Editor's Note: The following article contains spoilers for Showtime's Dexter.There might well be more negative things to say about Dexter than positive things, since it’s hard to overlook the nosedive in quality that made up most (though not all) of its back half. Aside from some high points in Season 7, the final half of Dexter’s original run was rough, but the first half was mostly good… well, besides Season 3. Okay. Dexter was inconsistent. That has to be said.
Still, if you can ignore the rough patches, this crime show about a serial killer who satisfies his murderous cravings by targeting other criminals makes for pulpy and enjoyable viewing at times. And these episodes are the ones that showcase Dexter at its very best, unsurprisingly all belonging to the seasons of the show that were actually good (1, 2, 4, and 7).
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Dexter
TV-MA
Crime
DramaMystery
7.8/10
- Release Date
- 2006 - 2013-00-00
- Network
- Showtime
WHERE TO WATCH
Streaming
BUY
- Showrunner
- Clyde Phillips
10 "Are You...?"
Season 7, Episode 1 (2012)
The one thing that sort of came close to redeeming Season 6 was the fact that it ended with Dexter’s adoptive sister, Debra, finally finding out the truth about his serial killing. This ensured Season 7 could hit the ground running with “Are You…?”, which is all about the fallout of that discovery, all the while setting up a new/interesting dynamic between the show’s two main characters.
Some would say it took a little too long for someone so close to Dexter to find out, but hey, better late than never. And at least “Are You…?” represented an indication that Dexter, as a show, was willing to change up and raise the stakes a little, and Debra discovering Dexter’s secret (and not immediately dying upon finding out) did breathe some much-needed life into the show’s penultimate season (it didn't carry over into Dexter's final season, regrettably, but oh well).
9 "Dexter"
Season 1, Episode 1 (2006)
The episode that started it all was simply called “Dexter,” and it was a good enough mission statement that it’s worth highlighting when it comes to talking about top-tier Dexter episodes. The show's Miami setting is well-established here, as is the show’s style, dark sense of humor, and use of voiceover, the latter of which can’t help but work to get the viewer inside the head of the titular character.
Though some of the supporting characters who first show up here weren’t utilized perfectly throughout the show’s run, at least they get introduced well enough. And the conflict for the first season is also set up effectively in “Dexter,” with the ensuing hunt for the Ice Truck Killer being one of the strongest season-long arcs that Dexter ever ended up having.
8 "Surprise, Motherf**ker!"
Season 7, Episode 12 (2012)
Perhaps the last good episode of Dexter, “Surprise, Motherf**ker!” brings back exactly who you'd expect it to, based on the title, via flashbacks (none other than Sgt. James Doakes). But the bulk of the episode revolves around the law closing in on Dexter and, in turn, Debra, with LaGuerta coming about as close as Doakes came, in Season 2, to arresting Dexter.
She’s foiled in a turn that should’ve led to a solid Season 8, much in the same way that the final scene of Season 6 led to an overall good seventh season, but as The Rolling Stones stated on the topic of what you might want, you “can’t always get” it. At least you can get some satisfaction from this, as a season finale, and though you might want to know what happens next, after watching it, please don’t advance further. You'll regret it.
7 "Dex Takes a Holiday"
Season 4, Episode 4 (2009)
If you want to make an argument for Dexter being a genuinely great drama (at least in part), then Season 4 is the best batch of episodes to point to as a sign of greatness. Pretty much from front to back, this was a strong season of TV, with the main villain of the season, the Trinity Killer (played by John Lithgow), being a big reason for that.
But also, Season 4 took risks and had a higher sense of stakes than most other seasons of Dexter, and established such a thing as early as the fourth episode, “Dex Takes a Holiday.” Dexter is indeed on a brief holiday for part of this episode, but things don’t slow down elsewhere, with Debra getting shot and her love interest, ex-FBI Agent Frank Lundy, getting outright killed, both by someone whose identity isn't revealed. As a whole, the episode is instrumental in really kicking off Season 4 and making it closer to peak television than Dexter ever got before (or since).
6 "Truth Be Told"
Season 1, Episode 11 (2006)
The penultimate episode of Season 1, “Truth Be Told,” does everything you'd want a second-to-last episode to do. Debra has previously gotten close to a man she knows as Rudy, and he even proposes to her here, but then she finds out he’s actually the Ice Truck Killer, and so she’s in obvious danger. All the while, Dexter himself also realizes who Rudy is, but he’s too late to warn Debra, and then the episode ends.
