Angel Batista

Angelo "Angel" Batista (pronounced "Angh-hel" by Maria LaGuerta) is a main character in the Showtime series DEXTER, as well as a character in the Dexter Novels. He also makes an appearance as Captain in Dexter: New Blood.

Originally a Detective in the Miami Metro Homicide Division, Angel is promoted to Sergeant when the position is left open by the death of Sergeant James Doakes. Later, due to Debra Morgan's emotional collapse, Angel replaces her as Lieutenant, the position he holds until the end of the series. During the ten-year period between the end of Season 8 and Dexter: New Blood, Angel was promoted to the rank of Captain.

Summary
Angel thought of Dexter as a friend and always had his back. Eventually, Dexter came to accept Angel as his friend, even if he didn't always admit it to himself.

At murder sites, Angel was often the human counterpart to Dexter's fascination with bloody crime scenes. Sometimes, Angel offered his personal views on the murders, while Dexter admired the creativity of the killers.

At times, Angel butted heads with Vince Masuka over his inappropriate behavior around women. On one occasion, Angel expressed his concern over whether or not Masuka could keep his hands off the lab intern, Ryan Chambers.

Angel has been present since the beginning of the series, appearing at almost every crime scene and often had his own story arc to go alongside the main plot. One of these involved superior Maria LaGuerta, with whom he formed a romantic relationship in Season Four. It soon ended for political gain on her part.

Description
Angel is a middle-aged, Latino man who always wears a signature goatee, armed with a grin. Ever since his first appearance, he hasn't changed his facial hair although, at times, it is more pronounced. He has short, almost spiked black hair that is usually hidden under a fedora. Angel's facial expressions are one of the most powerful traits regarding his character. They display his emotional range from joy and kindness to disappointment and regret. Even rage is shown clearly (although it takes a lot to piss him off) and makes him one of the more emotionally developed characters in the series.

Angel is a man that loves button-up and colorful shirts. He is often seen wearing various Cuban inspired short-sleeved shirts at work, usually with a pair of khaki pants and dress shoes. When he's first introduced, however, he's shown in a detective's suit, with dark blue pants and a light blue shirt with a tie, no fedora included. His subsequent appearances almost always have him in something Cuban. When he does wear something more formal, he usually has a suit jacket to add to the flair. He owns a police uniform, but only wears it when absolutely necessary.

Personality
Batista is basically good-natured, with a dry sense of humor. He is also totally honest, at the request of his beloved father on his deathbed. This later lands him in trouble, as it drives him to expose Doakes' killer instincts to internal affairs and, after having an affair with another woman, confesses his actions to his wife who ends their relationship, After three months of being on his own, Batista turns to spiritual enlightenment to alleviate his pain..

His gut feeling regarding the death of Detective Mike Anderson lands him in a tough spot, realizing there's more to the case than what is let on but is told to back down by Lieutenant Debra Morgan as she works towards protecting Dexter's secret (of being a serial killer and having murdered Mike's killer. This event causes Angel to feel as though he's "used up" as a Detective and he begins looking into opening a restaurant, so that he may retire in relaxation with a carefree life. Soon after LaGuerta's death, he successfully establishes himself as the new Lieutenant of Homicide, whilst successfully taking care of his new restaurant.

Quotes

 * "I destroyed my marriage. I lost my little girl. I'm a divorced cop halfway down the road to a full-blown cliché - a divorced, alcoholic cop. And I needed to fight that... loneliness. So I found affection any way I could." - Angel to Barbara Gianna ("All in the Family")

Season One
During a drive with James Doakes, Doakes spots a man and a foot-chase ensues. When Angel arrives on the scene he finds the man dead. When first questioned by Internal Affairs, Angel lies for Doakes saying the other man shot first. However, Angel reveals he had made a promise to his father that he would always be an honest man. He then tells the truth to Sergeant McKay about Doakes firing first, after which he receives some backlash from co-workers. Due to his honesty, Angel also confesses to his wife about the one time he cheated. This leads to their separation, something he tries to keep hidden from everyone.

