WARNING! This article contains SPOILERS for Dexter: Original Sin season 1, episode 1!
This article contains mentions of sexual assault.
The premiere of Showtime’s sequel seriesDexter: Original Sintakes the franchise back toDexter’s early days as a serial killer, which includesa sequence with Deb that mirrors an upsettingDexterseason 8 story between the two.Dexter: Original Sin’s timelinekicks 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 Sinemphasizes that Deb and Dexter’s dynamic – for better or worse – is largely still the same.
ThroughoutDexter: Original Sinseason 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 himbefore he and Deb argue. Sadly, this story is reminiscent of the Morgan siblings’ developments at the beginning ofDexterseason 8.
Deb’s Drinking Gets Much Worse In Dexter Season 8
It’s clear inDexter: 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 likeChristian Slater’s Harry Morganfavors 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.
Deb is approximately 17 years old inDexter: Original Sin’s pilot episode.
Seeing teenage Deb get drunk to the point of becoming unconscious at a party while struggling with theMorgan family’s relationships inOriginal Sinis a harsh reminder of what happened to her at the beginning ofDexterseason 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.
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 throughoutDexterseason 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 inDexter: Original Sinis whenhe 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, thereturningDextercharacter inOriginal Sineventually accepts his actions after being insulted and thrown out of the party.
Lauren Vélez
Christina Milian
That sequence of events is also reminiscent ofDexter’s season 8 premiere whenDexter 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 inDexter’s original series ending, it’s not easy to watch Dexter and Deb’s relationship unfold in the prequel. Deb and Dex startOriginal Sinwith 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 inDexter’s original eight seasons. As bittersweet as it is to see Deb and Dexter back together and getting along inDexter: Original Sin, it’s difficult to enjoy when remembering thathis actions ultimately result in Debra’s death in the 2013 series finale.
Dexter
Cast
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.
