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Rita Morgan (''née'' Brandon; previously Ackerman and Bennett) is a
fictional character In fiction, a character (or speaker, in poetry) is a person or other being in a narrative (such as a novel, play, radio or television series, music, film, or video game). The character may be entirely fictional or based on a real-life person, ...
created by Jeff Lindsay for his book series about a
vigilante Vigilantism () is the act of preventing, investigating and punishing perceived offenses and crimes without Right, legal authority. A vigilante (from Spanish, Italian and Portuguese “vigilante”, which means "sentinel" or "watcher") is a pers ...
serial killer A serial killer is typically a person who murders three or more persons,A * * * * with the murders taking place over more than a month and including a significant period of time between them. While most authorities set a threshold of three ...
named
Dexter Morgan {{More citations needed, date=August 2016 {{Infobox character , color = red , name = Dexter Morgan , series = Dexter , image = Dexter Morgan.jpg , image_size = 200px , caption = Michael C. Hall as Dexter Morgan , first = Novels:'' Darkly ...
. She also appeared in the
television series A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite television, satellite, or cable television, cable, excluding breaking news, television adverti ...
''Dexter'', based on Lindsay's books. She was the girlfriend and later wife of Dexter in both media. Portrayed by
Julie Benz Julie Benz (born May 1, 1972) l is an American actress. She is known for her roles as Darla on ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' and ''Angel'' (1997–2004), and as Rita Bennett on '' Dexter'' (2006–2010), for which she won the 2006 Satellite Awar ...
, Rita was a series regular in the first four seasons. The character made her last television appearance in 2010; she was a special guest star in ''Dexter'' season five opener entitled " My Bad". The character appeared in seven of the eight ''Dexter'' novels. In the novels, Dexter initially considers Rita little more than part of his disguise as a normal human being, and the perfect cover for his secret life as a
serial killer A serial killer is typically a person who murders three or more persons,A * * * * with the murders taking place over more than a month and including a significant period of time between them. While most authorities set a threshold of three ...
. He later admits to growing quite fond of Rita, whom he married in the third book, '' Dexter in the Dark''. In the television series, Rita is portrayed as a loving and caring mother who is emotionally damaged due to physical abuse by her former husband, Paul Bennett. Rita is the mother of
Astor Bennett This is a list of characters from the Showtime TV series '' Dexter'', its sequel miniseries '' Dexter: New Blood,'' and the Jeff Lindsay novels, including ''Darkly Dreaming Dexter'' (on which the show was based), ''Dearly Devoted Dexter'', '' De ...
( Christina Robinson) and Cody Bennett (
Preston Bailey Preston Bailey (born July 25, 2000) is an American actor who started acting at the age of two. He is known for appearing in the Showtime television series '' Dexter'' and for starring in such films as '' Judy Moody and the Not Bummer Summer'', ...
), and later in the television series, gives birth to Dexter's son,
Harrison Harrison may refer to: People * Harrison (name) * Harrison family of Virginia, United States Places In Australia: * Harrison, Australian Capital Territory, suburb in the Canberra district of Gungahlin In Canada: * Inukjuak, Quebec, or " ...
. In the book series, she and Dexter have a daughter, Lily Anne. Benz received positive reviews for her portrayal of Rita, winning a
Satellite Award The Satellite Awards are annual awards given by the International Press Academy that are commonly noted in entertainment industry journals and blogs. The awards were originally known as the Golden Satellite Awards. The award ceremonies take place ...
and
Saturn Award The Saturn Awards are American awards presented annually by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films. The awards were created to honor science fiction, fantasy, and horror in film, but have since grown to reward other films be ...
, and receiving a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination. Her character was killed by a serial killer in the final episode of season four. ''Dexter'' executive producer Clyde Phillips claimed the staff did not know how Rita would leave until late in the fourth season, but that it began to feel inevitable as the story evolved. Benz was notified the day before the script was distributed to the cast and was disappointed, but found the scene revealing her departure to be "very poetic". The character's departure was considered controversial by some reviewers; '' E!'' writer Kristin Dos Santos said that it "might go down as one of the most shocking ''ever'' on television."