One night at a club, Angel sees a woman with a Prosthetic Hand, the nails painted in the same manner as the finger tips found in the refrigerated truck. This leads him to find out that the woman had a customer with an amputee fetish (achrotomophilia). In an attempt to chase the lead, Angel first talks with Masuka, who advises him to speak with Rudy, saying that people dealing with prosthetics frequently come across such "devotees". Unknown to him, Rudy is the real Ice Truck Killer. Later, Angel gets stabbed by Rudy. During recovery, he agrees to a divorce with his wife. He also identifies the true identity of Rudy by getting a match for his prints from a Tampa mental hospital, leading him to the name Brian Moser.

Season Two
Batista and the rest of the department try their best to alleviate the grief from families of The Bay Harbor Butcher victims. He becomes especially involved in one case of a man named Oscar Sota. When he talks to the man's wife in the office, he ends up having a heated and frustrating argument with her about what her husband was actually doing to be targeted by the Butcher. Feeling incredibly guilty for his previous behavior with the wife, he goes to her house and offers her a sincere apology. She begins trusting Batista and offers him greater detail on the case, telling him how Oscar hid weapons in the walls in their house.

He eventually takes an interest in Lila Tourney and, after her and Dexter's breakup, makes advances on her, which she gladly embraces. Despite being warned by Dexter of Lila’s unstable behavior and the fact that she is using him to get to Dexter, Angel continues to pursue Lila. However, after fighting with Dexter, Lila takes Rohypnol and then files date rape charges against Batista. Batista then expresses how terrified he is if the rape charge follows through, as it will likely ruin his career. Dexter threatens Lila and makes her drop the charges, much to Batista's relief. In a rare moment of honesty, Dexter tells Angel that if he could be like anyone - like a "real person" - he would want to be a man like Batista.

Season Three
Batista is promoted to Sergeant and made the department's new lead case investigator to replace the now-deceased Doakes. However, it appears that his life as a divorced father is beginning to take its toll on Angel, as he risks his career with a hooker who turns out to be an undercover cop. After persistent but gentlemanly advances, Angel begins a relationship with the other officer; Barbara Gianna. He is obviously overconscientious of the relationship, leaving her a long-winded message begging forgiveness for having to cancel dinner because of work. However, Barbara finds this hysterically funny, brings him a take-out dinner, and their relationship appears strong. One indication as to the strength of their relationship is that after she is assaulted, it is suggested that he would have tried to kill the assailant (or at the very least violently beaten him), had Dexter not intervened and subtly calmed Batista down. He attends Dexter's wedding with Barbara as his date.

Season Four
Angel and Maria LaGuerta begin a relationship (as his relationship with Barbara ended between seasons). After breaking up to keep their positions within the department, they reconnect. At the end of the season, they are married, with Dexter signing as the witness.

Season Five
Batista and LaGuerta's marriage is constantly challenged by their work disagreements. At first, Batista caves in to LaGuerta's demands, but grows more and more frustrated. When a drunk police officer makes sexual remarks about LaGuerta ("she gave the best blowjobs in Miami"), Batista, also drunk, beats him up and ends up being investigated by Internal Affairs. LaGuerta teams up with the investigating officer, but that prompts Batista to develop a deep jealousy. He starts checking her cell phone for suspicious messages and finds a rendezvous appointment in a hotel room. Outraged, he walks in on them, only to find out that it was intended to be a sting operation to apprehend a corrupt narcotics cop, in which LaGuerta agreed to participate to bail Batista out of the investigation.

When LaGuerta's bad judgment call leads to the killing of their informant in the Fuentes brothers case, she pins the blame on Debra Morgan, rekindling their rivalry. Upset by LaGuerta's decision, Batista decides to stick to Debra's story and does so in his written statement. He also helps Debra when she insists on reopening the Barrel Girls Case after LaGuerta closed it too soon – although he fails to convince LaGuerta himself. Ever since, Batista's approach towards LaGuerta's bossiness has drastically changed, as he has been "cutting her off" every time she tries to overpower his decision. However, in the "The Big One," they seem to have set their relationship back on track.

