After news of a Dexter reboot broke in October 2020, I revisited the bloody TV show. The binge-watch allowed me to fall back in love with Michael C. Hall as the perfect antihero. It brought up all the emotions from the haunting bathtub scene and reminded me that John Lithgow has the ability to haunt my nightmares.
Although Lithgow’s season stayed with me long after the last credits rolled, is he the “best” serial killer on the show? Here’s my Top 5 — ranked from worst to best.
This post contains spoilers so stop now unless you’re a glutton for punishment.
5. Jordan Chase / Barrel Girl Gang
Jordan Chase is the star of the show in season five. He’s a decent looking, motivational speaker leading a cult of killers who are murdering and raping women. He plays the puppetmaster, pulling the strings in the Barrel Girl Gang while they commit these horrendous acts.
Remind anyone else of Charles Manson?
4. Travis Marshall / The Doomsday Killer
Colin Hanks portrayed Dexter‘s Travis Marshall AKA The Doomsday Killer. His biblical murders are done with a purpose — he wants to bring about the end of the world. And he’ll do whatever it takes to finish the job, which is what lands him at number four on our list.
3. George King / The Skinner
In season three, George King played a tree trimmer. According to Dexter Fandom, “When one of his criminal associates, Freebo, disappears while owing him a large amount of money (he was actually killed by Dexter), King begins hunting for him throughout Miami, feeling that he has been disrespected.” Combine the money lost with the fear of disrespect and you have The Skinner — literally skinning his victims after they’re interrogated by Deb.
2. Brian Moser / The Ice Truck Killer
The Ice Truck Killer was the storyline that got me hooked on this show. It’s what gripped audiences from the very beginning and it’s still one of the most interesting seasons. The Ice Truck Killer is Brian Moser, someone with an interesting relationship to Dexter (I won’t spoil too much) that’s murdering his victims, draining the blood out of them and then cutting the bodies up.
If a plot like that doesn’t make the top spot, you know what it must be…
1. Arthur Mitchell / The Trinity Killer
When it came down to picking our favorite serial killer from Dexter, it was an easy choice. The Trinity Killer made season four of Dexter the best season of Dexter. There was something about Lithgow’s portrayal of Arthur Miller in this light that made my skin crawl.
Miller’s story is just as creepy. He’s just a regular guy that’s been hiding in plain sight as, according to the Dexter Fandom, “one of America’s most prolific and deadly serial killers for three decades.” He’s also the serial killer behind that gruesome bathtub scene. Hall described shooting this scene to Entertainment Weekly saying, “It was horrifying. It’s the kind of thing that only in its aftermath can you begin to deal with.”
So how’d I do? Did I get the Top 5 Dexter serial killers right?
