MoonChyld’s Entertainment – Goodbye, Dexter Morgan

After 8 seasons we bid a fond farewell to our loveable serial killer.

In 2005, Showtime introduced us to a man who was precise on his job. He took pride in being a blood spatter expert for the Miami Metro Police Forensics Department; but that was his day job. He also took pride in being a skilled serial killer to the “bad people” who fell through the cracks of the law. His name was Dexter Morgan and he was good at what he did.

For 8 years we have tuned in every Sunday and entered the world that is Dexter’s. Our first insight into his life was how he handles his day to day and still be able to feed the hunger of his Dark Passenger. On the outside Dexter looks like the average everyday man with a sister, Deborah aka Deb, who also works at Miami Metro as a police officer and is the punching bag or Lieutenant Maria LaGuerta at any given chance.

Dexter developed this need to kill at a very young age; almost as young as 8 when his victims were neighborhood animals. His adoptive father Harry (Deb’s his biological daughter) taught him how to maintain control of his urges by implementing a code thus not bringing too much attention to him that will put him in hot water. Like many men, Dexter is neat and organized wearing his bowler shirts, khakis and gym shoes. His first relation was with an emotionally and physically abused mother of 2 named Rita Bennett who didn’t seem to be a big fan of intimacy which suited Dex just fine because it helped in him not having to fake it – something a bit uncommon in men. He however had a soft spot for children, particularly Astor & her brother Cody. As time went on Dexter & Rita got married and had a son, Harrison. But this seemingly flawless life did come with its problems here and there. And these problems came in the form of the people that were either trying to take him down (Doakes), take him for themselves (Lila) or just wanting to “Take It!” (Chase). I want to share some memorable moments and the characters on the show that created these moments.

And you know I have to start with this one:

Sgt. James Doakes

Sgt. James Doakes (Erik King) was former Marine with a hothead and had a love for shirts that were 3 sizes too small. Maybe that’s his angered stemmed from, or one would think that. James had a relationship with his former partner turned boss Maria LaGuerta and since then had a strong need to destroy Dexter because he felt there was more to the blood spatter expert than what he presented to his co-workers.

Memorable Moments

When Deb was riding with Doakes they made a stop to his mother’s house only to discover that his sisters were there as well. He wanted the visit to be as quick as possible but it looked like his family something else in mind and saw this as an opportunity to put the stern and orderly cop on the spot. There was a hint of a soft side to man with a heart of stone, but it’s just only a hint. And that’s the most we would get from him

Another moment is when things began to be a little too close to the edge for Dexter when Doakes was tailing him everywhere he went to the point of Dexter feeling like he was being bullied. Doakes was forced to play nice with the eccentric Morgan and the final straw was Doakes, on his own, pushed the button he wished he hadn’t. Dexter had enough and finally decided to put an end to Doakes’ obsessive attention on him. He put his pants in his pockets and gave Doakes a head-butt that he will never forget if he tried. As he walked out of his lab, Doakes charged him like a linebacker and slammed him to the floor and proceeded to punch him. Succeeding in looking like the victim, Doakes was suspended for the attack.

However his end wasn’t all that pleasant, something that seems to be the developing pattern once the truth is found out about the Darkly Dreaming one. Doakes was held captive in a cabin in the Everglades by Dexter after following him there and witnessing him dumping bags of body parts in the water. After some time Dexter shared some pieces of his past that involved his father and felt it was best for everyone that he turned himself in. And just as he thought that he changed his mind, leaving Doakes in the cage inside the cabin; sending help anonymously. But someone that wanted Dexter for selfish and psychotic reasons vetoed that choice and turned the gas on in cabin with the pilot going on the stove. He a one step away from turning it off but was too late. His last moment in this world was explosive – literally.

His last word – Muthafucker

The person responsible for his demise was:

Lila Tournay

Lila aka Lila West (Jaime Murray) was an exotic Brit who met Dexter at a Narcotics Anonymous meeting. Dexter was using as a cover to keep Doakes off his back but to no avail; he found out from Deb that Dex never even smoked a cigarette. Lila was Dexter’s sponsor from NA and began to develop an obsessive attraction to him. And when Rita saw her after dropping Dexter off at a meeting she instantly felt threatened. Not to mention had her suspicions about her.

