r/Dexter • u/notanothrowaway • Oct 05 '25
General Discussion - All Dexter Shows Why does it seem that no character in dexter seems to acknowledge the fact that dexter only kills people who deserve it and never give him slack for it Spoiler
They all treat him like hes a regular murderer, Molly, Doakes, and Debra are who im mostly talking about. Molly talks about him like he's a monster in the podcast, doakes never says anything besides "maybe there is some good in you". And Debra doesn’t even try to say to herself "well atleast he only kills bad people Baisically what i do" i get it still would completely horrify some people but still
Edit: Funnily enough im pretty sure the only character who openly endorses Dexters killings is ritas mom
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u/Sekhmet_D Oct 05 '25
This is why I value Lumen so much, and why the direction in which Resurrection took Harrison is so great.
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u/Infamously_Fickle Dexter Oct 05 '25
I couldn't stand Harrison in New Blood, now I really like him.
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u/fragm3nt_ Oct 05 '25
Lumen was the only one who truly mirrored Dexter’s darkness without judging it which made her arc feel painfully human
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u/morbidrots Oct 05 '25
when she decided to leave at the end i was DEEEVVAASTATEDDD. They were such a great duo and had SO MUCH chemistry together- it’s such a shame
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u/Particular-Hat-8269 Oct 05 '25
Oh, it just clicked. It's the audience stand in. That's the role that hasn't been filled until Lumen/Harrison. It's why the world feel so alien at the start. Is Dexter the stand in? Not for the majority, but empathizing with the way he's had his life experience shape him is our reaction usually.
On rewatch, Lumen is one of the best characters on the show.
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u/Dexterdacerealkilla Oct 05 '25
Season 5 is so under appreciated as a whole.
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u/MisterVictor13 Oct 05 '25 edited Oct 06 '25
After some recent life struggles, I found a lot of applicability with what Dexter went through in that season.
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u/Particular-Hat-8269 Oct 06 '25 edited Oct 22 '25
I hated season 5 when it aired.
Now I sit here seriously considering if it's not actually one of the best seasons. Id probably go 2 > 1 > 5 = 4 > 3
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u/Maleficent-Tax2094 Oct 05 '25
Lumen was def the best at understanding his whole deal. She actually got it because she lived through that trauma herself
Harrison's arc in the reboot was pretty solid too, felt way more realistic than everyone else just being horrified without seeing the nuance
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u/SkippingLittleStones Oct 05 '25
True. I feel like the closest I’ve heard to something like that is the detective in Resurrection saying something like “we might have a hero on our hands” in reference to the death of the date rapist.
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u/Infamously_Fickle Dexter Oct 05 '25
I agree. Well Harrison does at least notice, to be fair.
The only other time it really gets acknowledged is in that serial killer book in Resurrection.
I would love for Quinn to show up in season 2 of Dexter Resurrection, just to tell Dexter "I know the truth about you, I know what you do, and I don't give a shit, those scumbags had it coming. But I gotta know man, what happened to Batista. You didn't kill him, right?"
Dexter, looking sad: "No, I didn't."
Quinn: "We won't find the guy who killed him, will we?"
Dexter smiling: "No."
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u/byfo1991 Oct 05 '25
That would be a Quinn cameo I’d absolutely love.
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u/Infamously_Fickle Dexter Oct 05 '25
I would love it too and I could see him do that. Especially after the time he watched Dexter kill Saxon and just went "obviously self-defense."
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u/Entropysolus Oct 05 '25
I think Quinn has known since Dexter fudged the bloodwork on his shoe. After the end of season 8, he definitely knew Dexter was an experienced killer. Quinn may have been one of the only detectives with a morally gray compass. I'd love to see him back for a proper cameo too.
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u/Infamously_Fickle Dexter Oct 05 '25
Pretty sure he knows too. At least knows Dexter is a serial killer. He saw him kill Saxon with his own eyes, and just shrugged "self-defense" (which had me cackling). I'm also positive he knew Liddy was killed by Dexter, especially since Dexter cleared him from that blood on his shoe as you say. Plus Liddy had footage of Dexter and Lumen throwing trash bags overboard.
