Dexter (TV series)

Dexter
Dexter intertitle
Genre	Psychological thriller Police procedural Dark comedy
Developed by	James Manos, Jr.
Starring	Michael C. Hall Julie Benz Jennifer Carpenter Erik King Jaime Murray Lauren Vélez David Zayas Kristin Dattilo James Remar C.S. Lee Jimmy Smits
Theme music composer	Rolfe Kent
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
No. of seasons	2
No. of episodes	24 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers	Daniel Cerone Clyde Phillips John Goldwyn Sara Colleton Charles H. Eglee
Running time	approx. 50 min. (commercial-free)
Original release
Network	Showtime
Release	October 1, 2006–present

For the Hanna-Barbera animated series, see Dexter's Laboratory.

Dexter is an American television drama series based on the novel Darkly Dreaming Dexter by Jeff Lindsay and adapted for television by Emmy Award-winning screenwriter James Manos, Jr., who wrote the pilot episode. Set in Miami, the series centers on Dexter Morgan (Michael C. Hall), a serial killer who works for the Miami Metro Police Department as a blood spatter analyst.

The main creative forces behind the show (showrunners) are executive producers Daniel Cerone and Clyde Phillips; Cerone left the show after its second season. The show premiered on the premium cable network Showtime on October 1, 2006.

Dexter has received considerable critical acclaim and has won two Emmys in technical categories, and has also generated public controversies concerning its content and promotion.

An edited version of the series began airing on CBS on February 17, 2008 to make up for the shortage of new content caused by the 2007-08 Writers Guild of America strike. Canada's CTV simulcasts episodes along with CBS, and is also airing the edited version in order to follow Canadian cable simultaneous substitution rules.

Plot

Main article: List of Dexter episodes

Season 1

Orphaned at the age of three and harboring a traumatic secret, Dexter (Michael C. Hall, Six Feet Under) was adopted by a Miami police officer named Harry Morgan (James Remar), who recognized his sociopathic tendencies and taught him to channel his gruesome passion for killing and directing in a constructive way: by killing people who deserve it. Most have slipped through the justice system, due to loopholes and technicalities in the law or were never apprehended.

To satisfy his interest in blood and to erase his own crimes, Dexter works as a blood spatter analyst for the Miami Metro Police Department. Although his drive to kill is unflinching (otherwise overcome by a feeling of "emptiness") Dexter is, through extensive instruction from Harry, able to fake normal emotions and keep up his appearance as a socially responsible human being. Flashbacks throughout the series show how Harry instructs Dexter on the art of appearing normal, and he follows Harry's instructions as a sacred "Code of Harry." In accordance with this code, all of Dexter's victims must be killers themselves who have killed multiple times with no remorse, and Dexter must have proof that they are definitely guilty before he takes action.

Dexter has a girlfriend, Rita Bennett (Julie Benz), whom he dates in order to appear normal. Rita is psychologically damaged and too distraught by her abusive ex-husband, a violent felon, to want sex. Dexter is unable to fake emotional closeness, something that his girlfriends discover post sex and is inevitably the reason the relationship ends. Dexter hopes to keep up the facade of normalcy by never engaging in sex with Rita. Dexter does have genuine affection for and feels comfortable with Rita and her two children, Astor and Cody.

The first season focuses mostly on "The Ice Truck Killer" — a serial killer eluding the Miami PD who is communicating with Dexter through his crime scenes. Dexter's adoptive sister Debra (Jennifer Carpenter) begins dating Rudy, who is revealed to the audience to be the Ice Truck Killer. At the end of the season Rudy attempts to kill Debra, but is stopped by Dexter. Rudy reveals that he is Dexter's brother. Dexter has no choice but to kill him in order to save Debra; he makes Rudy's death look like a suicide.

Dexter uses his calculated charm to become well-liked by all of his colleagues, with the exception of Sgt. James Doakes (Erik King), who repeatedly calls him a freak and openly accuses him of being up to something, although he is never sure what it is exactly. The tension between the two is an ongoing plot motif.