Memorable Moment

The Dexter/Rita relationship began to strain and he put his energy into Lila. When he took her to the area where the Ice Truck Killer’s victims were at Miami Metro (we know they were Dexter’s) she didn’t flinch; she was amazed by it which Dex found to be interesting yet attractive. Thus beginning a spark but it wasn’t with its problems. When Dexter felt Lila was too much to handle he ended the relationship which of course didn’t well with her. She decided to take matters in her own hands and get her man back by taking Rita’s kids to her loft and setting it on fire. As luck would have it, Dexter came and saved the day. Fast forward to the realization that it was Lila who blew Doakes to an oblivion and left the country. She was getting used to her new life in Paris only to be shocked upon seeing a postcard from Miami mixed in with her mail. Dexter it seems caught the red eye to take care of some unfinished business. Lila paid the consequences for – as Dex felt – killing “an innocent” such as James Doakes. This had to be one of his most strategic kills in the series because it doesn’t seem like he was missed in Miami.

Her last words – Don’t do this

Brian Moser (Christian Camargo)

Introduced to the world in Season 1 as Rudy Cooper, the new man in Debra’s life; little did anyone know his true nature in life. Rudy was a prosthetist working at a local hospital in Miami who was treating an Ice Truck Killer victim. That’s how he met Debra – she was part of the investigation team working on the Ice Truck Killer’s case. It became a quick romance and Debra became very smitten with Rudy. She naturally introduced her great guy to her big brother and that’s when things began to take an interesting turn for all involved.

Memorable Moment

After a series of pieces from Dexter’s past surfacing in his apartment and on several crime scenes, Rudy was revealed to be Dexter’s older brother Brian who was left in the bloody cargo container after Harry took Dexter from the crime scene and adopted him. Brian proposed to Deb and eventually revealed himself as the Ice Truck Killer wanting to love Deb to pieces – literally. This prompted some suspicions of who Rudy was as far as Dex was concerned. He knew that Deb was going out with Brian and made it a point to save her from this man. Brian had her on a kill table the same way Dexter does with his victims. Just as Brian thought he got through to his little brother telling him they are natural born killers and killing Debra wouldn’t be effective because she’s not blood. This of course was the last straw for Dexter, to him Deb is the one person he has left that loved him and didn’t see a monster. He managed to apprehend Brian like and put him on a kill table in a refrigerated room. Unlike his usual tables, this one had a remote where he was able to turn him upside down – draining his blood slowly.

His Last Words – You’re the one who needs freeing, little brother.

Miguel Prado

Miguel Prado (Jimmy Smits) was a prominent figure in the Miami area as the Assistant DA who had the reputation of getting the bad guy but he was underhanded with his work ethics. His connection to Miami Metro is through Maria LaGuerta whom he used to date some years back but remained friends. He came into the picture after finding out his brother Oscar was murdered, but what he didn’t know was that it was Dexter who did it. He took to Dexter after witnessing him killing someone to which the forensics expert claimed self defense; it was at that moment Miguel had an idea. There was someone who knew of his work performance that he wanted out of the way – Ellen Wolf. Ellen was another attorney and a friend of Maria’s who knew of Miguel’s methods and planned on exposing him. He wanted to take care of her but since she didn’t fit “The Code of Harry”, Dexter was against it.

Memorable Moment

Dexter finds out that Miguel did in fact kill Ellen and exhumed her body from a grave that that Miguel set up for her; making a very bold point of not going against the Code. This of course concerns Miguel who thought Dex was his friend and would understand his motives. Things begin to escalate when Miguel has a notorious criminal known as “The Skinner” to go after Dexter but was unsuccessful. So much so that Dexter was able to prevent another kill that Miguel planned from happening – that of former girlfriend Maria LaGuerta. He was killed in the same way “The Skinner” killed his victims. These events – including bringing “The Skinner” to his death by breaking his neck and throwing him in front of a moving cop car – all happened hours before Dexter’s wedding with Rita.

His last words – You little ****, you think I’m done with you? You think this ends here, it doesn’t.

