# In the Beginning (Dexter)

"In the Beginning" is the tenth episode of the fifth season of the American crime drama television series Dexter. It is the 58th overall episode of the series and was written by Scott Reynolds, and was directed by Keith Gordon. It originally aired on Showtime on November 28, 2010.
Set in Miami, the series centers on Dexter Morgan, a forensic technician specializing in bloodstain pattern analysis for the fictional Miami Metro Police Department, who leads a secret parallel life as a vigilante serial killer, hunting down murderers who have not been adequately punished by the justice system due to corruption or legal technicalities. In the episode, Dexter and Lumen locate a survivor to get the name of the other man in the photograph, while Liddy gets closer to discover Dexter's secret.
According to Nielsen Media Research, the episode was seen by an estimated 2.54 million household viewers and gained a 1.1/3 ratings share among adults aged 18–49. The episode received acclaim by critics, who praised the performances, writing and character development. For the episode, Julia Stiles received a nomination for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series at the 63rd Primetime Emmy Awards.

## Plot

Dexter (Michael C. Hall) gets Sonya (Maria Doyle Kennedy) to take Harrison to his grandparents' house outside Miami, afraid that Jordan Chase (Jonny Lee Miller) could go after him. He gets Lumen (Julia Stiles) to stay at his apartment, while he tracks Emily Birch.
With the Barrel Girls case re-opened, Miami Metro begins investigating Chase and Harmon's whereabouts. While inspecting Harmon's house, Debra (Jennifer Carpenter) and Quinn (Desmond Harrington) find DVDs depicting 13 women being raped, with Dexter deducing Lumen is among them. To prevent her from being discovered, Dexter replaces the DVD with another one. Harmon's connection to Dan Mendell is confirmed when his ring appears in the DVD as well. Dexter and Lumen visit Emily (Angela Bettis), but she claims not to know Chase nor any of the other men. Dexter shows Lumen the DVD of her rape, and she willingly decides to watch it.
Lumen visits Emily to show her the DVD and convince her she can trust. Emily finally admits that she was a counselor at a camp twenty years prior, where she was raped by a gang of campers led by Chase, whose actual name is Eugene Greer. She could never prove it, and was unable to take them to justice. She also reveals that the other man in the picture is Alex Tilden (Scott Grimes). Lumen informs Dexter that she will only tell him the name if he lets her kill him, despite Dexter's concern that it might destroy her. It is revealed that Chase told Emily to give all the information to Lumen, but he does not kill her. Liddy (Peter Weller) sneaks into the police station and takes equipment after forging Quinn's signature, using it to watch Dexter's apartment.
Dexter and Lumen stage the killing room, unaware that Liddy is following them. Chase has also instructed Tilden to go to his house, while calling Debra to report that Tilden tried to flee with Harmon, knowing that Dexter and Lumen will take care of him at his house. Debra and Quinn arrive at Tilden's house, but Dexter and Lumen are actually next door after capturing Tilden. Despite Tilden's pleas, Lumen kills him by stabbing him. That night, they return home after disposing of the body. They share a kiss and subsequently have sex. Dexter notes how he struggled with human connection, but with Lumen he feels different, "in her eyes, I'm not a monster at all."

## Production
### Development

The episode was written by Scott Reynolds, and was directed by Keith Gordon. This was Reynolds' fifth writing credit, and Gordon's ninth directing credit.

## Reception
### Viewers

In its original American broadcast, "In the Beginning" was seen by an estimated 2.54 million household viewers with a 1.1/3 in the 18–49 demographics. This means that 1.1 percent of all households with televisions watched the episode, while 3 percent of all of those watching television at the time of the broadcast watched it. This was a 20% increase in viewership from the previous episode, which was watched by an estimated 2.11 million household viewers with a 1.0/2 in the 18–49 demographics.

### Critical reviews

"In the Beginning" received critical acclaim. Matt Fowler of IGN gave the episode an "amazing" 9 out of 10, and wrote, "We're all pretty sure that Lumen will be the first "guest star" on this series to survive the season, but now it seems like she's not going to just take off and head home after he killings are done. Things are looking like Lumen might somehow take the fall for the kills and get sent to prison. Like she might voluntarily sacrifice herself to save Dexter because his work is important. As she and Dexter embraced at the end, Dexter relished the fact that she was the first person to know the truth and not think of him as a monster."
Emily St. James of The A.V. Club gave the episode an "A–" grade and wrote, "So we've got all of the pieces in place for what should be two pretty terrific final episodes, even if it took some weird steps for the show to get there. More than any other season of the series, the final two episodes of this season of Dexter are going to be incredibly important in the season's overall success." Alan Sepinwall of HitFix wrote, "I guess that's a problem a show this established – and, outside of the huge exception of Rita's death, with such an established pattern of resetting the status quo – can't get around. I can't just watch these crazy events unfold, but rather keep thinking about how the show's familiar pattern will apply to all the new characters in the climax."
Lizzy Goodman of Vulture wrote, "Lumen doesn't see Dexter as a monster, she sees him as a really good man, someone who rescued her in so many ways. And through her eyes, Dexter sees himself that way. And that's what love is, right? Seeing the best version of yourself through someone else? But what about the dark side of that? What about the dark side of our love for Dexter? Bottom line: He's a murderer. Is the deservedness of his victims' deaths enough to firmly separate him from someone like Chase?" Sandra Gonzalez of Entertainment Weekly wrote, "After last week's gasp-inducing final minutes - when Jordan Chase all but declared war on Lumen and Dexter - we knew something big was going to go down this week. Little did we know that episode 10's biggest moment would be less about Dexter and Lumen's destruction and more about the pair's union - in the bedroom."
Gina DiNunno of TV Guide wrote, "In a touching moment, he kisses her forehead and she puts his hand on her heart. Later, as the two lay naked and look at each other, Dexter thinks to himself, "In her eyes, I'm not a monster."" Billy Grifter of Den of Geek wrote, "Two more episodes to go, and we're on the edge of a disturbing precipice, wondering how long the fall takes. I'm not even going to attempt to guess where we're being taken and what the consequences for all concerned might be. It's a white knuckle ride and there's no getting off now."
Claire Zulkey of Los Angeles Times wrote, "My longshot prediction is that Liddy will die in a horrible fire along with all of his notes on Dexter, but in the meantime Liddy's muddling around will indicate a huge mess for Dexter, Lumen, Quinn and Deb, and I can't wait for that." Television Without Pity gave the episode an "A" grade.

### Accolades

For the episode, Julia Stiles received a nomination for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series at the 63rd Primetime Emmy Awards. She would lose to Loretta Devine for Grey's Anatomy.