Season 5 Episode 8

In this episode of Dexter, many negative representations of the Latino/a characters is seen within the plot alone. Being a fan of the show before this assignment, I personally can say that I found some issues with the way the characters were represented. As said in the previous post, there were many negative reactions to the show and the actions of the Latin characters, mainly Lt. LaGuerta. During this episode, Lt. LaGuerta is forced to make a big decision because of the actions that were taken during the previous episode in the shooting at the nightclub. LaGuerta knows that she is in the wrong but instead of using herself as the scapegoat, she in turn convinced another guest starring Latina character to lie on her behalf and put the blame onto Debra Morgan, putting her on paid suspension. This decision not only hurt her reputation but by using the other Latina woman, there is a negative portrayal of the Latin characters' morals and ethics.

Additionally, it is assumed from the beginning that it would be Batista that she would convince to lie on her behalf. He originally goes back and forth to decipher if he should be on the side of his wife or the whole truth. Despite his indecisiveness, Batista ultimately goes with what's right and backs up Debra and the rest of the characters, going against his wife. Even though there is all of this trickery and deceit, to see Batista's positive outlook and ability to go with what is right allows for a positive view on Latino/as.

With all of this back-stabbing, trickery, lying, and deceit, the Latin representation on the show is not that great. On the website and in popular media, many of the Latin characters do not receive the proper attention for the roles that they play. The only characters shown on the homepage are Dexter and Lumen (Julia Stiles, guest star) and never are the other characters shown on the page. Their lack of presence is not a good aspect to their representation, but it is known that they are not the main characters, therefore the smaller inclusion within the media is less surprising.

Much Hate for LaGuerta

Recently, there has been an increase in hate shown for Lt. LaGuerta within the media. On the Dexter website, there is a section called "The Crime Scene" where fans can gather and discuss the show. It has created a forum for many to place their views and opinions on the show and the various characters. Upon searching on the posts for LaGuerta, there were many filled with hate for her character. Some people have even written things like “laguerta you’re a dumb bitch.” These hateful messages towards her character are offensive and rude. Yet none of the comments are directed towards her ethnic background. With all of the hate and dislike for her character, none of the reasons are because she is Latina.

Despite the messages on the forum, much of the media that the show receives is revolved around the main character, Dexter. More often than not only Dexter is shown and most information in the popular press is completely about him. Many of the other characters are often undiscussed, such as LaGuerta and Batista. Their lack of presence though only reinforces that they are not the main characters, which is already known.

A majority of the website is designed to revolve around Dexter and his newfound relationship with Lumen, yet an important aspect of this season is the relationship between Batista and LaGuerta. In addition, there is the Santa Muerte killers and investigation that is constantly bringing on more hate and issues for LaGuerta. Her release of Debra for the shooting at the night club created an interesting new perspective of her and will continue to develop.