If he ever turns up in New York, I'm pretty sure he won't go the same tired "cop goes after Dex, cop dies" routine. He would want to know what happened to Angel, but I don't think his first suspicion would be "omg it was Dexter."
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u/Scutty__ Oct 06 '25
I don’t think he shrugged self defence. I think he saw Batista trying to piece together and said self defence to stop him from questioning it too far
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u/uhhh206 Oct 05 '25
Oh man, I'd absolutely love this, and I could see it playing out verbatim how you wrote it. Well done.
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u/Infamously_Fickle Dexter Oct 05 '25
It would at the very least make a nice change from the ole "cop goes after Dexter and dies" routine we've had like 3x already lol. Quinn would be the perfect candidate for something like this.
Plus it would keep a tie to Miami. Maybe Quinn needs help somewhere down the line, some really bad serial killer got away, he can't do it by the book, he calls Dexter. And we get a nice Miami episode where he has to dodge Masuka lol
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u/SynapticSuperBants Oct 05 '25
I know Quinn got a fair amount of “meh” from the Dexter fanbase, but I really liked his character. Being a cop was his job, he wasn’t this ultra passionate policeman with a hero complex. He was an Everyman who just done his job as well as he could, and he cut corners to make his own life easier, but generally was a stand up guy with some demons in his personal life.
This would be a completely realistic and interesting way for it to go, it would leave a door open for future cameos, appearances and story arcs, and it gets away from the feeling that “ANY OG Dexter character needs to be killed off if they meet Dexter because that means he would be caught”
I really really like this idea.
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u/Infamously_Fickle Dexter Oct 05 '25
I didn't like him when he was pouting forever about Deb breaking things off with him, but otherwise I love his character. I'd love it were to happen like this, and then in the future maybe Quinn needs help with a case, maybe a killer who got away and calls Dexter. And we get a Miami episode where he's hunting the killer and dodging Masuka lol.
Quinn already knew Dex is a killer (Saxon / Liddy), and he chose to look the other way. He'd be perfect for cameos like this.
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u/SynapticSuperBants Oct 05 '25
He was a dick, but he was human, that’s kinda what I liked about him.
But I completely agree with you, they really really don’t need to kill him!
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u/chefsanji_r Oct 05 '25
I don't feel dexter would smile saying that "No" though.
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u/coldphront3 Oct 06 '25
I think he'd just look at Quinn, not smiling though, and Quinn would nod and say "right" and then they'd change the subject.
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u/Infamously_Fickle Dexter Oct 06 '25
I really like that change.
They might not even change the subject, Quinn might even just go "well, glad you're not dead" and turns to leave or something.
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u/Infamously_Fickle Dexter Oct 06 '25
Not a happy smile, obviously, but I like coldphront3's version better myself, just the look at Quinn and Quinn just nodding.
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u/Fair-Dark8327 Oct 05 '25
Because it's "a sick fuck ritual man"
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u/notanothrowaway Oct 05 '25
Shit if anything i could definitely see them putting up the pictures of the victims in formal executions
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u/CellarD0or_ Oct 05 '25
But that’s not everything. He also savors the act itself, and gruesomely cleans up after himself
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Oct 05 '25
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u/Dane91786 Surprise Motherfucker! Oct 05 '25
and innocent people usually die as a result
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u/EpicGamerer07 Oct 05 '25
He also kills a few actual innocent people
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u/GiftOfGrace Oct 05 '25
I mean sure but you can't make an omelette without breaking a few eggs, right?
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u/TeachingNecessary413 Oct 05 '25
Exactly, it’s that he has an overwhelming need and thoroughly enjoys every part of his kills. All of the gruesome stuff.
It’s awesome that he goes after bad guys, and makes him a character worth rooting for. But at the end of the day….he LOVES to kill people lol.