Doakes senses a connection between Dexter and the Ice Truck Killer, but is not sure what it is. He starts tailing Dexter because of his personal suspicions. Rita's ex-husband, set up by Dexter for a felony parole violation, is back in prison proclaiming his innocence, and points Rita to a clue to the truth about Dexter. The season ends with Dexter and his sister entering a crime scene, with Dexter imagining a tickertape parade for himself, complete with confetti and airplane fly-over, and the crowd praising him for his fine work "taking out the garbage" (i.e. killing those who prey on the weak and vulnerable.)

The complete first season of Dexter was released in a four-disc DVD package on August 21 2007 in the US.

Season 2

Dexter begins the season unable to satisfy his urges for over a month, due to the constant surveillance by Sgt. Doakes. When the opportunity to kill arises, he has problems executing his victims.

To further complicate matters, treasure hunters discover Dexter’s underwater dumping ground for his victims. As the police extract body after body from the ocean, the media dubs the killer the "Bay Harbor Butcher", and FBI Special Agent Lundy (played by Keith Carradine) is brought in to catch the "Butcher".

A cult following begins to form behind the "Butcher" when it is discovered that his victims were themselves responsible for deaths. Dexter even finds that a comic-book character, "The Dark Defender", was created in his honor.

Rita’s relationship with Dexter becomes more tense as she and her children are dealing with the death of her ex-husband Paul in a prison fight. Paul's suggestion that Dexter was to blame for his imprisonment eats at Rita's conscience and eventually Rita accuses Dexter of setting up her ex-husband. Dexter admits to setting up Paul, but Rita refuses to believe that Dexter premeditated the crime. She assumes that Dexter is a heroin addict. He acquiesces to being an "addict", though he characteristically allows her misinterpretation to go without clarification; in return, she vows to stay with him while he goes through the Narcotics Anonymous program. In this way Dexter avoids responsibility for Paul's death (though he set the process in motion) and consequently maintains the rationalization that he only (directly) kills people who are murderers. Doakes pursues Dexter until he spots him at a NA meeting, and his first assumption is likewise that Dexter’s devious behavior is drug-related.

Deb continues to struggle with the trauma of her experience with the Ice Truck Killer. For a sense of safety and comfort, she stays with her brother, another new source of stress in Dexter's life.

New cast members for this season include Jaime Murray as Lila, a former meth addict, pyromaniac and artist who becomes Dexter’s sponsor and later on his lover, Keith Carradine as FBI Special Agent Frank Lundy and JoBeth Williams as Rita's mother Gail. The role of Rita's son Cody was re-cast, and in season 2 was played by child actor Preston Bailey.

Season 2 premiered on September 30, 2007. On July 17 the first two episodes of the season were leaked on the internet, and on December 4 the last two episodes were also leaked. On November 4th, 2007, the Writer’s Guild of America started a strike, but writer Daniel Cerone stated in the LA Times that Season 2 had already been completed in anticipation of the WGA’s action.

Throughout Season 2, the Bay Harbor Butcher (Dexter) is pursued by Special Agent Lundy, while Deb's affection for Lundy and her confidence in her own detective skills both grow. Doakes returns to pursuing his suspicions about Dexter, and ultimately discovers Dexter's collection of glass slides, containing blood sample souvenirs from all of his victims. The possibility of matching the slides hidden in Dexter's air conditioner with the bodies of the Butcher's victims sets up a climactic process in which Doakes confronts Dexter. However, Dexter overpowers him and keeps him locked in a cage, while he sets up Doakes as the Butcher. Lieutenant LaGuerta, Doakes' former partner, is the only one who believes in Doakes' innocence. She finds evidence of Doakes' innocence and takes it to Lundy, but he tells her that the evidence is tainted by her previous failure to report Doakes' telephone call to her to the investigation team. He therefore rejects the file of records, though he believes she may be right.

