"The Dark Defender" is the fifth
episode of the
second season and seventeenth overall episode of the American
television drama series
In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-gen ...
''
Dexter
Dexter may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* Dexter, the main character of the American animated series ''Dexter's Laboratory'' that aired from 1996 to 2003
* Dexter, a fictional character in the British Diary of a Bad Man#Main, web series ''Diar ...
'', which first aired on 28 October 2007 on
Showtime
Showtime or Show Time may refer to:
Film
* ''Showtime'' (film), a 2002 American action/comedy film
* ''Showtime'' (video), a 1995 live concert video by Blur
Television Networks and channels
* Showtime Networks, a division of Paramount Global w ...
in the United States.
The episode was written by
Timothy Schlattmann
Timothy (Tim) Schlattmann is a three-time Emmy award nominee television writer and producer. Nebraska born and raised, this former disc jockey and college professor's writing credits include ABC's number one hit ''Roseanne'', Fox's '' Get Re ...
and was directed by
Keith Gordon.
In the episode,
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 Dr ...
(
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 ...
) investigates a crime scene in a comic book store where he sees a poster of The Dark Defender, a character inspired by Dexter's own crimes under the guise of the "Bay Harbor Butcher", who is currently under investigation in his own police department. After he dreams that The Dark Defender saved his mother's life when he was young, Dexter's
Narcotics Anonymous sponsor
Lila Tournay (
Jaime Murray) encourages him to seek closure by confronting one of his mother's killers,
Santos Jimenez (
Tony Amendola). Meanwhile, Dexter's sister
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 bal ...
(
Jennifer Carpenter
Jennifer Carpenter is an American actress who is known for her role as Debra Morgan in the Showtime series '' Dexter'', for which she earned a Saturn Award in 2009, and also for playing Rebecca Harris in the CBS television series '' Limitless'' ...
) suspects that her new boyfriend Gabriel (Dave Baez) is using her to write a book about her engagement to the first season's "Ice Truck Killer".
Schlattmann was inspired to set the homicide case in a comic book store when he realized that an
Aquaman snow globe on his desk "could easily be a murder weapon". When he visited comic book artist Tone Rodriguez to draw and
render the poster of The Dark Defender, comic book writer
Dan Wickline
Dan Wickline (born April 29, 1970 in Norwalk, California) is a published writer and photographer.
Early life
Dan Wickline was born in Norwalk, California.
Career
He has written for Image Comics, IDW Publishing, Humanoids Publishing, Zenesco ...
was also at Rodriguez's studio, and so Schlattmann arranged for the two to have
cameo appearance
A cameo role, also called a cameo appearance and often shortened to just cameo (), is a brief appearance of a well-known person in a work of the performing arts. These roles are generally small, many of them non-speaking ones, and are commonly eit ...
s in the episode. The episode was filmed in
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
,
California
California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
though set in
Miami
Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...
,
Florida
Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...
. "The Dark Defender" was praised by critics and Schlattmann was nominated for
Writers Guild of America Award
The Writers Guild of America Awards is an award for film, television, and radio writing including both fiction and non-fiction categories given by the Writers Guild of America, East and Writers Guild of America West since 1949.
Eligibility
Th ...
for his script. The episode was also submitted as ''Dexter''s sample episode to determine the nominees for Outstanding Drama Series at the
60th Primetime Emmy Awards; though nominated, the series didn't win.
Plot
While drinking coffee with
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 bal ...
,
Dexter
Dexter may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* Dexter, the main character of the American animated series ''Dexter's Laboratory'' that aired from 1996 to 2003
* Dexter, a fictional character in the British Diary of a Bad Man#Main, web series ''Diar ...
is called to a comic book store where the shopkeeper has been bludgeoned to death with a
snow globe. Dexter sees a poster of The Dark Defender, a vigilante killer based on the Bay Harbor Butcher. Later, at his
Narcotics Anonymous meeting, Dexter falls asleep and has a dream in which he, dressed as the Dark Defender, rescues his mother
Laura Moser
Laura Moser (born August 30, 1977) is an American author and politician who founded the anti-Trump resistance movement Daily Action. She was a candidate for the United States Congress in Texas's 7th congressional district.
Early life and educati ...
. When he tells his sponsor Lila about his dream, she tells him that he must confront his mother's killers to seek closure. He and Lila travel to
Naples
Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...
,
Florida
Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...
, where one of the three men, Santos Jimenez, is running a tavern.
Having been warned by
Rita
Rita may refer to:
People
* Rita (given name)
* Rita (Indian singer) (born 1984)
* Rita (Israeli singer) (born 1962)
* Rita (Japanese singer)
* Eliza Humphreys (1850–1938), wrote under the pseudonym Rita
Places
* Djarrit, also known as Rita, a ...
