Dexter Season 1 Episode 2 'Crocodile' - TV Review

Dexter begins the episode swimming next to his boat with a monologue about how he enjoys the days between doing "what he does".

Deb drops by for a visit and talks to Dexter about the "Ice Truck Killer", the murderer who drains his victims of their blood, threw a severed head at Dexter, and, most recently, left a sliced up doll in Dexter's freezer.

He has to leave from breakfast to go to court as a witness from his blood spatter work. Dexter enjoys visiting the courthouse because it gives him an opportunity to find new deserving victims. He sites in on a case about a drunk-driving death. The verdict is not in yet from the court, but Dexter will be sure to follow the case.

Dexter's next official case is one with a body below a causeway, the body is soon identified as a police officer and Sgt. Doakes and Lt. LaGuerta go to inform his wife. When they get to the house they find that his wife is injured, laying on the floor.

Dexter is woken up the next morning by a call from Deb, she found the refrigerated truck! When they open the truck they find a set of fingertips frozen in a block of ice. They take the truck back to the station, but find no evidence in it. When the ice block with the fingertips is melted, they see that each fingernail is painted a different color, just like those of the doll in Dexter's freezer. Dexter is impressed with the Ice Truck Killer's abilities.

Dexter goes back to the courtroom to see that the accused drunk driver was found not guilty; Dexter has found his next case. He tracks the suspect to a bar where he collects a shot glass to get fingerprints, then he looks through some records and sees that he has been suspected in several other drunk driving cases and has moved after each one. Dexter recalls that Harry had always told him to be sure about his victims, and now he is sure.

The suspect in the cop killing which Dexter had been investigating is stabbed in jail, his boss didn't want to leave him with the opportunity to turn on him.

Deb's discovery of the truck leads her to be promoted from vice to homicide, a goal she has been working towards for a long time. Lt. LaGuerta has trouble hiding her disappointment in the decision, but has no choice since it is what the captain wants.

LaGuerta sees that Doakes was very concerned with the murdered officer's wife. She asks if he was having an affair with her and he confirms her suspicions. She goes against the book and lets him stay on the case.

Dexter has his next victim, the drunk driver, taped down and begins his discussion before killing him. He collects a drop of blood for his slide, the victim says he's sorry for what he did, Dexter informs him that he has done it too many times to be sorry and kills him.

When he returns home, he sees that the doll left for him has now been taken away and all that was left for him is the head.