The Lion Sleeps Tonight 

Dexter encounters a fellow predator - but this one is a pedophile; a murder is pinned on Freebo but Dexter knows the truth; Dexter struggles with the fact of his growing friendship with Miguel.

Director:

John Dahl

Writers:

James Manos Jr. (developed for television by), Jeff Lindsay (based on the novel "Darkly Dreaming Dexter" by)

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	...	Debra Morgan
C.S. Lee	...	Vince Masuka
Luna Lauren Velez	...	Lt. Maria LaGuerta (as Lauren Velez)
David Zayas	...	Sgt. Angel Batista
James Remar	...	Harry Morgan
Jimmy Smits	...	ADA Miguel Prado
Desmond Harrington	...	Det. Joseph 'Joey' Quinn
David Ramsey	...	Anton Briggs
Valerie Cruz	...	Sylvia Prado
Anne Ramsay	...	Ellen Wolf
Jason Manuel Olazabal	...	Ramon Prado
Jesse Borrego	...	George King
Christina Robinson	...	Astor Bennett

Storyline

Dexter starts questioning the inclusiveness of Harry's code when he realizes that Nathan Marten is a pedophile targeting Astor. A second murder victim, skinned in a similar manner to Teegan, is discovered. Knowing that the victim cannot have been killed by Freebo, Dexter helps Debra to identify the body in hope of proving that Freebo was not the culprit. After Dexter tells Debra that Rita is pregnant, Debra offers Dexter advice on fatherhood. Debra arrests Anton when he refuses to co-operate in the investigation and he lights a joint of cannabis in front of her.

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Plot Keywords:

animal in episode title | murder | woman wears a bikini | child molester | grocery store | 

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

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Certificate:

TV-MA

Did You Know?

Trivia

Michael C. Hall and Anne Ramsay had previously worked together in Six Feet Under.

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Goofs

Dexter's lion analogy is flawed in that he talks about the lion hunting. However, it is the lioness that hunts, coordinating with other lionesses.

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Quotes

Dexter Morgan: What else did the doctor say?
Rita Bennett: He asked me a million questions about my medical history. There's a form for you to fill up too but I told him you were adopted. I mean... are there any details that you do know?
Dexter Morgan: [voiceover] Like mom was killed by a chainsaw, my brother was killed by... well... me. That kind of stuff?

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Soundtracks

Bam Bam
(uncredited)
Written by Winston Riley
Performed by Sister Nancy

User Reviews

The Lion Awakes!

This is the third episode of the third season of Dexter and it's a really good episode and is often interesting to watch. There isn't a whole lot of action, but the drama is worth the time to watch. I find it very interesting of Dexter imagining his life as a father. Like him, I just can't see it happening.

In this episode, "The Lion Sleeps Tonight," after a another murder appears, the DA Miguel begins to suspect that Dexter did not kill Freebo after all and it becomes annoying to Dexter as Miguel tries to press his friendship. Meanwhile, Debra arrests her informant and Rita is trying to get Dexter to support her pregnancy. Also, a weird man in a grocery store begins to keep an eye on Astor which irks Dexter.

Overall, this is another great episode of Dexter and there is some excellent character development especially as we see how Dexter is going to deal with life as a father. I guess that only time will tell. I rate this episode 9/10.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

12 October 2008 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Long Beach, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Clyde Phillips Productions, John Goldwyn Productions, The Colleton Company

Technical Specs

Runtime:

49 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1