Appearances


Literature

Rita Bennett was a character in the ''Dexter'' series of novels written by author Jeff Lindsay. Rita first appears in the original novel ''
Darkly Dreaming Dexter ''Darkly Dreaming Dexter'' is a 2004 novel by Jeff Lindsay, the first in his crime horror series about American forensic analyst/serial killer Dexter Morgan. It formed the basis of the Showtime television series '' Dexter'' and won the 2005 Di ...
''. In the book series,
Dexter Morgan {{More citations needed, date=August 2016 {{Infobox character , color = red , name = Dexter Morgan , series = Dexter , image = Dexter Morgan.jpg , image_size = 200px , caption = Michael C. Hall as Dexter Morgan , first = Novels:'' Darkly ...
primarily considers her a part of his "disguise", but he does care for her in his own emotionless way. In ''Darkly Dreaming Dexter'', the two are already together, but it is explained that Dexter started dating her solely to improve his "disguise" as a normal person. Because she was brutalized by her now-jailed ex-husband, Rita fears intimacy and does not expect much of Dexter; this suits the asexual Dexter perfectly. By the novel's climax, Dexter admits that he is fond of her children, Astor and Cody, the closest he can get to feeling love. By a humorous misunderstanding, the couple become engaged in ''
Dearly Devoted Dexter ''Dearly Devoted Dexter'' is a 2005 crime/ horror novel by Jeff Lindsay, the second in his series about psychopathic vigilante Dexter Morgan, which has been adapted into a television series. It is narrated by the title character. Plot Sgt. A ...
'' and married at the end of '' Dexter in the Dark''. In the books, Rita is scatter-brained and easily upset, prone to speaking in disjointed, rambling sentences that Dexter often finds incomprehensible. The only quality that Dexter truly appreciates about her is that she is an excellent cook. She is a physical fitness buff; she and Dexter regularly go for runs, long bike rides, and weightlifting sessions together. In the fifth book, ''
Dexter is Delicious ''Dexter Is Delicious'' is the fifth novel written by Jeff Lindsay, and the fifth book in the ''Dexter'' book series. The book was released in the UK on July 8, 2010 and September 7, 2010 in the United States, following no-longer-sociopathic vigil ...
'', she gives birth to Dexter's daughter Lily Anne. In ''
Dearly Devoted Dexter ''Dearly Devoted Dexter'' is a 2005 crime/ horror novel by Jeff Lindsay, the second in his series about psychopathic vigilante Dexter Morgan, which has been adapted into a television series. It is narrated by the title character. Plot Sgt. A ...
'', Dexter discovers that Cody and Astor are budding
sociopaths Psychopathy, sometimes considered synonymous with sociopathy, is characterized by persistent antisocial behavior, impaired empathy and remorse, and bold, disinhibited, and egotistical traits. Different conceptions of psychopathy have been ...
and decides to provide them with the same "guidance" that his adoptive father
Harry Harry may refer to: TV shows * ''Harry'' (American TV series), a 1987 American comedy series starring Alan Arkin * ''Harry'' (British TV series), a 1993 BBC drama that ran for two seasons * ''Harry'' (talk show), a 2016 American daytime talk show ...
gave to him; namely, to teach them how to be careful, efficient killers of those who "deserve it". Rita is kept in the dark about the true nature of their relationship. She suspects that something is wrong with the children when she discovers them torturing a cat, but Dexter is able to reassure her that they didn't understand what they were doing. The television series is based on ''Darkly Dreaming Dexter''. In ''
Dexter's Final Cut ''Dexter's Final Cut'' is the seventh novel written by Jeff Lindsay, and the seventh book in the ''Dexter'' book series about Dexter Morgan, a serial killer who primarily targets other serial killers. The book was released on September 17, 2013. R ...
'', Dexter has an affair with TV star Jackie Forrest, and briefly considers leaving Rita. At the end of the novel, however, both Rita and Jackie are murdered by Robert Chase, a
pedophile Pedophilia ( alternatively spelt paedophilia) is a psychiatric disorder in which an adult or older adolescent experiences a primary or exclusive sexual attraction to prepubescent children. Although girls typically begin the process of puberty a ...
intent on kidnapping Astor.


