for this programme. The point of all this review I guess is just to urge anyone who hasn't seen Dexter before to watch it. Believe me it will hook you from the first episode. Tomorrow I start and intend to finish season 3. Can't go wrong with 12 hours of Dexter. If you already watch it, you'll understand.

Season 2: Despite some weaker aspects compared to season 1, this continues to be engaging and satisfying television (MASSIVE SPOILERS)

[bob the moo · 15 September 2009]

I'm not sure what I used to do with my time when I only had 4 terrestrial channels but I hope I spent it well because with the ability now to legally get access to lots of television shows without having to shell out on DVD sets, I'm finding myself getting into lots of shows that I missed first time round or never really gave a chance to. As I've said before, Dexter is one of those shows and I really enjoyed season 1. I probably should have left a longer gap between seasons but after a few weeks my girlfriend impatiently bullied me into the second season. I mention this not to provide personal colour or to slip in the information that I do have a girlfriend but more to note that I probably moved into it too quickly and that that may have affected my opinion on it.

Season 1 worked so very well that it took me by surprise and gripped me from start to finish and I carried this into the next season, meaning that it felt like it started a little slowly and took a few episodes to get going. This may or may not have been the impression had I come to it with season 1 more of a memory from months ago but it was how it felt to me. The plot this time sees Dexter struggling to do his thing for a while and, just as he gets back into it, his deep sea dumping ground is discovered by divers, sparking a manhunt for another Miami serial killer. Most of the season is spent with this net closing while at the same time we have other pressures from Doakes, Laguerta and new character Lundy. It doesn't quite hit the consistency of the first season for me but it is still a very good collection of threads that get more and tenser as the season rolls on.

Not all of it works as well as other bits though. Certainly the thread with Lila takes up more space and is more significant than I would have liked it to be. This is most evident at the end of the season where she seems to be moved into a convenient character to try and keep the viewer on the side of Dexter by having her responsible for Doakes' death in terms of actual actions. This is a problem generally though because, although Dexter is a dark show, it is not so dark that it can function with you actively disliking the title character – OK he may not be a "good guy" but it is clear who we are meant to side with and normally this is easy to do. With the final few episodes putting him against Doakes with only one real outcome, I (like many) really felt for Doakes and he was clearly the "good guy" out of the two and, while the script keeps his hands clean, it is hard not to feel sorry for Doakes while also putting the blame for his death squarely on Dexter. This reveals that the show is not as complex or as dark as it maybe appears because it doesn't cope well when the monster that is Dexter starts to come out. While killing "bad men", the show can easily carry the weird, dark humour and drama but the writing is not strong enough to keep the viewer close while actively pushing us away (which in my view was happening with the latter stages of season 2).

This is not a significant problem though because mostly season 2 continues to hit the strengths of the first season by being weirdly off-beat, well written and engaging across a range of the characters in different ways. It also continues to capture a murky "look" and "feel" that helps it a lot as well. The cast continue to be very strong with their characters. Note I'm not saying that these are the best characters ever made but they do work within the context of a "different" drama series that works on a season long thread or collection of threads. Hall plays his character very well and it suits him to go through a range of emotions and struggles that the script give to him – even if the show is not up to making him a repellent character, it is clear that Hall can deliver that if required. King is a stronger presence than before even if his character is reasonably one-dimensional, he does play off Hall very well. Carpenter has a bit more of a character to work with this time round and, while she is not complex she is certainly interesting – although Benz's performance suffers a bit from her character and situation being less interesting to me in this season. Vélez, Zayas, Carradine, Remar and Lee are reliable and make for a strong supporting cast.

Season 2 of Dexter continues to be great television. It is perhaps not as daring, complex and dark as it would appear to be on the surface but it is still engaging and satisfying across the whole season. It does have a few more noticeable weaknesses than season 1 and it is not keen to let the viewer be anywhere but on Dexter's "side". This would be a good area for the show to explore but it is not one it coped with well in regards Doakes and it is also the reason I will leave a bigger gap before starting season 3, so that I can come to the title character with these feelings reduced somewhat.

What An Ending!

[g-bodyl · 10/10 · 28 June 2014]

This is the twelfth episode and the season finale of Dexter and it's the most heart-racing, tense episode in the season. This episode is all about Lila and how Dexter tries to act with her. This is action-packed and full of surprises. There are even several important character deaths here, which may or may not come as a surprise.

