James Doakes
Encyclopedia
James Doakes 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 Erik King
. Doakes is a police detective with the rank of Sergeant serving as lead case investigator to Miami Police Department
's Homicide Department. Doakes has a violent temper, which drives him to divorce his wife; he confesses that if he had stayed with her, he would have killed her.
, serving with the elite Regimental Reconnaissance Detachment. After spending many years in black operation
s, Doakes gave up his military career, electing instead to use his skills to help innocent civilians. Doakes's police career grinds to a halt when he receives excessive force
citations and proves he cannot work well with others (unless leading them). Doakes had a relationship with LaGuerta, whom he made a point of listening to, and was partners with her, but their partnership ended when LaGuerta arrested a high-profile drug dealer in a drug bust and got promoted.
meeting, supposedly for heroin addiction; Doakes erroneously believes Dexter's dark secret is that he is a drug addict. Feeling sympathetic towards Dexter for once, Doakes briefly leaves him alone.
Doakes resumes the hunt, however, after Debra
reveals that Dexter doesn't even smoke. After Doakes starts investigating Dexter's past, Dexter goads him into a fight — seemingly unprovoked — in front of the entire squad room. Doakes is initially prepared to accept dismissal and take a high-paying security job LaGuerta set up for him, only to begin suspecting Dexter is the notorious Bay Harbor Butcher when Special Agent Frank Lundy mentions shoddy bloodwork as a reason for the acquittal
of one of the Butcher's victims.
Doakes, in the course of following Dexter, stumbles upon Santos Jimenez's remains and Dexter's blood slide collection box, and realizes Dexter's secret: He is the Bay Harbor Butcher. Ironically, Doakes becomes the prime suspect in the case when he leaves Miami to get the blood slides analyzed.
Doakes attempts to apprehend Dexter himself in the Everglades
, but Dexter gets the upper hand and locks him in Jimenez's cabin until he can decide what to do with him. In the end, Dexter decides to frame and turn in Doakes to the FBI.
Dexter's erstwhile lover Lila Tournay finds the cabin, and makes the decision for him: after finding out from Doakes that Dexter is the Bay Harbor Butcher, she blows up the cabin by igniting propane
tanks. Doakes's incinerated remains are found along with the dismembered body of Jose Garza, and so the case is closed, with the official conclusion being Doakes was the Butcher. Later on, Dexter avenges Doakes' murder by killing Lila. Doakes's funeral is largely unattended, with the exception of LaGuerta, Dexter, and Doakes' mother and sisters. Doakes is replaced as sergeant by Angel Batista
.
with the U.S. Marine Corps
alongside Kyle Chutsky and "Dr. Danco". Dexter believes that Doakes has a "Dark Passenger" of his own, and deals with it by being as violent as he legally can in his job. After LaGuerta's murder at the end of Darkly Dreaming Dexter
, Doakes believes Dexter was the killer, and tails Dexter in Dearly Devoted Dexter
, intending to "catch him in the act". Instead, Doakes himself is captured by "Dr. Danco", who torture
s him by removing his feet, hands, and tongue. In Dexter in the Dark
, Doakes returns briefly, but cannot communicate (Erik King
, who plays Doakes in the TV series, has joked in an interview that in the second book, his character becomes "a stub").
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 Erik King
Erik King
Erik King is an American actor, perhaps best known for his portrayal of Sgt. Doakes on Showtime's television series Dexter.-Early life:King attended Morehouse College, where he won a varsity letter in track and field and graduated summa cum laude. For his honors thesis, he adapted the 1985 film...
. Doakes is a police detective with the rank of Sergeant serving as lead case investigator to Miami Police Department
Miami 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...
's Homicide Department. Doakes has a violent temper, which drives him to divorce his wife; he confesses that if he had stayed with her, he would have killed her.
Character biography
Doakes enlisted in the U.S. Army and went on to become an Army RangerUnited States Army Rangers
United States Army Rangers are elite members of the United States Army. Rangers have served in recognized U.S. Army Ranger units or have graduated from the U.S. Army's Ranger School...
, serving with the elite Regimental Reconnaissance Detachment. After spending many years in black operation
Black operation
A black operation or black op is a covert operation typically involving activities that are highly clandestine and often outside of standard military protocol or even against the law.-Origins:...
s, Doakes gave up his military career, electing instead to use his skills to help innocent civilians. Doakes's police career grinds to a halt when he receives excessive force
Excessive Force
Excessive Force is a musical side project started in 1991 by Sascha Konietzko of KMFDM and Buzz McCoy of My Life With the Thrill Kill Kult.-History:...
citations and proves he cannot work well with others (unless leading them). Doakes had a relationship with LaGuerta, whom he made a point of listening to, and was partners with her, but their partnership ended when LaGuerta arrested a high-profile drug dealer in a drug bust and got promoted.
Season one
Doakes hates Dexter; he is the only person in Dexter's life who can see through his mask of normalcy. Doakes suspects that Dexter is hiding something, and has no reservations about telling him so. Ultimately, Doakes realizes that Dexter is withholding vital information on the Ice Truck Killer case, to the point that he is driven to physically attack him, only for Dexter to expertly fight back.Season two
LaGuerta, Doakes' old partner, tells him to back off, but Doakes merely begins following Dexter in secret. Doakes ends his investigations when he finds Dexter attending a Narcotics AnonymousNarcotics Anonymous
Narcotics Anonymous is a twelve-step program modeled after Alcoholics Anonymous describing itself as a "fellowship or society of men and women for whom drugs had become a major problem," and it is the second-largest 12-step organization...
meeting, supposedly for heroin addiction; Doakes erroneously believes Dexter's dark secret is that he is a drug addict. Feeling sympathetic towards Dexter for once, Doakes briefly leaves him alone.
