Left Turn Ahead

Last updated
"Left Turn Ahead"
Dexter episode
Episode no.Season 2
Episode 11
Directed by Marcos Siega
Written by Scott Buck
Tim Schlattmann
Production code211
Original air dateDecember 9, 2007 (2007-12-09)
Guest appearances
Episode chronology
 Previous
"There's Something About Harry"
Next 
"The British Invasion"
Dexter (season 2)
List of episodes

"Left Turn Ahead" is the eleventh episode of the second season and twenty-third overall episode of the American television drama series Dexter , which first aired on 9 December 2007 on Showtime in the United States. [1] The episode was written by Scott Buck and Tim Schlattmann, and was directed by Marcos Siega.

Contents

Plot

Dexter contemplates admitting to the Bay Harbor Butcher killings. Doakes escapes from his cell but is captured by two drug smugglers. They force him to go back to the cabin and carry the cocaine to their boat. Dexter shows up while they are at the boat and discovers that Doakes has escaped, but then hears voices coming up the path. He sees Doakes with the drug dealers and manages to kill them both with the help of Doakes. He then puts Doakes back into the cage and decides that he is going to turn himself in, but needs one last day to sort his affairs, so he leaves Doakes in the cage with some fruit and water.

The FBI is displeased with the lack of progress in the Bay Harbor Butcher case and assigns a deputy director to take over Lundy's role in the investigation. Angel is arrested for the sexual assault of Lila, who offers to drop the charges if Dexter will resume their relationship. Debra investigates Lila's past with Lundy and discovers she is using an alias, eventually discovering that she is an illegal immigrant by fingerprinting Angel's microwave. Meanwhile, using Dexter's GPS navigation which she stole from the van while Dexter was taking Rita and the kids out for one last day of freedom, Lila discovers the cabin in the swamp, where Doakes is being held. La Guerta is in Haiti and finds out that Doakes was there to get slides analyzed. She calls Lundy and he is interested in getting the details. Dexter changes his mind on turning himself in after having steaks with his sister who tells him he just needs to accept who he is and move on.

Production

Filming locations for the episode included Palos Verdes Estates, Long Beach, Marina del Rey, and Los Angeles, California.[ citation needed ]

Reception

The episode was positively received. IGN's Eric Goldman gave the episode a rating of 9 out of 10, and commented that "[y]ou know a show is doing a great job when it has you thinking that maybe they should end it now, simply because it seems so impossible to top what is currently happening. Such is the case with Dexter, where the penultimate episode of the season truly felt like the penultimate episode of the entire series." [1] The A.V. Club critic Scott Tobias gave the episode a B+ grade and stated that "[a]fter the major character revelations last week, "Left Turn Ahead" does a lot of table-setting for next week's big finale, but the plotting is mostly strong (as it's been all season, really) and not entirely at the expense of character, either." [2]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dexter Morgan</span> Fictional character from the Dexter book and TV series

Dexter Morgan is a fictional character introduced as the antihero protagonist of the Dexter book series written by Jeff Lindsay, as well as the television series of the same name. In the television series, Dexter is portrayed by Michael C. Hall.

"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. He is a detective sergeant and police officer.

"The Dark Defender" is the fifth episode of the second season and seventeenth overall episode of the American television drama series Dexter, which first aired on 28 October 2007 on Showtime in the United States. The episode was written by Timothy Schlattmann and was directed by Keith Gordon.

"It's Alive!" is the second season premiere and thirteenth overall episode of the American television drama series Dexter, which first aired on September 30, 2007 on Showtime in the United States. The episode was written by Daniel Cerone and was directed by Tony Goldwyn. In the episode, which takes place five weeks after the first-season finale, Sgt. James Doakes is following Dexter Morgan at all times, but when he gets his first opportunity Dexter finds himself unable to kill. Meanwhile, his sister Debra returns to work after her ex-fiancé Brian tried to kill her, and his girlfriend Rita Bennett refuses to believe that Dexter sent her ex-husband Paul to prison in spite of the evidence in front of her.

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

Rita Morgan is a fictional character created by Jeff Lindsay for his book series about a vigilante serial killer named Dexter Morgan. She also appeared in the television series Dexter, based on Lindsay's books. She was the girlfriend and later wife of Dexter in both media. Portrayed by Julie Benz, Rita was a series regular in the first four seasons. The character made her last television appearance in 2010; she was a special guest star in Dexter's season five opener entitled "My Bad". The character appeared in seven of the eight Dexter novels.

<i>Dexter</i> (season 2) Drama series

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%.

"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 human

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. Batista spends much of the series as a Sergeant before being promoted to Lieutenant in the final season.

"Waiting to Exhale" is the second episode of the second season and fourteenth overall episode of the American television drama series Dexter, which first aired on 7 October 2007 on Showtime in the United States. The episode was written by Clyde Phillips and was directed by Marcos Siega.

"An Inconvenient Lie" is the third episode of the second season and fifteenth overall episode of the American television drama series Dexter, which first aired on October 14, 2007 on Showtime in the United States. The episode was written by Melissa Rosenberg and was directed by Tony Goldwyn.

"See-Through" is the fourth episode of the second season and sixteenth overall episode of the American television drama series Dexter, which first aired on 21 October 2007 on Showtime in the United States. The episode was written by Scott Buck and was directed by Nick Gomez.

"Dex, Lies, and Videotape" is the sixth episode of the second season and eighteenth overall episode of the American television drama series Dexter, which first aired on 4 November 2007 on Showtime in the United States. The episode was written by Lauren Gussis and was directed by Nick Gomez.

"That Night, A Forest Grew" is the seventh episode of the second season and nineteenth overall episode of the American television drama series Dexter, which first aired on 11 November 2007 on Showtime in the United States. The episode was written by Daniel Cerone and was directed by Jeremy Podeswa.

"Morning Comes" is the eighth episode of the second season and twentieth overall episode of the American television drama series Dexter, which first aired on 18 November 2007 on Showtime in the United States. The episode was written by Scott Buck and was directed by Keith Gordon.

"Resistance Is Futile" is the ninth episode of the second season and twenty-first overall episode of the American television drama series Dexter, which first aired on 25 November 2007 on Showtime in the United States. The episode was written by Melissa Rosenberg and was directed by Marcos Siega.

"There's Something About Harry" is the tenth episode of the second season and twenty-second overall episode of the American television drama series Dexter, which first aired on 2 December 2007 on Showtime in the United States. The episode was written by Scott Reynolds and was directed by Steve Shill.

"Sins of the Father" is the tenth and final episode of the American television miniseries Dexter: New Blood, a continuation of the series Dexter. The episode was written by Clyde Phillips from a story by Phillips, Alexandra Franklin and Marc Muszynski and directed by executive producer Marcos Siega. It originally aired on Showtime on January 9, 2022, being also available on its streaming service at midnight on the same day.

References

  1. 1 2 Goldman, Eric (10 December 2007). "Dexter: "Left Turn Ahead" Review". IGN . Retrieved 2014-03-09.
  2. Tobias, Scott (9 December 2007). "Dexter: "Left Turn Ahead"". The A.V. Club . Retrieved 2014-03-09.