's mother
Gail
Gail may refer to:
People
*Gail (given name), list of notable people with the given name
Surname
* Jean-Baptiste Gail (1755–1829), French Hellenist scholar
* Max Gail (born 1943), American actor
* Sophie Gail (1775–1819), French singer and ...
to leave her and her children alone, Dexter tells Rita that he is going away while Gail is visiting. Leaving Lila in their motel room, he goes to Jimenez's bar and waits until closing time to confront him. When Jimenez brandishes a baseball bat, Dexter disarms and beats him, revealing his identity as Laura's son. Jimenez tells Dexter that his mother was killed for being
Harry's
narcotics informant and lover. Dexter is prepared to kill Jimenez until Lila phones, prompting him to tell her that he is about to "use". Thinking that he is about to use drugs, she urges him not to go any further, because "using" will only leave him empty and alone inside. A distraught Dexter returns to the motel, leaving Jimenez unconscious, and falls asleep in Lila's lap.
The next morning, Lila confides to Dexter that she went into
rehab
Rehabilitation or Rehab may refer to:
Health
* Rehabilitation (neuropsychology), therapy to regain or improve neurocognitive function that has been lost or diminished
* Rehabilitation (wildlife), treatment of injured wildlife so they can be retur ...
after getting high on
methamphetamine
Methamphetamine (contracted from ) is a potent central nervous system (CNS) stimulant that is mainly used as a recreational drug and less commonly as a second-line treatment for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and obesity. Methamph ...
and setting her ex-boyfriend's house on fire, unaware that he was inside. Dexter asks her if she thinks that he deserved to die, something that Lila silently agrees to. Dexter tells her that, "It's okay then." Meanwhile, Debra is insecure around Gabriel because of how her previous relationship with
Brian ended. Looking through Gabriel's e-mail, she sees that he has sent a book titled ''The Ice Princess'' to a number of publishers. Assuming he is writing a tell-all book about her, she angrily breaks up with him. Discussing the break-up with
Lundy
Lundy is an English island in the Bristol Channel. It was a micronation from 1925–1969. It forms part of the district of Torridge in the county of Devon.
About long and wide, Lundy has had a long and turbulent history, frequently chang ...
, he gives her the background check that he had run on Gabriel, revealing that he is a children's writer; Debra realizes that ''The Ice Princess'' is a children's book.
When Dexter returns to
Miami
Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...
and visits Rita, Gail—suspecting that he is hiding something—announces that she will be living with Rita from now on. Dexter realizes that he must protect his secrets, so he begins by cleaning his boat that night with a
black light
A blacklight, also called a UV-A light, Wood's lamp, or ultraviolet light, is a lamp that emits long-wave (UV-A) ultraviolet light and very little visible light. One type of lamp has a violet filter material, either on the bulb or in a separat ...
to detect any blood. He is unaware that the
marina
A marina (from Spanish , Portuguese and Italian : ''marina'', "coast" or "shore") is a dock or basin with moorings and supplies for yachts and small boats.
A marina differs from a port in that a marina does not handle large passenger ships o ...
is being videotaped by the Miami-Metro PD, who believe that the Bay Harbor Butcher may be keeping his boat at that marina.
Production
Schlattmann thought to write the comic book store homicide storyline when he picked up the
Aquaman snow globe in his office and thought, "'Wow, this thing could easily be a murder weapon," because of its weight and its edge.
The writers wanted to use the actual Aquaman globe but
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. (doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery.
DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with thei ...
would not allow the character and the snow globe to be used in the episode, so the ''Dexter''
art department custom-made a snow globe. The superhero's name ultimately became "Mariner" as other names including "Sea King" and "King of the Seas" could not be used for legal reasons. Trademark and copyright clearances was again an issue when finding a name for the superhero based on the Bay Harbor Butcher. "The Eradicator" and "Judge Justice" were considered, but the final choice was "The Dark Defender". Cerone said that the name was "a little on the generic side, but it was one we could clear."
[ He said that The Dark Defender was in part an homage to '' Batman: The Dark Knight Returns'' and to Dexter's Dark Passenger, featured in Jeff Lindsay's series of ''Dexter'' novels on which the television series is based.][ On the poster, The Dark Defender, though hooded, was drawn with a smile to resemble Michael C. Hall.][ The poster was rendered by comic artist Tone Rodriguez, with whom Schlattmann had previously worked on a screenplay in development at ]20th Century Fox
20th Century Studios, Inc. (previously known as 20th Century Fox) is an American film production company headquartered at the Fox Studio Lot in the Century City area of Los Angeles. As of 2019, it serves as a film production arm of Walt Dis ...
.[ When Schlattmann visited Rodriguez's studio in Los Angeles to discuss the art, comic book writer ]Dan Wickline
Dan Wickline (born April 29, 1970 in Norwalk, California) is a published writer and photographer.
Early life
Dan Wickline was born in Norwalk, California.
Career
He has written for Image Comics, IDW Publishing, Humanoids Publishing, Zenesco ...
was also there. Schlattmann thought that "by including the two of them, we could make things a bit more special and add some credibility to the show". Wickline played the dead comic book shopkeeper, while Rodriguez played the prime suspect for the murder.[ The Dark Defender character also lent its name to a series of highly stylized ''Dexter'' webisodes, recapping Dexter's victims of the second season.
