Hey, Dexter Buffs! Click the EasyEdit button to take a stab at the wikiguide to Dexter! (Don't see the EasyEdit button above? Sign in or sign up.) | | EPISODE 1: "It's Alive!"
Episode summary: Dexter finds himself changing since he killed his brother Rudy/Brian, AKA "The Ice Truck Killer." Sergeant Doakes tells Dexter "I know you're connected to the Ice Truck Killer," and has been tailing him day and night since the end of last season, leaving Dexter with no opportunity to kill anyone. He fights back by being relentlessly normal (and boring), including joining the precinct bowling team. When Doakes finally lets his guard down, Dexter is able to slip away to a small voodoo paraphernalia shop, where what is to be his first victim since Brian presides. The man is blind, which throws Dexter off a little as far as showing him his victims, but Dexter doesn't discriminate, so he settles for describing things to the voodoo priest. After a few sliding words that sound like a curse fail to impress him, Dexter raises his knife, plunges it down -- and misses. Dexter, discomfited, lets the shop owner go, saying "let this be a lesson to you."
Meanwhile, Dexter is on the job again. A young gang member is slashed several times with a machete and left on a rocky cliff near the water. Dexter accidentally finds himself standing in the blood, which he hates, and within minutes a woman in a red dress runs down onto the cliff, where Dexter catches her. Doakes is annoyed, yelling "Can we secure this *** crime scene?" Dexter asks Angel what the woman said which turned out to be information pertaining to the identity of the victim, and also a request to find whoever did it and kill them. "Little Chino," which is the name of the supposed suspect is brought in for questioning the next day, is a mammoth of a man, towering over almost everyone in the station. Dexter sees the challenge and accepts. The mother of the slain gang member is eager to testify against "Little Chino," however Chino, in another interrogation room with Doakes, reveals that the mother is a heroin addict. Dexter double-checks and finds that it's true. After a long struggle, Dexter brings Chino to the same voodoo shop that he tried to kill the shop owner in only to find that he didn't use enough tape to restrain him. Chino escapes, after having seen Dexter's face.Dexter cleans up his would-be murder scene, and goes home. Debra pulls him into the living room and excitedly shows him a newscast, where anchors report that a treasure hunting ship has found at least 30 bags of body parts - the very bodies that are the victims of our beloved Dexter. Dexter puts his palm to his chest, where he can feel his heart pumping noisily and rapidly away...
Original air date: September 30, 2007
Written by: Daniel Cerone Directed by: Tony Goldwyn
|  Description of crime: A member of a street gang is slaughtered and his body is found on the rocks near a bridge in Miami.
Victim(s): One male, multiple slashing wounds
Assigned officer(s):Sgt. Doakes, Debra Morgan, Laguerta
Crime scene: Rocks jutting under a remote bridge near Miami's downtown
Suspect(s): Lil Chino
Clue(s): 29th gang member tattoo on back of head, woman shows up claiming "Little Chino" was the one who murdered the victim, and that the victim is her son.
Blood evidence suggests: The murder was done with a machete, which is the 29th Street Gang's signature killing weapon. | | |
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| | |  Victim Name: Jimmy Sensio
Age/Occupation: Shop owner and voodoo priest.
Where/how Dexter stalks victim: Dexter knew about Jimmy and that he would be his next victim as soon as he could escape Doakes for a night. He approaches him in his store and asks for a death curse. When Sensio obliges, Dexter sedates him.
Why victim deserves it: Jimmy had been poisoning potions that he sold to the cursed victims with ricin.
Dexter's kill methods and rituals: Shrink wrap and duct tape, sedation syringe. Dexter is forced to remind Jimmy of his wrongdoings since he is blind and can't see the photographs Dexter put up of them.
Victim's last words: "Madolee curses you!"
Location of attempted killing: Jimmy's Voodoo Shop.
Close calls/slip-ups: Dexter cannot bring it upon himself to kill Jimmy due to some strange emotions he cannot understand. He cuts Sensio free and tells him, "Let that be a lesson to you". It is later revealed that Jimmy abandons his business and leaves town after that.
| Vicitim Name: Little Chino
Age/Occupation: 29th Street Kings enforcer.
Where/how Dexter stalks victim: Dexter is tipped off on Chino when one of his victim's mothers insists that he is a murderer. Deb shows Dexter Chino's police records and it is clear that Chino is a murderer. Dexter finds out where Chino gets his tattoos done, waits for him there, and then ambushes him.
Why victim deserves it: Tied to numerous gang related rumors.
Dexter's kill methods and rituals: The usual method, which actually turns out to be insufficient since Chino breaks free of the table and runs away.
Victim's last words: "Aaargh!"
