Since I'm sure this question will come up, NO...I do not consider Hannah McKay or Debra to be antagonists for Dexter. Deb only tries to kill Dexter one time and immediately changes her mind and never pursues trying to incarcerate him. Hannah Mckay loves Dexter from start to finish. She bites Dexter's lip and drugs him once but never genuinely tries to hurt him. Now take a shot for every time this question comes up below regardless of what I just explained. lol
Oh lundy should definitely been higher, i get the whole deb story turning you off of the character. But legit you should try rewatching season 2 again he was definitely a good antagonist to Dexter. I don't see him being put that low. He's not the main big bads of course but i think he deserves to be above people like jordan chase or the doomsday killer, i even think he deserves to be above miguel prado.
@@CodyLeachYT it's cool to disagree bro. I just think that lundy should not been judged for the personal stuff. As it had no bearing on his antagonistic spot against Dexter. I'll finish watching your video now.
You didn't even mention Harrison f*cking Morgan as an antagonist for Dexter despite the little sh*t spent most of his time to antagonise Dexter in New Blood and eventually ended up killing Dexter!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I always liked miguel the most personally out of all of them. He wasn't just a friend but a student of Dexter, their initial relationship was pretty deep.
1. Arthur Mitchell 2. Brian Moser 3. James Doakes 4. Miguel Prada 5. Isaak Sirko 6. Kurt Caldwell 7. Jordan Chase 8. Lila Tournay 9. Oliver Saxon 10. The Skinner 11. Travis Marshall
1. Brian Moser 2. Arthur Mitchell 3. James Doakes 4. Jordan Chase 5 . Kurt Caldwell 6. Travis Marshall 7. Oliver Saxon 8. Maria Laguarta 9. Miguel Prada 10. Isaak Sirko 11.The Skinner
I love Arthur Mitchell as much as the next guy, but Doakes will always be my number 1 Dexter antagonist. I love how he starts off as that one guy that just hates Dexter's guts to being the only person in Miami Metro who can see Dexter for who he really is. I love how the two characters bond near the end of season 2, showing that under different circumstances, they could've actually been really good friends. My favorite part about the character, though, will always be how he makes Dexter, the hunter, feel like the hunted, relentlessly being stalked by an investigator who won't give up until they discover the truth.
This is always my favorite part. Towards the end of season 2, they actually bonded. Besides Dexter intimating his relationship with his father to Doakes, to them taking down the drug dealers together, Doakes actually saw through Dexter and, IMO at least, saw he needed help and tried to get that through. They shared some laughs and understanding and god help me, it was actually a little touching.
I'm sorry I gotta disagree. Season 1 almost lost me because of the cold callousness of all the characters. Laguerta was an ugly brute towards Deb, Rita's ex was talking to Dexter as if he was hoping he was a serial killer so he could commit suicide by Dexter, and then that old guy Captain whose name is escaping me. Doakes was just way over-the-top right along with them, which sucks because he was actually the only one whose character SHOULD have been like that. It's absolutely the fault of the writers and not on his character, but it just ruined it for me.
@@Malasterpiece The bit when Dexter lays on the table and realises the Code is bullshit and Doakes tells him to turn himself in and Dexter just turns his head and says "Rule number one. Don't get caught" shows that the Code's basically a form of brainwashing Harry indoctrinated Dexter with. Instead of getting his traumatised adopted son help he turned Dexter into his weapon against criminals who escaped justice and probably justified himself by claiming he was saving innocent lives even though Dexter didn't kill to save innocents and admitted as much several times and probably thought he was making up for getting Laura killed by getting Dexter to kill the gangsters who killed her.
Already liked Doakes a lot, but early in Season 2 I love the layer added to his character when he‘s so understanding to Dexter when he thinks Dex has a drug addiction. “Lot of cops’ve been where you’ve been… stay clean and stay out of my way, we won’t have a problem.” Respect the hell out of Doakes for putting his past feelings towards Dexter aside on that one. I wish the show would’ve let Doakes believe Dex was a drug addict for more than an episode :(
The Joey Quinn/Dexter storyline makes sense to me. He's one of those cops who essentially believes in the thin blue line code of having each others back regardless of a fellow cops wrongdoing. In Dexter's case he falls for his sister Deb and as a result is willing to look the other way. When Dexter covers for him in the blood work it cements the thin blue line with Dexter. At this point Quin almost certainly knows somethings up with Dexter, but it doesn't effect him so he minds his own business... this is what Doakes was unable to do.
like in the final episode of season 8, he clearly knows dex killed saxon on purpose but he knows he did it to avenge deb so he’s happy to say it was self defence
Yeah I liked Sirko, would of liked to see more of him in it. I would of rather seen Dexter alive! Done an older version n Harrison now a man. I’m new to Dexter! I seen the first ep of New Blood, right away onto Dexter!! I loved it all, except the piss poor endings!! I do hope they bring it back sometime. Like the show Mate👍
Doaks & Dexter having a mutual respect could've been a great sub plot through out the series. The two of them helping each other out of sticky situations could've been great. Imagine Doaks arives at Dexter's house and catches the Trinity Killer. As he's walking into the house. Preventing Rita from being killed. ( Dexter would've owed him for life. ) Dokes hands over Trinity and demands to see his killing method in person. He then watches Dexter kill Trinity and they dispose of his body together. Could've made for a great season finale and cemented their unlikely friendship.
Ikr a good twist villain needs us getting small clues that the character isn’t what they make themselves out to be. We got a LOT of clues about Brian being the Ice Truck killer in terms of scenes & dialogue. One of the best ones being when he meets Dexter for the first time & he cryptically says “I have been waiting so long to meet you” sounds like something someone normal would say but if we considering all the clues he has been sending Dexter & how he has a obsession with him the episodes following it’s obvious he is the killer glad he could finally meet Dexter face to face rather than sending him clues.
The Ice Truck killer aka Rudy is my favorite villain of the series. He was so mysterious, his story was captivity background and relationship with Dexter. He envision him and Dexter killing together. I love how Dexter is intrigue by him too and the masterful way the first season slowly unveils the Ice Truck killer. I really loved Doakes, Frank Lundy, the Doomsday Killers and Issac too. Another great ranking video Cody!
You mean the guy who looks nothing like Dexter but was supposed to be his brother? The actor is half-Mexican for god's sake. I couldn't get past the fact that half of the human population would've been a better match for Dexter's brother than Christian Carmargo. Great character, terrible casting.
@@JakeKoenig it never occurred to you that they could have two different fathers. Or that one of them takes more after the mother and the other takes more after the father. Sorry that you cannot look past their skin tone.
@@JakeKoenigi think the casting was good in the sense that he gave off an unsettling vibe whenever he was in the scene very richard ramirez, also he looks pretty white he could pass as italian/southern european he resembles him sort pf
I honestly feel like John Lithgow cemented his ranking in a single scene: Hello, Dexter Morgan. That was the moment, for me anyway, where he just took over the season and I was on edge.
The reason I think Arthur Mitchell aka The Trinity Killer stands alone amongst the other villains is he was the first psychopath that Dexter let live because he thought he could learn something from him. Also, he got the last laugh on Dexter by killing Rita.
Issac Sirko is an amazing antagonist. Him starting off as a regular enforcer for the Ukrainian mob, while turning into a more complicated character. Dexter and Issac speaking in the gay bar is one of the best dialogues during the entire show.
As well he shouldn't. All of the seasons were passable. Yes, some shone brighter than others, of course, but all of them were highly watchable and kept you wanting more. In fact, season 7 IMO was a very strong season, which I put up there with 1 and 4.
@@sharonpopolow6874 fully agree. Even season 8 had interesting content, even if it was painfully put together. I also don't get the hate for season 6, even if it was one of the worse it wasn't by that much, and 7 was indeed good. I also agree with him that season 3 was one of the best.
@@ninebrains4769 I'm only speaking for myself, but here are maybe a couple reasons why 6 was panned: 1) Travis Mitchell was very flat, and by default, Gellar was too (even Olmos couldn't really save him). 2) the murder scenes, while the most creative in the series, were way too impossible to be believable, which once you've lost your credibility with your audience, it kinda goes down hill after that, and 3) the religious themes throughout the season were a little bit forced and pretentious. That's just my take on the matter. Highlights of season were : 1) ironically after my critique above, the over the top creative death scenes 2) a finale cliffhanger perhaps beat by no other season
@@sharonpopolow6874 I also liked brother Sam. Something where New Blood didn't shine was Dexter being conflicted about human connection or only experiencing it in extremely complicated conditions.
Some of them did, maybe not owned by them, but used separate locations for their alter-ego. Travis Mitchell (abandoned church) & Ray Spelzer (buildings with mazes) stand out in my mind the most.
Dexter said to Harrison "They always keep something like photos or jewelry, they know it can make them caught and they can't help themselves" and it turns out that Kurt actually kept his whole victims.