Television

Rita Bennett appears in the premiere episode of ''Dexter'', entitled " Dexter" and is introduced as Dexter Morgan's girlfriend. It is revealed early on that Rita was physically and sexually abused by Paul Bennett (
Mark Pellegrino Mark Ross Pellegrino (born April 9, 1965) is an American actor of film and television. He is best known for his work as Lucifer in ''Supernatural'', Paul Bennett in '' Dexter'', Jacob in ''Lost'', James Bishop in '' Being Human'', Clayton Haas ...
), her ex-husband and the father of her children, Astor ( Christina Robinson) and
Cody Cody may refer to: People *Cody (given name) *Cody (surname) * Cody (wrestler), a ring name of Cody Runnels Places Canada * Cody, British Columbia United States * Cody, Florida * Cody (Duluth), Minnesota * Cody, Missouri * Cody, Nebraska *Cody, ...
(
Preston Bailey Preston Bailey (born July 25, 2000) is an American actor who started acting at the age of two. He is known for appearing in the Showtime television series '' Dexter'' and for starring in such films as '' Judy Moody and the Not Bummer Summer'', ...
). Dexter's sister
Debra Morgan Debra Charlotte Morgan (spelled Deborah in the novels) is a fictional character created by Jeff Lindsay for his ''Dexter'' book series. She also appears in the television series, based on Lindsay's books, portrayed by Jennifer Carpenter. In Li ...
answered a domestic violence call and saved her life. Rita, who is ignorant of Dexter's secret life as a
serial killer A serial killer is typically a person who murders three or more persons,A * * * * with the murders taking place over more than a month and including a significant period of time between them. While most authorities set a threshold of three ...
, appears regularly throughout the first season as his main source of support. She plays a much larger role in the episode " Return to Sender", in which Paul is released from prison and demands to be at Astor's birthday party. Rita asks that he not come to the party. In " Circle of Friends", Rita tells Paul he can see his children only through supervised visits for six months before she will consider letting him have unsupervised visitation rights. She hands him divorce papers that include that clause, and Paul signs them. In "
Father Knows Best ''Father Knows Best'' is an American sitcom starring Robert Young, Jane Wyatt, Elinor Donahue, Billy Gray and Lauren Chapin. The series, which began on radio in 1949, aired as a television show for six seasons and 203 episodes. Created by E ...
", however, Paul begins threatening Rita again when she prevents him from seeing the children. He forces his way into her house, where she defends herself by hitting him over the head with a baseball bat. In " Seeing Red", Paul presses charges against Rita for assault. When Paul visits Rita's house, he threatens Dexter when they are alone in the kitchen; Dexter reacts by hitting him with a frying pan. After Paul loses consciousness, Dexter drives him back to his hotel and plants drugs on him. Dexter alerts the police and Paul is sent back to prison. In the second season
premiere A première, also spelled premiere, is the debut (first public presentation) of a play, film, dance, or musical composition. A work will often have many premières: a world première (the first time it is shown anywhere in the world), its first ...
Rita takes Astor and Cody to see Paul in prison. He insists that Dexter dragged him out of Rita's house before drugging him and tipping off the police — and that if she could find his missing shoe it would prove his innocence. Rita tells him that there is no shoe, despite having found it more than a month previously. She later admits that she found the shoe, but refuses to acknowledge that Dexter is involved. That night she receives a call from the prison and learns that Paul was killed in an inmate altercation. In "
Waiting to Exhale ''Waiting to Exhale'' is a 1995 American romance film directed by Forest Whitaker (in his feature film directorial debut) and starring Whitney Houston and Angela Bassett. The film was adapted from the 1992 novel of the same name by Terry McMil ...
", after Paul's funeral, Rita confronts Dexter about his involvement in Paul's death, and he is forced to admit to having a
heroin addiction Opioid use disorder (OUD) is a substance use disorder characterized by cravings for opioids, continued use despite physical and/or psychological deterioration, increased tolerance with use, and withdrawal symptoms after discontinuing opioids. Op ...
in order to cover up his real secret. Rita threatens to leave Dexter if he does not commit to a program to deal with his "addiction". He starts attending
Narcotics Anonymous Narcotics Anonymous (NA), founded in 1953, describes itself as a "nonprofit fellowship or society of men and women for whom drugs had become a major problem." Narcotics Anonymous uses a 12-step model developed for people with varied subst ...
meetings, where a mysterious woman named Lila Tournay (
Jaime Murray Jaime Erica Murray (born 21 July 1976) is an English actress. She is known for playing Stacie Monroe in the BBC series '' Hustle'' (2004–2012), Lila West in the Showtime series ''Dexter'' (2007), Gaia in the Starz miniseries '' Spartacus: ...
) volunteers to be his sponsor. In " See-Through" Rita's visiting mother, Gail (
JoBeth Williams Margaret JoBeth Williams (born December 6, 1948) is an American actress and television director. Her directorial debut with the 1994 short film ''On Hope'' earned her an Academy Award nomination for Best Live Action Short Film. In 2009 she began ...
