The Dark Defender
Dexter confronts his mother's killer after a dream of rescue.
The Dark Defender is the fifth episode of the second season of the American television drama series Dexter, first airing on October 28, 2007, on Showtime. Written by Timothy Schlattmann and directed by Keith Gordon, the episode introduces a comic-book vigilante inspired by Dexter's own crimes and was submitted as the series' sample for Outstanding Drama Series at the 60th Primetime Emmy Awards.
Quick Facts
- Series
- Dexter
- Air date
- 28 October 2007
- Writer
- Timothy Schlattmann
- Director
- Keith Gordon
Facts from the source article.
Plot
While having coffee with Debra, Dexter is called to a comic book store where the shopkeeper was bludgeoned to death with a snow globe. There he sees a poster of The Dark Defender, a vigilante based on the Bay Harbor Butcher. At a Narcotics Anonymous meeting, Dexter falls asleep and dreams that he, as the Dark Defender, rescues his mother, Laura Moser. His sponsor Lila urges him to confront his mother's killers for closure. Dexter and Lila travel to Naples, Florida, where one of the three killers, Santos Jimenez, runs a tavern. Leaving Lila at the motel, Dexter goes to Jimenez's bar and waits until closing. When Jimenez attacks with a baseball bat, Dexter disarms and beats him, revealing himself as Laura's son. Jimenez says Laura was killed for being Harry's narcotics informant and lover. Dexter prepares to kill Jimenez but Lila phones, thinking he is about to use drugs; she urges him not to proceed. Distraught, Dexter returns to the motel, leaving Jimenez unconscious, and falls asleep in Lila's lap. The next day, Lila admits she set her ex-boyfriend's house on fire while high on methamphetamine, unaware he was inside. Dexter asks if the man deserved to die; Lila silently agrees, and Dexter says, "It's okay then. Meanwhile, Debra, insecure after her relationship with Brian, checks Gabriel's e-mail and sees he sent a book titled The Ice Princess to publishers. Assuming it is about her, she breaks up with him. Lundy later shows her a background check revealing Gabriel is a children's writer; Debra realizes The Ice Princess is a children's book.
Production
Timothy Schlattmann conceived the comic book store homicide after picking up an Aquaman snow globe in his office and realizing it could be a murder weapon due to its weight and edge. The writers wanted to use the actual Aquaman globe, but DC Comics would not allow it, so the art department made a custom snow globe. The superhero's name became "Mariner" after other names like "Sea King" and "King of the Seas" could not be cleared legally. For the superhero based on the Bay Harbor Butcher, "The Eradicator" and "Judge Justice" were considered before settling on "The Dark Defender. The poster, drawn by comic artist Tone Rodriguez, depicted The Dark Defender hooded but with a smile resembling Michael C. Hall. Schlattmann had previously worked with Rodriguez on a screenplay at 20th Century Fox; when he visited Rodriguez's studio, comic book writer Dan Wickline was present. Schlattmann included both in cameo roles: Wickline played the dead shopkeeper, Rodriguez the prime suspect. The Dark Defender name later lent itself to a series of stylized Dexter webisodes recapping season 2 victims. Marina scenes were filmed at Leeward Bay Marina in Los Angeles' Wilmington neighborhood; the opening coffee bar scene was shot at the floating diner Chowder Barge. An empty barn at Shoreline Village in Long Beach, California, was used as the comic book store, and the boardwalk and car park there served for Doakes and LaGuerta's scenes.
Reception
Eric Goldman of IGN called the episode "a very satisfying episode of the show" and praised the cast and crew for replicating first-season tension, though he found Debra's romance with Gabriel less successful. Tom O'Neil of the Los Angeles Times described it as a "standout" for exploring Dexter's past, stating that for regular viewers it was "a real knockout" but might seem corny to unfamiliar viewers. Keith McDuffee of TV Squad considered the revelation of Laura's affair with Harry "the most shocking moment of the episode" and praised Dexter going after his mother's killer. Paula Paige of TV Guide found Dexter's monologue about his hollowness "very moving" and thought the confrontation with Jimenez "may have been one of the best shot scenes in the whole series." Ray Ellis of Blogcritics praised the episode's "razor-sharp sense of humor" and called Dexter "the most daring show on television." Variety critic Stuart Levine named the confrontation between Dexter and Jimenez as Hall's best scene. In Film Quarterly, J. M. Tyree called "The Dark Defender" season 2's "most intriguing episode" and compared Dexter to Batman, noting that the public applauds the Butcher when his victims are revealed as murderers, elevating him to a folk-tale avenger or comic-book anti-hero.
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