In this episode, "The British Invasion," Lila discovers the cabin where Doakes is locked up and Doakes tells her that Dexter is the Bay Harbor Butcher. But Lila still believes in Dexter so she burns the cabin to the ground....with Doakes inside. Dexter couldn't believe his luck since the FBI was closing in. Debra and Lundy plans an ice-fishing trip, but work gets in the way. Meanwhile to get at Dexter, Lila kidnaps Rita's kids and Dexter realizes she must go for good....

Overall, this is an incredible episode and the finest episode in this magnificent season. I'm definitely curious to see what is going to happen next. Dexter may have avoided the law this time around, but will he succeed again? I rate this episode 10/10.

When a Miracle Happens

[claudio_carvalho · 9/10 · 22 August 2010]

Lila meets Doakes that reveals that Dexter is the Bay Harbor Butcher and Lila open the propane gas and turns the fire on in the stove, exploding the cabin with Doakes. The FBI closes the case and Agent Lundy is assigned to another case frustrating Debra that intended to travel with him in the holiday. Dexter believes that a miracle happened and feels relieved and he is back to Rita and the children. However Lila calls him and schedules a meeting in the aquarium where she discloses the truth about what happened in Everglades. Dexter accepts to leave Miami with her but his real intention is to get rid of Lila. When she discovers his real intention, she abducts Astor and Cody and lock up Dexter with the children in her burning apartment.

"The British Invasion" is the awesome conclusion of Dexter, so far one of the best TV series ever. The story has many plot points and everything is favorably resolved to Dexter. The respect of Dexter's producers with the audience, ending the plot in the end of the season, is remarkable and should be followed by other producers that force the fans to wait for months to see the end of the story. My vote is nine.

Title (Brazil): "Invasão Britânica" ("British Invasion")

I'm good at compartmentalization

[dannylee-78082 · 9/10 · 31 December 2021]

1. Doakes go boom 2. Lila knows Dex identity 3. Lila has a habit of burning stuff up

What a great ending. Dexter has a lot of solid themes. One of them is a child being independent from parental influence. And Dexter finally getting to Lila in a personal way was very satisfying, which signifies that he's willing to develop his own code. From Season 1 episode 1, we've seen some tremendous character development and I love the series for that. Can't wait for season 3!!

Season Two Review

[southdavid · 8/10 · 14 December 2020]

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.

Season 2 Review

[IPyaarCinema · 9/10 · 17 September 2022]

Season 2 of "Dexter" starts off a bit slower than the last. What we get is a deeper look into the Dexter's mind, as well as watch him deal with new issues that have popped up in his personal life. And Then Season 2 quickly ramps up into a very tense plot that had me on the edge of my seat and watching episodes as quickly as I could. This season has many more edge-of-your-seat moments due to the heightened risk of Dexter getting caught. Throughout this second season Michael C Hall continues to play the character of Dexter to perfection making him one of the most fascinating people on television. The supporting cast are equally as good, helping to keep the plot grounded in reality despite some unlikely events that take place.

Bye, Bye Everyone

[ZegMaarJus · 9/10 · 2 April 2021]

This episode begins with Lila, she found Doakes with Dexter his navigation system. Lila sets the building on fire. The house explodes. Doakes died. Dexter arrived at the exploded house. The police found a body, Masuka thinks that this is Doakes. Dexter made it up to Rita. The burned body is identified, James Doakes it is. Dexter discovered that Lila stole his navigation system. Dexter kisses Lila, he just keeps changing. This is a tric to kill Lila!. Lila stole Dexter's bag full of weapons. Lila poisoned Lexi, Cody and Astor's keeper. Lila ubducted Cody and Astor. Dexter found the kids at Lila's place. Lila sets her house on fire and locked them up. Cody and Astor got away but Dexter is still in the building. Dexter got out of Lila's house alive. Lila escaped to Paris. Dexter poisoned Lila in Paris. Dexter stabbed his knife right to Lila's heart, she died instantly. Dexter got a new casket for his blood prints. Nice Season final of Dexter part 2, Dexter succeed to kill Lila in Paris. His secret stays a secret. On to Season 3!

