The British Invasion (Dexter)

"The British Invasion" is the twelfth episode and finale of the second season, and twenty-fourth overall episode, of the American television drama series Dexter, which first aired on 16 December 2007 on Showtime in the United States.^[1] The episode was written by Daniel Cerone (based on a story by Cerone and Melissa Rosenberg) and was directed by Steve Shill. In the episode, Lila Tournay (Jaime Murray) finds Sgt. James Doakes (Erik King) imprisoned in an Everglades cabin and learns from him that her object of affection, Dexter Morgan (Michael C. Hall), is the serial killer known as the "Bay Harbor Butcher". She decides to help Dexter and kills Doakes by setting the cabin on fire. Meanwhile, Dexter's sister Debra (Jennifer Carpenter) questions whether her career is more important than her relationship with FBI Special Agent Frank Lundy (Keith Carradine).

"The British Invasion" was filmed in early November 2007. Doakes's death, according to Dexter's writers, was premeditated from the show's pilot episode because the character was "too good to not kill".^[2] The episode was seen by 1.4 million viewers, according to Nielsen ratings, and received mixed reviews from critics. It was nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Cinematography for a One-Hour Series and a Golden Reel Award for Best Sound Editing – Sound Effects and Foley for Short Form Television. The episode was included in TV Guide's 100 Greatest TV Episodes at no. 49.^[3]