Season 3 might be my favorite season. Jimmy Smits played that role so well. The conversation on the rooftop him and Dexter have is one of the best moments in the entire show.
Definitely they should of kept him on longer and have him and dexter keep working together he could have been big later in the season saving dexter from jail. Could had alot more with him.
Jimmy Smits is great in this role. Remember when he was trying to charm LaGuerta at her place and Dexter showed up at her door unannounced? Classic Dexter scene. I did hate the scenes with Ellen Wolf though -- flirting with the young bartender. Ugh. Gross.
I love the theory that Quinn found out how dangerous Dexter was and decided to stay the hell away from him. It’s obvious he killed Liddy and he knows about him throwing bodies in the ocean too, so he probably figured out Dexter is the BHB who managed to completely flip the case on Doakes, the guy who was onto Dexter and kill him (even though it was Lila but from Quinn’s eyes he wouldn’t know). It’s clear how dangerous this guy is in fooling the entire FBI and completely ending the guy closest to finding him. Dexter also helped Quinn out and since Quinn’s not the most moral he’d probably not be too against all these bad people getting killed. This theory is also supported by how in season 7 he put his head down and said nothing when LaGuerta took Dexter in and Dexter subsequently turned the situation on its head and makes her look like a fool. Quinn realises he’s out of his league in pursuing him. Also in season 8’s finale Quinn has no reaction to Dexter stabbing the guy with the pen while Angel is shocked. Instead Quinn lets it go because he wanted revenge for Deb. This is all a theory obviously but I find it interesting
To be fair, the one scene with Arther Mitchell in New Blood is fucking creepy... Even though it's blurry, just the thought that he is in the bathtub killing Rita while Harrison is watching, is disturbing as hell
That scene genuinely disturbed me, Rita was such a sweet and innocent woman and to have her killed by this disgusting man in trinity is just jarring to think about
I actually felt like the new blood ending was satisfying. I binged the entire original series and was super disappointed with the ending so when watching the ending to new blood, it felt solid.
11:21 That hilarious scene when Travis paints a picture of Satan and gives him Dexter's face. Weird fact about Travis is that him and Kurt Caldwell are the only main antagonists who don't find out Dexter's real name since Dexter never tells him his name when he thinks Gellar's alive and the real killer and when Travis goes full on mad he just calls Dexter either "the beast" or "the false prophet." And Kurt never found out "Jim Lindsay" was Dexter Morgan.
Dexter and Breaking Bad are my two top favourite TV shows. Loving these series reviews, so well done. Please please do a memorable freak of the weeks rated!!
Love these videos so much! Personally the Ice Truck Killer is my favorite followed by Trinity and an honorable mention is the freak of the week "Tooth Fairy killer" episode for many reasons but most of all bc Dexter had studied him before and was almost let down when he seen the reality that he wasn't a mastermind but had just gotten lucky.
It is very unfair to call Kurt's draining of the blood to be derivative of Ice Truck Killer's. Kurt is embalming the body to preserve it and slow decomposition. The removal of the blood is just part of that technique. The Ice Truck Killer is totally different. It might look suggestive of a similarity at first, but Kurt's process is completely different.
16:33 Looking back Deb killing Dexter to stop him killing Laguerta and Dexter dying in a shipping container like the one he was "born in blood" in after killing the man who ordered his and Brian's mother's murder and Deb putting an end to the monster her dad created would have been a better ending.
@@donjuanmckenzie4897 The first 4 seasons acknowledged he was one and Dexter himself knew it. Only in Seasons 5-8 did they start with the "He's not really a psychopath and is becoming more human" shit. The new producers somehow thought a crime drama was a superhero show and that Dexter was a good guy. He isn't.
@@donjuanmckenzie4897 No. It's because he doesn't kill to save innocents but because he likes it, there's less chance of him being caught for killing scumbags and it's more convenient for him than killing randomly. And plenty of innocents got killed by Dexter directly and indirectly. Villain protagonists are a thing. Protagonist means main character not hero.
@@Xehanort10 I know what protagonist means dip shit, name a single villain protagonist, its just not how story telling works, you identify with the character whose story is being told. WHO cares if Dexter likes killing? Again, whole premise of the show is he channels something that would otherwise be bad into something good. Innocent people don't die because of Dexter but because of his opponents.
Maybe not exactly an antagonist but my favorite is easily James Doakes the tension between him and Dexter was very interesting especially considering Doakes as a trained killer himself was the only one to suspect Dexter from the start its almost like killers have this extra sense that alerts them when a comrade is present
I wish Doakes would’ve believed that Dex was a drug addict for longer. I always loved when Doakes was understanding of Dex being a drug addict since Doakes knows hella cops struggling with ptsd. Should’ve had Doakes believe Dex was an addict for longer, them abandoning that in less than 1 episode is a huge missed opportunity for the series.
@@eriklakeland3857 I agree! Doakes vs Dexter was very entertaining but when they started to become friends it blew me away I was actually sad when Doakes died I almost think Dexter was as well
There were so many plot holes with Angela's accusation of Dexter, like she thought injecting people in the neck was genuinely an identifying symbol for the BHB, also dexter didnt even use the same drug as bhb and in new blood. it was also full of plot conveniencies that she just managed to find out so much information about bhb and connect it to dexter without seeming like an absolute lunatic. She expects she could easily get dexter tried as bhb but in reality its obv that would fail as Dexter's alibi for his actions is too strong and her "evidence" for him being bhb is basically just dexter buying a lot of ketamine.
Sgt dokes was a physcopath as well..he's got a body count. He literally murdered a man while on duty and tried having angel helping him lie about it. We never found out why he killed that dude.
@@RazorShalomI think the implication was that something happened in duty that fucked him up. It was like his Dexter childhood scene and I don’t doubt the idea was that it involved friendly fire or killing innocents that fucked him up
Louis was supposed to have a longer arch and be a more epic character to go against Dexter but he took a part on Broadway so they had to write him off quickly. Would’ve been interesting to see where they went with him
Michael C Hall voiced his concern that Louis Green being a threat to Dexter didn't make sense and after his spiel they agreed, so they changed it... after that he ended up taking a part on Broadway. I'm guessing that the black mail aspect was going to be much more entrenched including his credit cards being canceled etc. But if I were to theorize Michael C Halls argument was, all Dexter would have to do is catch him and torture him until he removes and/or gets rid of what he's holding over his head (obviously revealing who he is along with his finances etc).
Ugh! Nooooooo- Louis Green was too much of a d-bag to endure any longer than when Sirko finally put us all out of our misery of having to watch/listen to him.
@@sharonpopolow6874 - in all fairness, he was a d-bag because we got the changed script version of him... his actual character trajectory would have been different. He was a genius computer wiz who knew who Dexter was. We never got his full story as to how he knew who Dexter was. They made it about Dexter not accepting his game and they hastily closed out his character. He was supposed to be the big season 7 villain. I'm glad we got Isaak sirko, however i think the actual Louis storyline would have been interesting as well.
Brian Moser and Season 1 will always be my #1 Special Guest Villain and #1 season. The tension that Doakes provided puts him right up there as the best antagonist. Don't understand all the praise for Isaak. Is it being coloured by seeing him in a different badass role? I haven't. I just remember him encouraging Dexter towards the Hannah relationship which is reason enough to hate him. Agree that Lundy was a good detective figure and the relationship with Deb was hard to stomach. He had no personality. And really, did they have to show us his buck naked arse after he got out of bed? I can never un-see that.
I can’t believe people didn’t like Lila. I’ve always loved her character from the moment she was introduced into the series. She’ll always be one of the top villains in my opinion, and also one of the biggest reasons why season 2 has always been in a VERY tight race with season 4 as my favorite season of Dexter. Season 4 wins out but season 2 is right on its heels.
@@NETTAHER28 Haha yes! Deb had some great lines that season when it came to Dexter and Lila. I love when she first met Lila, and Dexter had all those candles lit in the bedroom, and Deb goes “Who’s the skank? And are you trying to f**k her or set her on fire?” Gets me every time 😂
@@Moleda1986 and it was SO funny when Deb asked her if she was wearing her shirt and Lila was like "oh I thought it was Dexters" those 2 had some great back and forth lines!
Hey man im absolutely loving all your dexter videos. Im sad i came here because i was so bummed about the finale and needed to make sure it wasn’t just me but im stoked about your channel and that people are checking them out. Keep up the great work!
I really liked Jordan Chase personally. He had more charisma than Arthur. Though admittedly people hyped up Trinity way before I got to it, so I went into season 4 with unreasonably high expectations.
i agree. jordan is in my top 10. 1. Doakes 2. trinity 3. prado 4 isaak serko 5. stan lidy 6. jordan chase 7 laguerda 8. brian mosa. the rest are trash to me.