Season Six
Angel and LaGuerta separate in order for her to secure the position of 'Captain' in Miami Metro Homicide, however, her position as Lieutenant is left open specifically for Angel by her recommendation. To her surprise, Deputy Chief Thomas Matthews decides to advance Debra Morgan to Lieutenant instead. Debra breaks this news to Angel, who takes it in stride and congratulates her nonetheless, but is still hurt by constantly having to pay the price for LaGuerta's political battles with Matthews. Batista's partner, Joey Quinn points out that Angel is too soft, which infuriates him. However he manages to restrain himself, likely wanting to avoid another situation like the Lopez ordeal the previous year. His relationship is further strained when Quinn, in a drunken state, makes degrading remarks towards Jamie and is knocked down by him.

With her budding relationship with Louis Greene, Masuka's third intern, Angel attempts to scare him away during a dinner with both of them. This fails, though Angel does respect Louis' technological investigative prowess.

When Angel approaches a suspect's house, without Quinn for backup, he is knocked out with a giant wooden cross, by a hiding Travis Marshall after becoming too suspicious. Just as Travis is about to finish Angel off, Quinn arrives at the last second and saves him, forcing Travis to escape.

Later, Quinn deeply apologizes for everything he's put Angel through due to him constantly drinking and arriving late to work. Angel thanked him for saving his life, but says that he can't have a partner that he can't trust and tells Quinn that he is having him transferred (in reality he's only saying this to get him to shape-up). Angel talks to him in private and tells him that even now he still acts immature and needs to grow up. Quinn tries to rectify what he has done wrong and convince Angel that he will change his ways.

Season Seven
After Mike Andersons murder, Batista feels burnt out as a cop and voices his desire to leave the force in pursuit of a restaurant business. Quinn helps him out, giving him $10 000 which he received from George Novikov as a bribery to lay off the Koshka Brotherhood (although he tells Angel that he inherited it from a wealthy relative). Initially, his dream appears to crumble after repeated notifications of problems with his restaurant by health inspectors. However, his place called Papa's Cafe turns profitable and several significant events take place there.

Towards the end of the season, LaGuerta arrests Dexter for the murder of Hector Estrada (unaware that he he is not dead) and Batista tries to act as an intermediary between the two (having a close relationship with both). When evidence points to LaGuerta apparently framing Dexter (in reality, Dexter set her up), Batista pleads with her to leave Dexter alone and drop her case against him, for her own good.

Neither LaGuerta or Dexter show up at Batista's New Year Eve's party that he holds at his restaurant. This is the night that LaGuerta is shot by Debra in the shipping yard.

Season Eight
Six months after LaGuerta's death, a memorial service is held for her. Batista, now Lieutenant after Debra left the police force, delivers a heartfelt eulogy in remembrance of his boss, ex-wife, and good friend. Her death convinced Batista to stay in the force and devote his life to fighting crime. Batista faces a big dilemma as Lieutenant, in having to decide who will best serve as his replacement. While Quinn is a close friend, partner and boyfriend to his sister, Angie Miller has greater qualifications and experience for the job. Eventually, he tells Quinn that he has chosen Miller as his new Sergeant, which deeply upsets him, as Batista was the one who constantly pressured Quinn to make something of his life, by taking the Sergeant's exam.

Batista also tries to convince Debra to return to the Police Force, since the place has not been the same without her. He gives her a Detective Badge and even though Debra still does not make a definite decision, he requests that she keep it. Debra is currently considers the offer, but she finds it hard to reconcile with her unlawful behavior (an accomplice and accessory to murder, as well as murder itself) with being part of the police, who are supposed to uphold the law.

