Born Free (Dexter)

Born Free (Dexter)

"Born Free" is the twelfth episode of season one and first season finale of the American television drama series Dexter, which aired on December 17, 2006 on Showtime in the United States. The episode also aired on May 4, 2008 on CTV in Canada; on May 14, 2008 on FX in the UK; on September 28, 2008 on Channel Ten in Australia; and on March 21, 2011 on STAR World in India. The episode was written by Daniel Cerone and executive producer Melissa Rosenberg, and was directed by Michael Cuesta. Based on the novel Darkly Dreaming Dexter by Jeff Lindsay, the season featured many differences to the original source, mainly in the lead-up to and revelation of the identity of the "Ice Truck Killer". The episode was very well received by critics, and Michael C. Hall was nominated for a Golden Globe for his role as Dexter Morgan.

The episode focuses on the final confrontation between Dexter and the "Ice Truck Killer". After kidnapping Debra Morgan (Jennifer Carpenter), Rudy Cooper (Christian Camargo) is in the final stages of his plan to reunite with his long-lost brother. James Doakes (Erik King) and María LaGuerta (Lauren Vélez) investigate the case, and Doakes begins to suspect that Dexter is involved. Meanwhile, Paul Bennett (Mark Pellegrino) tries to convince Rita Bennett (Julie Benz) that Dexter is not who she thinks he is.