Crocodile (Dexter)

"**Crocodile**"
"Crocodile"
Dexter episode
	Dexter opens the fridge to look at his doll parts.
Episode no.	Season 1; Episode 2
Directed by	Michael Cuesta
Written by	Clyde Phillips
Original air date	October 8, 2006
Guest appearances
	Geoff Pierson as Tom Matthews ; Sam Trammell as Matt Chambers ; Rudolf Martin as Carlos Guerrero ; Cristos as Norberto Cervantes ; C. S. Lee as Vince Masuka ; Richard Gunn as Sean; Lisa Kaminir as Prosecutor; Christina Robinson as Astor Bennett ; Daniel Goldman as Cody Bennett ; Maureen Muldoon as Kara Simmons; Devon Graye as Teenage Dexter Morgan ; Alex Schemmer as Alexander Pryce; Roger Hewlett as Mr. Pryce;
Episode chronology
← Previous; "Dexter"	Next →; "Popping Cherry"
	Dexter season 1
	List of episodes

Last updated January 20, 2025

"Crocodile" is the second episode of the first season of American drama series Dexter. The episode centers on the death of a police officer, Ricky Simmons, and the Miami Metro Police Department's attempt at bringing in the killer. In the meantime, Dexter stalks his next victim, Matt Chambers, a man who kills people by running them over while drunk.

Plot

Debra visits Dexter to talk about the Ice Truck Killer case. Afterwards, Dexter examines the Barbie doll the killer left in his apartment and realizes the hands have differently painted fingernails. After giving evidence at a trial, he enters another courtroom where Matt Chambers (Sam Trammell) is being tried for manslaughter after drunkenly running over a teenager with his car.

Dexter travels to a crime scene under the Westbound Causeway, where he notices a piece of human flesh in the dead victim's mouth. At the station, Debra tells Dexter about her new boyfriend Sean. They make plans to have a lunch date along with Dexter's girlfriend Rita. The victim at the causeway is discovered to be a police officer named Ricky Simmons. LaGuerta and Doakes go to his home, where they find his wife Kara injured but alive. While analysing the scene, Dexter finds a drop of blood that is not hers.

Dexter tells Rita about the lunch date. Debra calls to tell Dexter she has found a refrigerated truck with human fingertips inside, which have fingernails painted like the doll's. The bitten-off skin from Simmons' mouth is linked to Norberto Cervantes, who is apprehended by Doakes after Cervantes meets with drug lord Carlos Guerrero. Under questioning, Cervantes claims Kara was having an affair; Doakes punches him. LaGuerta takes a blood sample from Cervantes to confirm the skin and blood was his. Meanwhile, Chambers testifies that his car was stolen hours before the teenager's death and that he has been sober for several months.

Dexter and Detective Angel Batista find more of Cervantes' blood at Kara's home. Dexter obtains Chambers's fingerprint and discovers that he has killed people while driving drunk in other states. He prepares his kill room before going on the double date. When Rita notices the apparent ease of Debra and Sean's relationship, she begins to feel insecure and Dexter has difficulty comforting her. Cervantes is killed in jail by a man impersonating a police officer. Later, Rita and Dexter agree not to have sex until Rita is ready.

Debra learns she is being promoted to Homicide. LaGuerta informs Doakes that Kara has died of heart failure and forces him to admit that they were sleeping together, agreeing to keep the relationship secret so Doakes can remain on the case. Dexter sees Guerrero and contemplates killing him, but decides against it. He kidnaps Chambers, forces him to confess, then kills him and disposes of the body. At home, he finds evidence that the Ice Truck Killer has broken into his apartment for a second time.

Reception

"Crocodile" received mixed to positive reviews with much appraisal going to the opening sequence, which was first aired in this episode. IGN's Eric Goldman rated the episode a 7.8/10, he stated that it was "...not as tightly constructed as the pilot, "Crocodile" still was solid and Michael C. Hall's performance as Dexter continues to be a wonderful one, deftly portraying all of the aspects of this complicated (to say the least) man, who has some unbelievable darkness hiding underneath his friendly exterior. And kudos to the excellent opening credits sequence, which consists of shots of Dexter going about several mundane activities that are made unsettling due to our knowledge that he's a serial killer".^[1]

TVSquad's Jonathon Toomey praised the episode writing that it had done a good job at establishing the universe of Dexter and had done a great job at depicting serial killers.^[2]

The review from Den of Geek was considerably worse however, with Sarah Dobbs summing up the episode by saying "Dexter goes on a double date, eats some doughnuts, and, oh yeah, kills some more people. Meanwhile, the writers go batshit insane and rattle through a million and one ideas at once."^[3]

For his work on the episode, writer Clyde Phillips was nominated for the Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best Episode in a TV Series. Phillips lost to Matthew Graham, writer of the Life on Mars pilot.^[4]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Debra Morgan</span> Fictional character created by Jeff Lindsay

Debra Charlotte Morgan is a fictional character created by Jeff Lindsay for his Dexter book series. She also appears in the television series, based on Lindsay's books, portrayed by Jennifer Carpenter. In Lindsay's novels, she first appeared in Darkly Dreaming Dexter and was featured in every novel in the series. Debra is the adoptive sister of the series' antihero protagonist Dexter Morgan.