In the season finale, Lila causes an explosion at the Cabin where Dexter imprisoned Doakes, blowing up both Doakes and the corpse of one of Dexter's victims, thereby saving Dexter from discovery. Lila then meets with Dexter, expecting him to finally accept her love now that she knows his secret. But when she catches him preparing to kill her, she seeks revenge by trying to kill Rita's children and Dexter. Dexter manages to save the children and escape, and then gets his own revenge on her after she has fled to Paris. In the closing scenes, Doakes' memorial service goes largely unattended, with the exception of LaGuerta, Dexter, and Doakes' immediate family. Expressing the logic of Dexter's mental world, the final words in the series are a voice-over of his thoughts on the recent events. We hear that he now considers himself the master of the techniques his father taught him. Dexter believes this combined with the fact that Harry knew himself to be wrong about the code gives Dexter the right to rewrite that code and to live his life the way he wishes. He also states that he now needs those relationships that he originally cultivated as disguises in order to fit into society, even though they make him vulnerable. He considers himself "An idea transcended into life".

The complete second season of Dexter was released on August 19, 2008, in USA/Canada, and August 21, 2008, in Australia/New Zealand.

Season 3

A third season of Dexter was announced following the season two finale, in an ad which confirmed Dexter would return in 2008. Season three will premiere September 28, 2008 on Showtime and in Canada on The Movie Network. Jimmy Smits has signed on to the season 3 cast. He will play Miguel Prado, an assistant district attorney who will work with Dexter to pursue a murderer who has affected both of their lives. Prado is described as “ambitious” and “charismatic” and comes from a well-connected Miami family. Dexter befriends Miguel Prado which changes his way of life afterwards. Dexter mistakenly kills an innocent victim. Another main plot will be Debra's new love - "a healthy loving relationship" - but it wasn't announced with whom.
Moreover, it has been announced that Valerie Cruz has signed on for season three of Showtime's Dexter. She will play the wife of Assistant District Attorney Miguel Prado (Jimmy Smits).

U.S. broadcast controversy

When CBS announced in December 2007 it was considering Dexter for broadcast over the public airwaves, Parents Television Council (PTC), publicly protested the decision.

In preparation for the broadcast premiere of Dexter on CBS, on January 29 2008 the network posted promotional videos on YouTube. The next day, the PTC for a second time called upon CBS to withdraw plans to broadcast the show. PTC President Timothy F. Winter issued a news release stating "We are formally asking CBS to cancel its plan to air the first season of Dexter on its television network. This show is not suitable for airing on broadcast television; it should remain on a premium subscription cable network. The biggest problem with the series is something that no amount of editing can get around: the series compels viewers to empathize with a serial killer, to root for him to prevail, to hope he doesn’t get discovered." Winter went on to quote CBS President Leslie Moonves' post-Columbine comment: ‘Anyone who thinks the media has nothing to do with [increasing violence in society] is an idiot.’ Winter called on the public to demand local affiliates preempt Dexter, and warned advertisers the PTC would take action against any that sponsored the show.

Following Winter's release, CBS added Parental Discretion advisories to its broadcast (but not the YouTube) promotions. CBS rated Dexter TV-14 for broadcast. The show premiered on February 17, 2008 with minor edits, primarily for language, and with scenes involving dismemberment of live victims cut away. Scenes involving sex were also taken out of the broadcasts. The PTC has also objected to CBS broadcasting the final two episodes of the season in a two-hour block starting at 9:00 P.M. (Eastern/Pacific Time Zones), which translates to 8 P.M. at the Mountain and Central Time Zones, a time it is concerned about a high likelihood of children watching the show.

Cast

Main article: List of Dexter characters

• Michael C. Hall as Dexter Morgan
• Julie Benz as Rita Bennett
• Jennifer Carpenter as Debra Morgan
• Lauren Vélez as Lt. Maria LaGuerta
• Erik King as Sgt. James Doakes
• David Zayas as Angel Batista
• James Remar as Harry Morgan
• C. S. Lee as Vince Masuka

Plot differences from the novel

There are numerous differences between the novel Darkly Dreaming Dexter and the Showtime series based on it; they range from extra subplots to rearrangements and modifications of elements from the source material.