And hey, if you know the show went on for a while longer, you probably know she’s okay, and so is Dexter, but that doesn’t stop “Truth Be Told” from feeling intense in the moment. It’s, in part, what much of the first season had spent so long building to, and starting to get payoffs here right before further revelations in the upcoming finale all work to conclude Season 1 on an undeniable high.
5 "Resistance Is Futile"
Season 2, Episode 9 (2007)
In contrast to Season 1, Season 2 might well have peaked in terms of quality with its ninth episode, “Resistance Is Futile.” This one sees Dexter put under more pressure than ever before, and also takes place before the season comes a little close to going off the rails (well, the finale is still good, but it still stings to see a character as good as Doakes go out like that).
Most of “Resistance Is Futile” sees the hunt for the Bay Harbor Butcher getting incredibly close to finding out the truth, all the while Dexter has to deal with Lila and the trouble she could cause if she wanted to spill what she knows. And then Doakes himself realizes the truth at the very end of the episode, and the feeling of things starting to crash down, though short-lived, is undeniably thrilling to watch and experience.
4 "Hungry Man"
Season 4, Episode 9 (2009)
Dexter was certainly gruesome enough to go toe to toe with most horror shows of its time, but a high level of violence doesn’t necessarily make something full-on horror. But, if you only watched “Hungry Man,” you would probably subscribe to the notion that Dexter was, at least in part, a horror show, since this entire episode is so relentlessly tense, grim, and stomach-churning.
Basically, it’s a Thanksgiving-themed episode, and the most memorable scenes here involve Dexter spending time with Arthur Mitchell (AKA the Trinity Killer) and seeing the sort of psychological abuse he puts his family through. “Hungry Man” is harrowing and admirably tense television, and gives the 2015 film Krisha a run for its money for the title of “Most Uncomfortable Thanksgiving-Related Fiction” in history.
3 "Hello, Dexter Morgan"
Season 4, Episode 11 (2009)
A couple of episodes on from “Hungry Man,” the Trinity Killer finally realizes who Dexter really is, and the final scene, which gives the penultimate episode, “Hello, Dexter Morgan,” its name, is phenomenal. But it’s also the build-up to that moment which is key, and you naturally get a good deal of that throughout the episode as a whole (and it had already been a focus of Season 4, of course).
Elsewhere, there’s drama in Dexter’s relationship with Rita, and he has to try and make sure the police don’t discover who Arthur Mitchell really is, since that will give away who he is (he’d been going by a different name when getting to know Arthur). Identities, too many plates being up in the air, revelations, dread for what might come next… it’s all there, and “Hello, Dexter Morgan” is another undeniably pre-season finale episode for the show.
2 "Born Free"
Season 1, Episode 12 (2006)
Doakes was the toughest obstacle for Dexter out of all the characters who weren’t criminals, and though he didn’t find out the truth until Season 2, he comes really close to outing Dexter in “Born Free.” Having someone in the Miami Metro Police Department constantly suspecting Dexter was a great additional source of drama, but of course, with this episode being the season finale, so much of it also revolves around resolving things with the Ice Truck Killer.
There’s a lot going on here, to put it bluntly, and unlike later episodes of Dexter that drop just about every ball they're trying to juggle, everything is kept in harmony here. “Born Free” would be the high point of the entire show if it weren’t for one other (even better) season finale, since it’s pretty much representative of Dexter at its very best.
1 "The Getaway"
Season 4, Episode 12 (2009)
It couldn’t really be anything other than “The Getaway” taking the top spot, if the topic of conversation involves picking great episodes of Dexter. Picking up right from where the penultimate episode of Season 4 agonizingly left off, “The Getaway” sees the dynamic between the Trinity Killer and Dexter reach its inevitable conclusion, and that’s all exciting to see play out the way most final conflicts should be.
But then “The Getaway” goes one step further with its final scene, which is shocking at first, but does make narrative and thematic sense in hindsight, of course. It’s kind of the scene that Dexter is most well-known for, and spoilers are still being danced around here in case you really don't know, but you probably do. Either way, this is where the drama and impact of the show peaked. It was inevitably all downhill from here, but to the credit of “The Getaway,” the fall could only be so long because this episode reached such immense heights.
NEXT: All Seasons of 'Dexter,' Ranked From Worst to Best