Dexter Morgan, also known as The Bay Harbor Butcher, is a fictional serial killer and the antihero protagonist of the Dexter book series written by Jeff Lindsay, as well as the television series of the same name. Dexter is mainly portrayed by Michael C. Hall in the original series and by Patrick Gibson in Original Sin.

"Shrink Wrap" is the eighth episode of the first season of the American crime drama television series Dexter. The episode was written by Lauren Gussis, and directed by Tony Goldwyn, with the latter guest starring in the episode. It originally aired on Showtime on November 19, 2006.

"Circle of Friends" is the seventh episode of the first season of the American crime drama television series Dexter. The episode was written by co-executive producer Daniel Cerone, and directed by Steve Shill. It originally aired on Showtime on November 12, 2006.

"Popping Cherry" is the third episode of the first season of the American crime drama television series Dexter. The episode was written by co-executive producer Daniel Cerone, and directed by co-executive producer Michael Cuesta. It originally aired on Showtime on October 15, 2006.

"Dexter" is the pilot episode of the of the American television series Dexter and the first episode overall. It first premiered on October 1, 2006 on Showtime in the United States. The episode was written by series creator James Manos Jr. and directed by Michael Cuesta. It was based on the opening of the 2004 novel Darkly Dreaming Dexter by Jeff Lindsay. The episode introduces the series' protagonist, Dexter Morgan, a Miami Metro Police Department blood spatter analyst with a double life as a serial killer. While solving murders in the Homicide division, Dexter also spends his time hunting and killing murderers and criminals who have escaped the justice system.

"Born Free" is the twelfth episode of season one and first-season finale of the American television drama series Dexter, which aired on December 17, 2006 on Showtime in the United States. The episode also aired on May 4, 2008 on CTV in Canada; on May 14, 2008 on FX in the UK; on September 28, 2008 on Channel Ten in Australia; and on March 21, 2011 on STAR World in India. The episode was written by Daniel Cerone and executive producer Melissa Rosenberg, and was directed by Michael Cuesta. Based on the novel Darkly Dreaming Dexter by Jeff Lindsay, the season featured many differences to the original source, mainly in the lead-up to and revelation of the identity of the "Ice Truck Killer". The episode received critical acclaim.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Doakes</span> Fictional character in the Dexter television series

James Doakes is a fictional character in the Dexter television series and the novels by Jeff Lindsay. In the TV series, he is portrayed by Erik King. Doakes appeared in the first two seasons as a detective sergeant, and is depicted as one of the few characters in the series to suspect the truth of lead character Dexter Morgan being a serial killer.

"Return to Sender" is the sixth episode of the first season of the American television drama series Dexter, which first aired on November 5, 2006, on Showtime in the United States. The episode was written by Timothy Schlattmann and was directed by Tony Goldwyn. In the episode, Dexter Morgan investigates a murder scene where one of his own victims has returned after he disposed of the body. Meanwhile, his girlfriend Rita Bennett tries to prevent her husband Paul from attending their daughter's birthday party, and Lt. María LaGuerta considers adopting a young witness of the murder whom she finds at the crime scene.

The first season of Dexter is an adaptation of Jeff Lindsay's first novel in a series of the same name, Darkly Dreaming Dexter. Subsequent seasons have featured original storylines. This season aired from October 1, 2006 to December 17, 2006, and follows Dexter's investigation of "the Ice Truck Killer". Introduced in the first episode, "Dexter", this serial killer targets prostitutes and leaves their bodies severed and bloodless. At the same time, Dexter's adoptive sister, Debra Morgan, a vice squad officer, aspires to work in the homicide department, and Dexter's girlfriend, Rita Bennett, wants their relationship to be more intimate. Christian Camargo appears as Rudy Cooper and is a recurring character until the end of the season.

The second season of Dexter premiered on September 30, 2007, and ended on December 16, 2007. Starting with this season, the show no longer adapts the Dexter novels. The season premiere "It's Alive!" attracted 1.01 million viewers in the United States, making Dexter the first Showtime series to attract more than a million viewers with a season premiere. The season finale, "The British Invasion", attracted 1.4 million viewers, making it the program's most-watched episode until the airing of the season three finale, "Do You Take Dexter Morgan?". Including digital video recorder (DVR) usage, season two was watched by an average of 2.4 million viewers on a weekly basis through 11 full weeks, outperforming season one by 21%.

