Warning! This article contains SPOILERS for Dexter: Original Sin season 1, episode 6 & Dexter season 8.Dexter Morgan (Patrick Gibson) officially became a serial killer inDexter: Original Sinepisode 6, but it also changed details about his third kill thatDexterseason 8 had already established.Dexter’s kill countis quickly growing asOriginal Sinprogresses. InOriginal Sinepisode 6, Dexter killed Levi Reed (Jeff Daniel Phillips), which marked his third kill. Since the FBI defines serial killers as murderers who have killed three or more people in separate events, Levi Reed’s death made Dexter an official serial killer. Though it was a special moment for Dexter, there was a problem: it retroactively changed the original series.
InDexterseason 8, Dexter got a better glimpse into the truth of his past than he ever had before because of Dr. Evelyn Vogel (Charlotte Rampling). Vogel was a psychiatrist who specialized in psychopaths, and she helped Harry Morgan (James Remar) developthe Code of Harryto train Dexter to not get caught and only prey on criminals. While they were working together, Harry and Vogel discussed some of the people killed in his early days as a serial killer, and they briefly discussed his third victim.Original Sin, however, changedDexterseason 8’s reveals significantly.
Dexter Season 8 Revealed His Third Kill Was A Drug Dealer, Not Levi Reed
Harry Morgan Told Evelyn Vogel That Dexter’s Third Victim Was A Drug Dealer In Dexter Season 8
In one of the tapes of Dr. Vogel’s conversations with Harry, they discussed Dexter’s third victim shortly after he killed them.Dexterseason 8 established that Dexter’s third victim was a drug dealer who killed a few college students, butOriginal Sinjust showed that Levi Reed was his third victim. Levi Reed wasn’t a drug dealer, and he killed entire families in their homes, not college students, soOriginal Sinrewrote that detail fromDexterseason 8. There’s no way to reconcile what Harry told Dr. Vogel with what was shown inOriginal Sin, short of saying that Harry lied for no reason.
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Though it is a fairly major retcon,Dexter: Original Sinalso had a good reason to change Dexter’s third victim from an unnamed drug dealer to Levi Reed. If it had stuck with the drug dealer, the kill that made Dexter a serial killer would have been an unknown character with little connection to Harry Morgan (Christian Slater).By changing it to Levi Reed, Dexter’s third kill inOriginal Sinfeeds into the story of Harry trying to control Dexter’s urges and use them to punish criminals who slip through the cracks. Levi Reed was a much more thematically significant choice for Dexter’s third kill.
Dexter’s Prequel Still Honors His Third Kill’s Original MO Change
Dexter Season 8 Established That He Started Displaying Photos Of His Victims' Victims With His Third Kill
Even thoughOriginal Sinchanged the identity of Dexter’s third victim, it didn’t completely change whatDexterseason 8 established about the moment. While he was talking with Vogel, Harry mentioned that Dexter began showing his victims pictures of their victims during his third kill.
Original Sinkept that detail, as Dexter showed Levi Reed photos of the families he killed to highlight why he deserved to die. Dexter did try to show Mad-Dog (Joe Pantoliano) photos of his victims, but since Dexter didn’t actually kill him,Original Sinstill introduced the pictures during Dexter’s third kill.
Levi Reed’s Death Continues Original Sin’s Trend Of Ignoring Dexter Season 8’s Twists
Many Of The Changes To Dexter’s Backstory That Dexter Season 8 Introduced Aren’t In Original Sin
Levi Reed wasn’t the only wayOriginal Sinhas been ignoringDexterseason 8’s twists, however. InDexterseason 8, Harry met with Vogel the day after Dexter took his third victim to tell her about it.That means that Harry should be meeting with Dr. Vogel fairly regularly inOriginal Sin, yet she hasn’t appeared in the show yet. While there is a chance thatOriginal Sinwill introduce Vogel in a future episode,Dexterseason 8 heavily implied that she was advising Harry through every early step in Dexter’s early days as a serial killer.
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“And in the Beginning…”
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“Kid in a Candy Store”
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“F is for F***-Up”
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“The Joy of Killing”
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“Business and Pleasure”
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Dr. Vogel’s absence from the cast ofOriginal Sin, coupled with the way it changed Dexter’s third kill, means that the prequel show is mostly ignoring the twistsDexterseason 8 included. It’s especially odd that so many ofOriginal Sin’s retcons are directed towardDexterseason 8 when considering how carefully it recreated Nurse Mary’s death, and how much attention it has paid to the details of Dexter’s childhood that were established in the original show. While there is still time to incorporate elements fromDexterseason 8, it seemsDexter: Original Sinmight not be interested in doing so.
Dexter: Original Sin
Cast
Dexter: Original Sin explores Dexter Morgan’s early years in 1991 Miami as he transitions from student to avenging serial killer. Guided by his father, Harry, Dexter crafts a moral code and navigates a forensics internship at Miami Metro Police, all while controlling his darker impulses.
Dexter
Dexter is a television series following Dexter Morgan, a blood spatter analyst for Miami Metro Police who secretly leads a dual life as a vigilante serial killer. Released in 2006, the show focuses on Dexter’s internal conflict as he hunts down criminals who elude justice within the legal system.
