Sumith Prasad
When Angel Batista deals with his divorce from Nina Batista in Showtime’s crime series ‘Dexter,’ his colleague Vince Masuka takes him to Bel Canto, a prominent nightclub in Miami, Florida. Masuka describes the nightclub as a “hottie central” where Angel will be able to meet a new woman and move on from his loneliness. The establishment becomes a significant part of the Miami Metro Police Department’s investigation into the Ice-Truck Killer since the cop finds an integral lead about the serial killer from a prostitute he meets at the nightclub. Despite its prominence, Bel Canto doesn’t exist beyond the ‘Dexter’ saga!
The Fictional Bel Canto
Bel Canto is a nightclub that doesn’t exist in reality. Even though there is an establishment named Bel Canto located at North Mainstreet in Rancho Cucamonga, California, it is a café and espresso bar rather than a nightclub. The Bel Canto we see in the crime drama is a fictional nightclub created as an integral part of Angel Batista’s storyline. Through the scenes set at the establishment, the show explores the depth of Angel’s divorce from Nina. Even after his divorce, Angels finds it hard to approach and garner the attention of a woman, as he intentionally or unintentionally cannot stop talking about his ex-wife.
Despite Bel Canto having a cheerful ambiance that is perfect for igniting romantic connections, as Masuka does with a woman, Angel finds it hard to loosen himself. His failure to hide his past, even when he is searching for a potential partner at a nightclub renowned for connecting people, shows how much he struggles with his separation from Nina. Furthermore, Angel’s encounter with the prostitute with a prosthetic arm also takes place in the nightclub. Considering that it is unlikely that their paths will cross anywhere else, the selection of the setting is justified. The encounter paves the way for Angel’s discussion with Masuka about prosthetic body parts, which later convinces Dexter Morgan that his sister’s boyfriend, Rudy Cooper, can be the serial killer he has been searching for.
Bel Canto is more or less unidentifiable in ‘Dexter’ since there are no exterior shots used to establish the nightclub. It can be a real club in Miami or Los Angeles County, California, which are the integral locations of the first season. The production team must have even used Sunset Gower Studios in Los Angeles, another main location of the crime drama, to set up the nightclub since an ordinary establishment may not be spatial enough to accommodate multiple cameras and production crew members.
