Throughout the series' run, the bestDexterepisodes helped the show experience incredible highs with standout storylines. In 2006, Dexter began airing on Showtime, where the show quickly garnered critical success. Michael C. Hall’s performance as Dexter Morgan, which explored the dark duality between a man with a strong moral code and his self-proclaimed dark passenger, was a gripping, tense crime drama that pioneered antihero stories on TV.
The series initially drewinspiration from a series of novels,Darkly Dreaming Dexter, by Jeff Lindsay. However, by the time season 2 was put into production, the show began creating more independent stories with little or no connections to the novels. While there were some seasons that did not live up to the typical standard and tone of the series,Dexterlargely featured a brilliant and intricate set of storieswith several episodes that were particularly memorable.
15Dirty Harry
Dexter Season 4, Episode 5
The best serial killer that Dexter Morgan hunted down was The Trinity Killer, and in the season 4 episode, “Dirty Harry,” the series went a long way to showing how Dexter compares to this evil man. Both are serial killers, andwhile Dexter has always killed only the people he feels deserve it, he is still a monsternonetheless. In this episode, Dexter believes that the Trinity Killer is the person who shot Deb, so he takes matters into his own hands and sets out to find the man, all while also watching The Trinity Killer in action.
Dexter’s Original Series Ending Explained: Why Dexter Chooses That Controversial Lumberjack Fate
The ending of the original Dexter series has left viewers divided for over a decade, although it did set up the sequel series Dexter: New Blood.
What makes this episode stand out is that it shows The Trinity Killer murdering a father of two kids using the same preparation that Dexter Morgan uses to execute his crimes. This shows the two men using the same tactics but then seeing the innocent father dying, leaving two children without a parent. It is easy to see that Dexter might be doing things for what he considers the right reason, but he isn’t much different from The Trinity Killer. ThisDexterepisode also has him decide not to kill The Trinity Killer, which comes back to haunt him.
14My Bad
Dexter Season 5, Episode 1
The heartbreaking breakdown of Dexter Morgan makes season 5of Dexter’spremiere stand out. In the fourth season, Dexter Morgan had a chance to take out The Trinity Killer before he killed anyone else, but he didn’t because he wanted to learn more about how this man could keep his two lives separate. However, as fans saw in the season 4 finale, The Trinity Killer murdered Rita and destroyed Dexter’s life. This episode goes a long way inshowing how Dexter sees himself after this tragic event.
What makes this stand out is when Dexter beats a man to death who says something rude about Rita.
Dexter pretends to have emotions for the first four seasons and believes he cannot express any basic human feelings. However, when he comforts Rita’s kids, Cody (Preston Bailey) and Astor (Christina Robinson), after her death, he begins to show cracks and makes comments he normally would have kept to himself. However, what makes this stand out is when Dexter beats a man to death who says something rude about Rita, and he realizes that he does love her, which is a revelation that changes the course of the show.
13Nebraska
Dexter Season 6, Episode 7
Dexterseason 6 began to falter and lose the narrative, and many fans consider it the weakest of the entire series. However, oneDexterepisode that season stands out as one of the best of the series' run. In “Nebraska,“Dexter takes a road trip when he learns that authorities believe The Trinity Killer has returned. Of course, Dexter killed Arthur Miller, so he knows this is a copycat murderer, but things get more complicated when he learns Arthur’s wife and daughter have also died.
Dexter realizes that the way he went about taking out a serial killer had much larger ramifications.
This is a situation where Dexter has to take into account his actions. While The Trinity Killer had murdered people and left grieving families behind, now Dexter sees that he did the same thing to Arthur’s wife and child. This is because the killer is Arthur’s son Jonah, whose sister took her own life after their mother blamed them for their father’s crimes. Dexter realizes that the way he went about taking out a serial killer had much larger ramifications and caused other unnecessary deaths, adding to the guilt building up in Dexter.
12Living The Dream
Dexter Season 4, Episode 1
The season 4 premiere was a stand-outDexterepisode for one big reason.This episode showed what Dexter’s life could look like if he didn’t have the Dark Passengerdriving him to commit murders. Season 3 ended with Dexter marrying Rita and now the two live in the suburbs with a new baby, Harrison, and Dexter no longer seeks out victims, instead focusing on being the best father he can. However, being an exhausted father of a new baby, he makes mistakes.
It all starts with him messing up a case, which allows a killer to go free. When he sets out to rectify this by killing the killer, that doesn’t go right either. However, what really makes this season so great is The Trinity Killer. He shows up for the first time in this episode, committing a horrific murder. He has his own Dark Passenger, and his kills are much more horrific than Dexter’s. This specific episode shows how Dexter struggles to navigate his new life as a family man while Trinity has that under control.
