The hit Showtime series Dexter is totally addicting, and it's extra fun to watch here in South Florida, because a lot of scenes are shot here. Any local will have fun picking out sites like the 17th Street Causeway in Fort Lauderdale, or the waters of Biscayne Bay. It's easy to call out the scenes that are actually shot in Los Angeles -- because West Coast palm trees are limp and pathetic compared to ours.
Dexter's fictional story line is based on the "Miami Metro Police Department." (In real life, the official title is the Miami-Dade Police Department.) The character Dexter (Michael C. Hall) is a blood-spatter expert who serial-kills bad guys in his spare time. His sister Deb -- a detective on the police force -- is also a character.
[SPOILER ALERT: If you don't want to know who Deb kills, stop reading!]
Here's a fun tidbit for our local fans:
The show has an accompanying podcast, called Dexter Wrap-Up, hosted by writer/producer Scott Reynolds.
On a recent episode -- "Season 8, Bonus Wrap-Up: Costume Design" -- Reynolds was interviewing Kathleen Felix-Hager, the show's costume designer.
She talked about how Michael Hall wears pastel-colored shirts and khaki pants, but then switches to his "stalking outfit" or cargo pants and henley shirt -- from American Apparel.
Reynolds and Felix-Hager also talked about the "evolution of Deb," who has always been a tomboy, but became more sophisticated as the series went on -- until her massive breakdown this season.
"She started out as a policewoman and when she became a detective, we had to come up with a look that would be more professional," Felix-Hager said. "She wore suits at the beginning - she didn't have a great sense of style... Deb just didn't really quite ever get it right." She went from jeans with plaid shirts, plus boots and a big belt for her gun, to the same look with a jacket for extra professionalism.
"She got it a little more together as the years went on. She evolved into silk shirts and camisoles under her blazers."
Then, in season 8, she kills LaGuerta -- "and her world crashes."
"You see a different Deb at the beginning of Season Eight. She's come undone, literally and she's left the force. She's she found the bottle and found some ways to relieve her stress," Felix-Hager says, "and she's completely off the charts."
"She looks, like, Fort Lauderdale," Reynolds says.
"She looks a little skanky," Felix-Hager says agreeably, "which is what we were going for."
"It was great," Reynolds notes.
Follow @NewTimesBroward
