Dexter: Original Sin is the prequel we didn’t know we needed!
by Nav Qateel
The new show from Showtime, with the same showrunner who ran the series the first time around, has knocked it clean out of the park with the prequel Dexter: Original Sin, a show I didn’t know I wanted and hadn’t even heard about until the day it was released.
As an avid reader of Dexter creator Jeff Lindsey’s works, I happily devoured the first series featuring the cuddly serial killer, Dexter Morgan. It had a fantastic premise that, while roughly seen in Silence of the Lambs, took things to a new level by having the hunter be the hunted, as serial killer Dexter preyed on other serial killers using the “Code of Harry” as his guide.
For anyone new to Dexter Morgan’s exploits, this show will have similar appeal to the first outing; however, returning fans like my good self will be delighted to see old characters played by new actors.
I honestly sat with a huge grin on my face for the first fifteen minutes or so, while the characters were introduced to us, and I shouted out each name. There were a couple missing, like Sergeant Doakes and Lieutenant LaGuerta, but Vince Masuka and Angel Batista (“no relation” for the book readers) are very much present here.
The series premiere opens on Michael C. Hall’s Dexter having just survived a gunshot to the chest, then flashes back to the new incarnation of Dexter, this time played by Patrick Gibson, a younger actor who bears a decent resemblance to Hall. The first episode focuses on Dexter’s relationship with his sister Debra (Molly Brown) and father Harry (Christian Slater), and how, after a heart attack, Harry appears to get worse in the hospital instead of making a full recovery as expected.
Thanks to Dexter’s “Dark Passenger,” he quickly realises that the nurse caring for Harry may not have his best intentions. This part of the story was briefly touched upon in the original show; however, this version follows the book more closely, something I was delighted to see.
Dexter: Original Sin handles the source material with the respect it deserves—so far, at least—and I have no reason to believe it won’t continue to follow that trajectory. I remember thinking that I actually enjoyed this first episode more than the original show’s first episode, yet that may have been simply down to the nostalgia of seeing characters I know so well.
Purely based on this opening episode, I place this show right up there with The Penguin, but only time will tell if I’m on the money or wishfully jumping the gun. A must-watch.
Nav’s Grade: A
