I will admit I didn’t have high hopes for “Dexter: Original Sin” when it was announced in 2023, given how both the parent series “Dexter” and its one-season sequel “Dexter: New Blood” did not garner well-received finales. I’m glad the producers at Showtime decided to greenlight a prequel series to wash the blood off their hands, so to speak, because it really did feel like a nostalgic breath of fresh air with Clyde Phillips returning as the showrunner.
In “Dexter,” the titular protagonist Dexter Morgan is a highly intelligent blood spatter analyst for the fictional Miami-Metro Police Department. While he’s not working, he’s out bringing vigilante justice to other murderers and serial killers evading the justice system, unbeknownst to his adoptive sister, Debra Morgan.
He follows a strict code of ethics taught to him by his adoptive father, Harry Morgan, to suppress his sociopathic urges to kill. “The Code,” as he calls it, hinges on two principles — only kill someone after finding conclusive evidence of their guilt and never get caught.
“Original Sin” takes place 15 years before the events of “Dexter,” with Patrick Gibson stepping into the shoes of young Dexter Morgan. Michael C. Hall, who played the character in the other shows, kicks off the prequel through a flashback following the events of “New Blood.” “Original Sin” follows the same inner-monologue style of narration, allowing us to delve into Dexter’s conflicted mind once again.
I was constantly spellbound by the atmosphere of the show, which perfectly captured the essence of “Dexter.” The very fact that the intro sequence is a nearly shot-for-shot remake with the new actors shows just how much love they poured into making this an authentic nostalgic portrayal of Dexter’s origins.
Gibson’s characterization of young Dexter was spot-on in every way that I sometimes forgot I was watching a different actor and not Hall reprising the role. It was exciting to watch him capture the character's nascent internal conflict and burgeoning dark urges as a medical student, before joining Miami-Metro PD as an intern.
Christian Slater takes on the persona of Miami-Metro Homicide Detective Harry Morgan, whose guidance is pivotal in moulding Dexter's moral code at this point. I was constantly reminded of Slater’s brilliant performance of a very similar role in “Mr. Robot.”
This rendition of Harry was refreshing to see because he was only referred to in flashbacks and manifestations of Dexter’s voice of reason until now. Harry had his own secrets he kept from Dexter about his true origins and the birth of his sociopathic tendencies, which were never explored before and finally revealed throughout the course of the season.
Molly Brown plays the role of Debra Morgan, Dexter’s adoptive younger sister, full of energy, ambition and raw emotion — qualities Dexter struggles to understand but deeply values. In “Dexter,” the siblings always had each other’s backs as their mother passed away shortly after Debra was born. The prequel explores their sibling bond before Debra joins law enforcement, showing her fierce loyalty to Dexter despite sensing that something about him is different.
We also see familiar faces from “Dexter” like Captain María LaGüerta (Christina Milian) starting off as the first female homicide detective at Miami-Metro PD, Angel Batista (James Martinez) working homicides with Harry and Vince Masuka (Alex Shimizu) taking Dexter under his wing as an intern. Patrick Dempsey stars as Aaron Spencer, the captain of the Homicide Division.
Debra has the most contrasting character development, starting off as a rebellious foul-mouthed teenager who initially despised Dexter as her “loser brother” but eventually finds comfort in him being the only one who truly understands her and stands up for her on several occasions. The dichotomy between the two serves as the show’s emotional anchor and hints at how much Debra influences Dexter’s ability to fake normalcy, even if she never realizes the full extent of his darkness. The inner child in me squealed at young “Dex & Deb” bonding over double dates and teenage angst, showcasing a rare occurrence of Dexter crumbling his usual emotional barriers.
While the show doesn’t try to reinvent the wheel and sticks to the tried-and-true formula that shaped the original series, it does manage to keep things interesting with fresh subplots and fully fleshed-out character arcs. The first episode does a really good job of depicting Dexter’s first kill, and it was all the more personal with his own father being the targeted victim of the murderer. As the show progresses, we see Dexter hone his craft with Harry’s support and the conflicts arising from the Morgan family keeping a multitude of dark secrets from each other.
I’m glad that some plotlines left enough room for a potential season two. While that hasn’t been confirmed yet, I would expect it to take a while with Showtime focusing on yet another revival series, “Dexter: Resurrection,” slated for a 2025 release with Hall reprising his role as Dexter.
"Dexter: Original Sin" blends nostalgia with an intriguing glimpse into the future. Though not without flaws, it marks a welcome return to the familiar, blood-spattered world that longtime fans will enjoy. The first season is available to stream now on Paramount+.