), suspects that Dexter is hiding something from the family. In " Dex, Lies, and Videotape", Rita breaks up with Dexter after a phone call from Lila reveals, he lied to her. In " That Night, a Forest Grew," Rita stands up to her mother and insists that she move out of the house. Rita tells Dexter that he is no longer welcome to visit her house or her children. He apologizes, admitting that his affair with Lila was a mistake, but she is still hesitant to forgive him. When Dexter breaks up with Lila, she retaliates by pursuing his co-worker and friend,
Angel Batista Angelo "Angel" Juan Marcos Batista (; Spanish ) is a fictional character in the Showtime television series ''Dexter'' and the novels by Jeff Lindsay upon which it is based. He is portrayed in the television series by David Zayas. Batista spe ...
(
David Zayas David Zayas (born August 15, 1962) is a Puerto Rican actor. He is best known for his roles as Angel Batista on Showtime's series ''Dexter'' and Enrique Morales on the HBO prison drama series '' Oz''. Early life Zayas was born in Ponce, Puer ...
). In " There's Something About Harry," Rita and Dexter reconcile and visit the beach together. In the second-season finale, Dexter is forced to lie about running away with Lila, in front of Debra. Lila, feeling hurt, leaves with what she recognizes as Dexter's bag of murder equipment. She goes to Rita's house and drugs the babysitter in order to abduct the children. When Dexter realizes that Astor and Cody are missing, he goes to Lila's apartment. She starts a fire and locks the three of them inside. Rita calls Debra for help and Debra decides to skip her flight to
Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...
, with her boyfriend Frank Lundy (
Keith Carradine Keith Ian Carradine ( ; born August 8, 1949) is an American actor who has had success on stage, film, and television. He is known for his roles as Tom Frank in Robert Altman's film ''Nashville'', Wild Bill Hickok in the HBO series '' Deadwood ...
). Dexter manages to pass Astor and Cody through a small window to the outside, and escapes after breaking down a thin wall. In the
season three A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperate and pol ...
opener "
Our Father The Lord's Prayer, also called the Our Father or Pater Noster, is a central Christian prayer which Jesus taught as the way to pray. Two versions of this prayer are recorded in the gospels: a longer form within the Sermon on the Mount in the Gosp ...
," Rita realizes that she is pregnant with Dexter's child. In "
All In The Family ''All in the Family'' is an American television sitcom that aired on CBS for nine seasons, from January 12, 1971, to April 8, 1979. Afterwards, it was continued with the spin-off series ''Archie Bunker's Place'', which picked up where ''All in ...
", after an unsuccessful marriage proposal, Dexter tries to convince Rita that he is looking for more than a convenient merger of finances and parenthood. In " Turning Biminese," Rita is hospitalized after a medical emergency and Dexter cannot be found. Dexter is hesitant when Rita suggests that they buy a house and move in together. Rita becomes angry at Dexter's refusal to help organize their wedding. In the third-season finale, " Do You Take Dexter Morgan?", Rita and Dexter get married. In the fourth season opener, Rita and Dexter are living happily together in a suburban neighborhood with Astor, Cody, and new baby Harrison. In "
Remains to be Seen ''Remains to Be Seen'' is a 1953 crime musical comedy film directed by Don Weis and starring June Allyson, Van Johnson and Louis Calhern. It is based on the 1951 Broadway play ''Remains to Be Seen'' by Russel Crouse and Howard Lindsay. Plot A g ...
" Dexter is in a terrible car accident, and Rita demands that he give her his keys so that she can drive him. In "
If I Had a Hammer "If I Had a Hammer (The Hammer Song)" is a protest song written by Pete Seeger and Lee Hays. It was written in 1949 in support of the Progressive movement, and was first recorded by the Weavers, a folk music quartet composed of Seeger, Hays, ...
," friction begins to develop in the couple's relationship, and Dexter seeks guidance from Arthur Mitchell ( John Lithgow), a family man who appears to balance his responsibilities with his secret life as the "Trinity Killer". In " Hungry Man," Rita works hard to prepare Thanksgiving dinner. She shares a kiss with the next door neighbor, Elliot Larson (
Rick Peters Rick Peters (born June 1, 1967 in Detroit, Michigan) is an American actor. He has appeared in several films and numerous television shows, and is perhaps best known for his role as Australian Bobby Manning in '' Sue Thomas: F.B.Eye''. He also p ...
), when she asks if she can use his stove. Dexter arrives for an appointment with Rita for marriage counseling, but gets called to a crime scene as soon as he arrives. Soon after, Rita confesses that she and Elliot kissed, although Dexter tries to brush it off. Rita later admits that she felt hurt that he did not seem to care about her indiscretion. Dexter then punches Elliot and warns him to stay away from Rita, which reassures her that Dexter loves her. In the fourth season finale, Dexter asks her to go out of town so they can have a belated honeymoon; in reality, Dexter wants to keep her safe from Mitchell, who has learned his real identity and threatened to kill him and his family. After killing Mitchell, Dexter returns home and finds a message from Rita that she returned to pick up her identification for the flight. Dexter finds her dead in the bathtub — Mitchell's last victim. In the fifth season premiere " My Bad", Dexter realizes, much to his own surprise, that he genuinely loved Rita and is devastated by her death.
Julie Benz Julie Benz (born May 1, 1972) l is an American actress. She is known for her roles as Darla on ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' and ''Angel'' (1997–2004), and as Rita Bennett on '' Dexter'' (2006–2010), for which she won the 2006 Satellite Awar ...
reprised her role as Rita as a special guest star in a flashback to her and Dexter's first date, and as a corpse.