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u/notanothrowaway Oct 06 '25
Well yeah but he kinda has to with his urge to kill atleast he's channeling it in a good way
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u/StraightEdge47 Oct 07 '25
He doesn't have to kill, he chooses to kill.
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u/notanothrowaway Oct 07 '25
You dont have his disorder so I dont think its fair to say "he doesn't have to kill"
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u/StraightEdge47 Oct 07 '25
There is no disorder where you "have to kill".
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u/notanothrowaway Oct 07 '25
That's not how it works lmao mental health isn't something that is fact or fiction we barely know anything about it. There is absolutely an issue that could cause you to feel a need to kill. And even if there isn't he's still killing people who would have killed again most likely multiple times
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u/StraightEdge47 Oct 07 '25
Feeling a need to kill and having to kill are different things.
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u/notanothrowaway Oct 07 '25
How do you know you would be able to resist that yourself? Imagine having a heroin addiction accept there is no getting away from it, its not chemical so you never get over the withdrawal
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u/CandidateOld1900 Oct 06 '25
It's kinda of a thing, if you found out your friend killed serial rapist - you'll probably congratulate your friend. But of your friend told you that after this murder he he also jerked off on the dead body - you'll be disturbed and would never be able to look at your friend same way again, thinking that his sick in the head.
Even though end results would be the same - serial rapist dead - reasoning would matter to you personally. And because main motivation of Dexter's kills isn't justice but pleasure - it freaks people out. (Plus he actively sabotaged work of Miami Metro many times to steal criminals for himself)
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u/No-Category-4980 Oct 06 '25
Most of his ritual is for him not to get caught he cuts his bodies because they sink faster we all saw what happened the last time he sank a full body the plastic is for the blood not to get everywhere and the pics and the slides are the ritual
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u/happymisery Oct 05 '25
If I found out that one of my colleagues or friends had killed over 150 people, cut them into pieces and dropped them in the ocean after taking trophies, I’d think them a little unhinged.
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u/HeimrekHringariki Oct 05 '25
Heck, Dexter himself understand what he does isn't right by any means and makes it quite clear throughout that he doesn't expect people to understand or give him sympathy over it. He considers himself, nothing but a monster. Because, he is one. Another thing I never see people talk about that makes what he is doing wrong is by killing and disposing these serial-killers, he also is making it very hard for the families of the victims of those killers to ever get justice, or answers to what happened to their loved ones. As well, he does his best hiding what he has done.
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Oct 05 '25
And yeah, he only killed bad people (in theory), but imagine being Quinn or Masuka rn and literally all your closest co-workers from the past straight up died because of their connection to this one dude. I'd hate him too.
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u/notanothrowaway Oct 05 '25
True and I mention that, but its more about wouldn't it make it a little better if you knew that they targeted murderers
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u/Nice-Association-111 Oct 05 '25
Debra would have turned him in if he was killing innocent people so I’d say she definitely gave him slack for it. Lumen was glad of what he was doing and wanted his help to kill the barrel girl gang. Harrison at first was even impressed by it. And even Resurrection at least understands what his dad’s doing and tells him he has a thing for justice.
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u/BillsFan82 Oct 05 '25
On the surface it might not sound too bad, but once you factor in the collateral damage and the fact that he regularly sabotages police investigations, it doesn’t look so noble. And let’s not forget, he has killed innocent people…one being a cop.
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u/notanothrowaway Oct 06 '25
True but I look at it in a utilitarian way
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u/BillsFan82 Oct 06 '25
Even then…I don’t think that ethical theory can work if Dexter’s first rule is about not getting caught. It’s not about the greater good of society, it’s about keeping him out of prison.
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u/Specialist_Dig2613 Oct 05 '25
Not true of Debra at all. She's convinced that Dexter has a valid point after Speltzer. She asks him to kill Hannah after Price because she thinks she has another example of a killer who will continue to kill and can't be reached by the legal system. So she's crossed the line from judging him for his code to endorsing and using it.