During this season, Batista works on the case of The Brain Surgeon, trying to find him and bring him to justice. When Dexter decides to leave Miami, he wishes Dexter a good life during a gathering at his restaurant, after Vogel's funeral. Batista is at the hospital with other members of Miami Metro Homicide when Debra Morgan is shot by Oliver Saxon in the old mental facility. After Dexter stabs Saxon, Batista is in the interrogation room with Quinn and they both accept the killing as self defense.

Finally, while at work, Batista gets a call on his cell phone from the U.S. Coast Guard. The officer says, "We just wanted to call and report the wreckage of Dexter Morgan's boat." He walks up to the camera while on the phone and quietly asks, "Dexter?"

Dexter: New Blood
Angel Batista is the lead speaker at a Missing Persons conference that Angela attends. He talks to the audience about how to find connections between murders to solve cases involving serial killers.
 * "Runaway"

At the end of the conference, Angela introduces herself to Batista and tells him about the missing women in her town. Angela tells him her gut says it’s not a coincidence and tells him about Iris. He tells her to listen to her gut. Angel tells her this reminds him of another case - the Trinity Killer. He tells him a smart woman solved the case - Debra Morgan, but that she passed along with her brother, who had a small child named Harrison.


 * "Sins of the Father"

Believing that Dexter killed Matt Caldwell, Angela and Sergeant Logan bring Dexter into custody. While looking through evidence, Angela calls Batista, who is watching television at his home in Miami. Angela introduces herself as the chief he met at his conference, and he tells her that he is happily married. She asks him for information on the Bay Harbor Butcher Case and James Doakes. Batista admits that not everyone believed that Doakes was the killer. He says Maria LaGuerta suspected Dexter Morgan, a man who has been dead for years. Angela tells him to check his email. He does, and finds a picture of her and Dexter from a month ago. Angela tells a shocked Batista that Dexter is sitting in a jail cell. When she asks to speak with LaGuerta, Batista explains that she had been murdered, which causes him to re-think the circumstances. He pulls out a file labeled "MARIA LAGUERTA" and tells Angela that he will be there by the morning with everything he has.

Relationship with Dexter
Batista claims to be Dexter's best friend, much to Dexter's confusion, as he has never given Batista any reason to think so. They go drinking together after Batista gets a salary bump and, after Batista is black-out drunk, he ends up waking up in Dexter's apartment. Batista always places great trust in Dexter, for instance, when he wants a secret blood test, seeking a match for a criminal who beat up his then girlfriend, so that he can take revenge. (Dexter subtly advises him not to do something he will regret, and Batista heeds his advice.) Batista also tells Dexter and no one else, that he is having 'intimate relations with LaGuerta' and both he and LaGuerta bring forth Dexter as a witness when they get married (telling him to keep it a secret). In Season Two, Dexter does admit that Batista is the closest thing he has to a friend and that if he was ever "normal," he would want to be a man like Batista.

When Dexter was presumed dead, Batista mourned him. Upon the discovery that Dexter was still alive and under arrest for murder, Batista was shocked. He set out to meet with Angela Bishop, a police chief who believed that the man he saw as a close friend was the real Bay Harbor Butcher and he may have played a role in the death of his ex-wife, Maria.

Attempted to Kill Angel

 * Brian Moser
 * Johnny Rose
 * Nikki Wald
 * Travis Marshall

Related Pages

 * Barbara Gianna
 * The Blue Room
 * Firebird Trans Am
 * Judge Belford
 * La Cuevita
 * M Street Bar
 * Papa's Cafe
 * The Salsa Room
 * Special Task Force

In the Novels

 * In the Dexter Novels, Batista is not a detective, but a forensic officer who works alongside Dexter. He is also referred to by himself and others as "Angel no-relation" in reference to former Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista.

Trivia

 * On the business card Batista gives to "Rudy" in season one, his first name is Angelo.
 * Angel is the last main character shown in the original series, other than Dexter Morgan.
 * Actor David Zayas, who portrayed Batista, was an actual police officer in the NYPD for fifteen years before becoming an actor.