Surprise, Motherfucker!

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"Surprise, Motherfucker!"
Dexter episode
Episode no.Season 7
Episode 12
Directed by Steve Shill
Written by
Cinematography byJeffrey Jur
Editing byKeith Henderson
Original release dateDecember 16, 2012 (2012-12-16)
Running time56 minutes
Guest appearances
Episode chronology
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"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.

Contents

Set in Miami, the series centers on Dexter Morgan, a forensic technician specializing in bloodstain pattern analysis for the fictional Miami Metro Police Department, who leads a secret parallel life as a vigilante serial killer, hunting down murderers who have not been adequately punished by the justice system due to corruption or legal technicalities. In the episode, LaGuerta arrests Dexter for Hector Estrada's murder, while wanting the precinct to accept her theory that he is the Bay Harbor Butcher.

According to Nielsen Media Research, the episode was seen by an estimated 2.75 million household viewers and gained a 1.4 ratings share among adults aged 18–49. This made it the most watched episode of the series, as well as the most watched episode for a Showtime original series. [1] The episode received highly positive reviews from critics, who praised Jennifer Carpenter's performance, closure to LaGuerta's storyline, tone and shocking ending.

Plot

Dexter (Michael C. Hall) visits Hannah (Yvonne Strahovski), where she confesses that she poisoned Debra (Jennifer Carpenter) to prevent her from separating them. She states she will not expose Dexter's secret, but laments his betrayal. After he leaves, she calls Arlene (Nicole LaLiberte) for her help.

Dexter returns to his apartment, playing with Harrison and Jamie (Aimee Garcia). Suddenly, LaGuerta (Lauren Vélez) appears with two officers, arresting Dexter for the murder of Hector Estrada. While Jamie protests, Dexter complies and allows himself to be handcuffed. He is taken to the station, where everyone is shocked to see him. Angel (David Zayas) and Debra defend Dexter, but LaGuerta takes him to an interrogation room. LaGuerta accuses him of Estrada's murder through photos, but Dexter debunks her theories, telling her that she cannot let go of the idea that James Doakes was the Bay Harbor Butcher. Masuka (C. S. Lee) appears, stating that he ran blood found on Estrada's shirt on a garbage dump, discovering that it was the shirt he used 40 years ago, which was only kept in the evidence room. The shirt also contains LaGuerta's fingerprints, and Dexter is released after they conclude she is framing him.

In flashbacks, Dexter and Doakes (Erik King) are seen in good terms during an investigation on a prostitute's murder. During this, LaGuerta returns a key to Doakes, signaling the end of their relationship, disappointing him. When another prostitute is killed, Dexter and Doakes are sent to the crime scene. Dexter begins to re-enact the scene with delight, which disturbs Doakes. Some time later, the prime suspect disappears, frustrating Doakes. When Dexter says a quote from the suspect's journal, Doakes is taken aback, as the journal was with him the whole time. Doakes calls Dexter "one creepy motherfucker" and accuses him of hiding something, telling Dexter he intends to find out someday what it is.

Dexter confesses to Debra that he sabotaged LaGuerta's investigation, and he must kill Estrada before he identifies him. He starts following his ex-wife, hoping she can lead him to Estrada. Matthews (Geoff Pierson) reprimands LaGuerta for her actions, warning her that she is now under investigation. LaGuerta talks to Debra, apologizing. However, LaGuerta shows her a security footage video of Debra at a gas station on the night of Travis Marshall's death. LaGuerta is now aware that she is helping Dexter, and promises to take them down. Debra attends Hannah's court hearing, where she is charged with murder. Arlene embraces Hannah on her way out, passing her a pill. On the way to prison, Hannah has a seizure, forcing the officers to take her to a hospital. Awakening, she escapes when her officers leave the room.

Dexter sneaks into LaGuerta's house, finding that she wants to track his and Debra's move on the night of Travis' death. Harry (James Remar) suggests running away, but Dexter decides that he must kill LaGuerta. Estrada contacts LaGuerta to meet him at the shipping yard, but he is actually forced by Dexter to lure her. After hanging up, Dexter kills him. Debra attends Angel's New Year's Eve party at his restaurant, but discovers that Dexter has tricked LaGuerta to the shipping yard. Realizing he will kill her, she is forced to leave the party when he does not answer his phone. Hannah goes to Dexter's apartment, leaving him a plant and leaving.