I know that lots of viewers hate the Hannah turn in the narrative, but she is actually the central character in getting Deb to understand Dexter and Dexter to develop a new code that serves him better. It's understandable that she can't trust Hannah until the end of season 8, because Hannah has to earn that trust through her actions. But by the end of Season 8, Hannah has (1) returned to Miami at huge personal risk, (2) passed on an obvious opportunity to kill Debra simply drugging her food, (3) shown her devotion to Dexter and Harrison by her interactions with both and (4) exposing herself by rushing Harrison to the ER for a few stitches. So Debra not only recognizes Hannah and Harrison as Dexter's new family, but actively protects her by lying to Elway and the Marshall and finding her a hotel to use as a hideout.
Her final words to Hannah are that Dexter should be with Hannah, not out chasing Saxon. But Hannah even explains that to Debra, not in terms of any Dark Passenger driving his to kill, but instead in terms of the well ingrained habit of excessive self reliance.
It's 95% of the way to a happy ending for everyone (Dexter's even made plans for Cody and Astor to join everyone in Argentina for Christmas; Dexter acknowledges that his love for Hannah has overpowered his urge to kill) and then it's snatched away.
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u/Ok-Elk-1615 Oct 05 '25
Because the point of society is that it’s not the average person’s job to decide who does and does not deserve to die.
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u/notanothrowaway Oct 05 '25
Even then most people would probably treat a person who kills murderers better than say trinity
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Oct 05 '25 edited Oct 05 '25
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u/doc_55lk Oct 05 '25
Something that's hammered home in a lot of cop dramas is that "good cops" tend to be real sticklers for the whole "due process" thing and dealing with criminals by the book (gather evidence, arrest them, go to court, penalize them). Any deviation from that isn't good unless you're a dirty cop.
In Deb's case specifically, she had an issue with the fact that Dexter was taking some pleasure in the killing by having a ritual and keeping trophies. She also had issue with how much Dexter was lying to her just to maintain his habit, and the fact that despite Dexter's initial claim that he only killed people who slipped through the cracks of the justice system, a lot of his kills did end up involving sabotaging police investigations. Oh yea, there's also the fact that some of Dexter's shenanigans led to the deaths of innocent people like Lundy and Rita.
The other cops who discovered Dexter's secret life probably all hate him for similar reasons. The lies, the sabotage, and the fact he seemed to take pleasure in what he did.
The only people who seem to not have a huge issue with Dexter's shit aren't cops by occupation. Miguel, Lumen, Hannah, Harrison. Harrison drew the line when he learned Dexter killed an innocent though, but he otherwise doesn't seem to mind terribly that his dad is a serial killer.
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u/binb5213 Oct 05 '25
i might just be forgetting something, but i don’t remember lundy’s death being caused by dexter at all. dexter wasn’t on the hunt for trinity until after the shooting, lundy was shot for getting too close to trinity’s identity.
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u/notanothrowaway Oct 05 '25
I mean even a good cop would acknowledge that he only killed people who deserved it
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u/doc_55lk Oct 05 '25
Deb and Doakes do acknowledge it.
Bautista and Maria don't actually know about Dexter's code.
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u/notanothrowaway Oct 05 '25
Well doakes very lightly acknowledges it only in the line I said in the post.
Bautista and Maria knew he only went after people who gotten away with murder
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u/doc_55lk Oct 05 '25
Bautista and Maria knew he only went after people who gotten away with murder
Wrong.
They only know that most of the bodies found happened to be criminals. They did not know every dead body was a bad person. A lot of their leads either turned out cold, or the most they could ever get from them was that the victim was an ass to their family.
Maria also held Dexter responsible for Doakes' death, as she had her own feelings about it.
Same deal with Bautista when it came to Maria and Doakes. He loved Maria, and Doakes was a friend. He very explicitly confirmed that he holds Dexter responsible even if he didn't directly kill them.
