Assignment One

Baylee Stroup p.1

Observation One
Tuesday, September 29, 2015
Showtimes Dexter
Note: This observation is over thirty minute time periods in three separate hour long episodes. I
have decided to summarize the remaining time in these episodes to keep the reader informed
of what is going in the gaps. The time listed shows where the event is happening in the episode.
(4:37 represents 4 minutes and 37 seconds remaining in the episode)
Background information: These episodes take place in Miami, FL. There are many important
locations in these episodes. These include the Miami Metro Police Department, Dexter and
Ritas House, and the Trinity Killers house. One important thing to know about the show
Dexter is that the main character Dexter is a serial killer that follows a code. He hunts bad
people or in other words other serial killers. He calls this bad side his dark passenger.
Figured World: I plan to observe the episode where the main characters wife is murdered. I am
also going to observe the following episode to show how he deals with it and the episode
preceding the one where his wife is murdered to show what leads up to it. The main places
where these episodes will mainly take place is the police station that the main character works
in and his kill rooms. Many things go on in the police station such as: drama, relationships,
and other cases. In the kill rooms, the victim is shown what he has done to the people he
killed by pictures that the main character has set up. The killing also takes place in this room.
With this show, there is a lot of cursing but this is acceptable in the environment. The city that
this show takes place in is Miami, Florida. The communication between the characters involves
a lot of cursing but it is mainly in person. Most of the communication is not done over the
phone. Loud noises arent a distraction in the types of environments because a lot of the time
the characters ae outside at a crime scene and there may be traffic or other things going on so
in other words loud noises are expected. It is also expected for the episodes to be kind of
gruesome since it is a crime show. Its inappropriate to show up to work with a hangover. An
example of a community of practice in Dexter would be the police force because they all the
share the common interest of catching criminals.
Actors:
Dexter Morgan: Dexter is the main character hence the title. He is the forensic blood
spatter analyst for Miami Metro Homicide. He is a serial killer that lives by a code that
his late father gave him. This code tells Dexter that he can only kill bad people. He stalks
his victims first in order to make sure they fit the code. Dexter is not capable of having
true feelings, but he is able to pretend very well.

Rita Morgan: This is Dexters wife. They have a son together, Harrison. Rita also has two
children, Aster and Cody, by her ex-husband. Rita and Dexter are going through a rough
patch in their marriage. Rita is a blonde haired woman that is at the moment a stay

Commented [SB1]: Courtney Lebby: Your background

information was great! It gives detail even though it's a little
short. It pulled me in and actually made me want to watch.

Commented [SB2]: Megan Elmore: Thank you for

repeating that the killing happens in the "Kill room" i NEVER
would have figured it out on my own. In all seriousness,
make sure that you don't repeat the obvious through out
your paragraph. I would suggest just taking that out.
Commented [SB3]: Repetition
Commented [SB4R3]: Change

Commented [SB5]: Courtney Lebby: make sure you put

the definitions of the words. Its kind of confusing because I
do not know exactly how the examples relate to the words.
But your examples are descriptive.

Assignment One

Baylee Stroup p.2

home mom. She loves her children and Dexter very much. You can see how much she
cares by how she acts.

Trinity Killer: He is very important in these few episodes. He is wanted for many
murders that span over thirty years. FBI agent Frank Lundy, now deceased, figured out
the killings were related. They are in a recurring pattern of three killings. Trinity would
start with a young women in a bathtub by slicing her femoral artery with a straight razor
while putting her in a choke hold. He would also put a mirror in front of her face so he
could see her face as she dies. This would resemble how his sister died. The next victim
would be a married mother of two. He kidnaps her and forces her to jump off of a
building, making it look like a suicide just like his mothers. The third is a father of two,
who he bludgeons to death with a hammer. This is like his fathers death. After killing
each victim, he leaves a trace of his sisters ashes and points the arm at the ashes.
Trinity blends by having a family, being a teacher and minister, and also by doing
volunteer work.