The scenes at the marina where Dexter keeps his boat, Coral Cove, were filmed at the Leeward Bay Marina in ]Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
' Wilmington neighborhood, in spite of the show's Miami
Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...
setting. The episode opens in a coffee bar at Coral Cove Marina, which was filmed at Leeward Bay's floating diner, the Chowder Barge. One of the empty barns at Long Beach, California
Long Beach is a city in Los Angeles County, California. It is the 42nd-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 466,742 as of 2020. A charter city, Long Beach is the seventh-most populous city in California.
Incorporate ...
's Shoreline Village was set up as the comic book store. Doakes and LaGuerta discuss the homicide case while standing on the Shoreline Village boardwalk, and the Village car park was used to film Doakes and LaGuerta's stake out.
Reception
Eric Goldman of IGN
''IGN'' (formerly ''Imagine Games Network'') is an American video game and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa distri ...
called "The Dark Defender" "a very satisfying episode of the show" and thought that "so far he cast and crew aredoing a very good job" of replicating the tension seen in the first season. He was impressed by Dexter's discoveries about his birth mother and adoptive father, but called Debra's romance with Gabriel a "less successful" storyline.[ Writing for 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 ...
'', Tom O'Neil called the episode a "standout" because of the parts of Dexter's past that it explored. He stated that, for regular viewers, "this episode is a real knockout", but for unfamiliar viewers, "this whole Dark Defender bit might look pretty corny". TV Squad
Weblogs, Inc. was a blog network that published content on a variety of subjects, including tech news, video games, automobiles and pop culture. At one point, the network had as many as 90 blogs, although the vast majority of its traffic could be ...
's Keith McDuffee believed the revelation of Laura's affair with Harry to be "certainly the most shocking moment of the episode", and thought that "One of the brilliant moments of the season so far was Dexter going after one of his mom's killers." Paula Paige of ''TV Guide
TV Guide is an American digital media company that provides television program
Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or t ...
'' called Dexter's monologue about his hollowness "very moving". She thought that his confrontation with his mother's killer "may have been one of the best shot cenesin the whole series". ''Blogcritics
Blogcritics is a blog network and online magazine of news and opinion. The site was founded in 2002 by Eric Olsen and Phillip Winn. Blogcritics features more than 100 original articles every week, and maintains an archive of all its published con ...
'' Ray Ellis praised the "razor-sharp sense of humor" seen in the episode and thought that "In a season of mostly dreary, bland series, ''Dexter'' remains the most daring show on television." Dexter and Jimenez's confrontation was named Hall's best scene by '' Variety'' critic Stuart Levine.
In a short recap of seasons 1 and 2 in '' Film Quarterly'', J. M. Tyree called "The Dark Defender" season 2's "most intriguing episode", and compared Dexter to Batman
Batman is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in Detective Comics 27, the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on ...
:
When the identities of the Butcher's victims are revealed to be murderers, the public applauds him, elevating Dexter to the status of a folktale avenger or comic-book anti-hero. And indeed Rita excoriates him for disappearing at night "like Clark fucking Kent," but the FBI describes the Butcher as more like one's own "personal Batman." Batman is an apt comparison, although Dexter prefers to violate Batman's aversion to killing. Both live outside the law, "part human, part mutant," as Dexter puts it. Both cling to an ethos riddled with perplexities and contradictions. Visiting a comic-book shop, Dexter find himself transformed on a handmade superhero poster from Butcher into The Dark Defender, a protector of the city and the executioner of its predators. Vigilantes simultaneously share territory with cops and outlaws, they break the law in the hopes of helping society. ... Dexter describes being "half sick with the thrill, the complete wrongness," when the "dark passenger" inside him takes command.
Schlattmann was nominated for a Writers Guild of America Award
The Writers Guild of America Awards is an award for film, television, and radio writing including both fiction and non-fiction categories given by the Writers Guild of America, East and Writers Guild of America West since 1949.
Eligibility
Th ...
for his work on this episode in the Episodic Drama category. "The Dark Defender" was submitted to the Primetime Emmy Award
The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the Primetime ...
s judging panel to determine nominees for the Outstanding Drama Series award;[ ''Dexter'' was one of the top ten candidates and became one of the 6 series nominated for the award. The episode was also unsuccessfully submitted for Emmys for Outstanding Writing (Timothy Schlattmann) and Outstanding Directing (Keith Gordon) in a Drama Series.]
References
External links
*
*
The Dark Defender
at Showtime
Showtime or Show Time may refer to:
Film
* ''Showtime'' (film), a 2002 American action/comedy film
* ''Showtime'' (video), a 1995 live concert video by Blur
Television Networks and channels
* Showtime Networks, a division of Paramount Global w ...
's website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dark Defender, The
2007 American television episodes
Dexter (TV series) episodes
Television episodes directed by Keith Gordon