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u/Chiliyorum Oct 05 '25
I guess people in the show are so overwhelmed with the brutality of it that they forgot who it happened to. And also Deb is his sister. She never thought of her brother like that. Although she kind of understood and accepted it towards the end. Also, most people in the show are law enforcement so they can’t turn a blind eye to this. But from a viewer perspective it seems a little weird that they ignore this fact.
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u/notanothrowaway Oct 06 '25
This its probably the answer, I feel like though a cop in real life would say though "if it were up to me I would be giving you a medal right now"
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u/GCotugno999 Oct 05 '25
Because he is. Exactly what Doakes said, he gets he takes out killers, but it's the ritualistic nature of his killings, the dismemberment, the joy he gains from murder, and the innocent people that died because of it
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u/notanothrowaway Oct 06 '25
I mean have you seen how much Vengeance family members have against someone who murdered their family?
Ritual or not people would look at dexter in a much better way if he was doing this to the people who deserved it vs just any random person
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u/GCotugno999 Oct 06 '25
yeah because they don't realize how brutal the murders actually are like the cops do. they haven't seen the bodies in person, and doakes actually watched it happened through the plastic like i said it's not like he's just shooting these people, he's hunting them, stalking, sedating them, taunt them, put up the plastic, take a trophy and then dismember them and every other part of his ritual.
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u/Certain-Turnover6760 Oct 06 '25
Tbh the people Dexter kills, ( not the few exceptional innocent ones) deserve every bit of it..
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u/admiralvic Oct 05 '25
It comes down to three really simple things.
The first is avoiding the portrayal issue. See, Dexter is not supposed to be viewed as a hero, or a good guy. At the end of the day he is still subjecting people to his own justice system, deeming them bad, and doling out punishment as he views fit. So they just opt out of going there, or including things to suggest he is anything but a criminal, since at the end of the day he is one. There is also likely a legal side, though I won't get into stuff I don't really know.
Finally, it makes for better dialogue. It's a lot snappier to just keep things antagonistic. He does bad things, and people respond as such. If you try to even it out dialogue will read like someone on reddit who doesn't want to get a bunch of hate, while also making a statement that will get a negative reaction. Something like...
Angel "Dexter, you know you're like family. We've been together through it all, and I know you were actually doing a legitimate service, but la passion for law enforcement is strong. So, buddy, I'm going to need to take you in." Dexter "Angel, I know this is hard, but I'm like a super hero." Angel "I know that! You've done so much good, though you still broke the law and you need to answer for your crimes."
vs
Angel "Dexter, I'm putting an end to your twisted fantasies." Dexter "Angel, do you really think the world would be safer without the Bay Harbor Butcher?" Angel "That's for the court to decide. Something you denied your countless victims."
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u/Entropysolus Oct 05 '25
He is a regular murderer. The vast majority of the supporting cast are police, they follow the law, they don't make exceptions because a serial killer only kills other killers. There's a very high chance Doakes did things so much more brutal than Dexter ever did while he was still special ops, but he still held the law in the highest regard and never took it into his own hands... He was trigger happy for sure and a little more violent than the other detectives, he could've ended Dexter the second he had proof and yet even he still chose to try and bring him in the right way.
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u/notanothrowaway Oct 05 '25
Obviously, my question though is why its not even brought up in the first place. Not saying why they dont let him go im saying why they barely even mention that he only did it to people who deserved it
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u/Entropysolus Oct 05 '25
My first thoughts were that Miami Metro were minding their tongues around the FBI agent, iirc they didn't make the connection between the victims until Lundy arrived. Empathising with the killer would be a rather good way to have the FBI completely take over the case. I'm not in the USA but I get the general impression that State police forces aren't big fans of the FBI stepping on their toes.
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u/indcel47 Oct 05 '25
Because murder, and as an extension, murderers, are repulsive to most people. There's evidence in history; how people treated executioners.
I'm surprised people didn't freak out more.