Debra Morgan: This is Dexters sister. She is a detective at Miami Metro Homicide. She
has a filthy mouth, meaning she tends to curse a lot. She and Dexter are very close. She
was shot along with Agent Lundy by the trinitys daughter Christine. Agent Lundy and
Debra were together as a couple. She watched him die and is having a very hard time
getting through it.

Artifacts:
Dexters blood slides: Dexter keeps a box of blood slides that has a drop a blood from
every one of his victims. These are his trophies. He cuts a little part of the victims
cheek and then places a drop onto the slide. He then takes that slide home and places it
in a box he keeps in the air vent in his shed. He values these a lot because it is blood
from his victims.
Dexters kill rooms: Kill rooms are rooms Dexter wraps in plastic and takes his victims
to. He sets up pictures of the people that his victims has killed or hurt. He does this to
show them what they have done. He wraps the room in plastic in order to have an easy
clean up.
Communities of Practice:
Miami Metro Homicide: This is a group of detectives that are like family. They are all
very close and enjoy catching criminals. They are all able to communicate very easily
and it easy for them to get information on evidence.
Domain:
Dexters expertise: The people who work with Miami Metro Homicide really look to
Dexter to explain what happened. He is very good at what he does and he can tell what
happened and how it happened just by looking at the blood. He goes into detail by

Commented [SB6]: Megan Elmore: I love how you wrote

this. Giving a very detailed back ground of what the "Trinity
killer" is helps me understand everything that is happening
throughout these episodes. Maybe you could describe what
he looks like so i have more of an image of who he is.

Commented [SB7]: Megan Elmore: One thing you need

to make sure you do is add the definitions to the words.
With this you need to make sure you add the definitions in
detail so that we understand what they are. Make sure you
use YOUR definition.

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Baylee Stroup p.3

saying how the person may have been hit or stabbed, where it took place, and how that
person ended up the way they are laying.
Practices of the Community:
Solving the Trinity Killings: The community of practice works very hard in solving the
trinity killings. They have briefings where they talk about what they know and what they
need to know. They also check every crime scene very carefully to see if the killer left
anything behind.

Commented [SB8]: Megan Elmore: With you putting all

three episodes i would suggest putting a little more
explanation on this. I would suggest maybe putting another
community of practice, if there is one. I would like to
understand a little more about their communities of
practice.

Literacy Practices:
Briefings: The way of communicating what has happened and what is known to other
detectives that may not have been at the scene. This is where they all talk about what
they have found out about the case and what they need to find out.

Phone Calls: These are a way of getting the word around about another crime. This is
how the detectives let each other know where they need and what has happened.

The observations:
Season 4, Episode 11
Summary: Dexter discovered Trinity kidnaps a boy before he starts his cycle. Miami Metro discovered
Christine is related to Trinity. Christine is brought in for Agent Lundys murder and is asked she is related
to the Trinity killer. She denies knowing how she is elated instead of telling them that he is her father.
Trinity calls Dexter but he knows Dexter as Kyle Butler that way Dexter is able to protect his family. He
tells Trinity he wants money and he will leave him alone. Christine keeps denying everything. Detective
Quinn is in a relationship with Christine. He doesnt believe that she has anything to do with Trinity.
Captain LaGuerta and Sergeant Batista are caught in their relationship and may lose their jobs. Dexter
works on finding someone to frame for the Trinity killings. Trinity thinks he found Kyles home but it
was actually someone else with the name Kyle Butler. Dexter and Rita go to marriage counseling but
Dexter gets called to work and she tells him that she kissed their neighbor. Dexter leaves and goes to the
crime scene. Dexter works the scene to find out the victims name is Kyle Butler. Dexter knows Trinity
did this.
36:09 mins: Miami Metro is searching Christines apartment and find postcards from all the places
Trinity has killed. They discover Trinity is Christines father. Dexter goes to a Kyle Butlers house and
waits on Trinity assuming that is where he will go next. Trinity shows up, opens the door and then shuts
it. The police let Christine know they have figured out her father is the Trinity killer. Christine tries to
hide the fact that her father is the Trinity killer. Quinn realizes he shouldnt have been in a relationship
with her.
30:56 mins: Dexter is working framing a guy that he plans to kill for the trinity killings which have been
going on for many years. These killings are in threes. The first involves a woman sitting in the bathtub
and the murderer cuts her leg open and lets her bleed out. This symbolizes the killers sisters death. The
second one is when a woman is pushed from a building or higher grounds to make it look like a suicide.
This symbolizes his mothers death. The third one is bludgeoning of a man in his 50s or so. This one
resembles his fathers death. Dexter has already discovered who the killer is and is hunting him down to
kill him. He is also trying to lead the police towards someone else.

