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(More customer reviews)In the second season of the guilty pleasure "Dante's Cove" (think of it as a cross between "The O.C." and the old series "Dark Shadows", but with gay erotic content that makes "Queer As Folk" look like an afterschool special), the hunky boys and beautiful girls who live at Dante's Hotel are living and loving, while still having to deal with the problems caused by its previous inhabitant, exiled warlock Ambrosius, and his ex-girlfriend and eternal nemesis, the witch Grace.
This season, they're joined by a mysterious, more powerful witch, Diana (played by Thea Gil, previously of QAF). As we rejoin the gang, somewhat naive Kevin is tired of living under Toby's shadow, wants to get a job and become more self-sufficient, which makes Toby insecure about their relationship. Seeing this as a chance to get Kevin back into his clutches, Ambrosius updates his image ("Call me 'Bro!") and tries to dazzle the young man with a fast car and to-die-for beach house. Toby's ex Adam (recast this year, for the better) gets involved with Ambrosius as well, and gets hooked on a local drug with supernatural origins. Meanwhile, Van gets further into dabbling in magic, with a book she found on the beach, learns the truth about Ambrosius and Grace, and takes desperate measures when her girlfriend Michelle says she has to choose between the magic or their relationship. The five (apx.) hour-long episodes also reveal a former boyfriend of Kevin's visiting the hotel, Adam's involvement with a gay afterhours sex club, the resort's handyman trying to seduce boss man Marco, more background on the two child ghosts that appear to Toby, as well as much more detail on the ins and outs of Grace's and Ambrosius' powers, and how they must ally themselves with a hotel guest in order to battle it out by the upcoming Solstice. Comic relief is provided by the appearance of an old porcelin doll, which has a spell causing anyone who touches it to fall in instant lust with the next person (male or female) they see.
Critics say "This is nothing more than a gay soap" and point at the often over-the-top dialogue and occasional overacting. Hey, it is what it is, and it works on that level exceedingly well, as most "guilty pleasures" should! They definitely cranked up the "camp" quotient a notch or two this year, with Tracy Scoggins as Grace (trying to teach young protege' Van the nuances of black magic) losing her cool and occasionally seeming to be channeling Agnes Moorehead in "Bewitched"! The photography, music and eye candy is outstanding, and I found myself powerless to avoid going through all five episodes in one sitting.
Note that the format of this 2-DVD set can be a bit confusing, in that there is a top menu to choose the episode you want to see (which should obviously be viewed in order), and then a submenu to play that episode (No option to view all episodes on the disk consecutively.) The second disk also includes some excellent extras, including deleted scenes, interviews with the cast, "backlot" featurette and "coming out" stories by the three openly-gay cast members. It isn't Emmy-worthy, but a fun diversion for you and open-minded friends. I'm under a spell not to give it anything less than a full five stars out of five.
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Dante's Cove - The Complete Second Season (2005)(Gay & Lesbian) Since its premiere in 2005, "Dante’s Cove" has grown from a cult sensation to a gay cultural phenomenon. Fun and provocative, the show has seduced thousands with its unabashed and unapologetic delivery of sex and camp, placing itself as the ultimate guilty pleasure. Season 2 is even more outrageous with the introduction of more deadly secrets, more intriguing twists and most importantly, more hot-bodied stars!
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