Development


Casting and characterization

The character of Rita Bennett was originally invented by Jeff Lindsay for his series of novels about
Dexter Morgan {{More citations needed, date=August 2016 {{Infobox character , color = red , name = Dexter Morgan , series = Dexter , image = Dexter Morgan.jpg , image_size = 200px , caption = Michael C. Hall as Dexter Morgan , first = Novels:'' Darkly ...
, and she is featured in all but the final book in the series. Clyde Phillips and
Melissa Rosenberg Melissa Anne Rosenberg is an American television writer, television producer, and screenwriter. She has worked in both film and television and has won a Peabody Award. She has also been nominated for two Emmy Awards, and two Writers Guild of A ...
wanted to bring the character into the television series when casting for the TV version, ''Dexter''.
Julie Benz Julie Benz (born May 1, 1972) l is an American actress. She is known for her roles as Darla on ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' and ''Angel'' (1997–2004), and as Rita Bennett on '' Dexter'' (2006–2010), for which she won the 2006 Satellite Awar ...
was given a copy of the script in 2005 and was asked to audition for the part. She was surprised because the script was "one of the best pilot scripts heever read." She also read for the part of
Debra Debra is a feminine given name. Debra may refer to: People * Debra Adelaide (born 1958), Australian writer * Debra Allbery (born 1957), American poet * Debra R. Anderson (1949-2022), American politician * Debra Austin (born 1955), American ba ...
and joked that she would have auditioned for Dexter's role. Benz had been a fan of
Michael C. Hall Michael Carlyle Hall (born February 1, 1971) is an American actor and singer best known for his roles as Dexter Morgan, the titular character in the Showtime series ''Dexter,'' and David Fisher in the HBO drama series '' Six Feet Under.'' Thes ...
from his role in '' Six Feet Under''. She said in an interview with '' Vanity Fair,'' "I was such a fan, to the point where my cell-phone ring was the show's theme song. I had to change it once I got cast!". Benz performed for four seasons, until her character was killed in the series. Rita is presented in the series as a loving and caring mother. As a result of being abused by her husband, Rita has no interest in sex, which suits the asexual Dexter perfectly. She developed a strong character. At the beginning of season two, the producers approached Benz about character growth. They wanted to make Rita stronger and less shattered than she was in the first season. Benz has said that she was "very sad to hear that. Because I loved playing her in season one where she was this very damaged, fragile bird who was just struggling so hard to make a better world for her kids, but just could not do it."


