| Season 1 |
Dexter Morgan is the protagonist of both the DEXTER television series and the Dexter Book Series. He is introduced as a serial killer and a blood spatter analyst for the Miami Metro Police Department. As Dexter is the title character, he is featured in every episode as the main focus.
Dexter has an adoptive sister by the name of Debra Morgan and later learns that he has a biological brother by the name of Brian Moser. His adoptive parents are Harry and Doris Morgan, both of whom have passed away prior to the pilot episode.
The first season of Dexter is an adaptation of Jeff Lindsay's first novel in the Dexter series, Darkly Dreaming Dexter. Subsequent seasons have featured original storylines. This season aired from October 1, 2006 to December 17, 2006, and follows Dexter's investigation of "The Ice Truck Killer," introduced in the first episode.
Season 1: Summary
At the start of the series, Dexter has settled into a steady life of ritualistic killing doubled with his life as a forensics blood spatter analyst. He is seen by his colleagues as a lab geek and only one man, Sgt. James Doakes, suspects him of being anything other than this. Dexter maintains platonic relationships in order to fit in with society, while he relentlessly hunts for murderers to satisfy his deep-seated need to kill.
Dexter considers his behavior in public as "blending in." He personally doesn't believe that he has feelings (or the ability to feel in general), thus he puts on a "mask" of a normal guy.
To appear normal, he dates Rita, a mother with two children (Astor and Cody) whose abusive husband is in jail. Dexter chooses Rita because she is not (initially) interested in sex and he can keep her at a distance. Dexter believes that if he has sex with her, she will feel his emotional dysfunctions and he doesn't want to blow it.
Dexter shows that he may not be quite as distant from humanity as he believes when he spares the life of Tony Tucci. While Tony doesn't fit The Code of Harry, Dexter also feels that it would be wrong to kill him in his condition .
The events surrounding the Ice Truck Killer Investigation lead Dexter deep into his past. Dexter's curiosity is sparked with the arrival of the Ice Truck Killer as a formidable opponent. In venturing into the game, its bits and pieces reveal what made him the way he is.
Brian, his long-forgotten brother starts to send Dexter clues in the guise of a form of friendly competition between them. These puzzles are an attempt to trigger Dexter's memory of his past. They include dismembered prostitutes, multi-colored fingernails (in homage to Laura Moser's habit), and a hotel room filled with blood. Dexter is intrigued by the unknown killer and eager to participate in his game. Amidst all of this, Brian befriends Debra Morgan in order to get close to Dexter, under the alias of 'Rudy Cooper'.
During a therapy session with Emmett Meridian (a potential victim), Dexter remembers small parts of his past - including a brief image of a boy in blood. This causes Dexter to experience feelings of terror and he abruptly leaves the session. Soon after, Dexter is able to let go of his self-control and finally sleep with Rita. Despite his concerns, Rita remains unaware that he is secretly a serial killer.
Later, Dexter discovers that it was his mother's blood that he remembered sitting in and that he has a brother, Brian, who was with him during the massacre. At first, Dexter looks forward to a life with his brother (also a serial killer) as Brian is the one person at this point in his life who accepts him for what he is. However, after Brian abducts Dexter's sister and tries to murder her, Dexter chooses to spare the life of his sister over the desires of his brother. Dexter is forced to kill Brian for "the safety of his sister" and because he is "fond of her."
Victims
- Mike Donovan
- Jamie Jaworski
- Matt Chambers
- Jorge Castillo
- Valerie Castillo
- Emmett Meridian
- Paul Bennett (Indirectly, Unintentionally)
Episodes
- Dexter
- Crocodile
- Popping Cherry
- Let's Give the Boy a Hand
- Love American Style
- Return to Sender
- Circle of Friends
- Shrink Wrap
- Father Knows Best
- Seeing Red
- Truth Be Told
- Born Free
Pilot Episode
- Main article: Episode 101: Dexter
Mike Donovan, Choirmaster
Dexter: "Tonight's the Night. And it's going to happen...again and again. Has to happen."
