Harry Morgan (Dexter)
Encyclopedia
Detective Harrison "Harry" Morgan is a fictional character in the Showtime television series Dexter
and the novels by Jeff Lindsay
upon which it is based. In the television series he is portrayed by James Remar
. Harry is Dexter Morgan
's adoptive father, now deceased. For the first two seasons of the series he appeared only in flashbacks to Dexter's childhood, having died 10 years prior to the start of the series. From season three onward, the dramatic device of flashbacks was replaced with Harry appearing to Dexter as a "ghost" who comments on and gives advice on all the problems his son faces throughout the series.
, and a close friend of his immediate superior Lieutenant Tom Matthews. In the course of a high-stakes drug case, Harry begins an illicit relationship with Laura Moser, Dexter's biological mother, to gather information and evidence on the drug lords in question. The drug dealers eventually find out she is informing on them, and make an example of her; they brutally murder her and three others with chainsaw
s in a shipping container
. Her sons Brian and Dexter are left in the container for several days, sitting in two inches of blood, until Harry and a police team rescue them. Harry adopts Dexter, while Brian is sent into foster care; Harry believes that the older Brian is permanently traumatized
by the event and is "unsalvageable", but that Dexter is still young enough to be "saved". Eventually, however, Harry realizes that the experience turned Dexter into a violent sociopath
. (Unbeknownst to him, the same fate had befallen Brian, who also grows up to become a serial killer
.)
At first, Harry attempts to manage Dexter's violent urges by only allowing him to kill animals, but he eventually comes to the conclusion that Dexter's pathology
cannot be repressed, only controlled. Harry decides to train the boy as a vigilante
, to hunt and kill murderers without leaving any clues. Dexter prizes these lessons as a means to satisfy his homicidal urges with his father's approval, dubbing them the "Code of Harry". Harry's relationship with his biological daughter Debra, meanwhile, is more complicated; she craves her father's approval, but feels that he favors Dexter. (She of course is kept in the dark about Dexter's "training".)
In Dearly Devoted Dexter
, Harry is deeply alarmed when Dexter nearly kills the school bully, and takes him to visit a serial killer incarcerated on death row
, hoping the condemned man will serve as a living example of the importance of not being caught.
When Dexter is 19, Harry falls seriously ill and gives Dexter "permission" to kill one of his nurses, who is intentionally poisoning him with morphine
.
, Harry loses his temper and tells Dexter he was right in training him. When Dexter kills Rinez, Harry is horrified by the way Dexter proudly shows him the pimp's dismembered body; it is Harry's first actual view of Dexter's "work", and he is ashamed of what he had trained Dexter to do. Harry commits suicide
a few days later by deliberately overdosing
on his medication, but not before telling Matthews to look after his children. It is also revealed in season four in a conversation between one of his old confidential informants and Debra that Harry had slept with many of his informants, not just Laura.
Dexter learns Harry's secrets in the second season, and inadvertently reveals to Debra that Harry had cheated on his wife several times. This revelation has a profound effect on Debra, who loses all respect for the man she had always tried to live up to. Dexter, meanwhile, begins to question Harry's "code", realizing that, for the first time, he is the only one in charge of his "Dark Passenger". Nevertheless, Harry remains an important influence on him; Dexter occasionally imagines that he is talking with Harry's spirit.
Dexter (TV series)
Dexter is an American television drama series, which debuted on Showtime on October 1, 2006. The sixth season premiered on October 2, 2011. The series centers on Dexter Morgan , a bloodstain pattern analyst for the Miami Metro Police Department who moonlights as a serial killer...
and the novels by Jeff Lindsay
Jeff Lindsay (writer)
Jeff Lindsay is the pen name of American playwright and crime novelist Jeffry P. Freundlich , best known for his novels about sociopathic vigilante Dexter Morgan. Many of his earlier published works include his wife Hilary Hemingway as a co-author. His wife is the niece of Ernest Hemingway and an...
upon which it is based. In the television series he is portrayed by James Remar
James Remar
James Remar is an American actor and voice artist. He has appeared in movies, video games, and TV shows. He is perhaps best known as Richard, the on-off tycoon boyfriend of Kim Cattrall's character in Sex and the City, as Ajax in The Warriors, as the homicidal maniac Albert Ganz in the 1982...
. Harry is Dexter Morgan
Dexter Morgan
Dexter Morgan is a fictional character in a series of novels by Jeff Lindsay, including Darkly Dreaming Dexter , Dearly Devoted Dexter , Dexter in the Dark , Dexter by Design , Dexter is Delicious and Double Dexter...
's adoptive father, now deceased. For the first two seasons of the series he appeared only in flashbacks to Dexter's childhood, having died 10 years prior to the start of the series. From season three onward, the dramatic device of flashbacks was replaced with Harry appearing to Dexter as a "ghost" who comments on and gives advice on all the problems his son faces throughout the series.
Darkly Dreaming Dexter
Harry Morgan is a detective and highly-respected member of the Miami Police DepartmentMiami Police Department
The Miami Police Department or MPD, often referred to as the City of Miami Police, is the chief police department of the U.S. city of Miami, Florida. Their jurisdiction lies within the actual city limits of Miami, but have mutual aid agreements with neighboring police departments. The current...
