Insights and theories on the latest five stills from the upcoming Dexter prequel!
We still have 8 days until the SDCC panel for Dexter: Original Sin but Showtime pulled back the curtain a bit to give us our first official look at the Morgan family. These stills not only give us a look at the lead actors in character, it gives us an actual idea of what to expect from the show’s visual makeup and even provides some opportunity to start theorizing about the story. Let’s take a closer look at the shots in question.
First Look: Dexter and Harry Together
This first shot is major. It gives us our first look at one of the most critical on-screen relationships in the entire series featuring two actors stepping into those roles for the very first time. Dexter (played by Patrick Gibson) stands side-by-side with Harry (played by Christian Slater) in their kitchen. It may seem mundane at first but if you think back to the original series, several of the most memorable flashbacks happened in the Morgan family kitchen. Whether it was Harry imparting a lesson about presenting normally to his peers or an actual late-night ambush to demonstrate Dexter’s growing skillset, it’s clear that their unconventional home life was important; Something I am sure we are about to get a much better look at in the prequel.
On a more general note, this shot did a lot to establish the look and feel of the show. If you take the time to examine the various props throughout the kitchen (the microwave, the pot on the stove, and even the tile countertop), you can start to see the time period come into focus. I also couldn’t help but notice that the shots convey their own distinct visual identity that feels a bit closer to the original series than New Blood; With that said, a lot of that might be because it lacks the cooler blue filter that some found to be distracting in that series. All this to say, between the portrayal of the 90’s time period and the return to the warm, Miami aesthetic, Original Sin seems poised to set itself apart from both of its siblings while still feeling like it fits within the tapestry of the series as a whole.
First Look: Dexter in the Kill Room
I feel compelled to fit these two shots together because if I were a betting man, I would say they come from the same scene. Upon seeing these shots, a few things were IMMEDIATELY apparent…
- Dexter’s long hair that we glimpsed in the early set photos is most certainly temporary. At some point (maybe at Harry’s suggestion), Dexter gets a haircut and the style that he keeps throughout most of his adult life is born.
- Not only does Patrick Gibson have a strong resemblance to Michael C. Hall, his body language in the kill room absolutely screams Dexter Morgan.
In the first shot, he sits in the stands of what appears to be an arena or gymnasium while wearing his kill apron. If I had to guess, he is waiting for his victim to wake up on the table. This feels like the beginning of many classic kill scenes from the original series in which the victim slowly comes to as Dexter watches. I can already picture him standing up and beginning his signature pre-kill conversation with the victim.
Another thing of note for me is the watch he is wearing. It immediately made me think of the watch that Dexter mentions in the finale of New Blood as they are sifting through the wreckage of his cabin. It was there that he revealed the watch was a gift from his father. I can’t wait to catch all of the little details like this that help tie the whole thing together in the end.
In the second shot, we get our first glimpse of Patrick Gibson, in character, standing with a victim in the kill room. Obviously, the creatives realize how important it is to sell Patrick as Dexter in these moments so they aren’t wasting any time in that regard. As I mentioned before, something about his body language in both of these shots, in conjunction with his apron, sold me 100% on Patrick in the role. While we’ll have to wait a little longer to see how his performance truly comes across, I can’t shake the feeling that they may have done the impossible once again. Michael C. Hall has BIG shoes to fill but I have a really good feeling that Patrick is more than up to the challenge.
There’s not a ton to go on here for the purposes of theorizing about the story but that doesn’t mean I’m not going to try. The vibe I get from these shots is that Dexter has set up a kill room on an auditorium stage or on the floor of a gymnasium which immediately made me think of Deb’s high school. One of my earliest theories is that Dexter is going to target someone working at Deb’s high school and it’s not entirely unreasonable to guess that this might be that person. I’m thinking maybe a sports coach or drama teacher is preying upon young girls at the school and Deb becomes a target. Obviously, I’m taking some leaps here but theorizing is half the fun!
First Look: Young Deb and Detective Harry Morgan
These last two shots give us our first look at young Deb [played by Molly Brown] and Harry in his other role as a detective at Miami Metro. While there is a lot less to unpack here, they are no less important in the grand scheme of things. It’s exciting to see Deb at a different point in her life and I can’t help but feel her wardrobe is going to go a long way towards selling the audience on the time period.
Perhaps most notably though, these shots served as a reminder to myself that in the 90’s… 90’s things looked new and “modern.” As someone who grew up in this era, I often catch myself as an adult applying a heaping layer of grit and grunge to things when I picture them in mind. I’m excited to see the lengths they go to make 90’s Miami feel “new.”
More to Come Next Week
Needless to say, these first looks are a big deal and they mark an important milestone for the show. The reception so far seems to be positive and I imagine they will go a long way towards warming some of the more… hesitant fans to the idea. With that said, expect big things next week when the actors and creatives behind the show take the stage at San Diego Comic-Con to give us more details and hopefully our first look at footage from the show. Until then, chime in down in the comments to let us know your thoughts!
Image credits: Patrick Wymore & Myrna Suarez | Paramount+ with Showtime