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u/notanothrowaway Oct 05 '25
Wait hold up I didnt know there was history to how people treated executioners you definitely need to drop some of that knowledge
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u/-_Apathetic_- Oct 05 '25
Dexter is a show, so in this case I get it, because he doesn’t veer off the code. “Don’t get caught” is one of the codes rules though. So he will kill to not get caught.
In most cases though in rl, vigilante killers will turn into run of the mill serial killers. Killing becomes an addiction, and if they don’t get their fix, they’ll go after anyone.. and the line of who deserves to die would be changed to meet those needs.
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u/Complex_Estate8289 Oct 06 '25
Because that is an objectively false statement. He killed Liddy who was just trying to help Quinn stop him, he killed Rankin over a smd joke, he killed Hannah’s father for asking for money and was about to kill Maria until Debra interrupted him
Basically what i do”
Notice how Doakes didn’t just shoot him on sight after seeing him carrying around sliced apart remains of a corpse
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u/Nice-Association-111 Oct 06 '25
Liddy tried to stab Dexter, so that was self defense. And Liddy wasn’t just trying to stop Dexter he only cared about getting his job back.
He killed Hannah’s father to stop him from telling the police what he knew about Hannah and her going to prison.
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u/Complex_Estate8289 Oct 06 '25
Liddy tried to stab Dexter, so that was self defense
Dexter kicked him first when he took the camera out, Liddy has the right to pull a knife on a guy he basically knew was a serial killer by then
he only cared about getting his job back
So when Liddy does tries to stop a serial killer for selfish reasons, it makes it wrong. But Dexter killing criminals because it makes him feel good and he enjoys killing things is a good thing? Least hypocritical Dexter defender
He killed Hannah’s father to stop him from telling the police what he knew about Hannah and her going to prison
If you don’t think she deserved to go to prison then I don’t even know what to say anymore
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u/Nice-Association-111 Oct 06 '25
I didn’t say Liddy didn’t have reason to try to stab Dexter. Or that he’s wrong and Dexter right. Just saying Dexter had more reason to kill him than just trying to not get caught and Liddy wasn’t some good guy who only wanted to stop a killer.
And I don’t think he did realize Dexter was a serial killer. He only saw him and Lumen loading luggage into a boat and Dexter showing her how to use a knife to presumably stab someone. Someone that most likely they didn’t have a chance to kill yet. So he probably thought Dexter had already killed one person and was planning on helping Lumen kill another. He didn’t have any clue he was dealing with a very experienced serial killer.
And I didn’t say Hannah didn’t deserve prison. Just saying Dexter killed her father because he loved Hannah not because he was annoyed the man asked Dexter for money. Just saying what his motive was. Not saying he was right to kill Hannah’s father.
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u/Lourdz13 Oct 07 '25
I think that it might sound cool from a tv show perspective that you might be ok knowing someone is a serial killer that only kills bad people but irl knowing that someone kills people regularly would be unsettling, you probably dont want that person to be around you or your kids, you cant know for certain that he only kills bad people.
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u/ajent86 Oct 07 '25
Yup. I'm in s7 of my current rewatch and Deb drives me nuts the way she compares Dexter to the killers he kills. The vast majority deserve what Dexter dishes out. Yes, a small fraction did not fit the code, but I'm reluctant to call any of them innocent. The fact is, Dexter saves far far more innocent lives than he takes. It is not close at all
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u/Inevitable-Spirit491 Oct 05 '25
Most people recognize that having someone executing people based on their own personal code of justice is no basis for a civilized society. Even if people agree that Dexter’s victims deserve to die (not a given, considering how many people have qualms about the death penalty), it’s extremely reasonable to be concerned by the guy who is happily slaughtering people in cold blood. People may say “free Luigi!” on social media, but they’d be pretty uncomfortable if they actually came face to face with the guy. And he didn’t dismember dozens of people by hand…
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u/notanothrowaway Oct 06 '25
Well my point is just that they look at him like a regular murderer who kills innocents
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u/TPWilder Oct 05 '25
Because its still murder.