11Sins Of The Father
New Blood, Episode 10
One of the big things thatDexter: New Bloodset out to do was make up for the factthe series finale disappointed so many viewers. The last episode saw Dexter fake his own death and set out to live in the wilderness, a self-imposed exile to remove himself from the temptations to continue to kill. This means thatDexter never faced any real punishment for his crimes, and while he did punish himself, it wasn’t a satisfactory ending for a character who had done so many bad things for eight seasons.
In “Sins of the Father,” Dexter finally has to answer for everyone he hurt by his actions. After his arrest, Dexter escapes by killing a good person in Logan (Alano Miller), and that crosses the line, with Dexter becoming what he fought his entire life to avoid. Harrison finally understands that Dexter is not a good man and an avenging dark angel, but a murderer who found an excuse to kill people and only cared about himself. After blaming Dexter for Rita and Deb’s deaths, Harrison finally kills his father and ends his tormented life once and for all.
10The British Invasion
Dexter Season 2, Episode 12
The final episode of season 2 is an excellent example of the tension and drama this series evokes. Dexter has his longtime rival, Sgt. James Doakes is trapped in a cabin in the Everglades, and events are converging in a way that could see his secret exposed. Doakes knows the truth, FBI special agent Frank Lundy is getting close to finding the truth, and Dexter is struggling to keep all the plates spinning.
However, Dexter’s new spark, Lila, finds Doakes, and in a shocking twist, she chooses tohelp Dexter by setting fire to the cabin and killing Doakes. The questionable morals and intentions of the characters are a defining part of the show, and positioning Lila as a lovesick killer against Dexter’s compulsive and calculating moralistic murderer makes for an interesting comparison. The episode is a highlight in a brilliant season, showcasing exactly what makes Dexter unique and engaging.
9Lost Boys
Dexter Season 4, Episode 10
“Lost Boys” features somestandout performances from Michael C. Hall, and the Trinity Killer, Arthur, played by John Lithgow. The episode sees many of the events of season 4, and earlier seasons finally starting to come together after a lengthy build up. Arthur’s identity as the Trinity Killer was already exposed earlier in the season, but the reality of his cycle containing four kills instead of three is explored here.
Lithgow is incredible in the role of a twisted villain who seeks to repair his own trauma by taking the lives of others in a controlled and repetitive cycle. At the same time, Dexter’s sister, Debra, is hot on the trail of someone who appears to be connected. Thereveals and tensionof the episode are outstanding and clearly set this episode up as one of the most compelling of the series.
8Dexter
Dexter Season 1, Episode 1
The very first episode deserves a place among the top 10 for its strong foundations and clever storytelling. Dexter is introduced as a blood spatter analyst who works in the Miam Metro PD. However, unlike typical lab techs or those involved with law enforcement, Dexter is hiding a much darker secret. His double life as a serial killer is quickly revealed, and the episode builds on this drama and tension throughout.
Dexter Morgan feels like a fully formed character
At the same time, theIce Truck Killer is introduced as a potential rival to Dexter. The comparison between these murderers, with their separate styles of committing their crimes and choosing their victims is a complex contrast that is immediately intriguing. By the end of the episode, Dexter Morgan feels like a fully formed character, with further secrets to delve into, inviting the audience along for a wild ride.
7Left Turn Ahead
Dexter Season 2, Episode 11
In the penultimate episode of season 2, stakes reach an all-time high as Dexter confronts Doakes, considers turning himself in, and Lila’s obsession grows out of control. This episode is full of twists and turns, with Dexter coming closer to revealing himself than ever before or since. Simultaneously, events play out with the unstable Lila, who has some of her own secrets uncovered in this episode.
This episode benefits from having a cast of extraordinarilywell-developed characters all chasing down similar goals,while most remain unaware of their interconnected paths. Dexter’s dual life is causing havoc, and he struggles to reconcile what he does, and the future he wants. However, while the episode deals with complex questions and self-reflection for the antihero, the episode comes to a glass-shattering conclusion that could change everything ahead of the season finale.
6Surprise Motherf**ker
Dexter Season 7, Episode 12
While the later seasons of Dexter occasionally lost sight of some of what made the show great,Dexterseason 7and its finale were a spectacular exception. At this point,Debra has learned Dexter’s secret,and LaGuerta has become incredibly suspicious of Dexter. The episode features numerous flashbacks that link it with early seasons and Doakes' suspicions of Dexter in contrast with LaGuerta’s. The episode also features Hannah, Dexter’s latest paramour, as she sets up her own great escape.
Leads to Dexter making a choice that seems to be against his own code
The entire episode is steeped in suspicion and tension, and leads to Dexter making a choice that seems to be against his own code. However, the show once again plays with the idea of morality, and good and evil, as Debra’s role as an accomplice to her murderous brother becomes a larger sticking point. The episode has an incredible climax that changes the game for the series, and sets it on a strong course ahead of the final season.
