Reviewer Rating: 5/5.0
5
Dexter: Original Sin has officially entered the gaming realm and is already competing with NCIS: Origins.
NCIS: Origins explores the backstory of our beloved Leroy Jethro Gibbs, while Dexter: Original Sin takes us back to TV’s most iconic villain The twisted beginnings of one of the heroes – Dexter Morgan.
In the first episode of season 1 of Dexter: Original Sin, we travel back in time to 1991 and witness the early development of Dexter’s murderous impulses. Let me tell you—it does not disappoint.
Michael C. Hall returns to bring his signature Dracula charm to the narration, reminding us why we fell in love with this character (and the OG series) in the first place.
What about Patrick Gibson? He portrays young Dexter – capturing everything from the eerie calmness to the awkwardness that made the original Dexter such a compelling character.
It’s not just young Dexter who’s impressive, though. The cast of “Dragon: Original Sin” is filled with great performances.
From Molly Brown’s Debra, Christian Slater’s Harry, James Martinez’s Angel, Christina Milian’s Maria, Alex Shimizu’s Vince, they perform with astonishing accuracy Resurrecting OG characters.
Even the newcomers—Sarah Michelle Gellar as Tanya Martin and Patrick Dempsey as Captain Aaron Spencer—bring a fresh energy to the show.
Now, before we dive into the series premiere, let’s take a look back.
The original series aired from 2006 to 2013 for eight seasons, full of suspense, thrillers and gory fun. But, as many fans will agree, the final season left a bad taste in our mouths.
That’s when Showtime brings us The New Bloods in 2021, giving us the ending that The Doctors deserves after its infamous finale: The Doctors Episode Season 8 Episode 12 “Remember Monsters?”. This is the redemption we all need.
But now we are going back—far back.
The premiere of Dexter: Original Sin gives us a fresh look at how Dexter’s dark passenger came to be, and from what we’ve seen so far, it’s going to be a wild ride.
With a great cast and some killer (pun intended) performances, this series is shaping up to be the show we didn’t know we needed.
In the first hour, we meet Dexter, who is recovering in the hospital after being shot by his son Harrison
(The shooting occurred in the final episode of Bloodstained and appears to have set the premise for the series’ sequel, Bloodstained: Resurrection).
After a few minutes of calm, he comes to and, through narration, talks about how life flashes before your eyes, and that’s where his story begins – sort of. We see his birth and then flash forward into the lives of Harry and his family.
I guess we’ll delve into how he ended up with Harry Morgan and his family at some point, but at this time, we’ll start with Dexter’s first kill.
Who would have thought that Dexter’s first victim would be the “Angel of Death,” a nurse who believed she was helping her patients end their suffering?
But her mistake was directed at Harry, who suffered a heart attack and ended up in the hospital where the nurse worked.
Dexter’s murderous impulse is unquenchable, and Harry is not blind to it. In a moment of understanding and perhaps despair, Harry gives Dexter the green light to get rid of the nurse.
This has nothing to do with Harry’s own needs (although he’s certainly not ready to die) – in his mind, it makes sense to have Dexter unleash his dark impulses on those who truly deserve it.
Harry has been trying his best to deflect Dexter’s urges—from hunting trips to allowing him to essentially eat raw meat—but deep down, he must know that he can’t contain Dexter forever.
This man hid clippings of notorious serial killers like Ted Bundy, Nightcrawler and the Zodiac in his Playboy magazine.
That’s what turned him on – not the naked women on those pages. He’s still a virgin (and he’s not talking about it in a sexual sense.)
He wonders if he will be in the newspapers, if he will devote himself to the serial murder case. He also wondered if he would get a nickname if he was discovered. These killers are all his Idol.
Even though Dexter knew the woman was killing patients, he still double-checked to make sure his suspicions were correct before broaching the subject with Harry.
So, the nurse’s death was actually a blessing in disguise.
Harry is not a monster – he is a man who wants to protect his family.
Having Dexter act on his dark impulses is the last thing he wants to happen, but if Harry dies, who will be there to guide Dexter and stop him from turning into a monster himself?
In a flashback, we see Harry distracted by a baseball game while his youngest son, Junior, wanders into the backyard and tragically drowns in the swimming pool.
While the episode doesn’t fully explore how Harry came to adopt Dexter (some of which was revealed in the original series), it’s clear that this painful loss prompted Harry to do things he may never have done as a cop. decision will be made.
What we witness is a father trying to protect his son – his soon-to-be serial killer – by allowing him to fulfill his desires in a way that he feels he can control.
Harry’s need to survive is rooted in his desire to protect his children, which is why he ultimately agrees with Dexter to take care of Nurse Death.
Dexter would never have done it if Harry hadn’t allowed it.
Interestingly, Harry shows no reaction to what Dexter does with the nurse’s body.
Even more interesting is how open and honest Dexter is with Harry – the only person Dexter can truly be himself with until later on with Hannah and Debra.
Speaking of Debra, the relationship between the two siblings that we saw in the OG series is on full display here. It hasn’t changed. But we do see how Dexter inherited his father’s protective instincts.
This is evident when Dexter accompanies Debra to a college party, where she is nearly raped after falling drunk on the bed.
Dexter took the guy out without hesitation, and if it hadn’t been for Debra, Dexter might have actually killed the guy.
Debra doesn’t even realize she needs protection, but she’s grateful that Dexter is around. Their relationship is strengthened during their father’s hospitalization, showcasing their awkward yet unbreakable bond.
She even showed up at his pre-med graduation because he fed Nurse Death to an alligator, causing her volleyball championship game to be blown away.
While the relationship we saw in OG Dexter is still there, this series gives us a deeper look into what really makes it so powerful.
To say that Dexter: Original Sin feels like an OG Dexter would be an understatement. It’s phenomenal in every way, and every episode is probably worth rewatching thanks to all the clever callbacks to the original series.
For example, when Dexter was performing an autopsy in his pre-med class, he was fascinated by the fact that there was no blood in the body—a nod to “Dexter,” the first episode of the first season of “Dexter.”
This is just one of many callbacks (opening, mosquito, haircut). Additionally, the music is spot-on, with tracks like “Naughty by Nature,” “Vanilla Ice” and “Poison” adding to the nostalgia.
(And all the other details I didn’t go into, like What Makes Him Happy? American Psycho ).
Sarah Michelle Gellar’s new job in Miami-Dade Metro as Dexter’s forensic mentor? Definitely the cherry on top.
All in all, this was a well-written and well-acted premiere, and I can’t wait to see where the next episode takes us.
Now, TV fanatics, did you enjoy the premiere of Doctor Who: Original Sin ? Leave your thoughts in the comments!
Watch Doctor Who: Original Sin online