Commented [SB9]: Courtney Lebby: Your observations

are VERY detailed. They give a very great description of the
episodes. I feel like I was watching the episodes with you,
GREAT JOB!
Commented [SB10]: Megan Elmore: Thank you for
posting a summary. This made it so much easier to
understand what happened in the first half of the show.
Without this summary I would have been completely lost.

Assignment One

Baylee Stroup p.4

29:59 mins: Rita continues her talk with Dexter. He just says apology accepted and Rita is confused
because she thinks he should feel hurt. Trinity tries calling Christine and walks past her apartment and
realizes she has been arrested. Dexter gets evidence to frame someone for the killings. Debra decides to
talk to Christine. They talk about their daddy issues. Batista and LaGuerta get married. Police now have
surveillance of Christines apartment. Dexter kills the person he frames.
19:00 mins: Dexter confronts Elliott about kissing his wife. He punches Elliott and Elliott apologizes for
kissing Rita. Rita sees this and makes a bag of ice for Dexters hand. She isnt upset with Dexter for
punching Elliott. She is actually glad about it because it shows he cares. The captain does not want them
to be together. He claims it is against protocol. The captain is unable to do anything about it because he
may come off as trying to separate a marriage made in holy matrimony.
15:35mis: The police have now gotten the tip for the guy Dexter has framed for the Trinity killings and
are going to check that out now. They are finding plenty of evidence at an old barn to arrest this guy.
They have found a toothbrush, comb, and the hammer used for the bludgeonings. The police have now
accused Stan, the guy Dexter framed, for the trinity killings.
13:50 mins: Christine called her father and he tells her she ruined everything. He shows he doesnt care.
He says Im sorry you were ever born. Christine called the police and demanded to speak to Debra
Morgan and only her. Quinn wants to go with her, so they leave for Christines. Debra is now at
Christines house and they begin talking. The police think that Stan is Christines father, but they dont
know that he isnt. Christine confesses to killing Agent Lundy and shooting Debra. Agent Lundy and
Debra were a couple. She asks if Debra can forgive her and Debra says no. Christine pulls a gun and kills
herself because she feels like she isnt loved by anyone. Dexter goes to comfort his sister because
Christine killed herself in front of her.
7:09 mins: Dexter is followed by Trinity to his work. Trinity has now discovered that Dexter works for
Miami Metro. The trinity killer steals a visitor pass from an elderly woman. Debra is having a very hard
time dealing with agent Lundys death and Christine killing herself. Trinity discovers that Dexter actually
works with the homicide department and that his real name is Dexter Morgan. Dexter is no longer able
to protect his family because his true identity is known.

Season 4, Episode 12
45:15 mins: Trinity is leaving Dexters work. He now knows where he works and what his real
name is. Dexter tries to follow Trinity out of the station but he is stopped by detective Quinn.
Quinn wants him to sign off on the suicide case. Dexter pushes Quinn so he can leave. As Dexter
is chasing Trinity, Rita calls him while driving and Dexter hits someones mirror. He parks and
goes into a parking garage following Trinity. The guy that Dexter hit follows him.
42:00 mins: Debra is still at work and Batista walks in and tells her to go home because
Christine just killed herself in front of Debra. Batista agrees to call all the cities Debra looked at.
Dexter drugs Trinity and puts him into the van. He finds all Trinitys money and places. The guy
Dexter hit has called the cops and Dexter gets angry. He loses his temper and the cops arrest
him.
37:00 mins: The ice truck killer had taken Debra there to kill her. Dexter is in a cell waiting to be
let out. Dexter has hallucinations of his father. They are talking about the code. Dexter claims
he doesnt want the life of a serial killer. At the station, they are having a debriefing session.
They are all talking about Trinity being Stan Beaudry. Batista called the cities and there were
murders and a young boy missing. Debra is looking into Laura Moser. She discovers that Dexter
is Laura Mosers son and the Ice Truck killer is his brother.