Arthur Mitchell aka The Trinity Killer

On the surface, Arthur Mitchell (John Lithgow) appeared to be the average suburban family man with a wife and two kids. He was a Christian man who went to church and helps to create homes with a Habitat for Humanity type organization called Four Walls. But underneath the perfected picture Arthur created for himself was the true person known as the Trinity Killer. He was given this name by FBI Agent Frank Lundy because of the manner the victims were killed. His process was to kill a man and two women in the way his father (bludgeoned to the head), mother (jumped to her death) and sister (died in the bathtub) died. After his kills he places a small portion of his sister’s ashes at the scene with the victims pointing at them. He met Dexter at church (Dex used the alias Kyle Butler) and it appeared they were somewhat bonding on Arthur’s end but we know what Dexter’s intentions were.

Memorable Moment

The element of surprise came after Lundy came out of retirement to work on the Trinity Killer murder case with Miami Metro. He and Deb were rekindling their relationship – she broke things off with Anton shortly before that – and working closely on the case. And that’s when it happened; someone shot both Lundy and Deb in the parking lot of his apartment complex. Deb was wounded badly but Lundy didn’t survive which made her even more determined to catch this man. The reason for the shooting was to keep Arthur from getting arrested but it was discovered that it wasn’t Arthur who fired the gun – it was his daughter from a previous relationship named Christine Hill.

She was a reporter for the Miami Tribune who was seeing Quinn as a means to get inside info on the cases his department was working on – one being the Trinity Killer case. She made the decision of shooting Lundy and Deb hoping it strengthened her relationship with her father but it did the opposite. He deliberately kept her hidden from his family and had no contact with her. He was disgusted with her; telling her that he wished she was never born. Feeling severely heartbroken by this she confessed to Deb before ultimately killing herself.

Yet before Dexter killed Arthur Mitchell he gave the following last words “It’s already over.” Not knowing what this meant, Dexter completed his task and went home to get his things together so he could meet his family in Orlando but upon entering the house he received a voicemail from her saying she forgot something at the house and had to go back and get it. This immediately worries him and he comes to a shocking discovery.

His last words – It’s already over. Could you? Thank you.

Rita Bennett-Morgan

Rita (Julie Benz) was introduced as Dexter’s girlfriend at the beginning of the series. They met through Deb who answered a domestic abuse call from her home. Dexter liked the fact that Rita wasn’t all that interested in being intimate due to the physical abuse she got from her ex-husband. Overtime their relationship did become more physical, they got married and young Harrison came into the world.

Memorable Moment

The shocking discovery that Dexter came across was finding his wife in the tub in the way that Trinity left his victims but instead of pointing at ashes, Rita was pointing at their baby boy Harrison. To add salt to the wound Dexter found him the same way Harry found Dexter when he was a boy – in a pool of his mother’s blood. This was a shock for not only Dexter but to the viewers; this emphasized that happiness and normalcy for Dexter comes at a price.

Her last words went to the grave with Arthur Mitchell

Jordan Chase

Jordan Chase (Jonny Lee Miller) was a famed motivational speaker from Florida who’s phrase “Take It!!” catapulted him to being compared to the likes of (name). He always had his right hand man Cole with him guarding him from overzealous people like Masuka who was a big fan of his book Take It No. But there’s the saying “All that glitters isn’t gold” for a reason, and who better than Dexter to see this into fruition. It turned out that Jordan was the mastermind behind the Barrel Girl Murders that plagued Miami. But he wasn’t discovered right away. It took a man named Boyd Fowler that brought pieces together. When Dexter fulfilled the need of his dark passenger he was surprised to see someone lurking outside the kill room after killing Fowler – her name was Lumen Pierce.

Memorable Moment

After he and Lumen worked together on gathering up this group of people, who tortured and raped many women including her at the commands of Chase who recorded every encounter, they were closing in on him – saving the best for last so to speak. Jordan set Lumen up by having his former camp counselor call her over to the house. Dexter narrowed down Jordan at the very camp where he and his friends met. However with this particular kill it wasn’t at the hands of Dexter; it was Lumen. She felt very vindicated and free after taking Jordan’s life. Now having the knowledge that she can fully move on with her life and no longer having the need to kill, despite her gratitude and feelings for Dexter she left; taking his secret with her.

