The greatest thing about a cheeky prequel is getting to delve deeper into the lore that’s been long-established and really flesh it out. Dexter: Original Sin drops on December 13, and I’m intrigued by what we’re going to find out about the OG serial killer who kinda kills… for good? You know what I mean, he goes for the bad guys.
The prequel starts in 1991, and we’ll hopefully get to see Dexter make his first-ever human kill. We’ve previously seen a flashback of this moment, but there’s definitely more story to be uncovered here.
Young Dexter is being played by Patrick Gibson, and Christian Slater is taking on the role of his adoptive father Harry, who encourages him to start killing to control his dark urges. Sarah Michelle Gellar, Patrick Dempsey, Molly Brown and Michael C. Hall round out the rest of the cast.
There are a few things I’m hoping the prequel can clear up, or at least give us some lil’ morsels of info. Like… why did Dexter’s adoptive father Harry not get the troubled kid therapy instead of encouraging him to kill? Is there something else we’re missing? So, with that in mind, I’ve put together five questions I hope the writers will answer in Dexter: Original Sin. Let’s goooo!
Did Harry and Dr Evelyn Vogel actually turn Dexter into a serial killer?
Homicide detective Harry is Dexter’s adoptive father, and he picks up that something’s kinda awry when he keeps finding Dexter killing and torturing animals. Instead of getting him help by working with a therapist, he sought out Dr Evelyn Vogel, which may have been a mistake.
Both Harry and Dr Vogel worked together to create The Code Dexter abides by when he makes his vigilante kills, which kind of sealed his fate. I’d be interested to know more about what happened in Dr Vogel’s sessions with Dexter, and whether it was her aim to turn him into a serial killer all along.
Did Tom Matthews know about Dexter’s kills?
There’s a long-running fan theory about Tom Matthews, Captain of Miami Metro Homicide, and what he really knows about Dexter and his dark passenger. Before Harry killed himself, he made sure to ask his boss to protect Dexter and Debra, which doesn’t make much sense if he has no knowledge of The Code.
Geoff Pierson, who played Captain Matthews in the original series, previously hinted that his character may know more than he lets on.
“I think that’s the big question. That’s what I think a lot of people wondered about, just how much did Matthews know since he knew [Dexter] since he was a child and his dad was my partner. I’m still waiting to see whether that comes out or not. I don’t know,” he told Dexter Daily back in 2013.
It could be a delicious reveal if in Dexter: Original Sin, we find out that Harry had confided in Tom Matthews all along, and it would make so much sense.
Was Dexter fascinated with taking trophies prior to Harry’s death?
It goes against Harry’s Code to keep any evidence that links Dexter to his kills, but he starts collecting blood slides to remember his kills by. Of course, this creates more tension for the audience as he’s one step closer to being caught, resulting in his adoptive sister Debra Morgan finding out his secret.
I’d love to see Dexter: Original Sin delve into his compulsion to want a ‘souvenir’ and see what Harry has to say about it.
Did Dexter have relationships prior to Rita?
In Dexter, the killer mentions that when he would have sex with a woman, they’d leave him because they could sense he was different. Of course, he goes on to fall in love with Rita who he marries. They end up having a son together, before his ~extracurricular~ activities result in her brutal murder.
It could be interesting for Dexter: Original Sin to explore Dexter’s previous relationships, to see how he was able to get so attached to Rita. Could there even be a bit of an age-gap thing going on with Sarah Michelle Gellar’s character? You never know!
How did Harry adopt Dexter anyway?
Dexter: Original Sin has cast the character of Little Dexter, played by Eli Sherman, so we could see a bit more of how he came to live with Harry. We know the backstory, with Harry discovering Dexter covered in blood after his mother Laura was murdered. Harry adopted him but chose not to adopt Dexter’s biological brother Brian.
While Laura was a known police informant for Harry, it’s still kinda random that he had such a kinship with Dexter. It would be interesting to see more about how this came about, and I’d die if the writers reveal Harry had been having an affair with Laura and was Dexter’s actual father. Mic drop!
Thankfully we don’t have too long to wait before we start getting some of Dexter’s extra lore. If you’re a superfan, you might wanna rewatch Dexter just so you can make the most of the universe expansion!
Dexter: Original Sin is streaming only on Paramount+ from December 13.
