Spoiler Alert: This list contains spoilers from multiple episodes of Dexter.Ask anyDextersuperfan, and they could probably name a dozen episodes off the top of their head that they’d describe as favorites. Most of these episodes are probably from Season 4, arguably the best season of theseries. In fact,most of the best episodes hail from the first four seasons of the show.
That isn’t to say that there aren’t flawless episodes ofDexterfrom Seasons 5 through 8 as well. But for fans who want to relive some ofthe episodes that are absolutely perfect from start to finish, the ones to watch fall within the series' first half and will be instantly memorable the second they are queued up.
10"Seeing Red"
Season 1, Episode 10
There are so many things going on outside of Dexter’s (Michael C. Hall) killings in this episode of themust-watch Showtime series, making it one of the most layered of the series. Dexter is called to a crime scene, eventually revealed to be set up by his biological brother Brian Moser (Christian Camargo), a.k.a. The Ice Truck Killer. The room is covered in blood, drained and collected from his previous victims. It’s the first time Dexter is taken aback at a crime scene, haunted by repressed trauma –he doesn’t yet remember what happened in that storage container when he was a child. By the end of the episode, however, Dexter returns to the scene and the memories of his past come flooding back.
Meanwhile, in finally fighting back against Paul (Mark Pellegrino), Rita (Julie Benz) ridiculously winds up being charged with assault. The full extent of Dexter’s commitment to The Code is introduced whenhe chooses to set Paul up to go back to prison rather than kill him: he doesn’t meet The Code. It’s worth noting that this episode also features a cameo from the lateMalcolm Jamal Warneras Rita’s lawyer.
9"Waiting To Exhale"
Season 2, Episode 2
The nickname the Bay Harbor Butcher is first coined, and the walls start to close in on Dexter, who is desperate to ensure that nothing connects back to him. Fans begin to learn more about Special Agent Frank Lundy (Keith Carradine). On a re-watch, fans may pick up on hints thatthis respected serial killer-hunter suspected that Dexter was the killer all along. But they’re presented in such a subtle manner that it leaves things brilliantly ambiguous.
This episode also shows Dexter’s affinity for protecting children when he saves the life of a young witness, Little Chino (Matthew Willig), who attempts to murder him. Backed into a corner when Rita starts considering things Paul told her about Dexter before his death,Dexter covers it up in a hurried panic by saying he has a drug addiction. This lie sets him on a course to rehabilitation for a very different addiction than the one he actually has and sets up the story to come with Lila (Jaime Murray).
8"Dex, Lies, and Videotape"
Season 2, Episode 6
Dexter gets closer to understanding not only who his mother was, but what the relationship was between her and Harry (James Remar). Lila’s infiltration into his life grows stronger, and it sets the stage for fans' suspicions that nothing good can come of his relationship with her. With Dexter single for the first time since the show began, the episode raises questions about how important Rita and the kids are to Dexter’s ability to cope with living a “normal” life.Does Dexter have genuine feelings for Rita and genuine love for the kids, or are they all just part of his “family man” façade?
…The episode raises questions about how important Rita and the kids are to Dexter’s ability to cope with living a “normal” life.
Central to the entire season is Sergeant James Doakes (Erik King) and his suspicions and continued harassment of Dexter. Many scenes involving him provide light-hearted comedic entertainment. For the first time,Dexter also faces a copycat killer, who he swiftly takes out. There’s one crucial scene in this episode that makes it almost a certainty that Lundy was onto Dexter but kept his mouth shut. There are so many important questions that the episode leaves fans asking themselves.
7"Resistance Is Futile"
Season 2, Episode 9
By this episode, Doakes has officially figured out that Dexter is the Bay Harbor Butcher after finding his blood slides. Yet as the pair operate on opposite ends of this race to truth,Doakes finds himself becoming a suspect and Dexter once again slinks to the shadows. The moments throughout are tense. Viewers know Dexter can’t possibly be taken in. But they also don’t understand how Doakes can possibly survive after definitively knowing the truth.
This is the memorable episode when Doakes' utters the iconic words “Surprise, mother**ker” after tracking Dexter down and catching him red-handed. It’s the first time in the show that someone Dexter knows has discovered who he is and what he does.The cat and mouse chase nature of this episode is tenseall the way through.
6"There’s Something About Harry"
Season 2, Episode 10
With Doakes now in captivity, Dexter grapples with his next steps. He can’t kill Doakes. He doesn’t fit The Code. But he can’t let him go either, because that would undoubtedly lead to Dexter’s downfall.It’s the first time viewers see Dexter’s internal turmoilabout a potential victim who just so happens to be someone he knows, respects, and can’t kill. But he may have no choice. The episode marks a turning point for the two characters. Notably, Doakes is seen, for the first time, in a vulnerable state while Dexter struggles with The Code more than ever.
