Dexter: Original Sin Ignores A Major Twist That Makes Harry Morgan & Laura Moser’s Affair Even Worse

Harry and Laura’s romantic involvement originally came as a twist reveal in Dexter season 2, leading Dexter to wonder whether his adoption and the Code were simply ways to alleviate Harry’s guilt over Laura’s murder. In the prequel, after explaining how Harry recruited Laura to become a confidential informant, showing the two working closely together against drug lord Hector Estrada, and diving into how Harry formed an early bond with Laura’s toddler son Dexter, their affair officially begins in Dexter: Original Sin season 1, episode 4. However, Original Sin’s version of events omits some disgraceful details revealed in Dexter.

Dexter: Original Sin Ignores That Harry Was Having Affairs With Other Confidential Informants Before Laura Moser

Harry Was Already Having An Affair With Valerie Hodges Before His Relationship With Laura

As Harry’s flashbacks in Original Sin progress, it becomes clear that the prequel is introducing the affair in a way that audiences should want to see Harry and Laura get together. The show builds up their chemistry, highlights their mutual trust and kindness, and even includes moments in which Harry foreshadows himself as a caring and loving father to Dexter. When Laura and Harry, who is still married to Doris, finally begin having an affair, it’s presented as a relationship in which both try to avoid acting on their feelings, but they ultimately prove too strong to ignore.

As such, Original Sin paints a very different picture from how the relationship is detailed in Dexter. The original series certainly doesn’t imply that Laura and Harry had some torrid love affair in which Harry only stepped out of his marriage because of his strong, unique feelings for Laura. Rather, Laura was just one of a few confidential informants with whom Harry was having an extramarital affair before Dexter: Original Sin’s timeline. Though the prequel suggests Harry was torn about his infidelity with Laura, Dexter season 2 revealed he was already sleeping with other C.I.s, like Valerie Hodges.

In fact, when Debra meets Hodges in Dexter, she states that Harry likely chose his confidential informants based on his desire to have an extramarital affair with them. Dexter does make sure to explain that Laura was more special to Harry, however, as he broke off his affair with Valerie in favor of Dexter’s mother. By avoiding the context of these other affairs, Dexter: Original Sin season 1’s episodes paint Harry in a better light as a conflicted man who fell for another woman during a rough period in his marriage, whereas the truth from Dexter is far more nuanced.

Dexter: Original Sin Tries To Excuse Harry's Affair By Making His Marriage With Doris Worse

Original Sin Reveals That Harry & Doris Were In A Rough Patch Before His Affair With Laura

Dexter: Original Sin further takes away from the inexcusable nature of Harry’s affair by disclosing the hardships of his marriage to Doris. In the original Dexter show, it didn’t appear that Doris and Harry’s marriage was mutually reaching a breaking point when he began his affair with Laura. Rather, Harry’s affairs were used as a way to expand on how he wasn’t this perfect, morally upright family man who made a few misguided mistakes – he repeatedly cheated on his wife with women whom he held a position of authority over, ignored his daughter, and taught his son a killing code.

Of course, Dexter also never included the existence or death of Harry and Doris’ first son, Junior. Original Sin reveals that Junior’s death caused significant tension in Doris and Harry’s marriage, with their grief driving them apart and their failed efforts to have another baby making matters worse. Though he was still hesitant to act on his feelings for Laura, his belief that his marriage was already ending gave Harry his excuse to begin their relationship. It still doesn’t justify his actions, but puts Harry and Laura’s affair in a relatively more gray area than the original show.

Dexter Has A Good Excuse For Original Sin Ignoring The Worst Parts Of Harry's Affair

Harry Is An Unreliable Narrator

The flashbacks of Harry’s affair with Laura in Original Sin contrasting so heavily with the revelations from the main Dexter series can be explained by the notion that the prequel’s flashbacks are shown from Harry’s point of view. Like Dexter himself at times, Harry Morgan is an unreliable narrator in his own flashbacks. Dexter: Original Sin shows the affair from how he remembers it, which is why it paints him in a far better light. To justify the affair in his own mind, Harry emphasizes his close connection to Laura and marital strife with Doris while ignoring his other affairs.

New episodes of Dexter: Original Sin release Fridays on Paramount+ with Showtime.

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  Dexter: Original Sin explores the origins of Dexter Morgan as he transitions from student to serial killer in 1991 Miami. Guided by his father, Dexter channels his dark urges through a moral code while starting a forensics internship at the Miami Metro Police Department.

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  Based on the character created by author Jeff Lindsay, Showtime's Dexter follows Miami Metro Police Department's most skilled blood spatter analyst, Dexter Morgan, as he attempts to satisfy his Dark Passenger's need to kill by hunting down criminals who have escaped justice. However, using the rules his adoptive father taught him to remain undiscovered, Dexter must walk the fine line of seemingly blending into society while continuously feeding his dark urges. Dexter faces several serial killers as his facade slowly crumbles around him; with every problem solved by his Dark Passenger, another one arises for his suburban fatherly life. When Dexter takes things personally or feels that the law is failing, he takes matters into his own hands and even compromises the investigations of his co-workers. Dexter aired on Showtime for eight seasons before receiving a mini-sequel series called Dexter: New Blood, which picked up ten years after the show's events. You can buy each season for just $9.99 for Prime Day.