The novel is narrated exclusively from Dexter’s point of view and focuses mostly on his pursuit of the “Tamiami Butcher” (renamed the “Ice Truck Killer” for the series). This helps the reader relate even without understanding the Miami specific lingo and street names, including Tamiami. The TV series expands on the minor characters roles with subplots not present in the original, such as Angel’s rocky relationship with his ex-wife.

Another addition is the inclusion of Rita’s abusive ex-husband Paul. In the show, he becomes a fully-fledged supporting character who professes love for his children, but nevertheless still treats Rita violently.

The biggest change is the lead-up to and revelation of the identity of the Ice Truck Killer. In the novel, Dexter (and to a certain extent, the reader) is led to believe that Dexter himself might be the one committing the murders, due to a series of strange dreams that connect him to the murder; the possibility that Dexter’s “Dark Passenger” is committing crimes when Dexter is asleep is addressed. The final clue is a blurry photo, taken from surveillance footage, of a man who resembles Dexter at a crime scene. After the Tamiami Killer kidnaps Deborah, Dexter (who is followed by Detective LaGuerta) finds and confronts him. It is subsequently revealed that the killer is actually Dexter’s nearly identical long-lost brother, Brian, who, like Dexter, witnessed their mother’s brutal murder. In the ensuing conflict LaGuerta is slain by Brian, Deborah finds out her brother is a killer and Dexter helps Brian to escape, an act referenced in the next novel. As a morbid trophy, Dexter adds a drop of LaGuerta’s blood to his collection.

In the television series, Brian is introduced under the fake name ‘Rudy’, a prosthetist who becomes Deborah’s boyfriend, and his relationship to Dexter only revealed late in the first season. Here, Dexter hesitantly kills Brian instead of letting him escape, Deborah does not discover her brother’s secret and LaGuerta is not present at all in the confrontation. Furthermore, while in the novel Dexter and his brother are nearly identical, the actors playing the two characters are distinct from each other in their looks.

During the ending of the first novel, Deborah is wide awake for the exchange between Brian and Dexter, so from the second novel onward, she knows that her brother is a serial killer. The Deborah of the television series does not.

Some of the supporting characters are changed. Detective LaGuerta is named Migdia in the novel and Maria in the show while Doakes’ first name is changed from Albert to James. (The television series follows the arc of the original book. Doakes’ first name is not revealed in the first novel, but in the sequel Dearly Devoted Dexter, allowing for the discrepancy in names.) The character of Camilla Figg is a young lab tech infatuated with Dexter while in the television series, she is an older woman who once worked with Dexter’s father. She is the records supervisor and has a more maternal relationship with Dexter.

In the novel Darkly Dreaming Dexter, Dexter references his urge to kill as being controlled by a “Dark Passenger”, and when in his killer trances he tends to refer to himself as We or Us. In the first season, only one reference is made to this “Passenger”, as Dexter stands at the scene of Angel’s stabbing by Brian alias Rudy, an event absent in the book. In Season 2 episode 3, the writers finally explain Dexter’s urge to kill as his “Dark Passenger” and make multiple references to it throughout the episode.

Much of the second season had little to do with the second novel, Dearly Devoted Dexter, although they both shared a subplot concerning a suspicious Doakes following Dexter, both concluding in Doakes being 'taken care of' by another killer to prevent Dexter from breaking his moral code. In Dearly Devoted, Doakes is tortured and dismembered (his hands, feet and tongue are removed) by Dr. Danco, a ex-military interrogator/torturer, and returns in the third novel albeit in a much different state; he is unable to speak coherently and is fitted with prosthetic limbs. The Showtime series has Doakes being blown up by Lila, Dexter's psychopathic ex-girlfriend.

Viral marketing controversy

In preparation for the UK launch of the series, FX (UK) experimented with an SMS-based viral marketing campaign. Unsuspecting mobile phone owners received unsolicited SMS messages identified as being from "Dexter," with no other identification or originating phone number. The SMS messages contain the following text, referring to the phone owner by name:

"Hello (name). I'm heading to the UK sooner than you might think. Dexter."

