Let’s get into it. Spoilers below.
Before Dexter: Original Sin can even begin, we’re knocked off balance by the news that Dexter: Resurrection is coming this summer. Was I the only one who wanted to stand up like Annie Wilkes shouting “That’s not what happened last season!?! Have you all got amnesia?!? He didn’t get out of the cockadoodie woods!”
Shenanigans on Angela taking Dexter for emergency care immediately after finding out she killed Logan. Dexter was shot in the heart and lost a ton of blood. Who wouldn’t prefer a show where Angela, still reeling from the Caldwell murders and her realizations about Dexter, funnels money to an on-the-run Harrison? We could actually see her foreshadowed meeting with Batista. But no... *grumble*
Original Sin begins and we’re dealt another insane curveball early on. Harry Morgan had a son—Junior. A flashback where a few minutes of carelessness leads to Harry’s son drowning in the backyard pool changes everything we know about Harry’s choice to take in young Dexter (and NOT young Brian). This Harry is much more selfish even before we see him constantly cheating on his wife. I wonder how much less I’ll like Harry after 80s heartthrob Christian Slater plays him for a whole season.
Patrick Gibson as Dexter is...fine. He takes Dexter’s awkwardness to silly extremes, and as mentioned, his wig is awful. I predict I’ll enjoy him more as the season progresses. Learning he got his junk food addiction from Harry was sorta fun.
Laura Moser is introduced as a recurring character, which means we’ll see more of Dex and Brian (who is about 2 years older than Dexter).
We get a fun glimpse at Masuka—who I never would have guessed was older than Dexter. Alex Shumizu is nailing Vince’s signature perv laugh.
Sarah Michelle Gellar is fun as the no-nonsense forensic lead, Tanya Martin. She’s listed as a guest star. That, combined with the fact that none of us know this character, makes me fear for Ms. Martin’s longevity.
The real gem so far is Molly Brown as young Debra Morgan. She’s spot f*cking on as the teenage version of the potty-mouthed detective-cum-lieutenant. A harrowing scene where Deb is almost assaulted at a party after an attempted rapist coerces her into overdrinking was—predictable. TV dramas simply can’t show us any strong woman without some man at least trying to SA her. As this is early days for Dexter, the attacker gets to live—barely.
Brown is pitch-perfect expressing Deb’s range of expected emotions—anger, disappointment, fear, and swears. So many swears. These younger characters are so compelling that the police team chasing a vicious serial killer feels like an afterthought.
Down sides? There were a few bits of clumsy exposition, and again, the long-hair Dexter wig was laughable. Dexter having the name “BTK” in his lexicon in the 90s is an oopsie. BTK was already killing by then, sure. But the name didn’t stick until he was arrested in 2004.
I’m cautiously optimistic about Dexter: Original Sin. It’s off to a promising start and I’m excited to see how it goes. See you next week!