Caldwell was the best part of New Blood, honestly. That storyline with him made up the strongest part of the season. They cast Clancy Brown to be able to give off a similar air to Lithgow's Trinity, and it was pretty successful, albeit an obvious emulation. Similar age, build, fatherly pillars of the community, similar triple personality (jovial / menacing / scared-childish). But he had enough of his own character/story to make it intriguing.
i gotta admit i have been putting it off to watch ANOTHER review channel, but man... i really liked this video. i agree with alot of the things you said, loved your presentation and setup and really dug the end comment (which might be your signature one-liner or something). awesome, i like it!
Loved all your points, Cody! Arthur is, far & away, the greatest villain in the series, & I really loved Isaak, as well. I think Deb's status as an antagonist is debatable; I can see it from both sides. Along with Laguerta & Isaak, she's almost a "villain" of season 7, although she's not really fighting him on a personal level, only trying to "cure" him; like I said, I can see it from both sides, so your reasoning for leaving her off the list is just as valid as the argument for putting her on it. Also, you are definitely not alone regarding Miguel Prado & season 3; I LOVE Miguel's storyline. The first few years of Dexter, it really felt like it got better every season, at least to me; that obviously went away after season 4, but it's hard to improve upon perfection. I saw the season finale the night it originally aired; when Dexter found Rita dead in the bathtub, Harrison sitting in her blood, it was heart-breaking, mind-blowing, Earth-shattering...insert your own hyperbolic adjective lol.
John Lithgow is one of the best actors I've ever seen. He can play such a wide variety of characters. He does funny really well, but good Lord is he creepy when he wants to be! I think the 4th season is one of the best seasons of any TV show in history. Michael C. Hall is an absolute genius as well! He can carry a show even with poor writing, but give him some brilliant material and a co-star like Lithgow and it's pure magic!!I almost wish they would have let Arthur escape and then have discovered Rita. Could have made for an amazing 5th season with more Trinity!
That scene with Sirko going into the bar and murdering everyone cemented the idea that Dex isn't going up against a "serial killer", he's just going up against a very, VERY effective....killer. You're wondering how the heck Dexter could possibly take down someone like that, and then it turns out....they could very well just be buddies. I mean, it doesn't go down like that, but they definitely could have, and I loved it. "Dex vs. the Ukranian Terminator", turning into "Dex and the Terminator have a drink and talk about shit for an hour", which I *also* would have paid money to see.
Trinity has to be #1. For about 15 different reasons, but mostly because he's the only villain that completely changed/destroyed Dexter's life. And he gave us the greatest/most horrible moment of the entire series.
THANK YOU for validating my view of Issac Sirko! I felt like I was totally alone in my opinion of him. He’s so likable during his entire arc. He’s the f*cking Terminator 😆
I like his character I don't really consider him a villain or a antagonist , he was for like for episodes before not seeming like a major villain, season 7 more felt like Laguerta was the big bad its the person that is against Dexter the entire way through the season
I think the worst part of the list was where you put Lundy as he is easily top ten to me. Personally I feel the exact opposite to you with him talking about cucumber sandwiches and going barefoot in the ocean being his stronger side giving him an actual character not just being a Rockstar FBI agent, but alot of his character is overlooked because off his terrible romance with Deb
Those quirky little tidbits made him human. And, yeah, the Debra-Frank hook-up was a little weird. It would've made sense if Debra was one of those power or money-hungry ladder climbers. But she's not...
@@eriklakeland3857 None of Deb's romances were any good to be honest. Brian just got into a relationship with her to infiltrate Dexter's life and wanted Dexter to abandon the Code, his familial bond with Deb and his relationship with Rita and just kill with his big brother starting with Deb. Lundy was twice her age and their relationship should have been mentor and student not romantic. Her relationship with Anton in Season 3 made Deb hypocritical in Season 4 since she'd been sleeping with one of her CI's just like Harry did. Her relationship with Quinn was out of nowhere since they went from cleaning up Rita's blood in the bathroom of her and Dexter's house after she was murdered by Trinity to fucking in there to suddenly being a couple. And the less said about the "Deb loves Dexter" plot the better.
Its been a long long time since ive seen a video with noticeable effort in both research and presentation. Glad this came up on my reccomended wish more channels were like this. I have to say though, when I saw how many subscribers you had I was suprised it wasnt in the millions. Hope you get there soon man, Great work. Cheers
I never really consider Angela to be the one who took down Dexter. It really was Kurt. He setup Dexter beautifully as I felt during the last few episodes he was setting up Dexter into a scenario of "even if you get me, you're not winning" and he did. He burned Dexter's house down, he knew the screw would be there and he knew with how close the town was that someone was going to find it. Angela putting together Dexter was Bay Harbor may have still happened, but Kurt made sure Dexter was not going to be able to slink off in the night.
@@JohnSmith-wh2ob Are we talking about the same Dexter that left his kill tools and blood slides in a very easy place to find? Where Doakes and Deb both found the slides with minimal effort after checking his apartment? Dexter kept the screw as he could not predict someone would burndown his house. It seems perfectly in character for Dexter's overconfidence to bite him in the arse... which it has multiple times. To the point that even an average cop like Quinn almost discovered his secret.
@@Wexter0083 YEah Dexter was a lot smarter when he knew someone was on to him. If he knew Quinn was looking into him, he would have made a lot of better choices.
@@r.m.demeester9535 That is true! The reason Angela got him was because he didn't see her coming. He was not expecting her to be onto the BHB killings and thought only Kurt knew about Matt. If he had a sniff she was on to him, he would had been a lot more careful with the information he was feeding her. That and probably had disposed of the screw somewhere in the woods.
Season 7 is my absolute favorite and Sirko as an antagonist was cherry on the top. People usually hate it because of Hannah Mckay which I really don't understand. She accepted him as whole and kept her mouth shut when got arrested.
I always thought it was kind of weak that they make Isaak Sirko out as the Terminator, but he just ends up getting conveniently shot by Doug Masters from Iron Eagle.
I think Ray Stevenson got a role in another show so Isaak was killed off earlier than they planned. Originally instead of Hector Estrada Dexter was going to use Isaak to lure Laguerta into the shipping container so he could kill her. Which wouldn't have had the same significance because Estrada ordered the murder of Laura Moser for stealing his cocaine and informing on them to Harry and all that led to Dexter and Brian being fucked up for life.
I really wish we saw Batista and Quinn be the ones taking down Dexter, Quinn already had suspicions, Batista would be disappointed and Masuka would feel betrayed
If Deb was still alive I would have said she would be perfect to be the one to bring Dexter down but because she's gone Quinn and Batista make the most sense if that's the route they would want to go
Season 3 is amazing! Happy to see that you love it as well. 1-4 are fantastic. 5 is good, 6 is mediocre, 7 is a return to form and 8 is.... Well we don't talk about season 8
I agree Cody I always think when watching those last 2 to 3 episodes of season 2 that Dexter and Doakes could've possibly come to some sort of understanding with how Dexter explains pretty much his whole backstory to Doakes and how its led to what he does now. Doakes realizes how messed up Harry was for teaching his son this but maybe some agreement could've been made. Though part of me believes Doakes would've just turned him in as soon as he could to clear his name as the bay harbor butcher since Lundy was so confident it was Doakes. Still that would've been a great season if it worked out Dexter could've continued his vigilante ways in season 3 under Doakes's thumb I imagine. Doakes would've probably wanted to know who Dexter was going after, what their crime was, how many times had they been arrested before Dexter could make a move. Something would have to give by the finale.
@@enk621 Yeah that’s true. I don’t see Doakes throwing someone else under the bus with Dexters help to clear Doakes name when he knows who the real bay harbor butcher is. Even if they added in evidence to make someone else look like the bhb maybe the guy who killed Dexters mother. Doakes seemed like too proud of a man and too good of a cop to go along with it.
laguerta was very skilled cop, as presented in season 3 when she figures miguel prado, and than again when she figures dexter. she was tough one, regardless of her manipulative ways sometimes
I absolutely agree with your list. Trinity is def the best antagonist or better yet, John Lithgow was the only actor who probably overpowered Michael C Hall. He was so great that I was actually terrified of him. I also love that you value Isaac Sirko. He is one character next to Trinity that I kept coming back to years after.
For me it's Brian Moser... Without him, we wouldn't have a show. Dexter had his life together before Brian came along and revealed what a lie Dexter was living. Every season after that was Dexter slowly unravelling, til he's just saying eff it and teaching his son how to kill lol. I so wanted Brian to be the one holding Dexter's hand when he died. Would've been a cool cameo.
Not even negotiable. No one topped Trinity. Not only did he kill innocent Rita... he even transcended time by sowing the seeds of Dexter’s own death via a troubled Harrison.