His last words – I watched you so carefully the last time you were here. You used to just cower and cry.

Travis Marshall

Travis Marshall (Colin Hanks) was the assistant to one Prof. James Gellar (Edward James Olmos)  who believed heavily in the book of Revelations in the Bible. It was believed that Gellar felt that intricate steps needed to be made in time of the lunar eclipse to prepare for the end of days. The conflict was Travis’s empathy for others when it came time to pick certain people as sacrificial lambs and play out certain events that took place in Revelations. Not to mention his relationship with his sister caused a problem in their plans too as Gellar felt all his energy should be on the cause at hand and Travis continuous communication with his sister.

Memorable Moment

As the season was coming closer to the end it turned out that Travis murdered Prof. Gellar and his former mentor was just an aberration to him. This was discovered by Dexter who found Gellar’s body in a deep freezer and came to the conclusion that it was Travis all along committing these heinous crimes. After successfully escaping captivity, Dexter apprehended Travis and brought him back to the very church where each murder was planned and calculated. And what looked like a moment of closing a vicious chapter the unexpected happened. Debra went to the church as well looking for Dexter to profess her love for him that was more than a sisterly way only to witness Dexter killing Travis; set into motion the moments that would change the dynamics of Dexter’s relationship with Debra.

His last words – This is not how it’s supposed to be!

María LaGuerta

Captain María LaGuerta (Lauren Vélez) was a politically driven police officer who used shady tactics as a means of making her way through the ranks. She dated James Doakes and broke things off once she was promoted. She flirted heavily with Dexter but overtime gave up after noticing he was completely unresponsive to her advances. As the lieutenant of homicide she secretly dated and eventually married Angel Batista after her job was threatened by Chief Matthews.  To secure a guarantee that she would be made Captain, she blackmailed Matthews by way of keeping his involvement with an escort under wraps – his contact info was in the escort’s phonebook as he was a regular client of hers.

At the crime scene of Travis Marshall in season 7, María discovered a blood slide that was much like the ones that were collected by the Bay Harbor Butcher. This of course María believed more than she did in season 2 that Doakes was not the Bay Harbor Butcher; the killer was still at large. She went on her own investigation to clear her former partner/lover that lead her to suspect the last person she wanted to – Dexter Morgan. To make her suspicions plausible she arranged for an appeal to be granted for a man named Hector Estrada; he was the man who put a hit out on Dexter mother for being Harry’s informant when he was a child. Dexter began putting the pieces together once Estrada named María as the one who arranged his release to set him up when in actuality it was to set up Dexter; proving him to be the Bay Harbor Butcher. This of course blew up in her face as it seemed Dexter was about 5 steps ahead of her; ultimately she was in jeopardy of losing her job because of her obsession of clearing James Doakes’ name. When all else failed for María she came across a surveillance video showing Deb at a gas station not far from the church where Travis was killed filling up a gas can. She brought this to her lieutenant’s attention telling her that this is will prove that not only was Travis’s killer but also the Bay Harbor Butcher. Debra of course told her big brother what happened at the office. It was at that point that Dexter had had enough of her getting too close to the truth and he decided to turn the tables on her; taking matters into his own hands.

Memorable Moment

After Hector called María (by way of coercion from Dexter) to save him and meets his end, the captain makes her way to them only to find Hector dead. Her element of surprise comes from behind courtesy of Dexter and his trusty needle. Just as he’s about to set up the scene to show there was a struggle between LaGuerta and Estrada his sister comes in to try and stop it from happening. Torn between the love of her brother and loyalty of her job, Deb was at a crossroads. Not really knowing to follow her heart or mind, it was María who insisted heavily to “take him down” because of what he’s done over the years – not to mention framing Doakes. Thinking this is the best way; Dexter agreed with Maria and told his sister to do what she has to do. And in the moment that shocked any and everyone who watched – Debra fired her gun and shot María straight through her chest.