"Let's Give the Boy a Hand" is the fourth episode of the first season of the American television drama series Dexter. It premiered on October 22, 2006, on Showtime in the United States. The episode was written by Drew Z. Greenberg and directed by Robert Lieberman. The Ice Truck Killer starts leaving body parts of his latest victim at locations related to Dexter's childhood, making him confront his dark personal history. Meanwhile, Rita confronts a neighbor with a noisy dog that is keeping her children up at night. Lieutenant LaGuerta seeks to comfort the mother of the latest Ice Truck Killer victim and the pressure on Sergeant Doakes escalates when Guerrero's associates begin following him.

"The British Invasion" is the twelfth episode and finale of the second season, and twenty-fourth overall episode, of the American television drama series Dexter, which first aired on 16 December 2007 on Showtime in the United States. The episode was written by Daniel Cerone and was directed by Steve Shill. In the episode, Lila Tournay finds Sgt. James Doakes imprisoned in an Everglades cabin and learns from him that her object of affection, Dexter Morgan, is the serial killer known as the "Bay Harbor Butcher". She decides to help Dexter and kills Doakes by setting the cabin on fire. Meanwhile, Dexter's sister Debra questions whether her career is more important than her relationship with FBI Special Agent Frank Lundy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">María LaGuerta</span> Fictional character in Dexter (2006-2013)

Captain María Esperanza di Alma LaGuerta is a fictional character portrayed by Lauren Vélez in the Showtime television series Dexter. In the series, she holds the position of lieutenant at the fictitious Miami-Metro Homicide Department. While initially depicted as a protagonist, Maria LaGuerta, who serves as the superior officer to main characters Dexter and Debra Morgan, evolves into one of the primary antagonists by Season 7.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Angel Batista</span> Fictional character

Angelo "Angel" Juan Marcos Batista is a fictional character in the Showtime television series Dexter and the novels by Jeff Lindsay upon which it is based. He is portrayed in the television series by David Zayas, and as the younger version of Batista by James Martinez. Batista spends much of the original series as a Sergeant before being promoted to Lieutenant in the final season.

"Seeing Red" is the tenth episode of the first season of the American television drama series Dexter, which first aired on December 3, 2006 on Showtime in the United States. The episode was written by Kevin R. Maynard and was directed by Michael Cuesta. In the episode, the Miami Metro Homicide Department team investigate a blood-soaked crime scene, where blood spatter analyst Dexter Morgan is confronted by a repressed memory of a traumatic incident from his childhood. Meanwhile, Dexter's girlfriend Rita Bennett is charged with assaulting her ex-husband Paul Bennett and risks losing custody of their children, while Det. Angel Batista investigates a hunch that the Ice Truck Killer has an amputee fetish.

"Truth Be Told" is the eleventh episode of the first season of the American crime drama television series Dexter. The episode was written by producer Drew Z. Greenberg and Tim Schlattmann, and directed by Keith Gordon. It originally aired on Showtime on December 10, 2006.

"Surprise, Motherfucker!" is the twelfth episode and season finale of the seventh season of the American crime drama television series Dexter. It is the 84th overall episode of the series and was written by executive producers Scott Buck and Tim Schlattmann, and directed by Steve Shill. It originally aired on Showtime on December 16, 2012.

"Are You...?" is the first episode of the seventh season of the Showtime television series Dexter and the seventy-third episode overall. The episode originally aired on September 30, 2012. It was directed by John Dahl and written by newly appointed showrunner Scott Buck.

References

↑ Goldman, Eric (October 9, 2006). "Dexter: "Crocodile" Review". IGN . Retrieved February 5, 2011.
↑ Toomey, Jonathan (October 9, 2006). "Dexter- Crocodile review". TVSquad . Retrieved February 5, 2011.
↑ Dobbs, Sarah (July 16, 2007). "DenofGeek- Episode 2: Crocodile review". DenOfGeek. Retrieved February 5, 2011.
↑ "The Edgar Award Winners And Nominees Database". Mystery Writers of America. Archived from the original on September 27, 2018. Retrieved February 27, 2009.

External links

"Crocodile" at IMDb

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.

[ign-1] Goldman, Eric (October 9, 2006). "Dexter: "Crocodile" Review". IGN . Retrieved February 5, 2011.

[2] Toomey, Jonathan (October 9, 2006). "Dexter- Crocodile review". TVSquad . Retrieved February 5, 2011.

[3] Dobbs, Sarah (July 16, 2007). "DenofGeek- Episode 2: Crocodile review". DenOfGeek. Retrieved February 5, 2011.

[4] "The Edgar Award Winners And Nominees Database". Mystery Writers of America. Archived from the original on September 27, 2018. Retrieved February 27, 2009.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]