Doris Morgan

Doris Morgan is a character in Showtime's series DEXTER.

She is Dexter Morgan's adoptive mother, and Debra Morgan's biological mother. She died of cancer when Debra was sixteen. She and her husband were good friends with Gene and Camilla Figg and often played bridge together partnering with Camilla and "took [their husbands] to the cleaners." Debra and Dexter recall visiting Doris's sister in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. ("Swim Deep")

Season One

 * "Let's Give the Boy a Hand"

(Flashback) Doris is seen posing for a family picture taken on Petrie Beach when she breaks up a verbal spat between Deb and Dexter. She affectionally tussles Dexter's hair and calls him handsome. The same beach is one of The Ice Truck Killer's crime scenes many years later.


 * "Love American Style"

When Angel Batista looks around Dexter's apartment and remarks, "You're kind of neat, aren't you?" which Dexter quips, "Bad habit instilled by mom."


 * "Father Knows Best"

(Flashback) Doris urges her husband, Harry, to contact Dexter's biological father for a blood transfusion for Dexter after he is severely injured.

Season Two

 * "See-Through"

(Flashback) Dexter overhears a destressed Doris and Harry disagreeing and she insists there is something off about Dexter. Doris suggests that it would not hurt to have Dexter tested. With Harry's guidance, Dexter fools the testing child psychiatrist.

Season Three

 * "Turning Biminese"

Dexter "envisions Harry" telling him how Ethan Turner chose to be rich rather than married. Harry, on the other hand, chose to stay with Doris, even after he cheated on her with Laura Moser.

Dexter visits a terminally ill Camilla Figg in Hospice and she gifts him a shoebox full of photographs from his childhood. Her late husband, Gene Figg, loved taking pictures and he documented every bridge game they played with Doris and Harry.
 * "Easy as Pie"

Debra can't visit Camilla in hospice because sick people remind her too much of her mother.


 * "I Had a Dream"

Dexter lets it slip to Deb that Harry cheated on Doris with a C.I. because she felt like failure compared to her father for sleeping with her own C.I. Deb then searches through Harry's old files, hoping to learn the C.I.'s name. This eventually leads to another C.I. that Harry cheated on Doris with - Valerie Hodges, After seeing Laura Moser's house, Deb reads an article about the Shipping Yard Massacre and learn that Dexter and Brian Moser are biological brothers.


 * "Do You Take Dexter Morgan?"

While dressing for his wedding, Dexter remembers when Harry first taught him how to tie a tie for his adoptive mom's funeral. "Harry" tells Dexter both his biological mother and his adoptive mother would be proud of him today.

Season Six

 * "Those Kinds of Things"

Dexter unsatisfactorily answers the questions by Our Lady of the Gulf Preschool's Admissions Director about his religious beliefs, Deb tells him that she is not the most religious person in the world either and her mom practically had to drag her to church.


 * "Ricochet Rabbit"

Deb reflects during her therapy session with Dr. Michelle Ross how she only attends church for funerals such her father, her mother, and her sister-in-law.

Season Seven

 * "Are You... ?"

(Flashback) Harry demands that Doris return Debra's new puppy, Banjo, but doesn't reveal that is fearful Dexter might harm it. Debra doesn't know the reason why she has to give it up and Dexter almost tells her, but Harry stops him.

Season Eight

 * "Every Silver Lining..."

When Dexter wonders why Harry confided to Dr. Evelyn Vogel about him, she says that he had nobody else to talk about Dexter including Doris.

Dexter: New Blood

 * "Too Many Tuna Sandwiches"

While at a family therapy session Dr. Morris Cooper asks Dexter about his family and Dexter states Doris died when he was in high school.


 * "The Family Business"

Dexter relays to his son Harrison how when he started exhibiting violent tendencies Harry kept it a secret from the rest of the family.

In the Novels
Dexter recalls his foster mom Doris as loving him. Dexter's sixteenth birthday was a rather restrained affair as Doris had recently died of cancer. She had been sick for years with lymphoma causing her to go to sleep earlier and earlier while taking a lot of pain medication. Doris tried to get Dexter to attend church services when he was young, but after a couple of regrettable incidents, it became apparent that it was not going to stick, and Harry intervened. Dexter remembers proverbial phrases his foster mom would often say:
 * The wicked flee when none pursueth. (Dexter is Delicious)
 * Two little problems make for one big solution. (Dexter's Final Cut)
 * You learn something new every day. (Dexter's Final Cut)

Related Pages

 * Harry Morgan
 * Debra Morgan
 * Dexter Morgan
 * Banjo
 * Petrie Beach