Assignment One

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33:00 mins: Dexter is let out of jail because Rita bailed him out. She is confused by his actions.
He claims he has a darkness that creeps in and takes over making him change his attitude. They
arrive this car and Dexter goes to see if Trinity is still in the van, but he isnt there. Trinity arrives
at home. He abuses his family and steals all the money and jewelry from his family. His son begs
his mother to leave and she denies that anything is wrong.
29:25 mins: Debra goes to talk to Captain Matthews about the Lauren Moser case. She says
that her dad told them Dexters parents died in a car accident, but Deb has found out the truth
and wants to verify it. Matthews tells her that her father adopted Dexter after he was found
with his mother and brother in a shipping container full of their moms blood.
27:10 mins: Trinity looks up Dexters address. Dexter tells Rita that they should go to the keys
the next day and Rita is upset with Dexter. She tells him she doesnt think they should go. They
talk about what happened and Rita is no longer upset. They decide to go to the keys. Dexter will
leave after work and Rita and Harrison will leave in the morning. Aster and Cody are going to
Orlando with their grandparents.
24:37 mins: The police decide Stan isnt their guy. They call in a boy that escaped from Trinity to
try and find out who the trinity killer is. He told Debra that the bad man gave him medicine and
told her there was a picture on the van he was put in. He then draws the picture. The logo is the
four walls, one heart logo. They go to a building site and find a young boy buried in the cement.
Trinity breaks into Dexters old apartment which is listed as his address. His sister Debra now
lives in that apartment. This makes Trinity mad.
Summary: Aster and Cody are sent to Orlando and Rita and Harrison get in a cab to go to the
airport. Dexter looks to find where Arthur is heading. He stole his wallet so that is where he
looks. He shows up at Trinitys house and talks to the family. The police show up at Arthurs
house. Dexter is hiding and a cop walks in so Dexter shows his badge. Deb and Batista see
Dexter and ask why he doesnt have his vest on. He shows them a casket. Deb wonders how he
got there so fast. He tells her the news is everywhere. Arthur Miller is the trinity killer. Debra
talks to Dexter about his mother and brother. The FBI takes over the case from Miami Metro.
Dexter finds Arthur and knocks him out. He then takes Arthur to his kill room. While in the kill
room, Arthur tells Dexter its already over. That is when Dexter kills him. He dumps the body
into the ocean. He goes home to pack his things for the keys. When he gets home, he checks his
phone to find a message from Rita she forgot something and had to go back home but she was
going to catch the next flight. He tries calling and hears her phone ringing. Her purse is at the
counter and then he hears Harrison crying. He finds him in a pool of Ritas blood. Rita is in the
bathtub. Dexter was too late. Arthur had already killed her. He picks Harrison up and walks
away. He is heartbroken.
Season 5, Episode 1
49:36 mins: The police show up at Dexters. He is speechless and doesnt answer questions.
Debra shows up and Dexter just says Rita is inside, it was me. Miami Metro is there
investigating. They cant stand to look at her. She was like family to all of them. La Guerta says
the FBI is there and they need to leave. She says Dexter needs all the support he can get. Elliott
is crying and Dexter isnt. Dexter is in shock. The FBI starts questioning him.
44:30 mins: Debra takes Dexter and Harrison back to her apartment. He is very calm about Rita
dying on the 911 call. Aster and Cody call Dexter. They have no idea that Rita has died. They tell

Commented [SB11]: Courtney Lebby: I think this specific

part should be a little more detailed like the others ones. Its
a little confusing because the others were very detailed. &
how does her abuse his family?