Another pivotal moment in this episode isDexter’s discovery of how his father really died. It sends him spiraling, recognizing for the first time that he may have been responsible for his father’s death. The entire episode is gripping, especially since it took almost two seasons to get to this point. The pay-off is worth the wait.
5"Hungry Man"
Season 4, Episode 9
Up until this point, Arthur Mitchell (John Lithgow), a.k.a. The Trinity Killer, one of thebest-ever single-season TV villains, seemed to have his family life together. This impressed Dexter, who wondered how he was able to keep everything so beautifully separate. But after talking to his son Jonah (Brando Eaton), Dexter realizes that things aren’t rosy behind closed doors.Dexter gets himself invited to their family Thanksgiving dinner, and the events build to a crescendo that puts every character’s tremendous acting skills on full display.
Arthur seamlessly switches from the mild-mannered pastor to a tyrant as he intentionally breaks Jonah’s finger, smashes his car, spews profanity at his wife, and terrifies his daughter.It culminates in Dexter revealing his true self as he tackles Arthur to the ground, coming close to killing him. It’s also the episode when Debra (Jennifer Carpenter) starts to suspect Christine (Courtney Ford), and the young reporter’s parentage is officially revealed. It’s arguably one of the best episodes of not just Season 4, but of the entire series.
4"Lost Boys"
Season 4, Episode 10
The backdrop is an amusement park in part of this episode when Dexter realizes that they have misnamed Trinity Killer: he kills in fours, not threes, and each sequence begins with a young boy. Given his affinity for protecting children, Dexter is determined not to let this happen again. The hunt begins, and when Arthur gets away, the scenes with him and the now abducted Scott (Jake Short) are bone-chilling.
While the interrogation of Christine is happening, indicating that Debra is getting closer to the truth, Dexter manages to find Arthur, save the young boy in the nick of time, and solidify his confusing status as both a killer and a hero. It’s one of the episodes that really makes viewers wonder if Dexter is really a bad guy or not.
3“Hello, Dexter Morgan”
Season 4, Episode 11
One of the most talked-about andbest-ranked episodes of the series, “Hello, Dexter Morgan” is beautifully shot. Viewers feel the intensity asArthur searches relentlessly for his former friend, Kyle Butler, and discovers his true identity. He arrives at the police station and walks throughout the floor, searching, slowly coming closer and closer. When he finds him, Arthur walks right up to Dexter, his towering presence felt, looks down at his badge, and declares “Hello, Dexter Morgan.”
Dexter realizes that Arthur has now set his sights on him when he arrives at a crime scene where a man named Kyle Butler has been killed and knows he’s running out of time to get this deplorable man on his table. Meanwhile,Debra and Angel (David Zayas) finally learn that Christine is Arthur’s daughter, but she dies by suicide via gunshot to the head, right in front of Debra, in one of the show’s most disturbing scenes. It’s one of the best episodes to re-watch of the entire series.
2"The Getaway"
Season 4, Episode 12
There’s no question that this episode is the most emotionally charged of the series, withthe most disturbing deathas well. The walls close in for both Dexter and Arthur. Dexter finally gets the man he once admired on his table, and they exchange profound words about life and the inevitability of any serial killer like them having to choose their urges above all else.Dexter insists he’s nothing like Arthur, and hecanhave it all, an idea that Arthur knowingly laughs at.
There’s a reason he does this. It’s in this episode that Dexter realizes death will always follow him. He can’t have it all and continue to be the person he is at the same time. The lesson is learned in the most tragic waywhen Dexter arrives home to discover that his entire life has been turned upside down. The build-up to this moment is as heightened as they come, especially with an ending no one could have suspected.
1"The Big One"
Season 5, Episode 12
Throughout the entire series up to this date, Debra had never been so close to catching her brother in the act than in this episode. While Dexter tracks Lumen (Julia Stiles) to the abandoned summer camp where Jordan Chase (Jonny Lee Miller) is keeping her captive, Debra has figured out the location as well.She literally comes face to face with Dexter and Lumen red-handed, except there’s a sheet between them so she can only see their outlines. Rightfully believing that the mysterious people are Jordan’s last victim who escaped and her vigilante friend (based on a prior theory), Debra makes the difficult decision to pretend she never saw them and warns them to run before she calls for back-up.
Debra makes the difficult decision to pretend she never saw them…
Beyond this scene-stealing moment,the season finale episode sees Dexter question if he truly is a monster after all, now that he has met someone inherently good who accepts him for who he is. When Lumen decides to leave, however, feeling satisfied and like she no longer needs to kill, he realizes he’s a lone wolf once again, and probably always will be. There are so many layers beneath the surface of this game-changing episode, including a demonstration that maybe Dexter does have some capacity for emotion and love.
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