It's nighttime in Miami, Florida and the streets are busy. People are out having fun but so is Dexter Morgan. . As he observes the area around him of Miami, he reminisces on how he enjoys a variety of culture and food...only that tonight, he's after something different. He's "hungry" - but not for food. He needs to feed his urge to kill. Dexter's first target in the pilot episode is a child rapist and killer named Mike Donovan, who he lies in wait for after one of his choir events. A choir of young boys can be seen singing in a gazebo at a local event, one boy stepping forward to close out the sonata. Mike Donovan turns around and smiles, almost devilishly as the crowd cheers...and Dexter waits in his car until the event is over. He notices Mike with his wife and children, receiving praise from fellow individuals. At some point, Dexter leaves his car and enters Donovan's car where he hides in the backseat awaiting his prey.
The Capture
The crowd disperses, Mike leaves the Gazebo, and retreats to the spot where he parked his car away from the public eye. As he gets into the car and turns on the engine, a wire slips around his throat and is pulled back tightly by his assailant. Dexter speaks slowly and orders him to do exactly what he says. Very nervous, Mike asks what he wants, only to be told to be quiet...and drive. Feeling that he has no other choice, Mike drives off from that location and follows Dexter's directions during which the wire remains around his neck. They end up in a wooded area outside Mike Donovan's Building near three open graves that have recently been dug up. As Mike parks the car, Dexter releases the wire from his neck and Mike gasps for air. Dexter then exits the back seat, opens the driver side door, grabs Mike by the throat, and tosses him to the ground near the graves. He orders Mike to do exactly as he says, before he moves behind him to again wrap the wire across his neck. Dexter proceeds to drag him into the building.
The Dead Boys
Once inside, the lights switch on and Dexter tells him to look at the bodies on the floor. Mike refuses, causing Dexter to grab Mike by the throat and yell, "Open your eyes and look at what you did!" and then step back to say quite calmly, "Look or I will cut your eyelids right off your face." Mike finally does look at the bodies of his victims, Corey Balanti, Tyler Kale and Joe Bigalow, laid out (decaying) on the floor. Dexter tells Mike that it took him a long time to get those little boys clean, stating that one of them was under for so long that he had to be taken out in bits and pieces. Mike begins to pray only to be smacked across his face while Dexter says that never helped anybody (probably referencing his previous victims who prayed for their lives). Mike begins to beg and Dexter asks if those little boys had begged. Then Mike admits that he couldn't help himself and that Dexter has to understand this. Dexter smiles, saying that he definitely understands but says that he could never, ever kill children, not like him. When Mike asks him why, Dexter moves forward and injects Mike with a needle of Etorphine (M99), while saying, "I have standards." As Mike falls to the floor, unconscious, Dexter puts away the needle and removes his gloves.
The Ritual
Dexter is next seen, wearing a protective visor as he stands above Mike, who is now strapped to a table. Using a scalpel, Dexter cuts Mike's right cheek. Next, he takes a tool to gather the blood and release a drop onto a Blood Slide. He places a second slide on top of it, which causes a circle of blood to appear. During this time, Dexter explains what he's going to do with Mike, by saying, "Soon...you'll be packed into a few, neatly wrapped Heftys. And my own, small corner of the world will be a neater, happier place. A better place." Dexter picks up one of his tools, the Power Saw, and stands above Mike's head. He turns on the saw and brings it down, slowly sawing out Mike's neck in the most painful of manners as Mike screams for his life. Mike's remains are later that night dumped in Bay Harbor.
Flashbacks
The following day, Dexter Morgan is seen on his boat, Slice of Life, where he has an internal dialogue (while encountering a ship captain who he cheerily greets as part of his "blending in" with the world):
"My name is Dexter. Dexter Morgan. I don't know what made me the way I am, but whatever it was left a...hollow place inside. People fake a lot of human interactions but I feel like I've faked them all and I fake them very well. And that's my burden, I guess. I don't blame my foster parents for that, Harry and Doris Morgan did a wonderful job raising me. But they're both dead now. I didn't kill them! Honest. "
After the monologue, Dexter has a flashback to his childhood. His adoptive father, Harry Morgan, was speaking to him on a boat about a dog named Buddy, who had gone missing from their neighbor's house. Harry mentions that he found "the grave" and Dexter says that he did it for his mother since she was sick, Harry then remarked that there were more than just Buddy's bones in the grave. Afterward, the flashback ends and Dexter rides his boat out to his Marina and returns home shortly thereafter.
