Dexter Prequel’s Pilot Is A Harsh Reminder Of The Original Show’s Worst Season 8 Story

The premiere of Showtime’s sequel series Dexter: Original Sin takes the franchise back to Dexter’s early days as a serial killer, which includes a sequence with Deb that mirrors an upsetting Dexter season 8 story between the two. Dexter: Original Sin’s timeline kicks off in 1991, with Deb still a high school student while Dexter is a 20-year-old college graduate beginning an internship with Miami Metro. Though they’re obviously at two very different places in their lives in the prequel series, Original Sin emphasizes that Deb and Dexter’s dynamic – for better or worse – is largely still the same.

Throughout Dexter: Original Sin season 1, episode 1, Dexter and Harry realize that he can no longer suppress his Dark Passenger – despite strong efforts to avoid this route. Before graduation, Harry tries to get Dexter to be more social by allowing Deb to attend a college party if he joins her. Dexter reluctantly agrees, but while there, a man tries to sexually assault Deb while she’s drunk and unconscious, leading Dexter to attack and very nearly kill him before he and Deb argue. Sadly, this story is reminiscent of the Morgan siblings’ developments at the beginning of Dexter season 8.

Deb's Partying In Original Sin Is A Sad Reminder Of Her PI Job Storyline In Dexter Season 8

Deb's Drinking Gets Much Worse In Dexter Season 8

It’s clear in Dexter: Original Sin’s pilot that teenage Deb doesn’t have the easiest relationship with her brother and father. While also grieving her recently deceased mother, Deb feels like Christian Slater's Harry Morgan favors Dexter over her, not understanding that their time together is largely spent trying to control his urge to kill. At this point, she also seems to struggle to get along with Dexter, who has yet to learn more social graces through his time at Miami Metro. Upsettingly, given how extreme such behaviors become in adulthood, Deb suppresses these problems by getting too intoxicated at the college party.

Seeing teenage Deb get drunk to the point of becoming unconscious at a party while struggling with the Morgan family's relationships in Original Sin is a harsh reminder of what happened to her at the beginning of Dexter season 8. After killing Maria LaGuerta, Deb’s guilt led her to leave her position at Miami Metro while also deeply resenting Dexter, as she killed LaGuerta in order to protect his serial killing from being exposed. Deb then cut off contact with Dexter and her colleagues and began working at a private investigation firm.

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Dexter: Original Sin Cast & Returning Character Guide

Dexter: Original Sin features a slate of new actors playing familiar characters from the original Dexter series and the return of Michael C. Hall.

While working her PI job, Deb began engaging in increasingly dangerous behavior. Not only was Deb excessively drinking throughout the days, but she was also abusing drugs while working undercover to apprehend a man who stole from the mob. It was terrible to see Deb go down this road throughout Dexter season 8, which saw her engage in unhealthy relationships with criminals like Andrew Briggs while also being taken in for drunk driving. Deb didn’t deserve those terrible things that happened to her, and it’s upsetting that she also had similar experiences as a teen.

Dex Saving Deb In Original Sin's Pilot Mirrors Him Attacking Briggs In Dexter Season 8

Deb Was Enraged When Dex Attacked Both The College Student & Briggs

One of the biggest moments in Dexter’s realization that his Dark Passenger is overtaking him too strongly in Dexter: Original Sin is when he starts beating up the college student who tries to assault Deb. Dexter fighting the man almost results in his first murder when he sees a knife on a table nearby, only for Deb to rush in, yell at Dexter to stop, and push him off. While Deb is embarrassed and angry at Dexter for fighting him, the returning Dexter character in Original Sin eventually accepts his actions after being insulted and thrown out of the party.

That sequence of events is also reminiscent of Dexter’s season 8 premiere when Dexter tracks down Deb at a hotel and attacks Andrew Briggs, the criminal she had been investigating but also having a relationship with. When Dexter showed up at the hotel, Briggs stepped in while he and Deb were arguing, which led to Dexter attacking him. Briggs then took out a knife, which Dexter took and used to kill him. Similar to her anger at seeing Dexter fight the college student as a teenager, Deb was furious after Dex attacked and killed Briggs.

Dexter & Deb's Original Sin Relationship Is Difficult To Watch After The Original Show's Tragic Ending Twist

It All Leads To Deb Dying In The Original Series Finale

Knowing everything that happens in Dexter’s original series ending, it’s not easy to watch Dexter and Deb’s relationship unfold in the prequel. Deb and Dex start Original Sin with a distant relationship, but the premiere’s ending indicates that they’re working toward becoming closer and relying on one another, setting up their strong dynamic in Dexter’s original eight seasons. As bittersweet as it is to see Deb and Dexter back together and getting along in Dexter: Original Sin, it’s difficult to enjoy when remembering that his actions ultimately result in Debra’s death in the 2013 series finale.

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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  Dexter

  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.