Dexter (TV series)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Dexter | |
|---|---|
 The Dexter intro |
|
| Genre | Serial drama Psychological thriller Police procedural |
| Creator(s) | James Manos Jr. |
| Starring | Michael C. Hall Julie Benz Jennifer Carpenter Erik King Lauren Vélez David Zayas James Remar C.S. Lee Devon Graye Dominic Janes Christian Camargo |
| Opening theme | Rolfe Kent |
| Country of origin |  United States |
| Language(s) | English |
| No. of episodes | 12 (List of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Daniel Cerone Clyde Phillips John Goldwyn Sara Colleton |
| Running time | approx. 50 mins per episode |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | Showtime |
| Picture format | HDTV 1080i |
| Audio format | Surround sound |
| Original run | October 1st, 2006 – present |
| Links | |
| Official website | |
| IMDb profile | |
| TV.com summary | |
Dexter is a Showtime original television series starring Michael C. Hall as serial killer Dexter Morgan, who works as a forensics analyst specializing in bloodstain pattern analysis for the Miami-Dade Police Department. The series is based on the novel Darkly Dreaming Dexter by Jeff Lindsay.
The first season finished airing on December 17, 2006. On November 2, 2006, Showtime renewed the series for a second season,[1] which will begin shooting on May 21, 2007 and is scheduled to premiere on September 30, 2007. Its storyline will be original, not based on Dearly Devoted Dexter or the rest of the novel series.[2]
Contents |
[edit] Plot
[edit] Season 1
Orphaned at the age of three and harboring a traumatic secret, Dexter (Michael C. Hall) was adopted by a Miami police officer who recognized his homicidal tendencies and taught him to channel his gruesome passion for human disection in a "constructive" way—by killing only heinous criminals (such as child molesters, mob assassins, and serial killers of the innocent) who have slipped through the justice system. To satisfy his interest in blood and to facilitate his own crimes, Dexter works as a blood spatter analyst for the Miami police. Although his drive to kill is unflinching, he is easily able to emulate normal emotions and keep up his appearance as a socially-responsible human being. He is well-liked by most of his colleagues, his girlfriend, and her children.
[edit] Series cast
- Michael C. Hall as Dexter Morgan
- Jennifer C. Carpenter as Debra Morgan
- Julie Benz as Rita Bennett
- Erik King as Sergeant James Doakes
- Lauren Vélez as Lt. Maria LaGuerta
- David Zayas as Angel Batista
- James Remar as Harry Morgan
- Christian Camargo as Rudy Cooper
- Mark Pellegrino as Paul, Rita's Husband
- C.S. Lee as Vince Matsuka
- Devon Graye as Teenage Dexter
[edit] Differences from the novel
There are many 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 Slasher (the "Ice Truck Killer" name is never used in the book). With the exception of foster sister Deborah and foster father Harry, much of the supporting cast (Doakes, Angel and LaGuerta) have minor roles in the novel. The TV series expands on their characters 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. Although he is mentioned in the novel, he is never actually seen. In the show, he becomes a full-fledged supporting character who professes love for his children, but nevertheless still treats Rita violently.
The biggest change is the lead-up and revelation to 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 brought up. The final clue is a blurry photo of someone who resembles Dexter at a crime scene. After the Ice Truck Killer kidnaps Deborah, Dexter (who is followed by Detective LaGuerta) confronts him and it it is subsequently revealed that the killer is actually Dexter's nearly identical long-lost brother, Brian. 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.[3] As a morbid trophy, Dexter adds a drop of LaGuerta's blood to his collection.
In the TV 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 kills Brian instead of letting him escape, Deborah does not discover her brother's secret and LaGuerta is not present at all.
[edit] Critical reception
The initial response to Dexter has been exceptional, particularly considering the controversial subject matter of a heroic serial killer. The website Metacritic has 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.[4]
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.
[edit] Awards
[edit] 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
[edit] Nominations
[edit] 2006
- IGN - Best Television Program
- Satellite Awards — Outstanding Actor in a Series, Drama — Michael C. Hall
- Satellite Awards — Outstanding Television Series, Drama
[edit] 2007
- Golden Globe — Nomination for Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series – Drama – Michael C. Hall
- SAG — Male Actor in a Drama Series — Michael C. Hall
[edit] Trivia
- Four members of the cast also starred in the HBO series Oz, while Michael C. Hall starred in the HBO series Six Feet Under.
- Dexter has killed 98 victims as seen in his slide collection.[citation needed]
- The fruit being eaten by Dexter during the intro segment is a blood orange.
- Dexter lists himself as Dr. Patrick Bateman to receive animal tranquilizers. Patrick Bateman is a serial killer from the novel and film American Psycho.
- The minor character Neil Perry is a reference to the martyr of the same name in the film Dead Poets Society.
- Dexter is seen to be bad at shaving - He is shown at the beginning of the title credits, clearly cutting his face shaving, and in the last two shots with several milimetres of beard growth.
[edit] References
- ^ the futon critic: Showtime's Dexter Takes A Stab At Season Two
- ^ IGN: Paley Fest: Dexter
- ^ Jeff Lindsay. Chapter 1 except of Dearly Devoted Dexter. Dearly Devoted Dexter. Random House. Retrieved on March 17, 2007. “Doakes was convinced that I’d had something to do with LaGuerta’s death. This was totally untrue and completely unfair. All I had done was watch – where’s the harm in that? Of course I had helped the real killer escape, but what could you expect? What kind of person would turn in his own brother? Especially when he did such neat work.”
- ^ TV.com highest rated shows
[edit] External links
- Official site (US-only)
- Metacritic score for Dexter
- Rolfe Kent, Dexter's Theme compositor
- Brendan Bernhard (September 29, 2006). Blood Relative. New York Sun Newspaper.