- During this season, there are several flashbacks of Dexter's early life and of his first victims.
Blood Slide Box
Dexter lives in a two-story apartment complex with a swimming pool, situated near Bay Harbor. The building itself is set apart from others and appears to be fairly high class. As Dexter walks to his door, he waves to a neighbor and, when he enters, the neat order of Dexter's Apartment is revealed. He immediately heads to the air conditioning unit, removes the casing, reaches inside, and pulls out a Blood Slide Box. Setting the box down, Dexter reminisces about the kill while he looks at the blood drop on Mike Donovan's slide. He then places it next to a group of other slides in the box. After he returns his trophy box to the AC unit, Dexter sits at his desk, pleased that he had honored The Code of Harry in this kill.
Debra (sister)
Dexter notices a phone message from his adoptive sister, Debra Morgan. Grinning, he listens to her foul-mouthed request for him to join her at a crime scene at the Seven Seas Motel. He has thoughts that if there's anyone he could have feelings for, it would be her (like a brother would). Dexter obligingly heads out to meet her at the crime scene.
Arrival at the Scene
Walking toward the crime scene, Dexter has the thought, "There's something strange and disarming about looking at a homicide scene in the daylight of Miami. It makes the most grotesque killings look staged, like you're in a new and daring section of Disneyworld: Dahmerland." (This is a reference to Serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer) As Dexter crosses under the yellow police tape, Officer Oliver steps in his way and asks if he's a cop, to which Dexter replies by flashing his forensics laminate badge and saying, "No. Forensics." He looks around the location until he sees his sister, undercover as a Prostitute, calling him over to meet in a motel room.
A New Serial Killer
After entering the motel room, Dexter jokingly comments on the "sex suit" that Deb is wearing and asks where she keeps her gun. When she tells him that they found "another hooker" in the pool, he asks why she said, "Another." Debra explains that this is the third one in five months that was chopped up in bits and pieces. They agree that it is a serial killer. When Dexter asks if there are any suspects, Debra says that she doesn't know because Lieutenant Maria LaGuerta has kept her in the room since she's on "Vice" rather than a member of the Homicide division. Dexter suggests that Deb could take a lesson in politics, since LaGuerta knows how to play the game. She responds that she only wants to catch this guy before he kills another one of her girls. Dexter advises her that she shouldn't get so emotionally involved (Harry's advice) but Deb reminds him that her father also said to "go after what you want," and that she wants into Homicide. She begs Dexter to look at the scene since he always gets these "hunches," whereas he insists that he only gets them "sometimes." He finally agrees to take a look and Debra says that she will bounce some ideas off of him later. He tells her to "wear the sex suit" when talking to Captain Tom Matthews which could help her get on the case. Knowing that Dexter will help her with the case, Debra smiles with excitement at a possible chance to be assigned to Homicide.
The Bloodless Pool Victim
Dexter walks over into the pool area and slips on his latex gloves as Vince Masuka runs up to greet him. Dexter comments on his "haircut" and Masuka quips about Debra looking "hot" in her outfit. Masuka then asks why he's at the crime scene since there's no blood. When Dexter expresses disbelief, Masuka asks Detective Angel Batista to lift the sheet and show Dexter the body. The strange aspect to this crime scene - no blood on, in, or outside of the body sparks Dexter's curiosity and admiration. Batista notes an oddity in how the victim was dismembered...while the right leg is separated into four sections, the left leg is only separated into three with a final cut, apparently "interrupted." Dexter, still fascinated with the killer's bloodless technique, departs the scene after he tells Batista that, since there's no blood, he isn't needed there. Dexter wonders if this killer has exceeded his own abilities. Soon, another dismembered, bloodless victim is found. Dexter discusses with Debra the possibility that the killer is using a Refrigerated Truck to transport the body parts to keep them cold. After a truck is found, the new serial killer is dubbed The Ice Truck Killer.
Miami Metro Homicide Dept. / Donuts
On his return from the Seven Seas Motel, Dexter stops by Sadie's Donuts for his usual Donut Run. On most of his work days, in order to appear as a nice, normal guy, he offers a large box of donuts to his co-workers. At the station, an Officer at the desk takes a doughnut followed shortly by Detective Dan and Detective Sue who strike a casual conversation. They joke about him being at the next "blood bath" (since he's a blood spatter analyst). After they walk away, Dexter looks around at his colleagues and thinks to himself, "Salt of the earth these people and they work hard. But with the solve rate for murders at about 20 % Miami is a great place for me. Great place for me to hone my craft. Viva Miami" His sister, Officer Debra Morgan, shows up wearing her uniform and Dexter comments that he "liked her other outfit better" (as a joke, referring to her undercover prostitute outfit). Deb replies by laughing in the midst of calling him a "sick bastard" and choosing a doughnut to take a bite out of. She tells him that the "sex suit" worked and Captain Tom Matthews agreed to put her on the case, despite Lieutenant Maria LaGuerta's objections. After Dexter congratulates her, she asks if he has any ideas yet about the crime scene from earlier at the Seven Seas Motel. When he says, "No," she asks him to work on his "mental autopsy" because she can use his theories.
Camilla and the Files
Dexter then takes the doughnuts to meet with Camilla Figg, a woman who works in the Miami Metro Evidence Department. After she chooses a doughnut for herself, Dexter asks her if she has "anything new," she smiles and rolls her chair back to pick out a case file. Before she gives it to him, however, she states, "One of these days, you're going to tell me." Dexter responds with, "I already told you. Blood spatter doesn't take up all my time. I like doing it. Maybe I can help out. It fills my nights." In reality, Camilla is one of his unwitting sources for victims. He usually asks for a case file on someone particularly heinous, in order to get information for a potential kill. They chit chat for a few minutes and, as he departs for the Homicide Dept., Camilla watches Dexter with a speculative expression. Next, Dexter greets Detective Angel Batista in basic Spanish and Angel takes the last doughnut from the box. Walking away, Dexter looks into the box and thinks, "Just like me. Empty inside."
Sgt. James Doakes
In front of a wall hung with blood spatter patterns, Dexter sits spinning around in his chair. Sgt. James Doakes (looking rather angry) walks up to Dexter's desk asks where the hell he's been. Within Miami Metro Homicide, Doakes is the immediate supervisor of his dept. and works under Lieutenant Maria LaGuerta. This is the interaction between Doakes and Dexter:
Doakes: "Where hell have you been?"
Dexter: *stops spinning* "Crime scene"
Doakes: *tosses two photographs down* "What about these? The Hotel Cokehead Murders, this Dealer (Cokehead Murders) and the girl."
Dexter: *flips through photos* "Uh...huh. Well this Hallmark looking couple didn't die by the hands of a professional. Huh, this is...child's play. Messy work, all that blood on the walls? Looks like a finger painting"
Doakes: "You give me the fucking creeps, you know that Dexter?"
Dexter: *puts photos away, scoffing* "Yeah, I know...sorry about that."
Doakes: "Fuck You."
Dexter: *stares at him for a second* "..Okay, uh is there something I can do-"
Doakes: *after interrupting Dexter* "Yeah you can give me your fucking analysis on the blood spatter on these killings! You think I'm here to invite you to my nephew's briss?"
Dexter: "I didn't know you were Jewish."
Doakes: "Shut The Fuck Up and write your report already! Don't even know why I need you, grab a crayon psycho and scribble this down. 'Rival dealer came in, two scumbags slashed to hell, dealer stole the drugs'. Wham, bam, done and I don't give a shit what you say because that's what happened...and that's who I'm looking for. Hey! We are looking for a motherfuckin' thief dealer, you got it?"