LaGuerta arrives at a shipping container, where she sees Estrada's corpse before Dexter sneaks up behind her and sedates her. Dexter then begins to stage the scene, wherein it will appear like LaGuerta and Estrada shot each other. Debra suddenly arrives, pointing her gun at Dexter and telling him she will not let him go through with killing LaGuerta. LaGuerta regains consciousness, telling Debra to kill Dexter. Dexter drops his knife and tells Debra to do what she has to do. Shaken, Debra shoots LaGuerta, killing her. She the cries while embracing her body. Dexter and Debra return to Angel's party, as Dexter's narration wonders what happens now that he and Debra broke their own rules. He concludes by saying, "Who is Deb now? Who am I? Is this a new beginning? Or the beginning of the end?"

Production

Development

The episode was written by executive producers Scott Buck and Tim Schlattmann, and directed by Steve Shill. This was Buck's 16th writing credit, Schlattmann's 14th writing credit, and Shill's 11th directing credit. [2]

Reception

Viewers

In its original American broadcast, "Surprise, Motherfucker!" was seen by an estimated 2.75 million household viewers with a 1.4 in the 18–49 demographics. This means that 1.4 percent of all households with televisions watched the episode. [3] This was a 5% increase in viewership from the previous episode, which was watched by an estimated 2.60 million household viewers with a 1.3 in the 18–49 demographics. [4]

Critical reviews

"Surprise, Motherfucker!" received highly positive reviews from critics. Matt Fowler of IGN gave the episode an "amazing" 9.4 out of 10, and wrote, "That final scene. Wow. With Deb walking in on Dexter, gun drawn, in the midst of another murder. Shades of the premiere. And Dexter echoing Hannah's acceptance of death. In that moment, Dexter, for the first time, acted in a totally selfless manner; willing to die to save the "goodness" in Deb. But when the shot rang out, he was spared, and LaGuerta was done." [5]

Joshua Alston of The A.V. Club gave the episode a "C–" grade and wrote, "After the frescoes, the tableaux, the “Hello, whore” and the cult-bumpkin Jordana Spiro of last season, I can say that I came out of that season more excited about the show than I went into it. And here, the opposite is true, and it seems Dexter's shot at redemption may have only lasted half a season. Surprise indeed!" [6]

Alan Sepinwall of HitFix wrote, "Ultimately, though, there was much more good than bad in this season, and assuming everyone sticks to the plan for next year to be the last, I'm hopeful that the creative team will take even more of a damn the torpedoes approach than they did this year." [7] Kevin Fitzpatrick of ScreenCrush wrote, "We can't say that "Surprise, Motherf---er" proved as explosive as last year's finale, but it did create an intriguing dynamic for the final season next September. Deb's murder of LaGuerta will surely have some huge emotional ramifications, but it didn't seem very climactic, nor did it justify some of the weaker points of the season. At the very least, Yvonne Strahovski's Hannah McKay will likely return in some capacity, as we await news of how the final season will unfold." [8]

Richard Rys of Vulture gave the episode a perfect 5 star rating out of 5 and wrote, "Now, that's how you finish a season. Cliff-hangers can be fun in a masochistic way, like waiting months wondering how Deb would react after seeing Dexter kill Travis Marshall. Last night wasn't so much a cliff-hanger as it was the end of a mostly terrific chapter. Though we have more questions than answers, there's also a sense of satisfaction." [9] Katy Waldman of Slate wrote, "By targeting LaGuerta, a true innocent, Dex slid to the bottom of a slippery slope that has beckoned him since day one. What's surprising is that he took Deb with him. I did not see her murder of LaGuerta coming, and am not sure how I feel about it." [10]

Drusilla Moorhouse of Zap2it wrote, "This isn't going to be easy to explain when Dexter returns for its eighth and final season. What do you think is in store for the Morgans? Will they face the music... or meet up with Hannah in Argentina?" [11] Esther Gim of BuddyTV wrote, "The season 7 finale of Dexter, titled "Surprise, Mother******!" isn't just the phrase uttered by Doakes in a few flashbacks - which, by the way, seems out of place, so if you have a reasoning for its purpose, please let me know - but at the end, it feels more like the show tells us as viewers, surprise! Because I sure didn't see that coming." [12]