Death

Rita was killed by Arthur Mitchell in the season four finale " The Getaway". Rita's death was alluded to by ''Dexter'' producers, who told media outlets " The Getaway" included a series-changing twist, leading to widespread speculation about it. Security precautions were taken to prevent the finale's secrets from becoming exposed. Network staff members were forced to sign non-disclosure agreements, and decoy scripts were drafted and disseminated to protect the twist ending. In one of the alternatives, Dexter learned about a child murderer escaping from prison, and tried to decide whether to join Rita on vacation or go after the escaped killer. Nobody but essential cast and staff were allowed on the set during filming of the episode, and the scripts and DVDs of the episode were watermarked before they were taken off the set. Clyde Phillips claimed the ''Dexter'' staff did not know how the finale would conclude until late in the season, but he said Rita's death began to feel inevitable as the story evolved. Benz said she had been told that Lithgow knew about it from the beginning of the season. Phillips said the staff felt obligated to do more than kill the Trinity Killer in the final episode, especially because he felt the death of the third season antagonist (played by
Jimmy Smits Jimmy L. Smits (born July 9, 1955) is an American actor. He is best known for playing attorney Victor Sifuentes on the 1980s-1990s legal drama '' L.A. Law'', NYPD Detective Bobby Simone on the 1990s-2000s police drama ''NYPD Blue'', Matt Santos ...
) was not handled "as well as we could have". The writers discussed the idea of having Debra find out about Dexter's secret life, but decided they could not anticipate how drastically the series would be changed by that. Benz heard rumors from
David Zayas David Zayas (born August 15, 1962) is a Puerto Rican actor. He is best known for his roles as Angel Batista on Showtime's series ''Dexter'' and Enrique Morales on the HBO prison drama series '' Oz''. Early life Zayas was born in Ponce, Puer ...
that her character would be killed in the episode, but she was not notified until much later. The producers met with her the day before the season finale script was distributed to the cast. She said, "It was a tough meeting. In a bizarre way, it felt like a scene from ''
Defending Your Life ''Defending Your Life'' is a 1991 American romantic comedy- fantasy film about a man who finds himself on trial in the afterlife, where proceedings examine his lifelong fears, to determine whether he'll be (yet again) reincarnated on Earth. W ...
''." Benz described the death scene as "very poetic". Clyde Philips said, "She wasn't happy. She loved being with us. We loved having her with us. She took it... professionally. She was greatly disappointed. She's a professional. She works in television. She knew that this was a possibility." The mystery writer J.A. Jance wrote in the ''
Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the Un ...
'', "Yes, it's a bit of a shock to discover that some of the TV series' characters who died last season or the season before are back among the living between the covers of Lindsay's new book. Rita, Dexter's long-suffering wife who died a terrible death in a bathtub in last year's season finale, is alive and well and having a baby in ''Dexter Is Delicious''. But my advice to readers is this: Don't quibble. Get over it. After all, fiction is an alternate universe to begin with, and Lindsay's dark, comedic fiction is an alternate universe once removed."