Dexter: *Dexter looks at the photographs, thinking otherwise* "Okay. Sure...I guess" *Doakes rolls his eyes* "Well I should get over there"
Doakes: "Then get over there already you fucking weirdo...I need it quick."
Dexter: "I'm on it, Sergeant" *Doakes glares at Dexter one more time then walks off*
After Doakes walks off, Dexter wonders, "The only real question I have is: Why in a building full of cops, all supposedly with a keen insight into the human soul, is Doakes the only one who gets the creeps from me."
Blood Spatter Analysis
Dexter Morgan arrives at the Hotel Cokehead Murders Crime Scene, where Officer Simon is assigned. The officer asks Dexter if the killer used a sword and Dexter says, "No, but it was probably a very sharp knife." Dexter now shows off his unique knowledge of blood at a crime scene. He states that the blood "tells a story." He goes on to describe how the first victim was quickly stabbed in the carotid artery, based on the blood's pattern and thickness on the white wall. Dexter then walks over to where the female victim was killed - a wall with thinner streaks of blood causing by slashing. As he works out the sequence of events in his head, he mentions that the killer knows how to use a blade. Officer Simon suggests a possible sushi chef as the suspect, but Dexter plays it off as not being his first choice and mocks Simon by saying in a distinct voice, "Ya never know!" Simon asks what's next and Dexter says, "Now, I eat." He departs, leaving Simon at the crime scene.
The Briefing
While Dexter waits to attend a briefing about the Bloodless Victims, he notices Mrs. Donovan inquiring about her missing husband and thinks to himself, "I'm pretty sure I covered all my tracks." Sergeant James Doakes appears behind Dexter and asks him if he has a thing for grieving widows and calls him a psycho. Dexter says he is there for the meeting. As Lieutenant Maria LaGuerta walks past, Doakes tells her that Dexter doesn't belong in the briefing and that he's still waiting on Dexter's spatter report on the Hotel Cokehead Murders Case. LaGuerta lets Dexter sit in regardless, which irritates Doakes. During the meeting, Debra brings up her idea regarding a refrigerated truck, but she is shot down by LaGuerta.
The Cokehead Murder Case
Following the briefing, Dexter and Doakes meet with LaGuerta in her office to go over the Cokehead Murders Case. Dexter insists that the murders had nothing to do with cocaine. He describes how the victims were killed - the man was quickly dispatched, while the woman was an emotional kill. He then suggests that it's probably an old boyfriend, but Doakes plays off the theory as a waste of time. LaGuerta feels that it's a "stretch" but she tells Doakes to check it out, which annoys him yet again. As Dexter checks over his spatter pattern, Doakes warns him, "I'm watching you, motherfucker." LaGuerta simply sits at her desk and smiles at Dexter.
Jamie Jaworski
Another victim on Dexter's radar is Jamie Jaworski, a valet with a secret hobby of being a rapist, who committed a murder. Dexter begins to track him after the disappearance of a woman named Jane Saunders. After Dexter breaks into Jaworski's house and further investigates him, Jamie is confirmed to fit The Code and is placed on Dexter's table..
The Ice Truck
Following the death of Jamie Jaworski, Dexter encounters the Refrigerated Truck and follows it, only to have the head if a victim tossed at his car by the driver. Police arrive on the scene after Dexter contacts them (likely to cover his own tracks and create a solid alibi). Doakes stands glaring at Dexter from afar while LaGuerta goes over the situation. She then mentions the Cokehead Murders, saying that Dexter was right about the boyfriend and Doakes arrested him. LaGuerta remarks that Doakes still hates Dexter before they move on to other topics.
Related Pages
- Season One
- Dexter Morgan
- Ice Truck Killer Investigation
Reception
The show's first season received generally favorable reviews from critics. The pilot episode attracted more than a million viewers, giving the channel its highest ratings in nearly two years. [1]
Trivia
Gallery
Season One Photos
References
- ↑ Mitovich, Matt. Short Cuts: "Dexter Slays the Ratings, and More" TV Guide, Retrieved 2009-01-16. http://www.tvguide.com/news/short-cuts-dexter-15508/