Dexter (1 Oct. 2006)

Dexter takes part in the investigation of a serial killer who drains his victims of blood. He also kills two criminals, and his romantic relationship may be going to the next level.

Director:

Michael Cuesta

Writers:

James Manos Jr. (teleplay), Jeff Lindsay (novel)

Stars:

Michael C. Hall, Julie Benz, Jennifer Carpenter

Cast

Episode cast overview, first billed only:
Michael C. Hall	...	Dexter Morgan
Julie Benz	...	Rita Bennett
Jennifer Carpenter	...	Off. Debra Morgan
Erik King	...	Sgt. James Doakes
Lauren Vélez	...	Lt. Maria LaGuerta (as Lauren Velez)
David Zayas	...	Det. Angel Batista
James Remar	...	Harry Morgan
C.S. Lee	...	Vince Masuka
Margo Martindale	...	Camilla
Dominic Janes	...	Young Dexter
Christina Robinson	...	Astor Bennett
Daniel Goldman	...	Cody Bennett
Patrick Michael Buckley	...	Officer Oliver
Ethan S. Smith	...	Jaworski (as Ethan Smith)
Susanne Kreitman Taylor	...	Det. Sue (as Susie Taylor)

Storyline

In Miami, the orphan Dexter is raised by detective Harry Morgan, who discovers that his foster son has the urge to kill. Harry directs the impulse of the boy to kill bad people, teaching him how to operate without leaving any trace. After Harry's death, Dexter works in the forensic department of the Miami Police Department, where his step sister, Debra, works in the Vice and Narcotics Unit. During his free nights, Dexter leads a double-life, chasing and killing murderers and collecting samples of their blood, or dating Rita Bennett. After executing a pedophile and a rapist (who have killed their victims), Dexter investigates an intriguing serial killer that drains the blood and freezes the severed bodies of his victims.

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Plot Keywords:

rape victim | garrote | refrigerator truck | narrated by character | origins | 

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

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Certificate:

TV-MA

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

1 October 2006 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Doral, Florida, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Clyde Phillips Productions, Colleton Company, The, John Goldwyn Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

53 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Most of Dexter's lines are taken word for word from the original novel, "Darkly Dreaming Dexter".

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Goofs

In the pilot, Dexter's car is a silver Dodge Neon. However, in later episodes it is replaced by a silver Ford Taurus with no explanation or indication that he had purchased a new car.

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Quotes

Dexter Morgan: [first lines]
Dexter Morgan: Tonight's the night. It's going to happen again and again. Has to happen. Nice night. Miami is a great town. I love the Cuban food and pork sandwhiches, my favorite. But I'm hungry for something different, now.

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Connections

References Psychos in Love (1987)

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Soundtracks

"El Cayuco"
(uncredited)
Written by Mambo All Stars
Performed by Mambo All Stars

User Reviews

A Very Neat Monster

The first episode of Showtime's "Dexter" surely displays great potential, ingenuity and the involvement of many talented persons both in front and behind the camera, but it's arguably also a bit flawed and slightly too implausible for its own good. The main concept of the show of course raises an ancient and all-too-familiar debate, as topics like retribution and taking the law into your own hands are somewhat glorified here. During one (of many) flashbacks, his father encourages the adolescent Dexter to use his incontrollable urge to kill for a good cause, namely to extinguish criminals that escaped blood justice through the unstable Miami legal system. If you have to kill then at least make sure you kill bad people… Hmm, is that morally acceptable, let alone something to proclaim on prime-time TV? So, as you can tell, Dexter Morgan is a relentless killer but not a bad person. He works at the forensics team of the Miami police, upholds a healthy relationship with his cop sister as well as many other friends in the department and has a love affair with a former rape victim. Dexter appears to be an average guy, he just controls his murderous hunger through going after sick criminals in his spare time, like a pedophile and an internet snuff-movie maker. Meanwhile, there's a new and devoted serial killer in town who professionally cuts up prostitutes without spilling a drop of blood. Dexter is intrigued with this modus operandi, and the culprit has noticed him too. "Dexter" looks as if it's going to become a good show, with many interesting characters and set pieces that are uncanny enough to fascinate even the most experienced fans horror and thrillers. The narrative is often a bit redundant and whiny, as Dexter insists on informing us that he's emotionally numb and introvert. This show isn't exactly what I expected, as I was preparing for something really dark, scary & cynical, but it definitely isn't bad. Michael C. Hall ("Six Feet Under") is pretty great already and I'm sure he'll grow into the role even more.