Andrew Grevas
Welcome back to my weekly coverage of Dexter: Original Sin here on TV Obsessive. This week, I was pleasantly surprised when Episode 2 ended and Episode 3 began immediately. Given that these episodes work closely together narrative wise, the decision was made to write one article for both episodes. So if you haven’t seen Episode 2 “Kid in a Candy Store” (directed by Michael Lehmann and written by Katrina Mathewson & Tanner Bean), or Episode 3 “Miami Vice” (directed by Monica Raymund and written by Safura Fadavi), proceed with caution. Let’s get spoilery.
Dexter: Original Sin is now firmly operating on two timelines: 1973 with Harry; and 1991 with Dexter joining Miami Metro. Last week, we got the pleasantries out of the way. In the second and third episodes, both timelines took massive steps forward and there’s a lot of narrative to unpack. For those worried that a prequel series might not have the substance to warrant its own release, the second timeline does a lot to make it all feel justified and worth it. We are getting new information, new stories and an added layer to previously known mythology.
In 1991, a judge’s son has been kidnapped and Captain Aaron Spencer immediately believes it’s the cartel. This prompts Harry to flashback to 1973, when Spencer was also hot for the cartel and wanted to develop an undercover operation to bring them down. Harry (still played by Christian Slater just with cool guy slicked back hair) is tasked with flipping someone so Miami Metro can have a person on the inside.
Enter Laura Moser, our titular character’s mother. Over the second and third episodes, we see Harry arrest Laura’s boyfriend and convince her to work for the police so she can go back home to her two sons. It was chilling to see Harry greet Dexter as a toddler but catch daggers from Brian, who would of course grow up to be the Ice Truck Killer. Seeds planted for Brian’s rage, long before their mother was even killed.
Fans of the Dexter franchise have long questioned the extent of Harry’s relationship with Laura. Was it sexual? Was it romantic? Was it more than just a cop and criminal informant? Here we see Laura masterfully take over her now ex-boyfriend’s cocaine selling operation all while wearing a wire for Harry to the point where the cartel takes notice. Laura is whisked away by a limousine and taken to a shipping yard, which is a tip of the cap to her end. As an audience, we don’t know if this will be her death scene or not. Harry is beside himself as him and his partner lose their trail on her and fear for the worst.
When Laura turns up the next day to the hotel room Harry is running the operation out of, she makes a sexual advance on him, which he turns down. It wasn’t convincing, though, and it feels safe to assume that the guilt Harry feels in 1991 is about to become more complicated by Laura Moser in 1973.
I discussed this in my Episode 1 coverage, but Dexter: Original Sin has reinvested me in the character of Harry. I was in a place of blaming him for being a terrible parent, but between seeing exactly how difficult Dexter’s dark passenger was to control, discovering that Harry lost a child in the 1970s and how that destroyed his wife, and how emotionally complex the Laura Moser situation was, Harry isn’t absolved but he is more fascinating. His life experiences are a lot for one person to handle.
I hope future episodes continue to develop the 1973 timeline. At this point, if Laura dies next week I’ll be disappointed. To redeem Harry, we need to live his pain and torment. Watching the cartel sting play out is paramount to that.
Miami Metro
Back in 1991, Episodes 2 and 3 of Dexter: Original Sin took big steps forward in fleshing out some of the legacy characters we’re seeing younger versions of here. Masuka was incredibly annoying—as he always is—but he did feel like a younger version of the character. Maria’s arrival in Episode 3 made her feel like the important person she would become. She’s a firebrand and isn’t afraid to ruffle police feathers in an effort to stand up for marginalized communities. We got glimpses of Maria this way later on, but she was also very much part of the political class when we saw her in the original series. To see her in this light and know that the system does to her throughout her life and career adds a sense of tragedy to it all.
Speaking of tragedy, every time we see young Angel Batista I wince. Angel is the troubled conscious of the Dexter narrative. He has his flaws. He isn’t perfect, but he does care. He does want what’s right for people and believes in justice. We see young Angel take Dexter under his wing in these episodes and just knowing how their story plays out later is a gut punch. Dexter would bring unspeakable tragedy to Angel’s life, but at one point in time, they were close. We see that here.
Watching Dexter form his habits on “how to blend in” began here. Bringing in vegetables to cops to snack on, bad. Donuts makes you liked. Making morbid jokes, bad. Put downs and insults, funny. Dexter’s mishaps blending in lead him to Camille, who showed Dexter the case files for the first time, in another nice tip of the cap to the future.
Perhaps the most important dynamic so far is between Dexter and his new boss Tonya, played by Sarah Michelle Gellar. Given that she’s listed as a Special Guest Star, she doesn’t seem long for this world, but she has been Dexter’s tour guide to his police future so far. He’s intrigued by her, perhaps even smitten. She’s confident, smart, in charge and also an outsider like him who has forced her way into a position of importance because of her intellect. I have a sneaking suspicion that tragedy is in her future and it’s going to have a profound impact on Dexter.
Cocaine & Earrings
Deb played a prominent role in the second and third episodes of Dexter: Original Sin. She’s very much mourning her mother’s death. She longs to be accepted by her father and is jealous of Dexter, while at the same time longing for a relationship with him. We see Deb tear the house apart, looking for something to pawn and eventually landing upon Dexter’s first trophy—Nurse Mary’s earrings. While this subplot was mainly to display how sloppy Dexter is still as a killer (and also to point out that trophies are something bad guys take, not those who adhere to The Code) it also lead to fun Deb bonding.
Seeing Dexter be a good big brother by making Deb fake cocaine for a party was teenage fun and did a lot to build their dynamic. We need moments like this to prepare for everything to come with them. We got to see Deb’s friend awkwardly kiss Dexter, which was silly but also another good character building moment. Dexter doesn’t know how to be normal. His future relationship with Rita makes more sense because of moments like this.
I’m not sure how Deb’s story will progress but she is entering a dark period of her life. More pain to come, more trouble to come as she grows into the troubled person we will see in her future. Given that so much emphasis has been placed on the family relationships so far, my assumption is that Dexter will be put in a position to help his sister, no matter what her trouble looks like.
Killers On The Loose
Dexter: Original Sin Episodes 2 and 3 are dealing with two separate sets of killers in the 1991 timeline. First, Dexter learns of someone who meets the standards of The Code through Angel. A loan shark who preys on immigrants, loaning them more money than they can repay and then kills then when they miss payments. Dexter’s stalking and eventual killing of “Handsome Tony” was fun in an original series kind of way, but also showed again how sloppy he is at this point. No wonder poor Harry is soon going to have a fatal heart attack—his son is begging to get caught. Will Tony’s arm floating around “Alligator Alley” come back to haunt Dexter? How many close calls does this burgeoning serial killer need before he becomes more careful?
More importantly is the judge’s son that has been kidnapped. Whoever is holding this child has not sent any ransom notes or demands but they do eventually send one of the child’s fingers to the police. Captain Spencer as mentioned before is quick to mention the cartel and seems oddly interested in this case. Another judge also made a suspicious inquiry about the case to Harry.
Dexter’s reaction to the finger was visceral. He hasn’t figured out that his trauma over his own mother’s brutal death and he himself “being born in blood” is coming out here. This feels like “Big Bad” material for this season and also, an awakening for Dexter.
Prediction: Captain Spencer is somehow involved in the kidnapping of the judge’s son. There will be blowback to Harry from his cartel operation with Laura Moser days. Maria will solve the crime and begin her path to promotion, Dexter will take care of Captain Spencer and Harry will have his fatal heart attack at the end of the season.
What do you think? Let me know in the comments.
