Gene Marshall (Early Cuts)

Early Cuts: Gene Marshall is the second part of Season 1 of Dexter Early Cuts, a web series released by Showtime in 2009. Each of the four chapters are approximately two minutes long. Gene also briefly appears in the TV episode "Return to Sender" in Season One of the Showtime series DEXTER.

Dexter Morgan targets Gene Marshall, an arsonist who burned seven people alive.

Description
Gene is a tall, bald man with green eyes and a mustache. He wears a business suit and tie.

Chapter 1

 * Release Date: 15 November 2009

It opens with Dexter lighting a candle, and remembering that Harry had advised him to have a plan, and always be prepared. Thus, Dexter always makes sure that he has candles, a flashlight, and a project to keep him busy in the dark.

As Dexter looks through a file, he narrates: "Gene Marshall -- real-estate mogul, millionaire, and arsonist. Set fire to one of his own apartment complexes. Didn't matter that his insurance policy had expired or that a dozen residents were still inside. Marshall lost six million dollars and seven innocent people lost their lives."In a flashback, tenants are shown running from flames inside a building, with some jumping from the upper floors.

Chapter 2

 * Release Date: 22 November 2009

Dexter has learned that Gene’s psychiatrist, Dr. Greenstein, deemed him mentally unfit to stand trial. After spending only three months in a psychiatric institution (due to Gene paying off his shrink), Gene was released and returned to his life of luxury. He may have played the system, but he's about to get burned, Dexter thought.

Under an alias, Dexter pays a visit to Dr. Greenstein, pretending to be interested in buying his boat, Slice of Heaven.

Greenstein says he just bought it, but he’s upgrading because he “came into some money” and wants a yacht. When Dexter asks if he won the lottery, Greenstein says he makes his own luck. Dexter checks the obits and finds no dead family members, which means it’s not a coincidence that Gene got off and the doctor got rich.

Gene is eating dinner in his mansion when the lights suddenly go off. He lights a candle as Dexter appears behind him, and injects him in the neck with M99.

Chapter 3

 * Release Date: 29 November 2009

As Gene lies on a kill table, Dexter lights candles in front of the photos of his victims. Then Dexter blows out the match in Gene’s wide-eyed face. “Holy Smokes, right?” Dexter mockingly remarks. He asks Gene if he’s scared, adding that he bets his victims were scared. Dexter says being burned to death is a terrible way to die, and tells Gene that he’s going to kill him with a fireman’s knife. Gene claims that he wasn’t trying to kill anybody, but he admits that he didn’t care because he just had to light that fire because he can’t  control his urges. Dexter informs Gene that he’s going to slit his throat, cut him up into little pieces, and burn what’s left. “Have you ever seen someone burn alive?” Gene asks. Creeped out, Dexter punctures Gene’s throat, causing blood to spurt.

Just as he is about to cut up the body, Deb calls, having just received her driver's license. She insists on taking Dexter for a drive to celebrate her sweet-sixteenth birthday. In a hurry, Dexter puts Gene's body in the trunk of his car and heads out to meet his sister.

As Dexter is driving, Gene opens his eyes.

Chapter 4

 * Release Date: 6 December 2009

Dexter hears thumping inside the trunk and pulls into an alley. When the trunk is opened, Gene slashes at Dexter with his knife. Dexter quickly kicks it from his hand and knocks him out with a flashlight. He finishes Gene off by driving his car over his head. After dismembering Gene, Dexter stuffs the body parts inside a metal barrel, pours on gasoline, and sets it on fire -- only to have it explode.

Forced to find a better method of disposal, Dexter purchases Dr. Greenstein’s boat. He renames it from Slice of Heaven to Slice of Life, with "Slice" referring to Dexter's use of blades.

Victims
The names of Gene’s victims were obtained from a now defunct Showtime website.


 * Herb Watson (age 73)
 * Jacob Williams (age 31)
 * Harold Tress (age 44)
 * Bob Mority (age 27)
 * Kim Yancy (age 29)
 * Vince Colbert (age 33)
 * Craig Johnson (age 40)

Timeline Inconsistency
In Early Cuts, Gene Marshall is killed in 1993, and Alex Timmons is killed in 2003. Despite Dexter taking his first blood slide from Alex, Gene also has a blood slide in Dexter's box. ("Return to Sender")

Related Pages

 * Blood Slide Boxes
 * Dexter Early Cuts
 * Dexter Morgan/Early Cuts
 * Gene Marshall (TV character)
 * Kill Tools
 * Slice of Life

Web Series
Gene Marshall - All four chapters (viewer discretion)