Reception


Critical reaction

The character of Rita has been well received by critics, who praised Benz's portrayal. Eric Goldman of IGN has said, "Dexter does a solid job of developing the roles of the supporting cast, with Rita, Deb, Doakes and LaGuerta all getting a good amount of development". He added, "There were a couple of forced moments in "Popping Cherry", most notably the drug dealer who came to Rita's house, in broad daylight, demanding money for her ex-husband's debts; it was all a bit over the top and cliché. On the other hand, it was interesting to note Dexter's inaction in that scene, making one wonder if perhaps he fears that any public display of physical defense, even for Rita, might result in him going too far and revealing what he is." Jarett Wieselman of the ''
New York Post The ''New York Post'' (''NY Post'') is a conservative daily tabloid newspaper published in New York City. The ''Post'' also operates NYPost.com, the celebrity gossip site PageSix.com, and the entertainment site Decider.com. It was established ...
'' has said, "Rita always felt like the light in that dark show", and "In the beginning Rita was the vessel through which the audience could love Dexter."
UGO.com UGO Entertainment, Inc. was a website that provided coverage of online media in entertainment, targeting males aged 18–34. The company was based in New York, New York, United States. History The company started in 1997 as Unified Gamers Online ...
placed Rita Bennett 7th on a list of "Top 11 Girlfriends on TV". Zap2it created a poll entitled "Best Mom" as part of their "Greatest TV Characters" series of polls; Rita was voted 12th on a list of 14 characters. The
TV.com TV.com was a website owned by Red Ventures that covered television series and episodes with a focus on English-language shows made or broadcast in Australia, Canada, Ireland, Japan, New Zealand, the United States, and the United Kingdom. Origin ...
staff were less appreciative, listing her as 7th out of the "Ten Most Annoying Characters on TV". They noted that "While we mostly love the beatific
Julie Benz Julie Benz (born May 1, 1972) l is an American actress. She is known for her roles as Darla on ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' and ''Angel'' (1997–2004), and as Rita Bennett on '' Dexter'' (2006–2010), for which she won the 2006 Satellite Awar ...
, her complaining wifey character has been reduced to little more than whimpering and murmuring about Dexter's commitment to the family..." and summarised with "Might Rita die next week? For the first time since the series began, we really feel like we wouldn't miss her." Rita was killed in the fourth season finale "The Getaway." This was a subject of controversy since the character continuing living in the books. '' E!'' writer Kristin Dos Santos called the ending "horrifying" and said, "This death just might go down as one of the most shocking deaths ''ever'' on television." Claire Zulkey said that the twist ending was intense, and the teleplay was woven with feature several moments that had led him to expect different conclusions. He praised what he expected to be a "re-set" of the series after Rita's death. Marcia White of ''
The Express-Times ''The Express-Times'' is a daily newspaper based in Easton, Pennsylvania. The newspaper provides national news and extensive local news coverage of the Lehigh Valley region of eastern Pennsylvania. Founded in 1855, ''The Express-Times'' is the lon ...
'' declared ''Dexter'' "one of the best cable dramas on TV" and called the final scene between Dexter and Rita completely shocking. Mark Dawidziak of ''
The Plain Dealer ''The Plain Dealer'' is the major newspaper of Cleveland, Ohio, United States. In fall 2019, it ranked 23rd in U.S. newspaper circulation, a significant drop since March 2013, when its circulation ranked 17th daily and 15th on Sunday. As of Ma ...
'' said the episode was shocking and suspenseful, calling ''Dexter'' "a series that leaves you guessing as the psychological ambiguities run deeper and darker".


Accolades

Julie Benz Julie Benz (born May 1, 1972) l is an American actress. She is known for her roles as Darla on ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' and ''Angel'' (1997–2004), and as Rita Bennett on '' Dexter'' (2006–2010), for which she won the 2006 Satellite Awar ...
has been well received for her portrayal of Rita Bennett, winning and being nominated for a multitude of awards. These including one
Satellite Award The Satellite Awards are annual awards given by the International Press Academy that are commonly noted in entertainment industry journals and blogs. The awards were originally known as the Golden Satellite Awards. The award ceremonies take place ...
win for Best Supporting Actress and a
Saturn Award The Saturn Awards are American awards presented annually by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films. The awards were created to honor science fiction, fantasy, and horror in film, but have since grown to reward other films be ...
win for Best Supporting Actress. She was also nominated for a
Scream Award The Scream Awards was an award show dedicated to the horror, sci-fi, and fantasy genres of feature films. Originally only having ''Scream Queen'' and ''Heroic Performance'' awards for actors, the personnel awards have expanded to include actors a ...
for Best Horror Actress and was jointly nominated, in 2009 and 2010, for a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Ensemble in a Drama Series.


References


External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bennett, Rita Dexter (series) characters Fictional characters from Miami Fictional characters from Michigan Characters in American novels of the 21st century Fictional housewives American female characters in television Television characters introduced in 2004 Fictional real estate brokers Fictional murdered people Fictional victims of sexual assault Fictional victims of domestic abuse Female characters in television