Of the “freaks of the week,” the psychiatrist that pushes successful women to kill themselves in season 1 stands out. He has a Jordan Chase quality in how his words push people with the bonus that Dex keeps him around to learn from him a la Trinity.
Can someone explain why doakes was letting Dexter know he was following him? He even gives Dexter a nod at the bowling alley. Isn’t he supposed to secretive bout watching? What did he think Dexter was gonna do when he knows he’s being followed?
i don´t like season 7 or new blood, but isaak and kurt are definitely in my top 5, number one is of course the trinity killer, Kurt came really close though, just because how great the actor was
There is one series plot hole that bugs me Dexter has a book about serial killers that either got caught or got away with killing but he didn't know about some big killers.
Season 7 is fucking awesome, but bro you're on crack for putting Issac before Brian. I would swap them, that's how high I'd put him myself but Brian and the entire season leading up to him was amazing and his death was the saddest out of all of his Villains.
It would’ve worked so well too, Dexter was right about dialed being a killer who uses the job. I think moving the BHB investigation to later on like season 6 and make doakes discovering Dexter happen in season 5 or something where Doakes decides Dexter actually isn’t a bad dude because of who he kills could’ve worked well, even if they didn’t team up like Miguel Prado, Doakes knowing and NOT hating him would be an interesting twist and would be fun to watch, maybe fake us out thinking Doakes is trying to expose him but he’s actually trying to help him cover it up or some shit, idrk I’m not a writer lmao
While the books and the show move in completely different directions after book/season 1, I think the Doakes storyline in season 2 is inspired by book 2. Him stalking Dexter is in that book, and the fact that he was taken out as a threat to Dexter at the end was also probably inspired by the book. Though, in the book, he doesn't die, he just gets his feet, hands, and tongue cut off (not by Dexter, but he wasn't opposed to it).
I think Issac Sirko is my number one for all the reasons you stated. There was such a cool elegance about him. That said, I have always loved John Lithgow as an actor and he was phenomenal as Trinity. And yes, please do a freak of the week ranking show!!! So much fun. Thanks for your insightful videos.
Completely off topic but I need to get this out in the universe. Since the writers won't give us the ending we want, I need Cody to write a final episode and get some people together to act it out. Let's do this thing!
I'm curious, if in the next few weeks Showtime released a "teaser" for New Blood season 2, which shows the last scene of the finale, but once Harrison gets in the truck and drives off, the perspective is from Angela. Calling in the police involved shooting, she kneels beside Dexter putting pressure on the wound and slapping him into consciousness. As he breathes and blinks, she says something to the effect of, "Lucky it's so cold. Harder to bleed out." Then, as Harrison drives out on the highway, he passes a car. The camera swings in to show Angel on his way to town. Would you watch season two?
@@NoFacetheVoid Dexter dying without completely betraying his character for starters angela not magically figuring it out??! Why not have the podcaster recognize Dexter cuz that makes sense someone who knows the trinity case would recognize the husband of Rita and on it goes also Harrison was terrible he was just bitchy for 8 episodes then they embraced I liked that then he killed his dad to stop himself from becoming his dad like what why not refuse to kill him to be better than him
@@JohnSmith-wh2ob I'm pretty forgiving on Harrison's character. Typical teenager with abandonment issues. Is it lazy? Yes. But it's also believable. Personally, i would have rather a twelve episode season, with a time jump the last two or three. Give Dexter time to properly teach Harrison the code, let Harrison realize his father fits the code, and kill him for that. Or make Angel actually mean something in the show and give us that confrontation where he takes Dexter back to Miami to stand trial. Let the final scene be protestors demanding Dexter's freedom while he's being executed.
I think the brain surgeon is an interesting villain because he is basically what dexter would have become without his admittedly flimsy morals, if he had no connections with people like deb and if he dedicated himself solely to killing.
![[LIVE] : ONE ลุมพินี 88 | คู่เอก "ป้อมเพชร vs อัสลามจอน"](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/1ZqTVVbMgbo/mqdefault.jpg)
Since I'm sure this question will come up, NO...I do not consider Hannah McKay or Debra to be antagonists for Dexter. Deb only tries to kill Dexter one time and immediately changes her mind and never pursues trying to incarcerate him. Hannah Mckay loves Dexter from start to finish. She bites Dexter's lip and drugs him once but never genuinely tries to hurt him. Now take a shot for every time this question comes up below regardless of what I just explained. lol
Oh lundy should definitely been higher, i get the whole deb story turning you off of the character. But legit you should try rewatching season 2 again he was definitely a good antagonist to Dexter. I don't see him being put that low. He's not the main big bads of course but i think he deserves to be above people like jordan chase or the doomsday killer, i even think he deserves to be above miguel prado.
@@Breedo well that's you. Obviously I feel differently.
Dont know if its crazy or feasible but a top 20 of dexter’s kill would be great :)
@@CodyLeachYT it's cool to disagree bro. I just think that lundy should not been judged for the personal stuff. As it had no bearing on his antagonistic spot against Dexter. I'll finish watching your video now.
You didn't even mention Harrison f*cking Morgan as an antagonist for Dexter despite the little sh*t spent most of his time to antagonise Dexter in New Blood and eventually ended up killing Dexter!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I always liked miguel the most personally out of all of them. He wasn't just a friend but a student of Dexter, their initial relationship was pretty deep.
Don’t forget he started that friendship by lying giving dexter a shirt with cows blood to show that he trusts him
He played Dexter from the start tho
1. Arthur Mitchell
2. Brian Moser
3. James Doakes
4. Miguel Prada
5. Isaak Sirko
6. Kurt Caldwell
7. Jordan Chase
8. Lila Tournay
9. Oliver Saxon
10. The Skinner
11. Travis Marshall
This is genuienly the best list
Yeah. Travis Marshall was boring
I love how Jorge Orozco (The Skinner, AKA Geroge Washington King) made so little of an impact that people can't even remember his name lol.
Still Elway nowhere to be found.
1. Brian Moser
2. Arthur Mitchell
3. James Doakes
4. Jordan Chase
5 . Kurt Caldwell
6. Travis Marshall
7. Oliver Saxon
8. Maria Laguarta
9. Miguel Prada
10. Isaak Sirko
11.The Skinner
I love Arthur Mitchell as much as the next guy, but Doakes will always be my number 1 Dexter antagonist. I love how he starts off as that one guy that just hates Dexter's guts to being the only person in Miami Metro who can see Dexter for who he really is. I love how the two characters bond near the end of season 2, showing that under different circumstances, they could've actually been really good friends. My favorite part about the character, though, will always be how he makes Dexter, the hunter, feel like the hunted, relentlessly being stalked by an investigator who won't give up until they discover the truth.
Totally agree - their chemistry is pure gold. Doakes was the first antagonist that came to mind and he is definitely my favorite of them all.
This is always my favorite part. Towards the end of season 2, they actually bonded. Besides Dexter intimating his relationship with his father to Doakes, to them taking down the drug dealers together, Doakes actually saw through Dexter and, IMO at least, saw he needed help and tried to get that through. They shared some laughs and understanding and god help me, it was actually a little touching.
I'm sorry I gotta disagree. Season 1 almost lost me because of the cold callousness of all the characters. Laguerta was an ugly brute towards Deb, Rita's ex was talking to Dexter as if he was hoping he was a serial killer so he could commit suicide by Dexter, and then that old guy Captain whose name is escaping me. Doakes was just way over-the-top right along with them, which sucks because he was actually the only one whose character SHOULD have been like that. It's absolutely the fault of the writers and not on his character, but it just ruined it for me.
@@Malasterpiece The bit when Dexter lays on the table and realises the Code is bullshit and Doakes tells him to turn himself in and Dexter just turns his head and says "Rule number one. Don't get caught" shows that the Code's basically a form of brainwashing Harry indoctrinated Dexter with. Instead of getting his traumatised adopted son help he turned Dexter into his weapon against criminals who escaped justice and probably justified himself by claiming he was saving innocent lives even though Dexter didn't kill to save innocents and admitted as much several times and probably thought he was making up for getting Laura killed by getting Dexter to kill the gangsters who killed her.
Already liked Doakes a lot, but early in Season 2 I love the layer added to his character when he‘s so understanding to Dexter when he thinks Dex has a drug addiction. “Lot of cops’ve been where you’ve been… stay clean and stay out of my way, we won’t have a problem.”
Respect the hell out of Doakes for putting his past feelings towards Dexter aside on that one. I wish the show would’ve let Doakes believe Dex was a drug addict for more than an episode :(
The Joey Quinn/Dexter storyline makes sense to me. He's one of those cops who essentially believes in the thin blue line code of having each others back regardless of a fellow cops wrongdoing. In Dexter's case he falls for his sister Deb and as a result is willing to look the other way. When Dexter covers for him in the blood work it cements the thin blue line with Dexter. At this point Quin almost certainly knows somethings up with Dexter, but it doesn't effect him so he minds his own business... this is what Doakes was unable to do.
incredible perspective
like in the final episode of season 8, he clearly knows dex killed saxon on purpose but he knows he did it to avenge deb so he’s happy to say it was self defence
@@Matthew-ko3wkfor all the last episodes faults that was a really good scene
Isaak Sirko was such an underrated character. They did a great job differentiating him from the standard foreign hitman.
