Dexter: Original Sin is shaping up to be an incredible follow-up to Dexter. Ending more than a decade ago, Dexter originally aired from 2006 through 2013. But the show has seen a renewed life thanks to the 2020 limited series revival Dexter: New Blood and streaming on Netflix. This prequel series, which stars Patrick Gibson as the titular character (Michael C. Hall reprising his role as voice-over narrator), tells the story of how a young man with deep-seated urges to kill, found a way to harness his Dark Passenger for “good” with the help of his detective father Harry (played by Christian Slater in this series, James Remar in flashbacks in the original).
Before Dexter amassed a collection of blood slides of his victims, and long before he even started collecting trophies at all, he was a murder “virgin” who hadn’t yet killed. But there are pivotal moments when he graduates from a man with the desire to kill to someone who has finally “popped his cherry,” then to a bona fide serial killer.
Warning: Spoilers ahead for Dexter: Original Sin, Season 1, Episode 6 “The Joy of Killing”

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Dexter: Original Sin

Release Date

December 15, 2024

Seasons

1

Dexter’s First Two Kills

More than halfway through the series’ inaugural season, in episode six, entitled “The Joy of Killing,” Dexter is finally getting a grip on his process. His kills are nothing close to the cookie-cutter method he has downpat in Dexter. But he is becoming cleaner and more refined. His first kill was Nurse Mary (Tanya Clarke), which was far more frantic that he had hoped. After discovering that she was purposely killing her patients and making Harry worse when he should have been recovering from his heart attack, Dexter finally got permission from his father to do what needed to be done to save his life, and the lives of others.
The next kill was Tony Ferrer (Roberto Sanchez), who Dexter learns is a horrible loan shark who preys on people like desperate immigrants and creates impossible payment terms so they can never pay him back. With Ferrer, Dexter starts a new chapter in stalking his victims to find the perfect time to strike. He meets Ferrer at a jai alai game, pretending to need money to buy a suit for a job interview. He purposely makes it seem as though he cannot pay the money back, taking a huge risk that Ferrer will shoot over his head to scare him. It happens as planned and Dexter pulls the bullet from a tree to test it and confirm Ferrer’s guilt in the Carballo case. He needs to ensure Ferrer fits Harry’s Code, after all.
With this irrefutable proof and Harry’s blessing, Dexter sneaks into Ferrer’s house, subdues him, and transports his body to the venue where the jai alai tournament had taken place. He taunts and tortures Ferrer then murders him on his table. He dumps the body along with the decapitated head in the swamp, but doesn’t realize that Ferrer’s arm with his distinctive ring has floated back to the surface.
Dexter attempts a third kill when he discovers that a retired man who does boat tours on the beach was once a contract killer. Believing this man could be a possible lead to the horrific murder of young Jimmy Powell (Brayden Gleave), Dexter investigates further. He discovers that Mad Dog (Joe Pantoliano) may not be retired after all, but could still be an active killer for hire. When he finds a shredded document that purports to show Mad Dog’s next victim, he believes this is proof enough to move forward.
Despite Harry warning Dexter that Mad Dog is likely highly trained, Dexter proceeds with his plan and during the fracas, a naked Mad Dog manages to escape. As he runs through the street, Mad Dog is struck by a car and dies. Thus, while he perishes, he isn’t technically Dexter’s victim, at least not in the direct sense.
Dexter’s Third Kill Has Important Significance

The kill in “The Joy of Killing” has crucial significance. The definition of a serial killer, as per the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), is a person who murders three or more people. Thus, whoever becomes Dexter’s next victim will officially solidify him as a serial killer. He knows this and is particularly excited about it. But who is it?
Going back to the first episode of Dexter: Original Sin, there’s a gruesome scene whereby Harry and his colleagues arrive at a home where an entire family is murdered, including children. After exploring the evidence and DNA from a bloody footprint left on the TV remote, the police narrow down the list of suspects to a man named Levi Reed (Jeff Daniel Phillips). Harry is convinced that Levi is guilty of not only this crime, but numerous other break-ins and murders in the area, especially given his long breaking and entering rap sheet.

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However, during the trial, Harry’s earlier neglect to take Levi’s girlfriend’s alibi for him seriously leads to the court having no choice but to let Levi go free. When she visited the station, she was strung out on drugs and Harry did not believe she would be a believable witness. However, when she showed up in court clean and impeccably dressed, it came across as though Harry tried to ignore important potential testimony that would have helped the defendant.
In serious trouble and believing he’s on the brink of losing his job, Harry drinks himself into a stupor, follows Levi, and almost shoots him dead. Dexter, however, stops him in time and promises to take care of the problem himself. And that he does.
He Might Be an Official Serial Killer, but He’s Still Sloppy

After scoping out Levi to learn his habits, Dexter realizes that the strapping man has a penchant for public urination. He knows at some point Levi will duck into a dark alley to relieve himself. Now, having learned of and procured a drug strong enough to put a horse down for several hours, he has switched to injecting his victims to subdue them.
He does this to Levi, dumps him into the flatbed of his truck, and drives to his kill location to set things up. He talks with Levi once he awakens him with bath salts and chastises the horrendous man for his awful behavior. Levi seems unaffected, laughing and mocking Dexter for being just like him yet not realizing it.

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Dexter, however, is insistent that he’s different. He declares that he doesn’t kill innocent people, only “people who deserve it,” leading to a glimmer of fear in Levi’s eyes. Dexter plunges a knife into his chest, finally performing a kill the way he has done in Dexter. However, without a boat of his own, his method of disposal still involves dumping bodies in the swamp.
But when he arrives at the location, there are police on the scene who tell him that it’s an active crime scene and ask what he’s doing there. The episode ends before Dexter can explain himself. A close-up shot shows Ferrer’s amputated arm with a large, recognizable ring on his finger, suggesting that the walls are closing in and Dexter’s sloppiness may be catching up to him.
Stream Dexter: Original Sin on Paramount+ with Showtime.