DEXTER (TV SERIES)


'''Dexter''' is a television series made by Showtime 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 began shooting on May 21, 2007 and is scheduled to premiere on September 30, 2007.

Contents
Plot
Season 1
Season 2
Cast
Plot differences from the novel
UK Cell Phone Issue
Critical reception
DVD release
Awards
2006
2007
Nominations
2006
2007
Cultural references
Trivia
References
External links

Plot


Main articles: List of Dexter episodes

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 dissection 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.
The complete season one of Dexter was released in a 4 disc DVD package on August 21, 2007.
Season 2

This season is not based upon the second novel of Jeff Lindsay's ''Dexter'' series, ''Dearly Devoted Dexter''. The part of the ocean where Dexter dumps his bodies is discovered by treasure hunters, which sparks a manhunt for the so-called "Bay Harbour Butcher" that draws in even the FBI. A cult following begins to form behind the "Butcher" when it's discovered who his victims are.[2] Dexter also seems to be having problems executing his latest victims. New cast members include Keith Carradine as Special Agent Lundy, and Jaime Murray as Lila, an ex-junkie artist who becomes Dexter's ally.[3] The role of Rita's son Cody has now been re-cast with another child actor.
As per IMDB, Season 2 is set to air on September 30, 2007. On July 17, 2007, the first two episodes of Season 2 were leaked on the internet.[4]

Cast


The Cast of ''Dexter''

Main articles: List of Dexter characters


★ 'Michael C. Hall' as 'Dexter Morgan'

★ 'Julie Benz' as 'Rita Bennett'

★ 'Jennifer Carpenter' as 'Deborah Morgan'

★ 'Erik King' as 'Sgt. James Doakes'

★ 'Lauren Vélez' as 'Lt. Maria LaGuerta'

★ 'David Zayas' as 'Angel Batista'

★ 'James Remar' as 'Harry Morgan'

★ 'C.S. Lee' as 'Vince Masuka'

Plot differences from the novel


There are numerous 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" (renamed the "Ice Truck Killer" for the series). With the exception of adoptive sister Deborah and adoptive 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, called the Tamiami Killer in the book. 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, who, like Dexter, witnessed their mother's brutal murder. 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.[5] 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 in the confrontation. Furthermore, while in the novel Dexter and his brother are nearly identical, the actors playing the two characters are distinct from each other in their looks.
Some of the characters have had their names changed. Detective LaGuerta is named Migdia in the novel and Maria in the show while Doakes' first name is changed from Albert to James. Doakes' first name is not revealed in the first novel, but in the sequel ''Dearly Devoted Dexter''.
The character of Angel Batista is a lab tech in the books while in the television series he is a homicide detective.
The character of Vince Masuoka is Eurasian in the books and appears even less socially aware than Dexter is.

UK Cell Phone Issue


In preparation for the UK launch of the series, FX (UK) experimented with an SMS-based viral marketing campaign. Unsuspecting mobile phone owners received unsolicited SMS messages identified as being from "Dexter", with no other identification or originating phone number. The SMS messages contain the following text, referring to the phone owner by name:
:"Hello (name). I'm heading to the UK sooner than you might think. Dexter."
Some time later, an email is received directing the user to an online video "news report", about a recent spree of killings. Using on-the-fly video manipulation, the user's name and a personalised message are worked into the report—the former written in blood on a wall by the crime scene, the latter added to a note in an evidence bag carried past the camera.
Whilst the marketing campaign has succeeded in raising the profile of the show, it has proved unpopular with many mobile owners who saw this as spam advertising aimed at mobile phones. In response to complaints about the SMS element of the campaign, FX issued the following statement:
:"The text message you received was part of an internet viral campaign for our newest show ''Dexter''. However it was not us who sent you the text but one of your friends. We do not have a database of viewer phone numbers. The text message went along with a piece on the net that you can then send on to other people you know. If you go to www.icetruck.tv you will see the page that one of your friends has filled in to send you that message. Therefore I suggest you have a word with anyone who knows your mobile number and see who sent you this message. For the record we did not make a record of any phone numbers used in this campaign."[6]

Critical reception


The initial response to ''Dexter'' was positive. The website Metacritic 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.''[7] 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.[8] On the CNET Networks website TV.com, Dexter has an overall rating of 9.3/10.[9]
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.

DVD release


Art CoverDVD NameRelease DateEp #Additional Information
The Complete First SeasonAugust 21 2007 [1]12
  • 2 Audio Commentaries by the Cast
  • The Academy of Blood – A Killer Course!
  • N Technology
  • 2 episodes of Showtime’s Brotherhood

    • Awards


    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
    2007


    ★ Television Critics Association - Individual Achievement in Drama - Michael C. Hall

    ★ Saturn Awards - Best Actor in a Television Program - Michael C. Hall
    Nominations

    2006


    ★ IGN - Best Television Program

    ★ Satellite Awards — Outstanding Actor in a Series, Drama — Michael C. Hall

    ★ Satellite Awards — Outstanding Television Series, Drama
    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

    ★ Emmy - Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing, Drama

    ★ Emmy - Outstanding Main Title Design

    ★ Emmy - Outstanding Original Main Title Theme Music

    ★ Television Critics Association - New Program of the Year

    ★ Saturn Awards - Best Supporting Actor in a Television Program - James Remar

    ★ Saturn Awards - Best Supporting Actress in a Television Program - Jennifer Carpenter

    ★ Saturn Awards - Best Syndicated/Cable Television Series

    Cultural references



    ★ Dexter lists himself as Dr. Patrick Bateman to receive animal tranquilizers. Patrick Bateman is a serial killer from the novel and film ''American Psycho''.

    Trivia



    ★ In the original opening credits, the lock used by Dexter on his front door is a "Dexter" lockset. In later broadcasts it was replaced by a "Defiant" brand lock.

    ★ "" is the Latin word for "" (the relative direction). The Latin word for "" is "".

    ★ Three members of the cast also starred in the HBO series ''Oz''.

    References


    1. the futon critic: Showtime's ''Dexter'' Takes A Stab At Season Two
    2. IGN.com, "Dexter Gets Ready for Another Killer Season"
    3. IGN.com, "Dexter Makes Friends"
    4. Massive Leak of Pre-Air TV Shows: Piracy or Promotion?
    5. Chapter 1 except of ''Dearly Devoted Dexter'' Jeff Lindsay
    6. Dexter Text Message discussion
    7. Dexter (Showtime) - Reviews from Metacritic
    8. Looking forward, some no-no's for the New Year
    9. TV.com highest rated shows

    External links



    ★ Metacritic score for ''Dexter''

    ★ Rolfe Kent, Dexter's Theme composer

    ★ Blood Relative Brendan Bernhard

    ★ UK Official site

    ★

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