I agree love sirko
Omg when him and Dexter had to work together in the last episode..I swear I wanted a whole season with them as allies!
Yeah I liked Sirko, would of liked to see more of him in it. I would of rather seen Dexter alive! Done an older version n Harrison now a man.
I’m new to Dexter! I seen the first ep of New Blood, right away onto Dexter!!
I loved it all, except the piss poor endings!!
I do hope they bring it back sometime.
Like the show Mate👍
When was he underrated?? He was always considered in the top five
@@mindgames50 Maybe in yours but have seen him omitted in many other lists. Point is he was great in the role so let’s leave it at that.
23:26 Imagine Doakes's reaction to Trinity if he'd lived to Season 4. "I don't like you Morgan but this old bastard makes you look fuckin normal."
Doaks & Dexter having a mutual respect could've been a great sub plot through out the series. The two of them helping each other out of sticky situations could've been great. Imagine Doaks arives at Dexter's house and catches the Trinity Killer. As he's walking into the house. Preventing Rita from being killed. ( Dexter would've owed him for life. )
Dokes hands over Trinity and demands to see his killing method in person. He then watches Dexter kill Trinity and they dispose of his body together. Could've made for a great season finale and cemented their unlikely friendship.
They really did sleep on him appearing as a spectre to Dexter ala Harry and Brian (later Deb.)
@@donjuanmckenzie4897 oh snap, I didn’t even think of that for Doakes. That would’ve been awesome
You may be a freak Morgan but this guy is the freak of freaks. You probably have an effigy to him in your fucking closet
Heard it in his voice too
You're not the only one who loved Miguel Prado. His character was incredibly acted and written.
He's one of my faves too.
You got the ring... I GOT CITY FUCKING HALL.
I loved him too
BECAUSE I WILL FUCK YOU BACK
Jimmy is a great actor @@adamschroeder5842
Brian Moser is just the perfect example of how to do a good twist villain.
And One of the Reasons why the First Season is one of the Show's Best.
It's my Second Favourite after the Fourth Season.
Ikr a good twist villain needs us getting small clues that the character isn’t what they make themselves out to be. We got a LOT of clues about Brian being the Ice Truck killer in terms of scenes & dialogue. One of the best ones being when he meets Dexter for the first time & he cryptically says “I have been waiting so long to meet you” sounds like something someone normal would say but if we considering all the clues he has been sending Dexter & how he has a obsession with him the episodes following it’s obvious he is the killer glad he could finally meet Dexter face to face rather than sending him clues.
The Ice Truck was the most telegraphed character was below Travis Marshal…
@@huge_liability7464telegraphed? In what way?
@@adamsantini2991 really? Did you watch, I mean at all? As soon as Rudy is introduced I called that BS
The Ice Truck killer aka Rudy is my favorite villain of the series. He was so mysterious, his story was captivity background and relationship with Dexter. He envision him and Dexter killing together. I love how Dexter is intrigue by him too and the masterful way the first season slowly unveils the Ice Truck killer. I really loved Doakes, Frank Lundy, the Doomsday Killers and Issac too. Another great ranking video Cody!
You mean the guy who looks nothing like Dexter but was supposed to be his brother? The actor is half-Mexican for god's sake. I couldn't get past the fact that half of the human population would've been a better match for Dexter's brother than Christian Carmargo. Great character, terrible casting.
@@JakeKoenig it never occurred to you that they could have two different fathers. Or that one of them takes more after the mother and the other takes more after the father. Sorry that you cannot look past their skin tone.
@@JakeKoenigi think the casting was good in the sense that he gave off an unsettling vibe whenever he was in the scene very richard ramirez, also he looks pretty white he could pass as italian/southern european he resembles him sort pf
@@JakeKoenig u are braindead
I honestly feel like John Lithgow cemented his ranking in a single scene: Hello, Dexter Morgan. That was the moment, for me anyway, where he just took over the season and I was on edge.
The way he reads that off of Dexter’s ID gave me the creeps.
Season 4 is my favorite
I had never been so excited, terrified and on edge from a tv show as when I saw that scene.
The reason I think Arthur Mitchell aka The Trinity Killer stands alone amongst the other villains is he was the first psychopath that Dexter let live because he thought he could learn something from him. Also, he got the last laugh on Dexter by killing Rita.
The whole idea of Dexter failing to balance his family life with his killing habit is just amazing
Issac Sirko is an amazing antagonist. Him starting off as a regular enforcer for the Ukrainian mob, while turning into a more complicated character. Dexter and Issac speaking in the gay bar is one of the best dialogues during the entire show.
Agreed, I loved his character
I love how you evaluate seasons 6-8 fairly and don’t just discard them altogether.
Same.
As well he shouldn't. All of the seasons were passable. Yes, some shone brighter than others, of course, but all of them were highly watchable and kept you wanting more. In fact, season 7 IMO was a very strong season, which I put up there with 1 and 4.
@@sharonpopolow6874 fully agree. Even season 8 had interesting content, even if it was painfully put together.
I also don't get the hate for season 6, even if it was one of the worse it wasn't by that much, and 7 was indeed good.
I also agree with him that season 3 was one of the best.
@@ninebrains4769 I'm only speaking for myself, but here are maybe a couple reasons why 6 was panned: 1) Travis Mitchell was very flat, and by default, Gellar was too (even Olmos couldn't really save him). 2) the murder scenes, while the most creative in the series, were way too impossible to be believable, which once you've lost your credibility with your audience, it kinda goes down hill after that, and 3) the religious themes throughout the season were a little bit forced and pretentious. That's just my take on the matter. Highlights of season were : 1) ironically after my critique above, the over the top creative death scenes 2) a finale cliffhanger perhaps beat by no other season
@@sharonpopolow6874 I also liked brother Sam. Something where New Blood didn't shine was Dexter being conflicted about human connection or only experiencing it in extremely complicated conditions.
I liked that Kurt had a lair, it was so creepy. I don't recall the other villains having anything like that.
Didn't Ice Truck have a lair in his home?
@@Wexter0083 he had a kill room -- not the same thing
Some of them did, maybe not owned by them, but used separate locations for their alter-ego. Travis Mitchell (abandoned church) & Ray Spelzer (buildings with mazes) stand out in my mind the most.
Geez, for a second I read hair instead of lair... I didn't understand...
Dexter said to Harrison "They always keep something like photos or jewelry, they know it can make them caught and they can't help themselves" and it turns out that Kurt actually kept his whole victims.
Season 3 might be my favorite season. Jimmy Smits played that role so well. The conversation on the rooftop him and Dexter have is one of the best moments in the entire show.
CITY FUCKING HALL
Definitely they should of kept him on longer and have him and dexter keep working together he could have been big later in the season saving dexter from jail. Could had alot more with him.
Not sure it was the best think it got slightly predictable thought it was the worse out of first 5 seasons
Jimmy Smits is great in this role. Remember when he was trying to charm LaGuerta at her place and Dexter showed up at her door unannounced? Classic Dexter scene. I did hate the scenes with Ellen Wolf though -- flirting with the young bartender. Ugh. Gross.
@mattwright2564 feel the same way.
I love the theory that Quinn found out how dangerous Dexter was and decided to stay the hell away from him. It’s obvious he killed Liddy and he knows about him throwing bodies in the ocean too, so he probably figured out Dexter is the BHB who managed to completely flip the case on Doakes, the guy who was onto Dexter and kill him (even though it was Lila but from Quinn’s eyes he wouldn’t know). It’s clear how dangerous this guy is in fooling the entire FBI and completely ending the guy closest to finding him. Dexter also helped Quinn out and since Quinn’s not the most moral he’d probably not be too against all these bad people getting killed.
This theory is also supported by how in season 7 he put his head down and said nothing when LaGuerta took Dexter in and Dexter subsequently turned the situation on its head and makes her look like a fool. Quinn realises he’s out of his league in pursuing him. Also in season 8’s finale Quinn has no reaction to Dexter stabbing the guy with the pen while Angel is shocked. Instead Quinn lets it go because he wanted revenge for Deb.
This is all a theory obviously but I find it interesting
To be fair, the one scene with Arther Mitchell in New Blood is fucking creepy... Even though it's blurry, just the thought that he is in the bathtub killing Rita while Harrison is watching, is disturbing as hell
That scene genuinely disturbed me, Rita was such a sweet and innocent woman and to have her killed by this disgusting man in trinity is just jarring to think about
The #1 Dexter antagonist was the person responsible for the season 9 finale
Season 8's finale was INFINITELY worse. I understand you're disappointed, but objectively, it's not that close.