Some time later, an email is received directing the user to an online video "news report" about a recent spree of killings. Using on-the-fly video manipulation, the user's name and a personalized message are worked into the report – the former written in blood on a wall by the crime scene, the latter added to a note in an evidence bag carried past the camera.

While the marketing campaign had succeeded in raising the profile of the show, it proved unpopular with many mobile owners who saw this as spam advertising aimed at mobile phones. In response to complaints about the SMS element of the campaign, FX issued the following statement:

"The text message you received was part of an internet viral campaign for our newest show Dexter. However it was not us who sent you the text but one of your friends. We do not have a database of viewer phone numbers. The text message went along with a piece on the net that you can then send on to other people you know. If you go to www.icetruck.tv you will see the page that one of your friends has filled in to send you that message. Therefore I suggest you have a word with anyone who knows your mobile number and see who sent you this message. For the record we did not make a record of any phone numbers used in this campaign."

Critical reception

The initial response to Dexter was positive. The website Metacritic calculated a score of 77 from a possible 100 based on 27 reviews, making it the third-best reviewed show of the 2006 fall season. This score includes four 100% scores from the New York Daily News, San Francisco Chronicle, Chicago Sun-Times and People Weekly. Brian Lowry, who had written one of the two poor reviews for the show, recanted his negative review in a year-end column for the trade magazine Variety after watching the full season. On the CNET Networks website TV.com, Dexter has an overall rating of 9.4/10.

On December 14, 2006, Michael C. Hall was nominated for a Golden Globe Award in the category Best Actor in a Television Drama Series for playing Dexter.

The second season of the show has been nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Drama Series, and Michael C. Hall nominated for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series. [1]

DVD release

DVD Name	Release Date	Ep #	Additional Content
The Complete First Season	Region 1: August 21 2007 Region 2: May 19 2008 Region 4: Feb 14 2008	12	2 Audio Commentaries by the Cast The Academy of Blood – A Killer Course! N Technology 2 episodes of Showtime's Brotherhood
The Complete Second Season	Region 1: August 19 2008 Region 2: N/A Region 4: August 21 2008	12	2 episodes of Showtime's Brotherhood (second season) Via E-Bridge Technology 2 episodes from The Tudors (second season) & Californication

Video game

A video game based on Dexter was announced on March 4, 2008, to be developed by Marc Ecko's game development company, which previously developed the controversial urban graffiti game Getting Up. "Dexter is the extremely rare TV show with enough layers of action and tension to translate perfectly into a compelling video game," said Marc Fernandez, Vice President of Marc Ecko Entertainment.

More info was released at the San Diego Comic-Con, revealing that the games would be released exclusively on the iPhone and iPod Touch, via iTunes, and that the games would be episodic.

Soundtrack

Untitled

The music from the Dexter TV series was released August 28, 2007 on the album Dexter: Music from the Showtime Original Series. It is produced by Showtime, and distributed by Milan Records. The album is also available online on the iTunes store. The iTunes release includes five additional bonus tracks from Seasons 1 and 2.

The album contains 25 tracks over 1 hour and 4 minutes. Track 1 is the opening theme by Rolfe Kent. Tracks 2 through 11 are mostly Cuban and Latin music used during the show, with tracks 2, 6 and 9 containing narration by Michael C. Hall. Tracks 12 through 24 were written by Daniel Licht, who composed all of the show's other themes. Bonus track 25 is track 24, "Blood Theme", with Jon Licht singing over. Kent's widely praised opening theme utilises an eclectic selection of European and Asian instruments, including ukulele, piano, bouzouki, trumpets, pizzicato strings, electric piano, saz, and tambour, set to an Afro-Cuban beat. Licht's original themes are based around a mixture of Latin and electronic music, reflecting Dexter's warm and cold elements.