Just in case you didn’t know: Executive Producer Scott Buck stated in an inside look interview about the season 7 finale that the gunshot was supposed to be the end of the scene but the cameras kept rolling and what we saw was unscripted when Debra runs to Maria and is hysterically crying out why that had to happen. A sign of not only good acting but a testament of how hard it must have been to let go of that character.

Her last words – “Take him down!! Shoot him!!”

Hannah McKay

Hannah McKay (Yvonne Strahovski) came into our lives in the 7^th season as part of a second story line from the Doomsday Killings. She was a botanist by trade with her own nursery business but she too had a dark past. It seems that someone she was once attached to was helping Miami Metro in finding his victims. She was his partner in crime during his killing spree and was able to kill in her own way as to not have it be traced back to her. Case in point – her counselor at a juvenile home she was in who was molesting both her and friend she made there. She was able to poison him to make it look like he died of natural causes. She also killed a reporter who was on a hot trail (thanks to her father) to her past as he was writing a story about her ex-boyfriend. It was Dexter who figured out that Hannah actually killed someone with a knife based on the way the victim was cut. He felt with that she fit the code because she slipped through the cracks of the law. That would begin their relationship as Dexter found someone who was as dark as he is; not like Lumen.

Memorable Moment

Hannah, while in a relationship with Dexter, tried to kill Debra because she felt that his sister was coming between them. She felt threatened and as much as Dex didn’t want to believe it he did come to the discovery that she did in fact tried off the one person who loved him most. This would cause Dexter to make the decision of protecting his sister and putting his girlfriend in jail. She did however manage to get out with the help of her friend and escape; leaving an orchid at Dexter’s front door and disappearing into the night.

6 months after the death of Maria LaGuerta, Dexter looks to have moved on with his life by way of spending time with his son and getting back into bowling with his league. Over time he and Deb were rebuilding a bridge and having dinner. Little did they know that the food was tainted knocking Deb out and before he faded away he was shocked to see Hannah walk through the patio area. He came to an understanding as to why she did what she did. She was in a marriage of convenience and wanted out but he was a very headstrong and aggressive man. She eventually went to Dexter for help but ultimately she was the one who took her husband’s life. They would rekindle the flame and embark on the plan to leave the country with Harrison and start a new life. But when something is too good to be true…..

Dr. Evelyn Vogel

During the final season a renowned therapist named Evelyn Vogel (Charlotte Rampling) arrive in Miami as a helpful hand to Miami Metro – her area of expertise was psychopaths. Her knowledge was to add assistance to an investigation about a string of murders where a portion of the victim’s brain was scooped out. This particular portion of the brain gives the person the ability to feel empathy but according to Dr. Vogel – psychopaths cannot express empathy. While there she takes a keen in Dexter as it was her who gave the tools to Harry that would become The Code. Once she explained further to Dexter how she came to know Harry and presented video recorded sessions they had. He took Evelyn as a mother figure who made him feel like there was nothing wrong with him after all. She would help bridge the gap between him and Deb and in turn he would help her with finding out who left the portion of grey matter at her door.

Memorable Moment

“You won’t kill me Dexter.”

“Why not?”

“Because I don’t fit Harry’s Code.”

This exchange of words would open the floodgates for Dexter. Not only could the element of surprise truly surprise well played as he let it sink in that a woman he never seen before knew who Dexter really was. But it wasn’t without finding out the reason for her choice of study. As Dexter would discover Dr. Vogel’s past had its own secrets. The good doctor had 2 sons; one was murdered by the other. Seeing as the younger son had some out of psychopathic tendencies, she decided to check him into a psychiatric facility for treatment. Fast forward to the present and the search for The Brain Surgeon takes an interesting turn when Dexter finds out that a friend of a neighbor – Oliver Saxon – is really Vogel’s son Daniel.

Oliver Saxon

On the outside, Oliver Saxon (Darri Ingolfsson) was your average building inspector who enjoyed the company of a woman and liked having a good time. On the inside, Daniel Vogel wanted to enact revenge on his mother who he felt abandoned him and was favored less over his brother. He has been following his mother’s career and after breaking out of the hospital he set up shop in Miami. Knowing she was there, Oliver began his conquest to scare the skin off his mother. Not knowing the source but it turned out that the victims of The Brain Surgeon were Vogel’s patients. After coming home and finding a murder suspect being killed himself in the same as the Surgeon’s other victims in his home; Dexter knew it was more personal and Vogel was definitely an indirect target.