@@adamschroeder5842 I think they were both bad in different ways... I guess they get a 3rd crack at it tho :p
Wait, do we consider New Blood to be season 9?
I actually felt like the new blood ending was satisfying. I binged the entire original series and was super disappointed with the ending so when watching the ending to new blood, it felt solid.
11:21 That hilarious scene when Travis paints a picture of Satan and gives him Dexter's face. Weird fact about Travis is that him and Kurt Caldwell are the only main antagonists who don't find out Dexter's real name since Dexter never tells him his name when he thinks Gellar's alive and the real killer and when Travis goes full on mad he just calls Dexter either "the beast" or "the false prophet." And Kurt never found out "Jim Lindsay" was Dexter Morgan.
Did the Skinner find out? I can't recall. Other than that that's actually a good catch I hadn't thought of that
@@byronsenior6499 Miguel could've likely provided him with address and name, since he instructed him to kill him.
Dexter and Breaking Bad are my two top favourite TV shows. Loving these series reviews, so well done. Please please do a memorable freak of the weeks rated!!
32:51 Apparently the original plan for Trinity in Season 4 was that after killing Rita he was going to escape Miami without Dexter killing him.
Imagine bro. We could've gotten Dexter finding where he is and chasing him down instead of what we got in New Blood. One last kill.
Love these videos so much! Personally the Ice Truck Killer is my favorite followed by Trinity and an honorable mention is the freak of the week "Tooth Fairy killer" episode for many reasons but most of all bc Dexter had studied him before and was almost let down when he seen the reality that he wasn't a mastermind but had just gotten lucky.
Top 5
1)Arthur Mitchell/Trinity
2)The Ice-truck Killer
3)Miguel Prado
4)Kurt Coldwell
5)Isaak Sirko
Replace Kurt with doakes and this is 👌🏽
@@mindgames50 agreed
It is very unfair to call Kurt's draining of the blood to be derivative of Ice Truck Killer's. Kurt is embalming the body to preserve it and slow decomposition. The removal of the blood is just part of that technique. The Ice Truck Killer is totally different. It might look suggestive of a similarity at first, but Kurt's process is completely different.
16:33 Looking back Deb killing Dexter to stop him killing Laguerta and Dexter dying in a shipping container like the one he was "born in blood" in after killing the man who ordered his and Brian's mother's murder and Deb putting an end to the monster her dad created would have been a better ending.
I don't know how everyone gets this so twisted. The whole presmise of the show is that Dexter isn't a monster lol.
@@donjuanmckenzie4897 The first 4 seasons acknowledged he was one and Dexter himself knew it. Only in Seasons 5-8 did they start with the "He's not really a psychopath and is becoming more human" shit. The new producers somehow thought a crime drama was a superhero show and that Dexter was a good guy. He isn't.
@@Xehanort10 How is he not a good guy? Cause he's a vigilante? So is Bat Man lmfao. Generally speaking villains do not make good protagonists.
@@donjuanmckenzie4897 No. It's because he doesn't kill to save innocents but because he likes it, there's less chance of him being caught for killing scumbags and it's more convenient for him than killing randomly. And plenty of innocents got killed by Dexter directly and indirectly. Villain protagonists are a thing. Protagonist means main character not hero.
@@Xehanort10 I know what protagonist means dip shit, name a single villain protagonist, its just not how story telling works, you identify with the character whose story is being told. WHO cares if Dexter likes killing? Again, whole premise of the show is he channels something that would otherwise be bad into something good. Innocent people don't die because of Dexter but because of his opponents.
Maybe not exactly an antagonist but my favorite is easily James Doakes the tension between him and Dexter was very interesting especially considering Doakes as a trained killer himself was the only one to suspect Dexter from the start its almost like killers have this extra sense that alerts them when a comrade is present
I wish Doakes would’ve believed that Dex was a drug addict for longer. I always loved when Doakes was understanding of Dex being a drug addict since Doakes knows hella cops struggling with ptsd.
Should’ve had Doakes believe Dex was an addict for longer, them abandoning that in less than 1 episode is a huge missed opportunity for the series.
@@eriklakeland3857 I agree! Doakes vs Dexter was very entertaining but when they started to become friends it blew me away I was actually sad when Doakes died I almost think Dexter was as well
@@eriklakeland3857I love the first four seasons but I do think they should’ve made season 2s plot happen way later.
@@oldyladapparently they didn't know how many seasons the show would last so that's why we got the story in season 2
There were so many plot holes with Angela's accusation of Dexter, like she thought injecting people in the neck was genuinely an identifying symbol for the BHB, also dexter didnt even use the same drug as bhb and in new blood. it was also full of plot conveniencies that she just managed to find out so much information about bhb and connect it to dexter without seeming like an absolute lunatic. She expects she could easily get dexter tried as bhb but in reality its obv that would fail as Dexter's alibi for his actions is too strong and her "evidence" for him being bhb is basically just dexter buying a lot of ketamine.
Sgt dokes was a physcopath as well..he's got a body count. He literally murdered a man while on duty and tried having angel helping him lie about it. We never found out why he killed that dude.
Indeed, Doakes recognized Dexter’s dark passenger because he has a form of it himself.
He also killed a fellow GREEN BERET! that oath is sacred...for him to murder that man just like that no remorse...shows he's cold as fuck.
@@RazorShalomI think the implication was that something happened in duty that fucked him up. It was like his Dexter childhood scene and I don’t doubt the idea was that it involved friendly fire or killing innocents that fucked him up
He killed him because that dude was a war criminal from Haiti
Yeah, I always thought Doakes fit the code, but I realise the reason Dexter couldn't kill him, is because Doakes is exactly like him.
You have convinced me to Rewatch season 3
I’m so happy I found this channel! I loved Dexter and love talking about it!! Will be binging these videos tonight after work lmao
Louis was supposed to have a longer arch and be a more epic character to go against Dexter but he took a part on Broadway so they had to write him off quickly. Would’ve been interesting to see where they went with him
Michael C Hall voiced his concern that Louis Green being a threat to Dexter didn't make sense and after his spiel they agreed, so they changed it... after that he ended up taking a part on Broadway. I'm guessing that the black mail aspect was going to be much more entrenched including his credit cards being canceled etc. But if I were to theorize Michael C Halls argument was, all Dexter would have to do is catch him and torture him until he removes and/or gets rid of what he's holding over his head (obviously revealing who he is along with his finances etc).
Ugh! Nooooooo- Louis Green was too much of a d-bag to endure any longer than when Sirko finally put us all out of our misery of having to watch/listen to him.
@@sharonpopolow6874 - in all fairness, he was a d-bag because we got the changed script version of him... his actual character trajectory would have been different. He was a genius computer wiz who knew who Dexter was. We never got his full story as to how he knew who Dexter was. They made it about Dexter not accepting his game and they hastily closed out his character. He was supposed to be the big season 7 villain. I'm glad we got Isaak sirko, however i think the actual Louis storyline would have been interesting as well.
Right, louis ... the boyfriend of the second Nanny to harrison.
@@dinglbarry1275 Yeah, he was supposed to become a serial killer after following Dexter and MCH stepped up and said NO firmly lol.
Brian Moser and Season 1 will always be my #1 Special Guest Villain and #1 season. The tension that Doakes provided puts him right up there as the best antagonist. Don't understand all the praise for Isaak. Is it being coloured by seeing him in a different badass role? I haven't. I just remember him encouraging Dexter towards the Hannah relationship which is reason enough to hate him. Agree that Lundy was a good detective figure and the relationship with Deb was hard to stomach. He had no personality. And really, did they have to show us his buck naked arse after he got out of bed? I can never un-see that.
I can’t believe people didn’t like Lila. I’ve always loved her character from the moment she was introduced into the series. She’ll always be one of the top villains in my opinion, and also one of the biggest reasons why season 2 has always been in a VERY tight race with season 4 as my favorite season of Dexter. Season 4 wins out but season 2 is right on its heels.
I loved how Deb called her a vampire. The description fit her perfectly lol
@@NETTAHER28 Haha yes! Deb had some great lines that season when it came to Dexter and Lila. I love when she first met Lila, and Dexter had all those candles lit in the bedroom, and Deb goes “Who’s the skank? And are you trying to f**k her or set her on fire?” Gets me every time 😂
@@Moleda1986 Miss pardon my titts
I hated her but she was a great character.
@@Moleda1986 and it was SO funny when Deb asked her if she was wearing her shirt and Lila was like "oh I thought it was Dexters" those 2 had some great back and forth lines!