Lila - This Episode is a Masterpiece! [10/10]

[panagiotis1993 · 10/10 · 12 September 2023]

My Reaction / Review for Dexter Season 2 Episode 12 ''The British Invasion'' (S2. E12): Episode 11 was awesome and I gave it a rating of 9.6/10. Let's see if this one is better or worse. Lila is insane, she wont let Doakes out haha. Lila made the cabin explode, the Doakes problem for Dex is no more. I get why Dex feels like this was a miracle. Dex and Rita are officially back together, the perfect couple. I kinda feel bad for Laguerta, she knew Doakes wasnt the killer and she was the only one. Dex has to be lying to Lila, im sure he has a dark plan. Deb's relationships are all huge disasters, I feel bad for her. But her and Lundy? Ew. Lila is absolutely insane, trying to burn Dex and the kids alive? Wow. The scene was so intense, loved it. Wow, Dexter traveled to Europe to find Lila, I didn't expect that but it makes sense, Lila knows too much. This episode is a masterpiece! 10/10.

Some strong performances but overall a bit of a letdown.

[Lunchbox-3 · 6/10 · 23 April 2014]

In reviewing the Season 2 finale I guess I'm really reviewing season 2. I didn't really like the premise of Dexter's recovery in the first place, turning him into a normal guy is not what the audience wants. Then to have him couple up with rehab skank Lila was salt to the wound. Dexter's acceptance of his addiction and newfound ability to overcome it somehow leads him into the arms of the woman who fans the flames of that addiction instead of the woman who has been with him for so long, that's he's been trying to over the addiction for, Rita? It makes no sense. But then Dexter does finally explain that he's a confused man.

Doakes was always such a one-note character, the guy calling Dexter a weirdo and psycho. It was a welcome surprise to find that in these last few episodes he became a real highlight of the season. When he dropped the macho posturing and actually tried to have a real conversation with Dexter for the first time it felt like we were really going somewhere. Sprinkling in the bits earlier in the season about Doakes' questionable past and killer instincts strengthened the bond between them. It came as no surprise that he would die once he found out Dexter's secret, he had to or else the show would be over.

This set up a great moral conflict for Dexter. According to Harry's Code he cannot kill an innocent man, but he also cannot allow himself to be caught. The two are in direct conflict. We all knew that there would be a Deus Ex Machina that let him off the hook without making the choice. As it turns out he has ample time to make the choice before he's let off the hook. Dex spends days preparing to turn himself in rather than frame or kill Doakes, and we know that when Doakes is inevitably killed, Dex will be free and clear and maybe even feel bad that Doakes took the fall for him, but it was out of his hands. It really saddened me to see him pitch it all in favor of "nah, I'll go ahead and frame Doakes anyway," and then "oh well he's dead? I'll go on enjoying my life then, it's what Doakes would want me to do." No, no he wouldn't.

Beyond profiting from an innocent man's death, Dexter also seems completely fine with letting Doakes' family and the entire police force go on believing this innocent man was a murderer, just to spare his own smaller family. This season was about Dexter abandoning Harry's Code and finding his own, and I guess he has, it's just not as good. I'm disappointed.

And really, a badass like Doakes being taken out by someone like Lila, that is really insult to injury. Just sad. And while I'm glad they killed her off and didn't leave us hanging for years as to whether we'd ever see her again, just how exactly did Dexter find her? Dexter has always had incredible luck with tracking people, abducting them, carrying bodies around and dumping evidence in broad daylight without being seen by anyone, but this seemed beyond ridiculous.

Decent acting, mediocre writing, overall season storyline was a bit sub- par.

Wash, rinse, sully, repeat Rita

[skay_baltimore · 5/10 · 3 April 2014]

Contrary to the majority of reviewers who just seem to love everything about Rita, I can't stand the character. Or the actress and her annoying voice who plays her.

She has no substance, as exemplified by her hopping into the sack the minute Dexter shows up at her window.

(I'm not sure who has LESS ability to keep her legs closed at this point -- Debra, or codependent Rugburn Rita. But one thing's for certain, her afterglow banter certainly underwhelms: "I don't know if this is a good idea, Dexter". Please...in a show that highlights serial killing, someone PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE kill her and put US out of HER misery! PLEASE!!!!!)

But alas...it's only a pipe dream. She simply refuses to go away for good; kinda like herpes.

(And her nonsense about Dexter being the one who went away, when SHE was the one who forced him to leave, is appalling. She is such a hypocrite; she ruins the show. Fortunately, watching it on Netflix allows me to fast forward through most of her scenes.)

As for the plot of this season finale...it's been discussed by others so suffice it to say another season ends with another "big bad" dead. Sadly, the same cannot be said for Rita. One can only hope she improves before she too makes her long awaited exit.

At least when it comes to voice overs...this episode takes the cake. (Not in terms of quality; in terms of quantity. The monologue at the end was almost mind numbing, and absolutely a sign of weak writing that has to rely on spelling things out rather than SHOWING what the writers want us to see.)