Critic’s Rating: 5 / 5.0
5
Dexter: Original Sin has officially entered the scene, and it’s already giving NCIS: Origins a run for its money.
While NCIS: Origins explores the backstory of our beloved Leroy Jethro Gibbs, Dexter: Original Sin takes us back to the twisted beginnings of one of TV’s most iconic anti-heroes — Dexter Morgan.
On Dexter: Original Sin Season 1, Episode 1, we’re transported to 1991, where we witness the early formation of Dexter’s homicidal urges. And let me tell you — it does not disappoint.
Michael C. Hall is back, bringing his signature Dexter charm to the narration, reminding us why we fell in love with this character (and the OG series) in the first place.
And Patrick Gibson? He nails young Dexter — capturing everything from the eerie calm to the awkwardness that made the original Dexter such a compelling character.
It’s not just the young Dexter who impresses, though. The Dexter: Original Sin cast is packed with fantastic performances.
From Molly Brown as Debra to Christian Slater as Harry, James Martinez as Angel, Christina Milian as Maria as Maria, and Alex Shimizu as Vince, they bring the OG characters back to life with remarkable accuracy.
Even the newcomers — Sarah Michelle Gellar as Tanya Martin and Patrick Dempsey as Captain Aaron Spencer — add a fresh dynamic to the show.
Now, let’s rewind a bit before we dive into the series premiere.
The original Dexter series ran from 2006 to 2013, spanning eight seasons of suspense, thrills, and a lot of bloody fun. But, as many fans will agree, the final season left a bad taste in our mouths.
That’s when Showtime gave us Dexter: New Blood in 2021, delivering the ending Dexter deserved after that notorious finale: Dexter Season 8, Episode 12, “Remember the Monsters?”. It was the redemption we all needed.
But now we’re going back — way back.
The premiere of Dexter: Original Sin gives us a fresh look at how Dexter’s dark passenger was born, and from what we’ve seen so far, this is going to be a wild ride.
With a stellar cast and some killer (pun intended) performances, this series is shaping up to be a show we didn’t know we needed.
In this first hour, we meet Dexter as he’s being revived in the hospital after being shot by his son, Harrison
(The shooting happened in the final episode of Dexter: New Blood and seems to be setting up the premise for the sequel to that series — Dexter: Resurrection).
After flatlining for a few minutes, he’s resuscitated and, through narration, talks about how life flashes before your eyes, and this is where his story begins — sort of. We see his birth and then flash forward to life with Harry and his family.
I imagine we’ll be delving into all the rest of how he came to be with Harry Morgan and his family at some point, but this hour, we’re starting with Dexter’s first kill.
Who would have thought Dexter’s first victim would be an “Angel of Death” in the form of a nurse who believed she was helping her patients by ending their suffering?
But her mistake was targeting Harry, who had a heart attack and ended up in the hospital where the nurse worked.
Dexter’s urge to kill was impossible to suppress, and Harry wasn’t blind to it. In a moment of both understanding and perhaps desperation, Harry gave Dexter the green light to take out the nurse.
It wasn’t about Harry’s own needs (though he certainly wasn’t ready to die) — it made sense in his mind to let Dexter release his dark urges on those who truly deserved it.
Harry had been trying everything to divert Dexter’s urgings — from hunting trips to allowing him to basically eat raw meat — but deep down, he must have known he couldn’t contain Dexter forever.
This was a man who hid clippings of infamous serial killers like Ted Bundy, the Night Stalker, and the Zodiac Killer inside his Playboy magazine.
That was his turn-on –- not the naked women in those pages. He was still a virgin (and he wasn’t talking in the sexual sense.)
He wondered if he would ever make it into the newspapers, should he ever go full-throttle into serial killing. He also wondered if he’d get a nickname if he were ever caught. These killers were his idols.
And even though Dexter knew this woman was killing patients, he still double-checked to make sure his suspicions were correct before he even broached the subject with Harry.
So, Nurse Death was actually a blessing in disguise.
Harry isn’t a monster — he’s a man who wants to protect his family.
Letting Dexter act on his dark urges is the last thing he’d ever wish for, but if Harry were to die, who would be there to guide Dexter and keep him from becoming a monster himself?
In a flashback, we see Harry distracted by a baseball game while his young son, Junior, wandered into the backyard and tragically drowned in the pool.
Though this episode doesn’t fully explore how Harry came to adopt Dexter (some of that was revealed in the original series), it’s clear that this traumatic loss is what’s driving Harry to make decisions he might never have made as a cop.
What we’re witnessing is a father trying to protect his son — his soon-to-be serial killer son — by allowing him to fulfill his urges in a way he believes is controlled.
Harry’s need to stay alive is rooted in his desire to protect his children, which is why he ultimately gave Dexter the go-ahead to take care of Nurse Death.
Dexter never would have gone through with it had Harry not allowed it.
What’s fascinating is that Harry had no reaction to how Dexter disposed of the nurse’s body.
Even more interesting is how open and honest Dexter was with Harry — he was the only person Dexter could be truly himself with, until later with Hannah and Debra.
Speaking of Debra, the relationship we saw between these two siblings in the OG series, is on full display here. It hasn’t changed. But what we do see is how Dexter has adopted his father’s protective instincts.
This was evident when Dexter accompanied Debra to a college party where she was almost raped after passing out drunk on the bed.
Dexter did not hesitate to take the guy out, and had it not been for Debra, Dexter might’ve actually killed the guy.
Debra didn’t even realize she needed protecting, but she was grateful that Dexter was there. Their bond, strengthened during their father’s hospital stay, showcased their awkward but unbreakable connection.
She even showed up at his pre-med graduation after he blew off her championship volleyball game because he feeding Nurse Death to the alligators.
While the relationship we saw in the OG Dexter remains, this series gives us a deeper understanding of what truly made it so strong.
To say Dexter: Original Sin gives off OG Dexter vibes is an understatement. It’s phenomenal in every way, and each episode will likely warrant a rewatch, thanks to all the clever callbacks to the original series.
For example, when Dexter performs an autopsy in his pre-med class, he’s fascinated by the fact that the body has no blood — a nod to Dexter Season 1, Episode 1 “Dexter.”
And that’s just one of many callbacks (the opening, the mosquito, the haircut). Plus, the music is on point, with tracks from Naughty by Nature, Vanilla Ice, and Poison adding to the nostalgia.
(And all those other details I didn’t detail like what makes him happy? American Psycho).
And Sarah Michelle Gellar as Dexter’s forensics mentor at his new job at Miami Dade Metro? Definitely the cherry on top.
All in all, it was a well-written, well-acted premiere, and I can’t wait to see where the next episode takes us.
Now, over to you, TV Fanatics — did you enjoy the premiere of Dexter: Original Sin? Drop your thoughts in the comments!
Watch Dexter: Original Sin Online
