Warning! This article contains SPOILERS for Dexter: Original Sin season 1 and Dexter season 8.The finale ofDexter: Original Sinseason 1 added quite a bit to theDexterfranchise, but it also made one huge mistake concerning Debra Morgan (Molly Brown and Jennifer Carpenter) even more annoying. Theending ofOriginal Sinseason 1was one of the happiest inall of theDextershows. Dexter (Patrick Gibson) saved Nicky Spencer’s life and brough justice to Captain Spencer (Patrick Dempsey), Harry (Christian Slater) got Brian Moser to leave Dexter alone, and Deb decided to join Miami Metro’s police academy. Compared toDexter’s lumberjack endingand theending ofDexter: New Blood,Original Sinwas a joyous occasion.
As happy asOriginal Sin’s ending was, however, it also included some subtle dark details about the future. For example, Brian (Roby Attal) continued to watch Dexter through the window, hinting at his andDeb’sDexterseason 1 relationship. Even the happiest parts ofOriginal Sin’s finale, however, also made one of the originalDexter’s worst mistakes even harder to accept. Watching Deb at a high point in her life inOriginal Sinonly made her death inDexterseason 8 more frustrating to deal with.
Harry & Dexter Were Debra’s Biggest Sources Of Happiness, But Their Mistakes Ended Up Killing Her
Image via Paramount+
The last shots ofOriginal Sinseason 1 saw Deb happily dancing with Dexter and Harry just after she told them she was joining the police academy. It was a truly happy moment, and probably the happiest Deb has ever been inDexter.A big reason Deb was so happy is because she had her brother and father supporting her and simply spending time with her, which makes it all the more tragic that Deb died because of Dexter and Harry’s mistakes inDexter. Though they were the source of her joy, Deb’s family also indirectly caused her death.
Dexter: Original Sin Brutally Foreshadows Deb & Dexter’s Worst Moment From The OG Season 1 Finale
Dexter: Original Sin episode 9 reveals several unknown details about Brian Moser and one of his earliest encounters with his future girlfriend, Deb.
InDexterseason 8, Deb died after being shot by Oliver Saxon (Darri Ingólfsson). Both Harry and Dexter had a hand in putting Deb in Saxon’s line of fire, too.Saxon was Dr. Evelyn Vogel’s (Charlotte Rampling) son, and she only contacted Dexter to hunt him down because Harry had hired her as a psychiatrist years prior. Additionally, Dexter chose the worst possible moment to give Saxon over to the police instead of killing him himself, which ended with Deb taking a bullet. Dexter and Harry’s mistakes killed Deb, and watching her get so much happiness from them inOriginal Sinalmost makes her death feel like a betrayal.
Dexter’s Season 8 Finale Never Should Have Killed Off Deb
Deb’s Death Was Too Sudden & Clashed With All Her Character Development In Dexter Season 8
ThoughOriginal Sinmade Deb’s death even more frustrating, the actual “original sin"Dextermade was killing Deb at all. Deb spent most ofDexterseason 8 spiraling after killing Maria LaGuerta (Luna Lauren Velez): she quit Miami Metro, started doing drugs and drinking excessively, and was dating a wanted fugitive. She managed to turn her life around, however, and even rejoined Miami Metro and started healing her broken relationship with Dexter.Just as Deb was finally getting better and recovering from the years of abuse she suffered through inDexter, the show killed her in the final moments of season 8.
She deserved an ending like the one Original Sin gave her, but the prequel series came far too late to fix Dexter’s mistake.
Deb’s death felt like a slap in the face to both Deb herself and to longtime viewers.Deb had so many unspeakable things done to her, from being seduced by the Ice Truck Killer to watching Frank Lundy die in front of her and falling in love with her adopted brother, andDexterjust killed her off for shock value. Deb, of all people, deserved a happy ending inDexter, yet she was just used as another sign that Dexter hurts everyone he gets close to. She deserved an ending like the oneOriginal Singave her, but the prequel series came far too late to fixDexter’s mistake.
Deb’s Death Is One Of The Only OG Show Mistakes That The Prequels & Sequels Can’t Fix
Resurrection Can Undo Dexter’s Death & Original Sin Fixed Harry’s Past, But Neither Can Fix Deb’s Death
One of the worst parts of Deb’s death is thatDextercan’t undo it.Original Sinhas already put in a lot of work to fix some of the mistakes thatDexterandNew Bloodmade, and theupcoming showDexter: Resurrectionwill fix even more.Original Sinwent back and cleared up some inconsistencies in Harry Morgan’s past, and also turned him into a more likable and less morally gray character.Resurrectionhas a chance to undo Dexter’s death and give him a more fitting ending thanNew Bloodwas capable of. NeitherOriginal SinnorResurrectioncan do anything about Deb’s ending, though.
Deb’s death was as definitive as any TV death can be.Dexterseason 8 saw Dexter unplug Deb from her life support, stopping her breathing, and then deposit her body into the ocean. Then,New Bloodfurther confirmed her death by having her appear as Dexter’s dark passenger.Dexter: Resurrectionfound a way to show that Dexter survived Harrison shooting him, but there’s simply no way to claim that Deb survived the ending ofDexter. Deb’s death is permanent, and no matter how good the franchise continues to be, the way she died will always be one ofDexter’s biggest mistakes.
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.