Location of attempted killing: Jimmy's Voodoo shop.
Close calls/slips-ups: Little Chino escapes Dexter's clutches, knowing exactly what he looks like.
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FLASHBACKS
- Teenage Dexter is at a shooting range with Harry, brushing up on his shooting for a big boar hunting trip. Harry informs Dexter that the trip will be postponed because of his work, and Dexter is upset because he's convinced he's a psychopath and "needs this". When Harry tries to take the gun away from Dexter, it is accidentally discharged and almost shoots Harry.
- Harry scolds Dexter for mishandling the gun. He tells Dexter is heart is beating furiously, and Dexter is fascinated by this since he's never felt that sort of sensation.
- Teenage Dexter is standing on the edge of a building, holding his hand to his chest. Harry pulls him back quickly and asks, "What are you doing? Whatever you're going through, it's not worth killing yourself!" Dexter seems confused and he tells Harry that he has no intention of suicide, he's just looking for a way to feel alive.
| CLUES TO DEXTER'S PAST
- Dexter, his mind having been damaged by him seeing his own mother being murdered before him when he was only three, never felt anything but when he hears the news of the divers discovering his precious bodies he is actually feeling something: fear, exhilaration and anxiety. He puts his hand to his own chest and murmurs, "Amazing."
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DEXTER'S RELATIONSHIPS
Developments with Rita:
- Dexter has problems performing sexually with Rita.
- Rita might be beginning to suspect Dexter really did set Paul up once Paul is murdered in prison. She knew the shoe was there, but never questioned Dexter.
| Interactions with others:
- Doakes has been following Dexter around ever since the end of season one. They have stand-offs on a couple occasions in the episode.
- Dexter is on of the star members of the department bowling league.
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| SIGNIFICANCE OF EPISODE TITLE |
| When Harry is almost shot by Dexter, his heart begins to race, and this signifies to Dexter the height of being alive- being able to feel ones own heart. At the end of the episode, when all of Dexter's bodies are found and unearthed, Dexter's heart races just as Harry's did. Dexter proclaims, "It's amazing". |
EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS Best Moments:
- When the voodoo priest becomes 'possessed' and rants to Dexter about having the power in the situation, Dexter gives an awkward glance and says, "Knock it off." A playful smack sets the priest back to normal.
- Masuka's clear acrylic bowling ball with a skull inside.
| Best Lines:
- "I'm on edge. 38 days, 16 hours, and 12 minutes have passed since I've killed brother. In that entire time I haven't had a single night to myself. Sergeant Doakes makes sure of that. He follows me everywhere now. A human blood hound enticed by the scent of darkness. My best hope of losing him is to be act relentlessly normal. Dull. So I bowl. What's really disturbing is that I'm good at it" (Dexter, to himself).
- "I wish I could have fun. With Doakes tailing me my life's all Jeckyle and no Hyde. No moonlit playdates, no late night social calls, not one. My brother would be so disappointed" (Dexter, to himself).
- "A blind man, not very sporting I know, but I'm not one to discriminate based on race, gender, or disability" (Dexter, to himself).
- "I've always enjoyed my work. Brings order to the chaos. Fills me with civic pride. But what was that back there? Not voodoo. When I picked up the knife it's like I didn't know who I was. I come here to dump bodies, not beer bottles, now I'm just a litterbug" (Dexter, to himself).
- "I followed the code. The stalk was good. I'm just a little rusty since killing my brother. Or maybe I pitied my victim. I mean, sure he's a heinous killer, but he also bumps into walls" (Dexter, to himself).
- "I don't normally seek human contact in times of failure, but then I don't normally experience failure. Right now all I can think about is the smell of Rita's kitchen. The breathy cadence of her sleeping children. The warmth of her flesh" (Dexter, to himself).
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EPISODE TRIVIA
- The bowling team's name is "Bowl 'Til You Bleed"
- Goof (Possibly intentional by writers): Debra says there is a new Mass Murder worse than the Ice Truck Killer out there. A mass murderer is one who kills a group of people all at once, the Ice Truck Killer would be a serial killer. It is unlikely that Deb assumes that the find was all at once.
- The car Doakes drives in this episode is not the same car he drove in the season finale of season one, and is different still from the car he was seen driving in episode four of season one.
- In this episode it is confirmed that Dexter does not speak or understand Spanish. In the book series, Dexter is fluent in Spanish, a trait which would likely prove very helpful in his trade.
- Debra claims at the end that with this new "Mass murderer" in town, maybe she can finally get some closure. As of this writing, nobody knows what exactly she's talking about or how a new murderer will make her feel better about almost getting killed by the Icetruck Killer.
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