Blood Theme was also used by Finnish band HIM as an intro song for their recent Venus Doom tour. The song also features on their CD/DVD, Digital Versatile Doom.

Track listing

"Dexter Main Title" (Rolfe Kent) – 1:40 "Tonight’s the Night" (Michael C. Hall, Daniel Licht) – 1:07 "Conoci La Paz" (Beny Moré) – 3:03 "Uruapan Breaks" (Kinky) – 2:21 "Flores Para Ti" (Raw Artistic Soul featuring Rafael Cortez) – 5:16 "Blood" (Hall, Licht) – 0:59 "Con Mi Guaguanco" (Ray Armando) – 7:12 "Perfidia" (Mambo All-Stars) – 2:37 "Sometimes I Wonder" (Hall, D.Licht) – 0:29 "Born Free" (Andy Williams) – 2:25 "Dexter Main Title" (Kinky) – 1:41 "Escalation" (D.Licht) – 2:09 "Shipyard" (D.Licht) – 2:03 "Deborah Loves Rudy/The House" (D.Licht) – 3:12 "I Can’t Kill" (D.Licht) – 2:21 "Voodoo Jailtime" (D.Licht) – 2:58 "New Legs" (D.Licht) – 2:01 "Photo Albums" (D.Licht) – 3:22 "Courting the Night" (D.Licht) – 1:22 "Hide Your Tears" (D.Licht) – 1:36 "Wink" (D.Licht) – 2:08 "Astor’s Birthday Party" (D.Licht) – 2:00 "Epilogue/Bloodroom" (D.Licht) – 3:44 "Blood Theme" (D.Licht) – 2:25 "Die This Way" (D.Licht, Jon Licht) – 3:55

Awards

Wins

2006

• AFI Awards – TV Program of the Year – Official Selection
• IGN – Best New Show
• IGN – Best Actor – Michael C. Hall
• IGN – Best Villain – The Ice Truck Killer
• IGN – Best Character – Dexter Morgan
• Satellite Awards – Outstanding Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series – Julie Benz

2007

• Emmy – Outstanding Main Title Design
• Emmy – Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Drama Series
• IGN - Best Storyline
• IGN - Best Television Program
• Satellite Awards – Outstanding Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series – David Zayas
• Satellite Awards – Outstanding Actor in a Series, Drama – Michael C. Hall
• Satellite Awards – Outstanding Television Series, Drama
• Saturn Awards – Best Actor in a Television Program – Michael C. Hall
• Television Critics Association – Individual Achievement in Drama – Michael C. Hall

2008

• Saturn Awards – Best Syndicated/Cable Television Series

Nominations

2006

• Golden Globe – Nomination for Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series – Drama – Michael C. Hall
• IGN – Best Television Program
• Satellite Awards – Outstanding Actor in a Series, Drama – Michael C. Hall
• Satellite Awards – Outstanding Television Series, Drama

2007

• Emmy – Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing, Drama
• Emmy – Outstanding Original Main Title Theme Music
• Golden Globe - Nomination for Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series – Drama – Michael C. Hall
• Saturn Awards – Best Supporting Actor in a Television Program – James Remar
• Saturn Awards – Best Supporting Actress in a Television Program – Jennifer Carpenter
• Saturn Awards – Best Syndicated/Cable Television Series
• SAG – Male Actor in a Drama Series – Michael C. Hall
• Television Critics Association – New Program of the Year
• WGA - Episodic Drama - any length - one airing time Dark Defender
• WGA - Best Dramatic Series
• Peabody Award - Announced April 2, 2008

2008

• Emmy - Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series - Michael C. Hall
• Emmy - Outstanding Drama Series
• Emmy - Outstanding Art Direction - Tony Cowley, Linda Spheeris
• Emmy - Outstanding Cinematography - Romeo Tirone

External links

• Dexter at Showtime
• Dexter at itv.com
• Dexter at TV Azteca in spanish
• Dexter at Metacritic
• Dexter at IMDb
• Dexter at TV.com
• Brendan Bernhard (September 29, 2006). "Blood Relative". New York Sun. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)