Dexter: Original Sin is a prequel set 15 years before the original Dexter series. It’s 1991, and 20-year-old Dexter Morgan (Patrick Gibson) is still a virgin when it comes to killing other human beings. Dexter is about to graduate pre-med from the University of Miami, and still lives at home with his father Harry (Christian Slater) and rebellious younger sister, promising high school volleyball player Debra (Molly Brown).
Harry Morgan is a homicide detective with the Miami Metro Police Department. He took Dexter in as a young child after finding the boy at the gruesome murder scene of one of his informants. Dexter doesn’t remember any of this, and Harry had all of records of the case hidden. However, Dexter was definitely affected by the incident. Harry has known from a young age that Dexter has had a Dark Passenger, and they have tried to keep Dexter’s urges at bay, but hunting animals and cutting into cadavers may not be enough to satiate the bloodlust any longer. Harry was worried that this day would come, and had also been instilling a code into Dexter, teaching him to only harm those who harm others.
Tanya Martin (Sarah Michelle Gellar), the chief of forensics of the Miami Metro Homicide Division, offers Dexter a paid internship after he impresses Vince Masuka (Alex Shimizu) with his reading of crime scene photos at a college job fair. Dexter didn’t see himself following in his father’s footsteps, but this job not only puts him closer to the world of death, but also gives him access to files when searching for potential victims to fill his needs. Heading up the department is Capt. Aaron Spencer (Patrick Dempsey), and working alongside Harry and his partner Det. Bobby Watt (Reno Wilson) are Det. Angel Batista (James Martinez) and the Homicide Division’s first female detective, new arrival Det. Maria LaGuerta (Christina Milian)—whom the captain isn’t thrilled to see.
As Dexter starts to investigate his first crime scene, a personal opportunity arrises to put Harry’s code to the test. Meanwhile, the department investigates the kidnapping of a judge’s young son, and a potential serial killer preying on outcasts.
As I watched Dexter: Original Sin, I couldn’t help but be reminded of why the original show was so great. I loved revisiting younger versions of these very familiar characters, to see how they came to be. Original Sin not only explores Dexter’s extracurricular origins, but through flashbacks it also looks at a younger Harry as he ultimately fails his informant Laura Moser (Brittany Allen), Dexter’s mother. The series has a lot of fun following Dexter as he collects his first trophies, sets up his first kill room, dumps his first body, discovers the Slice of Life, and starts to perfect his technique—while making some naïve and dangerous bad decisions in the process. Meanwhile, Dexter also tries to learn to be less socially awkward and fit in.
The season has lots of twists, turns and surprises along the way—as each episode came to an end, I couldn’t wait to see what happened next. I enjoyed re-watching these episodes again for the second time just as much as the first time when the series originally aired. Except this time I didn’t need to wait a week in-between episodes, I could just binge it all on these discs!
The series creators have painstakingly re-created the original show’s iconic opening title sequence, while also changing things up to match the current stage of the characters’ lives. They have also done an excellent job with the cast. Patrick Gibson makes a perfect Dexter Morgan, especially accompanied by Michael C. Hall providing the narration and inner thoughts of the character. He has the mannerisms and looks down pat, and it really feels like you are watching the younger version of the same character. He has great chemistry with Christian Slater and Molly Brown, who play the other members of the Morgan family. Slater does an excellent job of portraying this broken and rundown man who’s trying to do his best for Dexter after the devastating loss of his mother, while Molly Brown is great as the fowl-mouthed Deb who, despite always arguing with her brother, also has a lot of love for him. James Martinez is a dead ringer for his older Det. Angel Batista counterpart, and Alex Shimizu nails Vince Masuka’s goofy laugh.
The series does a nice job of balancing the character drama with the more thrilling and action-packed moments. There is also quite a bit of humor, such as Deb walking in on Dexter reading newspaper clippings about a serial killer but thinking he’s looking at porn, or a clueless Dexter being hit on by Debra’s best friend, Sofia Rivera (Raquel Justice). The series has a very similar look and feel the the original show, though there seems to be more use of popular music of the era rather than just the iconic score in the soundtrack.
Every time I think Dexter is over, we get a new sequel or prequel series, and Dexter: Original Sin really hits it out of the park, reminding me of why I love this franchise. I was happy to see it’s already been renewed for a second season!
CBS/Paramount has released this first season of Dexter: Original Sin on Blu-ray SteelBook, Blu-ray, DVD and digital. I was sent the SteelBook Blu-ray edition for review. The packaging looks great, and the audio/video presentation is excellent, with a clean and clear picture that captures the look and feel of the 90s, while also making use of a more stylized, oversaturated look for the flashbacks. The audio track provides clear dialogue throughout, and makes excellent use of the stereo and surround channels to give an immersive ambiance, while also showcasing the show’s soundtrack and haunting score.
The season’s ten episodes are spread across three discs, residing on pegs on either side of a beautiful SteelBook case—disc one is on the left while discs 2 and 3 are placed overlapping on the right. A j-card over the case describes the contents of the discs. The single bonus feature is a 10-minute behind-the-scenes featurette, which can be found on disc 3.
What’s Included:
Episodes: (8:26:46)
- All 10 episodes of the season:
Disc 1: (2:34:50) “And in the Beginning…” (49:51), “Kid in a Candy Store” (46:33), “Miami Vice” (58:26)
Disc 2: (3:19:27) “Fender Bender” (49:35), “F Is for Fuck Up” (51:44), “The Joy of Killing” (49:50), “The Big Bad Body Problem” (48:18)
Disc 3: (2:32:20) “Business and Pleasure” (51:49), “Blood Drive” (50:40), “Code Blues” (49:51) - 1080p / Widescreen 18:9
- Audio: English 5.1 Dolby TrueHD, English 2.0 Audio Description, French 5.1 Dolby Digital, German 5.1 Dolby Digital
- Subtitles: English SDH, French, German
Extras:
- Dissecting Dexter: Original Sin (9:33)
The cast and crew discuss why the audience roots for this antihero, how this series fits into the franchise, casting the young Dexter, shooting the kill room scenes, the ensemble cast and characters, behind-the-scenes fun, and more. Includes behind-the-scenes footage, and interviews with executive producer Clyde Phillips, executive producer/writer Scott Reynolds, and stars Patrick Gibson (“Dexter Morgan”), Christina Milian (“Maria Laguerta”), Molly Brown (“Deb Morgan”), Alex Shimizu (“Vince Masuka”), Sarah Michelle Gellar (“Tanya Martin”), Christian Slater (“Harry Morgan”), Patrick Dempsey (“Aaron Spncer”), James Martinez (“Angel Batista”) & Reno Wilson (“Bobby Watt”).
Final Thoughts:
I didn’t realize how much I had missed Dexter until I sat down to watch Dexter: Original Sin. This 10-episode first season is a return to form, bringing back that intense, must-watch feeling of the original show, while also exploring the origins of Dexter and other characters, from Dexter’s awkward first kill, to honing his technique. I thoroughly enjoyed this latest entry into the ever-growing Dexter franchise. The Blu-ray release features solid picture and sound, as well as a new 10-minute behind-the-scenes featurette with the cast and crew. And the SteelBook packaging is beautiful. This is a must own for any Dexter fan, and highly recommended for anyone interested in crime dramas. While longtime fans of the franchise will certainly get more references and have a deeper understanding of what the character ultimately becomes, new viewers should still be able to fully enjoy this prequel series on its own.