Memorable Moment

Dexter did some research on Oliver only to find out that he was really Daniel Vogel, son of Dr. Evelyn Vogel. He then told Vogel and had a picture to back it up – this shocked the doctor in ways even she couldn’t imagine. Knowing full well that Daniel fits The Code she was torn with making such a decision as to allow Dexter to kill her son. She thought that there could be an alternative way to handle him; that was a grave mistake. His reason for killing his brother was because his mother favored him more so than Daniel. He again gave her the option to choose between him and Dexter. Seeing as how she was still communicating and helping Dexter, Daniel came up with his own decision. Dexter, knowing that Daniel would be more harm than good to Vogel, hightailed it to her house only to see Daniel standing at the front window with his mother – slitting her throat and leaving her for dead.

 

And the one who he truly cared for…

Debra Morgan

Debra Morgan (Jennifer Carpenter) was Dexter’s younger sister. She was the one, according to Dexter, who loved him and didn’t see the bad in him. She followed in their father’s footsteps and became a cop at Miami Metro in the Vice division. Longing to be a part of Homicide she paid her dues and with the help of her big brother Dex, contributed some very helpful information for the Ice Truck Killer investigation. She would then make it through the ranks and became the Lieutenant of Homicide – succeeding LaGuerta who was promoted to Captain. She always felt that she was in her father’s shadow while working with her fellow officers; a defining factor of her feeling the need to work harder than anyone and be taken seriously. No matter what, she always felt that she could count on her brother to be there for her. Considering it never really showed on the show that she had friends outside of work.

Memorable Moment

Dexter comes home from work to find Deb in the living room with his blood slides, his knives and the prosthetic arm on the coffee table. He had no choice but to tell the truth when she asked him if he was a serial killer. When it finally sunk in she was so overwhelmed by it that she got sick from it. She was even more devastated when he told her that Harry knew about his extracurricular activity and that he gave him a code to live by so as to not get caught. Apparently that was the first rule of the Code of Harry – Don’t get caught. After getting the whole truth she began to piece some things together such as Rita’s death to where the common denominator was Dex.

The last thing Dexter ever wanted was for his sister to find out about his “hobby”, he knew it would destroy her perception of him which he didn’t want. Their relationship was forever changed and she began to unravel herself by abusing drugs and alcohol as a means to punish herself for what she did to Maria. She even went as far as trying to kill him while in the car together by taking the wheel and veering the car into a lake; almost a minute after someone saved her she went back into the water and brought Dexter to the surface. Of course, Dexter wasn’t quick to forgive his sister about that situation but over time and thanks to Dr. Vogel, they managed to repair their relationship.

Things didn’t stay normal for the Miami officers for long; Deb was severely shot by Saxon and he escaped even after Deb shot him in the arm. She succumbed to her injuries and this was the straw that broke Dexter’s back – Oliver had to go. The way that Dexter went about it was genius – it’s a must see!!

The reaction to how this entertaining series ended was an astounding “WTF?!?” from critics and fans alike. I am certain that I am part of a very small group of people who was satisfied with the ending. It would be safe to say that the series finale was about as appreciative by the viewers as the finale of The Sopranos. But as the saying goes – you can’t please everybody.

Dexter may no longer be on the Showtime Network but you can still relieve each blood spattering episode on the Showtime Anytime app on your mobile device and at sho.com; you can also see it on Nuvo Television Network starting January 13. The complete series is also available at the Showtime online store and Amazon packaged like his blood slide box with the DVDs & Blue Ray discs taking the place of the slides.

Despite the reaction to the ending, people tuned in every Sunday night to see what Dexter would do next to keep up the façade of being as normal as possible; even with him feeding his urge to kill. There is much to be said about a man that people loved to watch cut into those that felt they slip through the cracks of justice. This show definitely left mark – or maybe a drop of blood.

That’s my opinion and everyone is entitled to one.

T. S. Jones

 

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