Hey man im absolutely loving all your dexter videos. Im sad i came here because i was so bummed about the finale and needed to make sure it wasn’t just me but im stoked about your channel and that people are checking them out. Keep up the great work!
I really liked Jordan Chase personally. He had more charisma than Arthur. Though admittedly people hyped up Trinity way before I got to it, so I went into season 4 with unreasonably high expectations.
i agree. jordan is in my top 10. 1. Doakes 2. trinity 3. prado 4 isaak serko 5. stan lidy 6. jordan chase 7 laguerda 8. brian mosa.
the rest are trash to me.
Its not about charisma
That thumbnail rocks!!!!! Great job, Cody 😍
I was more interested in Kurt than dexter and Harrison the whole season. He carried the season as a whole for me.
@@laurarules3642 same
@@laurarules3642 Rooting for the killer who kidnaps people then shoots them in the back and displays their dead bodies. Cool.
@@dashriprock8596 amazing 😉
Caldwell was the best part of New Blood, honestly. That storyline with him made up the strongest part of the season. They cast Clancy Brown to be able to give off a similar air to Lithgow's Trinity, and it was pretty successful, albeit an obvious emulation. Similar age, build, fatherly pillars of the community, similar triple personality (jovial / menacing / scared-childish). But he had enough of his own character/story to make it intriguing.
@@davec3651 his back story was so lame -- kept waiting for that reveal - then when it came my reaction was "is that it?"
i gotta admit i have been putting it off to watch ANOTHER review channel, but man... i really liked this video. i agree with alot of the things you said, loved your presentation and setup and really dug the end comment (which might be your signature one-liner or something). awesome, i like it!
Loved all your points, Cody! Arthur is, far & away, the greatest villain in the series, & I really loved Isaak, as well. I think Deb's status as an antagonist is debatable; I can see it from both sides. Along with Laguerta & Isaak, she's almost a "villain" of season 7, although she's not really fighting him on a personal level, only trying to "cure" him; like I said, I can see it from both sides, so your reasoning for leaving her off the list is just as valid as the argument for putting her on it.
Also, you are definitely not alone regarding Miguel Prado & season 3; I LOVE Miguel's storyline. The first few years of Dexter, it really felt like it got better every season, at least to me; that obviously went away after season 4, but it's hard to improve upon perfection. I saw the season finale the night it originally aired; when Dexter found Rita dead in the bathtub, Harrison sitting in her blood, it was heart-breaking, mind-blowing, Earth-shattering...insert your own hyperbolic adjective lol.
John Lithgow is one of the best actors I've ever seen. He can play such a wide variety of characters. He does funny really well, but good Lord is he creepy when he wants to be! I think the 4th season is one of the best seasons of any TV show in history. Michael C. Hall is an absolute genius as well! He can carry a show even with poor writing, but give him some brilliant material and a co-star like Lithgow and it's pure magic!!I almost wish they would have let Arthur escape and then have discovered Rita. Could have made for an amazing 5th season with more Trinity!
That scene with Sirko going into the bar and murdering everyone cemented the idea that Dex isn't going up against a "serial killer", he's just going up against a very, VERY effective....killer. You're wondering how the heck Dexter could possibly take down someone like that, and then it turns out....they could very well just be buddies. I mean, it doesn't go down like that, but they definitely could have, and I loved it. "Dex vs. the Ukranian Terminator", turning into "Dex and the Terminator have a drink and talk about shit for an hour", which I *also* would have paid money to see.
Doakes being a character for only 2 season is CRIMINAL i wish he could have survived longer...
He survives in the Books.... but in a way that leaves him on Life support for the rest of his days.
Trinity has to be #1. For about 15 different reasons, but mostly because he's the only villain that completely changed/destroyed Dexter's life. And he gave us the greatest/most horrible moment of the entire series.
Yep, Dexter was different after season 4, Trinity did a number on him
I found your content due to looking up Dexter reviews. This is electric. Keep up the great work, bud.
Just recently found your channel and man you need WAY more subs. The dedication and the insight is just top shelf.
Thank you
Arthur Mitchell was on a different fucking level! I wish we could get a show dedicated entirely to his character. That would be fucking epic!!!
THANK YOU for validating my view of Issac Sirko! I felt like I was totally alone in my opinion of him. He’s so likable during his entire arc. He’s the f*cking Terminator 😆
I like his character I don't really consider him a villain or a antagonist , he was for like for episodes before not seeming like a major villain, season 7 more felt like Laguerta was the big bad its the person that is against Dexter the entire way through the season
I think the worst part of the list was where you put Lundy as he is easily top ten to me. Personally I feel the exact opposite to you with him talking about cucumber sandwiches and going barefoot in the ocean being his stronger side giving him an actual character not just being a Rockstar FBI agent, but alot of his character is overlooked because off his terrible romance with Deb
Hit the nail on the head I think Cody is just creeped out by Lundy and Deb hooking up lmao
Those quirky little tidbits made him human. And, yeah, the Debra-Frank hook-up was a little weird. It would've made sense if Debra was one of those power or money-hungry ladder climbers. But she's not...
@@eriklakeland3857 None of Deb's romances were any good to be honest. Brian just got into a relationship with her to infiltrate Dexter's life and wanted Dexter to abandon the Code, his familial bond with Deb and his relationship with Rita and just kill with his big brother starting with Deb. Lundy was twice her age and their relationship should have been mentor and student not romantic. Her relationship with Anton in Season 3 made Deb hypocritical in Season 4 since she'd been sleeping with one of her CI's just like Harry did. Her relationship with Quinn was out of nowhere since they went from cleaning up Rita's blood in the bathroom of her and Dexter's house after she was murdered by Trinity to fucking in there to suddenly being a couple. And the less said about the "Deb loves Dexter" plot the better.
Lundy is my top ten too! I loved his character !
Its obviously cause she has daddy issues
Its been a long long time since ive seen a video with noticeable effort in both research and presentation. Glad this came up on my reccomended wish more channels were like this. I have to say though, when I saw how many subscribers you had I was suprised it wasnt in the millions. Hope you get there soon man, Great work. Cheers
Doakes literally becomes a cyborg hellbent on catching Dexter in the novels…..
Can’t argue with the number 1 spot, one of the most memorable seasons of television ever for me
I never really consider Angela to be the one who took down Dexter. It really was Kurt. He setup Dexter beautifully as I felt during the last few episodes he was setting up Dexter into a scenario of "even if you get me, you're not winning" and he did. He burned Dexter's house down, he knew the screw would be there and he knew with how close the town was that someone was going to find it. Angela putting together Dexter was Bay Harbor may have still happened, but Kurt made sure Dexter was not going to be able to slink off in the night.
Dexter keeping the screw isn’t Dexter that was dumb angela doing all that figuring it out after a few google searches bullshit
@@JohnSmith-wh2ob Are we talking about the same Dexter that left his kill tools and blood slides in a very easy place to find? Where Doakes and Deb both found the slides with minimal effort after checking his apartment? Dexter kept the screw as he could not predict someone would burndown his house. It seems perfectly in character for Dexter's overconfidence to bite him in the arse... which it has multiple times. To the point that even an average cop like Quinn almost discovered his secret.
@@laurarules3642 mr krabs really can be menacing. Just because Clancy Brown is an amazing actor.
@@Wexter0083 YEah Dexter was a lot smarter when he knew someone was on to him. If he knew Quinn was looking into him, he would have made a lot of better choices.
@@r.m.demeester9535 That is true! The reason Angela got him was because he didn't see her coming. He was not expecting her to be onto the BHB killings and thought only Kurt knew about Matt. If he had a sniff she was on to him, he would had been a lot more careful with the information he was feeding her. That and probably had disposed of the screw somewhere in the woods.
Season 7 is my absolute favorite and Sirko as an antagonist was cherry on the top. People usually hate it because of Hannah Mckay which I really don't understand. She accepted him as whole and kept her mouth shut when got arrested.
I always thought it was kind of weak that they make Isaak Sirko out as the Terminator, but he just ends up getting conveniently shot by Doug Masters from Iron Eagle.
I think Ray Stevenson got a role in another show so Isaak was killed off earlier than they planned. Originally instead of Hector Estrada Dexter was going to use Isaak to lure Laguerta into the shipping container so he could kill her. Which wouldn't have had the same significance because Estrada ordered the murder of Laura Moser for stealing his cocaine and informing on them to Harry and all that led to Dexter and Brian being fucked up for life.
One of the victims said she heard Travis and “the professor” too
"tick, tick, tick, that's the sound of your life running out"
Could've been colder if Jordan was not buns
I really wish we saw Batista and Quinn be the ones taking down Dexter, Quinn already had suspicions, Batista would be disappointed and Masuka would feel betrayed
If Deb was still alive I would have said she would be perfect to be the one to bring Dexter down but because she's gone Quinn and Batista make the most sense if that's the route they would want to go
Ray Stevensons performance as Isaacs was great I thought I was the only one who was loving that character
Hey Cody awesome list. I also did a Dexter Villains ranking on my own channel. Your list and mine were pretty similar. Great video.
