What’s the best way to hide that you’re a serial killer? It’s dead simple; get yourself a job working as the blood splatter analyst within the Miami Metro Police Department. It’s cool though, you’re only murdering people who deserve it!
Dexter is a nice guy. He’s a good guy in fact.
Following the title character’s double life, by day he has a successful career, a family and is an all-round normal person. On the flip side, Dexter is a proficient, cold, calculated killer who struggles to resist his ‘dark passenger’.
If a criminal believes they have committed the perfect murder by leaving next to no evidence at the crime scene, they need to think again. Dexter is always one step ahead and ready to catch any wrong doer that has slipped through the cracks of the justice system.
Through 8 seasons, Dexter has prepped and readied his plastic-sheet covered killing room, hundreds of times. He’s taken out the bad guys when the law couldn’t get the job done, while satisfying his hunger for murder at the same time.
His total outgoings on plastic sheeting and bin bags must have been extortionately high!
There are several moments where Dexter forces you to hold your breath. Tensions reach breaking point whenever Dexter’s split persona is close to being discovered, as members of his department (including his sister, Deb) notice killing patterns and his suspicious activity.
Surprise mother f**cker.
Sergeant Doakes suspects Dexter early on and so during a game of cat and mouse, Dexter frames his accuser for a number of murders. However, Doake’s persistence finally pays off as he catches him red handed. Fortunately for Dexter, not so much for Doakes, the Sergeant dies in a fire.
By the final couple of seasons, Dexter’s secret was out. His sister walks in on Dexter mid-murder! Conflicted and confused, the tug of war between the two siblings was palpable.
The finale tore a lot of fans in two, as Deb gets shot and turns into a vegetable. Dexter turns off her life support, removes her body from the hospital and tosses her off his boat, like so many of his previous victims.
In a strange turn, he leaves his children and everything behind for a new life... as a grungy lumberjack, complete with flannel shirt and beard. What the hell?
Fun Fact: IIn a completely non-incestuous relationship, on set characters, Dexter and his sister Deb were married outside of the show. Actors Michael C. Hall and Jennifer Carpenter tied the knot in December 2008. Unfortunately, thing’s didn’t quite work out for the couple and they subsequently divorced 2 years later in 2010 but were able to continue their working relationship, without a hitch.