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Dexter that they miss both of them. He decides to wait and tell them about their mom until
they get back. Debra starts to plan a funeral. They meet with a funeral director that morning
and Dexter just walks out. He ends up at another funeral inside that building. He has flashbacks
of his and Ritas first date. Debra finds Dexter and tells them they need to leave.
34:00 mins: Debra meets Quinn at Dexters house after she drops Dexter and Harrison off at the
apartment. She tells Quinn she wants to clean the place up for Dexter so he doesnt have to see
it. They clean the bathroom until all the blood is cleaned up. Debra and Quinn talk. He comforts
her.
31:28 mins: Aster and Cody arrive back at the house. Dexter has to tell the kids about their
mother. Dexter tells them something bad happened to her. He tells them that someone killed
her. Aster runs out of the building and Dexter goes after her. She is very upset and she blames it
on Dexter. She says he doesnt care. She says he wasnt there for her and wishes that Dexter
was dead instead. Debra and Quinn search for a dress for Rita to wear when shes buried.
Quinn goes and talks to Elliott about Rita.
25:33 mins: Debra shows up at the apartment and lays the dresses down and they talk about
Rita. Aster and Cody are staying with their grandparents in a hotel. He flashes back to their first
date again. He thinks that the kids would be better off without him. Dexter starts thinking
about ways to disappear. He tries to get Debra to take Harrison. Debra tells him no.
Summary: Debra convinces Dexter that he is a good dad. Quinn tells LaGuerta that Elliott
kissed Rita. Debra finds out that Dexter didnt go to the FBI meeting. She calls Dexter and it
goes to voicemail. Dexter went to the funeral home and sees Rita. He tells her body that he is a
serial killer. He burns his building to leave no trace of him. He then gets on his boat and leaves
town thinking it will be best. Debra goes to the graveside to set up for Ritas funeral. He ignores
Debras call to see where he is. He flashes back to their date again. He runs out of gas and has
to stop to get gas. He goes inside to pay and there is a really rude guy inside. He follows that
guy into the bathroom and he loses his temper and beats the guy to death. He then realizes
what he did and decides to go back to the funeral. At the funeral, LaGuerta tells Batista that
she was scared. Dexter finally shows up for the funeral. He takes Harrison and gives the eulogy.
Interview: With Will Clay
1. Tell me what you like about the show Dexter.
Will- I liked how the show gave a much different perspective than any other crime/murder
drama. Instead of just being through the perspective of a police office or a detective trying to
solve a murder, the show was through the perspective of a serial killer who was at the same
time not trying to get caught himself.
2. Tell me how you think Dexter felt about Ritas death by the way he reacted in the
following episodes.
Will- Throughout the show its explained a few times that psychopaths lack the ability to have
emotions whatsoever, which is why Dexter didnt feel much of anything when Rita died. His
world had been torn apart and he didnt even have the capacity to feel sad or cry. After Ritas
death you can kind of see how other characters, especially Debra, find this very odd and hard to
understand.
3. Tell me about the things that kept your interest in this show.

Commented [SB12]: Courtney Lebby: I really enjoyed

your interview. Your questions are very detailed and can be
given detailed answers. The responses are very descriptive
and very detailed.

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Will- Every season the directors managed to make you think Dexter was on the verge of being
caught or killed, leaving a lot of cliffhangers at the end of almost every episode making it hard
to stop watching. By about the 6th season once you realize the show is just the same formula
every season its too late to just quit watching because you might as well just finish the series.
4. What different approaches could Dexter have taken in killing the Trinity Killer?
Will- Dexter could have killed him much earlier in the show when he was almost sure that he
was the trinity killer, rather than waiting as long as he did.
5. Tell me what you like about Dexters character.
Will-I like that hes smart about what he does, he doesnt do anything too fancy as to avoid
getting caught. Nothings usually ever left behind and he only goes after people who really
deserve it. Making him a kind of Dark Knight if you can see him that way. Cleaning up society
the way the justice system cant.
6. What could Dexter have done differently to try and keep Rita alive?
Will-To save Rita he could have just killed Trinity much longer before this, or just stopped
looking for trouble once he had a wife and children at home. He wasnt thinking enough about
his family throughout that season.