, and a close friend of his immediate superior Lieutenant Tom Matthews. In the course of a high-stakes drug case, Harry begins an illicit relationship with Laura Moser, Dexter's biological mother, to gather information and evidence on the drug lords in question. The drug dealers eventually find out she is informing on them, and make an example of her; they brutally murder her and three others with chainsaw
Chainsaw
A chainsaw is a portable mechanical saw, powered by electricity, compressed air, hydraulic power, or most commonly a two-stroke engine...
s in a shipping container
Shipping container
A shipping container is a container with strength suitable to withstand shipment, storage, and handling. Shipping containers range from large reusable steel boxes used for intermodal shipments to the ubiquitous corrugated boxes...
. Her sons Brian and Dexter are left in the container for several days, sitting in two inches of blood, until Harry and a police team rescue them. Harry adopts Dexter, while Brian is sent into foster care; Harry believes that the older Brian is permanently traumatized
Psychological trauma
Psychological trauma is a type of damage to the psyche that occurs as a result of a traumatic event...
by the event and is "unsalvageable", but that Dexter is still young enough to be "saved". Eventually, however, Harry realizes that the experience turned Dexter into a violent sociopath
Antisocial personality disorder
Antisocial personality disorder is described by the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, fourth edition , as an Axis II personality disorder characterized by "...a pervasive pattern of disregard for, and violation of, the rights of others that begins in childhood...
. (Unbeknownst to him, the same fate had befallen Brian, who also grows up to become a serial killer
Serial killer
A serial killer, as typically defined, is an individual who has murdered three or more people over a period of more than a month, with down time between the murders, and whose motivation for killing is usually based on psychological gratification...
.)
At first, Harry attempts to manage Dexter's violent urges by only allowing him to kill animals, but he eventually comes to the conclusion that Dexter's pathology
Pathology
Pathology is the precise study and diagnosis of disease. The word pathology is from Ancient Greek , pathos, "feeling, suffering"; and , -logia, "the study of". Pathologization, to pathologize, refers to the process of defining a condition or behavior as pathological, e.g. pathological gambling....
cannot be repressed, only controlled. Harry decides to train the boy as a vigilante
Vigilante
A vigilante is a private individual who legally or illegally punishes an alleged lawbreaker, or participates in a group which metes out extralegal punishment to an alleged lawbreaker....
, to hunt and kill murderers without leaving any clues. Dexter prizes these lessons as a means to satisfy his homicidal urges with his father's approval, dubbing them the "Code of Harry". Harry's relationship with his biological daughter Debra, meanwhile, is more complicated; she craves her father's approval, but feels that he favors Dexter. (She of course is kept in the dark about Dexter's "training".)
In Dearly Devoted Dexter
Dearly Devoted Dexter
Dearly Devoted Dexter is a crime/horror novel by Jeff Lindsay, the second in his series about psychopathic vigilante Dexter Morgan, which has been adapted into a television series.-Plot:...
, Harry is deeply alarmed when Dexter nearly kills the school bully, and takes him to visit a serial killer incarcerated on death row
Death row
Death row signifies the place, often a section of a prison, that houses individuals awaiting execution. The term is also used figuratively to describe the state of awaiting execution , even in places where no special facility or separate unit for condemned inmates exists.After individuals are found...
, hoping the condemned man will serve as a living example of the importance of not being caught.
When Dexter is 19, Harry falls seriously ill and gives Dexter "permission" to kill one of his nurses, who is intentionally poisoning him with morphine
Morphine
Morphine is a potent opiate analgesic medication and is considered to be the prototypical opioid. It was first isolated in 1804 by Friedrich Sertürner, first distributed by same in 1817, and first commercially sold by Merck in 1827, which at the time was a single small chemists' shop. It was more...
.
In the TV series
In the TV series, Harry recovers from his illness and lives for another year. When Juan Rinez, a pimp who murders his own prostitutes, is released due to a faulty search warrantSearch warrant
A search warrant is a court order issued by a Magistrate, judge or Supreme Court Official that authorizes law enforcement officers to conduct a search of a person or location for evidence of a crime and to confiscate evidence if it is found....
, Harry loses his temper and tells Dexter he was right in training him. When Dexter kills Rinez, Harry is horrified by the way Dexter proudly shows him the pimp's dismembered body; it is Harry's first actual view of Dexter's "work", and he is ashamed of what he had trained Dexter to do. Harry commits suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
a few days later by deliberately overdosing
Drug overdose
The term drug overdose describes the ingestion or application of a drug or other substance in quantities greater than are recommended or generally practiced...
on his medication, but not before telling Matthews to look after his children. It is also revealed in season four in a conversation between one of his old confidential informants and Debra that Harry had slept with many of his informants, not just Laura.
Dexter learns Harry's secrets in the second season, and inadvertently reveals to Debra that Harry had cheated on his wife several times. This revelation has a profound effect on Debra, who loses all respect for the man she had always tried to live up to. Dexter, meanwhile, begins to question Harry's "code", realizing that, for the first time, he is the only one in charge of his "Dark Passenger". Nevertheless, Harry remains an important influence on him; Dexter occasionally imagines that he is talking with Harry's spirit.