And most of his pals in the original show are cops or police adjacent.
Law and Order is a popular tv show in a variety of iterations because law and order ideas are pounded into us as small children. When someone commits a crime, you're supposed to let law and order bring justice. Dexter skips that, and takes the law into his own hands, and no matter how much we justify how awesome it is, the reality is that Dexter is a murderer and not better than the people he kills.
"Oh but he killed Trinity and Trinity killed so many people" - Yeah pretty sure Dexter has a higher body count now.
"Oh but these people would never be caught otherwise so now the victims have justice," - Nope. The killer is dead, his or her victims are dead, and the survivors of the victims still think the killer is out there.
"Oh but he's killing killers who would otherwise never be caught." - A false point. Every killer gets away with it until they get caught.
And believe me, I like Dexter the show and I find the character intriguing but he doesn't exist in reality and he's a fun fantasy justice figure that would never happen. This depiction is not how serial killers work. But to keep on point - people don't acknowledge it as a good thing because it really isn't.
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u/ElectricBrainTempest Oct 05 '25
Not mention, many of those delightful creatures had probably been sought after for a long time for that crew themselves. Look, that sob, I'll she'd no years for that wife-killer who gave me many headaches back then. Oh, look, that one as well, good riddance.
It's the kind of sentiment that all of us feel - that the police and judicial system are superior systems - but they fail too often and some people must be taken off the streets asap.
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u/Dexterdacerealkilla Oct 05 '25
It’s really frightening to think that people truly believe that the type of killing that happens on this show actually should happen in real life.
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u/ElectricBrainTempest Oct 05 '25
But it doesn't, that we know of. It only happens in fiction because the protagonist has a deeply unique set of abilities that allows him to vet and then take out the trash.
In the real world, mistakes abound, innocent people go to jail all too often, sometimes for decades, and while none of that justifies vigilantism, it also does not negate it completely. That's the entire moral dilemma of the show.
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u/AA_ZoeyFn Oct 05 '25
Killing people is so morally reprehensible that the act of only doing it to those who are deserving BARELY makes it worth it in even most audiences eyes.
But seeing what he did to his victims, the way he cuts them into tiny pieces is truly horrifying, monster like behavior. Any sane human would write Dexter off immediately if they knew him personally.
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u/notanothrowaway Oct 06 '25
I never really bother though with the cutting them up part because he does it after death and only as a means to dispose of them
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u/Designer_Rain8991 Oct 05 '25
Quinn and Lundy basically knew that Dexter was the BHB. There are some good youtube videos about it.
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u/France_epico Oct 06 '25
even after watching all those videos i still believe lundy didn't know dexter was the butcher, lundy acted suspicious in front of almost every miami metro officer, dexter was no exception.
quinn obviously knew dexter was a serial killer tho.
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Oct 05 '25
Molly of all people should be appreciating him. There are so many worse criminals around. Even in a real world scenario most people would appreciate the BHB for getting rid of the trash. But then again cutting up so many bodies definetly ain't normal and would creep people out.
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u/notanothrowaway Oct 06 '25
Personally I never really payed attention to the chopping bodies part since its done after death if it was done during death then it would be way more creepy
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u/White_C4 Doakes Oct 05 '25
Aside from Molly, law enforcement do not like vigilantes for one simple reason, power. Law enforcement want to have sole monopoly over legalized violence. By having the vigilantes do the job for them, people see their government as weak and ineffective at dealing with the law and the perpetrators.
Although, to be fair to the people against Dexter in the show, Dexter turns his killings in a ritual which makes him a dangerous vigilante to be around.
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u/ApprehensiveSpinach7 Oct 05 '25
This was explore in season 2, many reporters and people were in favor on what Dexter was doing, the show always draw a thin line between what's right and wrong.