Nick Harley of Den of Geek wrote, "So with LaGuerta out of the picture and the Morgans' bound tighter than ever, what else could possibly lie in wait for Dexter? With only one season left, will Hannah become the final loose end that forms a noose for Dexter or will someone notice the framing of LaGuerta's murder; like the newly retired Batista? With no solid cliffhanger like last season, there's really no other questions left to be asked." [13] Miranda Wicker of TV Fanatic gave the episode a 4 star rating out of 5 and wrote, "Whoa. WHOA. For what has been a ridiculously slow season, the Dexter Season 7 finale, "Surprise, Motherf--ker," sure did end things with a bang instead of a whimper." [14]

Alex Moaba of HuffPost wrote, "Perhaps this moment will represent a turning point for the show. It's hard to imagine Dexter and Deb getting out of next season as a happy-go-lucky sibling vigilante team. According to the show's own mythology, they've crossed a line. As Harry warned Dexter, LaGuerta didn't even come close to fitting the code. Next season, they pretty much have to go down, and that will be fascinating to watch." [15] Television Without Pity gave the episode an "A" grade. [16]

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 sister of the series' antihero protagonist Dexter Morgan.

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

Dexter Morgan, also known by the in-universe persona The Bay Harbor Butcher, 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. 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.

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

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References

  1. ↑ Kondolojy, Amanda (December 17, 2012). "'Dexter' and 'Homeland' Season Finales Deliver Both Series' Highest-Rated Nights Ever". TV by the Numbers . Archived from the original on December 22, 2012. Retrieved September 13, 2024.
  2. ↑ "Dexter – WGA Directory". Writers Guild of America West . Retrieved September 13, 2024.
  3. ↑ Kondolojy, Amanda (December 18, 2012). "Sunday Cable Ratings: 'The Real Housewives of Atlanta' Beats 'Dexter' + 'Shahs of Sunset', 'Homeland', 'Ax Men' & More". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on December 20, 2012. Retrieved September 13, 2024.
  4. ↑ Bibel, Sara (December 11, 2012). "Sunday Cable Ratings: 'Real Housewives of Atlanta' Wins Night, 'Dexter', 'Homeland', 'Sister Wives', 'Shahs of Sunset' & More". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on December 14, 2012. Retrieved September 13, 2024.
  5. ↑ Fowler, Matt (December 16, 2012). "Dexter: "Surprise, Motherfu**er!" Review". IGN . Archived from the original on December 24, 2012. Retrieved September 13, 2024.
  6. ↑ Alston, Joshua (December 17, 2012). "Dexter: "Surprise, Motherfucker!"". The A.V. Club . Archived from the original on December 20, 2012. Retrieved September 13, 2024.
  7. ↑ Sepinwall, Alan (December 17, 2012). "Season finale review: 'Dexter' – 'Surprise, Motherf---er!': Old acquaintants". HitFix . Archived from the original on December 20, 2012. Retrieved September 13, 2024.
  8. ↑ Fitzpatrick, Kevin (December 16, 2012). "'Dexter' Season Finale Review: "Surprise, Motherf—er!"". ScreenCrush . Retrieved September 13, 2024.
  9. ↑ Rys, Richard (December 17, 2012). "Dexter Recap: The Beginning of the End". Vulture . Retrieved September 13, 2024.
  10. ↑ Waldman, Katy (December 17, 2012). "Dexter season 7 episode 12 Surprise Mother reviewed". Slate . Retrieved September 13, 2024.
  11. ↑ Moorhouse, Drusilla (December 17, 2012). "'Dexter' finale recap: Will another shocking death save or destroy Dex and Deb?". Zap2it . Archived from the original on April 7, 2014. Retrieved September 13, 2024.
  12. ↑ Gim, Esther (December 16, 2012). "'Dexter' Finale Recap: Everyone Has an Ace Up Their Sleeves". BuddyTV . Archived from the original on June 14, 2013. Retrieved September 13, 2024.
  13. ↑ Harley, Nick (December 18, 2012). "Dexter, Season 7, Episode 12: Surprise, Motherfucker!, Review". Den of Geek . Retrieved September 13, 2024.
  14. ↑ Wicker, Miranda (December 16, 2012). "Dexter Review: The Beginning of the End". TV Fanatic. Archived from the original on December 21, 2012. Retrieved September 13, 2024.
  15. ↑ Moaba, Alex (December 17, 2012). "'Dexter' Finale Recap: Deb Kills LaGuerta's Investigation At The End Of Season 7". HuffPost . Archived from the original on January 25, 2013. Retrieved September 13, 2024.
  16. ↑ "Dexter: Surprise, Motherfucker! – Breaking Bad". Television Without Pity . December 21, 2012. Archived from the original on March 29, 2014. Retrieved September 13, 2024.
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