Doakes resumes the hunt, however, after Debra
Debra Morgan
Debra Morgan is a fictional character created by Jeff Lindsay for his Dexter book series. She also appears in the television series, based on Lindsay's books, portrayed by Jennifer Carpenter. In Lindsay's novels, she first appeared in Darkly Dreaming Dexter, and has featured in every novel...
reveals that Dexter doesn't even smoke. After Doakes starts investigating Dexter's past, Dexter goads him into a fight — seemingly unprovoked — in front of the entire squad room. Doakes is initially prepared to accept dismissal and take a high-paying security job LaGuerta set up for him, only to begin suspecting Dexter is the notorious Bay Harbor Butcher when Special Agent Frank Lundy mentions shoddy bloodwork as a reason for the acquittal
Acquittal
In the common law tradition, an acquittal formally certifies the accused is free from the charge of an offense, as far as the criminal law is concerned. This is so even where the prosecution is abandoned nolle prosequi...
of one of the Butcher's victims.
Doakes, in the course of following Dexter, stumbles upon Santos Jimenez's remains and Dexter's blood slide collection box, and realizes Dexter's secret: He is the Bay Harbor Butcher. Ironically, Doakes becomes the prime suspect in the case when he leaves Miami to get the blood slides analyzed.
Doakes attempts to apprehend Dexter himself in the Everglades
Everglades
The Everglades are subtropical wetlands in the southern portion of the U.S. state of Florida, comprising the southern half of a large watershed. The system begins near Orlando with the Kissimmee River, which discharges into the vast but shallow Lake Okeechobee...
, but Dexter gets the upper hand and locks him in Jimenez's cabin until he can decide what to do with him. In the end, Dexter decides to frame and turn in Doakes to the FBI.
Dexter's erstwhile lover Lila Tournay finds the cabin, and makes the decision for him: after finding out from Doakes that Dexter is the Bay Harbor Butcher, she blows up the cabin by igniting propane
Propane
Propane is a three-carbon alkane with the molecular formula , normally a gas, but compressible to a transportable liquid. A by-product of natural gas processing and petroleum refining, it is commonly used as a fuel for engines, oxy-gas torches, barbecues, portable stoves, and residential central...
tanks. Doakes's incinerated remains are found along with the dismembered body of Jose Garza, and so the case is closed, with the official conclusion being Doakes was the Butcher. Later on, Dexter avenges Doakes' murder by killing Lila. Doakes's funeral is largely unattended, with the exception of LaGuerta, Dexter, and Doakes' mother and sisters. Doakes is replaced as sergeant by Angel Batista
Angel Batista
Detective Sergeant Ángel Juan Marcos Batista is a fictional character in the Showtime television series Dexter and the novels by Jeff Lindsay upon which it is based.-Character biography:...
.
Differences from the novels
In the novels, Doakes' first name is "Albert", and he served in El SalvadorEl Salvador
El Salvador or simply Salvador is the smallest and the most densely populated country in Central America. The country's capital city and largest city is San Salvador; Santa Ana and San Miguel are also important cultural and commercial centers in the country and in all of Central America...
with the U.S. Marine Corps
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
alongside Kyle Chutsky and "Dr. Danco". Dexter believes that Doakes has a "Dark Passenger" of his own, and deals with it by being as violent as he legally can in his job. After LaGuerta's murder at the end of Darkly Dreaming Dexter
Darkly Dreaming Dexter
Darkly Dreaming Dexter is a 2004 novel by Jeff Lindsay, the first in his series about serial killer Dexter Morgan. It has formed the basis of the Showtime television series Dexter and won the 2005 Dilys Award and the 2007 'Book to TV' award....
, Doakes believes Dexter was the killer, and tails Dexter 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:...
, intending to "catch him in the act". Instead, Doakes himself is captured by "Dr. Danco", who torture
Torture
Torture is the act of inflicting severe pain as a means of punishment, revenge, forcing information or a confession, or simply as an act of cruelty. Throughout history, torture has often been used as a method of political re-education, interrogation, punishment, and coercion...
s him by removing his feet, hands, and tongue. In Dexter in the Dark
Dexter in the Dark
Dexter in the Dark is a 2007 novel written by Jeff Lindsay. This is the third book in the Dexter series, preceded by the 2004 novel Darkly Dreaming Dexter—which formed the basis of the Showtime television series Dexter—and Dearly Devoted Dexter, its 2005 sequel.Dexter in the Dark was released...
, Doakes returns briefly, but cannot communicate (Erik King
Erik King
Erik King is an American actor, perhaps best known for his portrayal of Sgt. Doakes on Showtime's television series Dexter.-Early life:King attended Morehouse College, where he won a varsity letter in track and field and graduated summa cum laude. For his honors thesis, he adapted the 1985 film...
, who plays Doakes in the TV series, has joked in an interview that in the second book, his character becomes "a stub").