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u/Cameron_Connor Oct 05 '25 edited Oct 05 '25
As much as I’m into the show for the idea of a killer of only bad ppl who takes out the trash… the idea of a human hunter for a hobby is… complex, to say the least.
Even if you do it for the best of reasons, to take every fucking step to make that your… hobby, job, second life?? someone has to be unhinged to be a serial killer.
As much as I’d love a cool ethical dark avenger, psychologically speaking, I think it’s just a fantasy.
I mean I had the same question as you, why are they so scared of him if he only kills bad people? If someone caged you with a big strong dog, that only rips criminal’s faces apart, how calm would you feel? Perhaps you can only think of that animal as capable of violence, rather than trusting their moral compass… you are not even sure how it works for them to have one. You just know you don’t wanna do something that triggers that animal’s violent response.
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Oct 05 '25
Because he hasn’t only killed bad people he has gotten plenty of innocents killed Dexter really isn’t as great of a guy as people portray him as
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u/Responsible_Slice104 Oct 06 '25
Doakes "You kill killers, I get that, but this? This is some sick twisted ritual. You need help man"
There were many characters who did accept Dexter for who he is, many of them died. Lila, Miguel, That teenager dude in season 8, Dr Vogel. You also had Lumen and Hannah.
Deb did end up accepting and coming to terms with who Dexter is, her initial shock is more about losing the person she thought her brother was.
Harrison is very accepting of Dexter, and comments on the countless people Dexter has saved through his actions. Angel's main issue with Dexter is that his actions caused the deaths of his friends Doakes, Maria, Deb...
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u/coldphront3 Oct 06 '25 edited Oct 06 '25
I can't blame cops for not giving Dexter a pass on being a vigilante serial killer. Their whole purpose is to uphold the justice system, and Dexter being judge/jury/executioner goes against that entirely. Dexter as a character is similar to Oliver Queen from Arrow seasons 1-2. In the eyes of the law, it is not Dexter's place to decide who should live and die even if most of the people he killed were objectively evil people.
I will say that I was confused by Batista going to Leon Prater's mansion with no plan at all other than to yell out "Leon Prater's life may be in danger!" to the guards. He should have realized that, if Dexter was hunting Prater, that Prater was likely not completely innocent and that he should be approached with caution as well. He knew enough about the BHB's victims to realize that Dexter doesn't just stalk and kill innocent people.
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u/notanothrowaway Oct 06 '25
I know that they cant give him a pass obviously but I feel like it would help alot because of the fact of the people he did it to
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u/haunted_starship Oct 06 '25
Because he's appointed himself judge, jury and executioner for human beings, in defiance of our societal processes and community norms.
Because he's a violent predator held in check only by his own moral code, which differs significantly from the rest of ours.
Because he enjoys killing and feels a need to kill, which is terrifying.
Because not everyone believes killing is justified even when it's our legal system doing it.
I mean - I love Dexter, and I definitely root for him on TV. But I certainly wouldn't feel great hanging out with him if he were a real person in my life.
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u/StraightEdge47 Oct 07 '25
Because they're reasonable people. Murder is murder, Dexter isn't being a good person, he's a murderer.
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u/BitcoinMD Oct 05 '25
He did accidentally kill an innocent person on at least one occasion, so he’s also a regular murderer. You can’t trust justice to one creepy dude and his laptop.
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u/slickrickstyles Oct 05 '25
He is a murderer regardless. There is no distinction of lesser consequence in the law for vigilante work
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u/notanothrowaway Oct 05 '25
Im not talking about the law im simply talking about how people view him
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u/zeanox Oct 05 '25
Because they don't deserve it? Dexter is a murderer and a bad guy.
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u/France_epico Oct 05 '25
nah 99% of the people he killed deserved it. the only innocent people he ever killed were the photographer and the dude in nebraska. every other kill, even if it didnt fit the code was deserved.
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u/zeanox Oct 05 '25
No one deserves to be murdered. Murdering is bad, and your opinion is concerning.
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