"Oh Cody you have a TH-cam channel!!?? I HAVE CITY FUCKING HALL!"
Season 3 is amazing! Happy to see that you love it as well. 1-4 are fantastic. 5 is good, 6 is mediocre, 7 is a return to form and 8 is.... Well we don't talk about season 8
I agree Cody I always think when watching those last 2 to 3 episodes of season 2 that Dexter and Doakes could've possibly come to some sort of understanding with how Dexter explains pretty much his whole backstory to Doakes and how its led to what he does now. Doakes realizes how messed up Harry was for teaching his son this but maybe some agreement could've been made. Though part of me believes Doakes would've just turned him in as soon as he could to clear his name as the bay harbor butcher since Lundy was so confident it was Doakes. Still that would've been a great season if it worked out Dexter could've continued his vigilante ways in season 3 under Doakes's thumb I imagine. Doakes would've probably wanted to know who Dexter was going after, what their crime was, how many times had they been arrested before Dexter could make a move. Something would have to give by the finale.
But then season 2 couldn't end, because Doakes was framed as the Bay harbor butcher.
@@enk621 Yeah that’s true. I don’t see Doakes throwing someone else under the bus with Dexters help to clear Doakes name when he knows who the real bay harbor butcher is. Even if they added in evidence to make someone else look like the bhb maybe the guy who killed Dexters mother. Doakes seemed like too proud of a man and too good of a cop to go along with it.
laguerta was very skilled cop, as presented in season 3 when she figures miguel prado, and than again when she figures dexter. she was tough one, regardless of her manipulative ways sometimes
I absolutely agree with your list. Trinity is def the best antagonist or better yet, John Lithgow was the only actor who probably overpowered Michael C Hall. He was so great that I was actually terrified of him. I also love that you value Isaac Sirko. He is one character next to Trinity that I kept coming back to years after.
For me it's Brian Moser... Without him, we wouldn't have a show. Dexter had his life together before Brian came along and revealed what a lie Dexter was living. Every season after that was Dexter slowly unravelling, til he's just saying eff it and teaching his son how to kill lol. I so wanted Brian to be the one holding Dexter's hand when he died. Would've been a cool cameo.
Another banger video
Not even negotiable. No one topped Trinity. Not only did he kill innocent Rita... he even transcended time by sowing the seeds of Dexter’s own death via a troubled Harrison.
1. James doakes
2. ice truck killer
3. Arthur Mitchell
4.kurt Caldwell
5.isaak sirko
6.lyla
7.jordan chase
8.oliver saxton
9.miguel prado
10.Travis Marshall
11.the fly from the intro
brian moser? GOAT Dexter villain in my opinion.
i feel like Dextrers Brother came to soon, imagine him coming later in seasons he would be more impactfull
Disagreed, the reason why Brian was the villain of season 1, was so we can learn more about Dexter and his past. Later would be too late.
"No more ranting about Dexter: New Blood"
Me too, Cody. Me too. (Great list! Pleasently surprised by Sirko's placement)
Of the “freaks of the week,” the psychiatrist that pushes successful women to kill themselves in season 1 stands out. He has a Jordan Chase quality in how his words push people with the bonus that Dex keeps him around to learn from him a la Trinity.
It was one of my favorite kill scenes.
One of my favorite eps
Can someone explain why doakes was letting Dexter know he was following him? He even gives Dexter a nod at the bowling alley. Isn’t he supposed to secretive bout watching? What did he think Dexter was gonna do when he knows he’s being followed?
Fairly New to the channel.
But Definitely a Fan.
I Love Dexter.
This review is the best
Content I've See From You Yet!
I was listening to this video in the car & I swore you were actor, Danny McBride! You sound just like him. Great review, & fantastic channel! 🥃🤘🏼
I liked the video as soon as I saw the intro good shit brotha
i don´t like season 7 or new blood, but isaak and kurt are definitely in my top 5, number one is of course the trinity killer, Kurt came really close though, just because how great the actor was
Idk why but when I gave anxiety these videos help .
You are legit SPOT ON WITH EVERYTHING DUDE! I COMPLETELY AGREE AND I LOVE YOUR VIDEOS
There is one series plot hole that bugs me Dexter has a book about serial killers that either got caught or got away with killing but he didn't know about some big killers.
Like who? Trinity was unknown to all but Lundy until season 4 and to most people and he’s the only one I can think of that would be in the book
Doomsday was lame, except for those kill displays. They're still some of my favorite
Very sharp analysis. Thx!
Subbed for all this Dexter content!
John Lithgow is such an amazing actor
I agree with Miguel Prado. I loved season 3!
Season 7 is fucking awesome, but bro you're on crack for putting Issac before Brian. I would swap them, that's how high I'd put him myself but Brian and the entire season leading up to him was amazing and his death was the saddest out of all of his Villains.
You put the idea of dokes and dexter teaming up in my head and now I want to see it happen 😅
It would’ve worked so well too, Dexter was right about dialed being a killer who uses the job. I think moving the BHB investigation to later on like season 6 and make doakes discovering Dexter happen in season 5 or something where Doakes decides Dexter actually isn’t a bad dude because of who he kills could’ve worked well, even if they didn’t team up like Miguel Prado, Doakes knowing and NOT hating him would be an interesting twist and would be fun to watch, maybe fake us out thinking Doakes is trying to expose him but he’s actually trying to help him cover it up or some shit, idrk I’m not a writer lmao
Agree with Miguel Prado, I love the pain I felt when he finds out the blood is bovine 😮
I loved your list and watching it. Would like to see another video of dexter side kicks
While the books and the show move in completely different directions after book/season 1, I think the Doakes storyline in season 2 is inspired by book 2. Him stalking Dexter is in that book, and the fact that he was taken out as a threat to Dexter at the end was also probably inspired by the book. Though, in the book, he doesn't die, he just gets his feet, hands, and tongue cut off (not by Dexter, but he wasn't opposed to it).
Holy shit!
Wow i never knew that. BRUTAL!
I agree totally with u on season 3 . Jimmy Smits was great in that role. I also love the friendship how it develops and plays out.
Great list.
The fact that Dexter himself wasn't on this list and at the top spot is criminal
This made me laugh so hard dexters #1 enemy is truly his overconfidence and ego lmaooo
am I the only one who didnt see the doomsday killer plottwist coming at all?
I think Issac Sirko is my number one for all the reasons you stated. There was such a cool elegance about him. That said, I have always loved John Lithgow as an actor and he was phenomenal as Trinity. And yes, please do a freak of the week ranking show!!! So much fun. Thanks for your insightful videos.
It is also because he was the hunter. And besides, Isaac was honorable and he and Dexter made peace.
Completely off topic but I need to get this out in the universe. Since the writers won't give us the ending we want, I need Cody to write a final episode and get some people together to act it out. Let's do this thing!
I'm curious, if in the next few weeks Showtime released a "teaser" for New Blood season 2, which shows the last scene of the finale, but once Harrison gets in the truck and drives off, the perspective is from Angela. Calling in the police involved shooting, she kneels beside Dexter putting pressure on the wound and slapping him into consciousness. As he breathes and blinks, she says something to the effect of, "Lucky it's so cold. Harder to bleed out." Then, as Harrison drives out on the highway, he passes a car. The camera swings in to show Angel on his way to town. Would you watch season two?
Nope just another opportunity to crush viewers
@@JohnSmith-wh2ob can I ask, what ending would you, as a viewer, be satisfied by?
@@NoFacetheVoid Dexter dying without completely betraying his character for starters angela not magically figuring it out??! Why not have the podcaster recognize Dexter cuz that makes sense someone who knows the trinity case would recognize the husband of Rita and on it goes also Harrison was terrible he was just bitchy for 8 episodes then they embraced I liked that then he killed his dad to stop himself from becoming his dad like what why not refuse to kill him to be better than him
@@JohnSmith-wh2ob I'm pretty forgiving on Harrison's character. Typical teenager with abandonment issues. Is it lazy? Yes. But it's also believable. Personally, i would have rather a twelve episode season, with a time jump the last two or three. Give Dexter time to properly teach Harrison the code, let Harrison realize his father fits the code, and kill him for that. Or make Angel actually mean something in the show and give us that confrontation where he takes Dexter back to Miami to stand trial. Let the final scene be protestors demanding Dexter's freedom while he's being executed.
@@NoFacetheVoid why angel never confronted Dexter why bring him back at all
I think the brain surgeon is an interesting villain because he is basically what dexter would have become without his admittedly flimsy morals, if he had no connections with people like deb and if he dedicated himself solely to killing.
Harry is not Dexter's dark passenger. His need to kill is his dark passenger.