Kept on
a
short leash by his sister, Debra (who just found out his dark secret), Dexter
sneaks off to a gym, where he pretends to exercise, while he's
really stalking Ray Speltzer (whom he suspects of being a serial
killer).
Dexter works out on a rowing machine while he watches Speltzer savagely pound a punching bag.
He
notes that Speltzer still hasn't shaved his head yet, but Dexter
wonders if this furious attack on the bag might be part of Speltzer's pre-kill ritual.
Dexter
gets a phone call from Debra, who asks where he is. He tells her
he's trying out a new gym, because it has a smoothie bar.
The
camera pulls back to show that Debra is just outside the gym.
She's been following Dexter, and knows exactly where he is.
Q.
What is it actually in real life?
A. A boxing/martial arts gym.
Q.
Where can I find it in real life?
A. This scene was shot at Tarzana Boxing & Fitness, at 19626 Ventura Blvd, Tarzana, CA.
The gym is on the bottom floor of a retail building, on the south side of Ventura Blvd, on the west side of the San Fernando Valley.
The sign outside lists boxing, kickboxing, jiu jitsu and mixed martial arts. And their website indicates they specialize in training and cardio workouts.
(They also shot the opening Post Office scene in this same building, only they went upstairs to shoot that one.)
The community of Tarzana started
out life as "Tarzana Ranch", the private estate of author Edgar Rice
Burroughs, the creator of "Tarzan". It is bordered by Encino, Reseda and Woodland Hills.
A. In the early seasons, I usually had to hunt down the locations after viewing the episodes,
using clues from the various scenes. By the now, though,
I've developed a small group of fans, spies & tipsters who kept an
eye out for Dexter filming in their neighborhoods, and would let me know
in advance when something was about to film there.
Between those reports, my own personal reconnaissance around town, and a
few new resources I discovered, by the time the first episode airs, I
already know most (but not all) of the filming locations, and only
need to watch the episodes and match up the scenes with the correct
locations.
This group of helpful fans includes Rick, Ellen, Elaine, Mia, Joel, Susan, Eric, Jeff, Kerry & others. My thanks to all of
them.
Rick not only tipped me to this one, he also shot surveillance video of them filming at the building!
Take a look at this short video of the gym exterior:
