SPOILER WARNING! The following contains MASSIVE SPOILERS for the fifth episode of ‘Dexter: Original Sin’ titled ‘F is for Fuck Up’ - Proceed with caution.
In the immediate aftermath of last week’s episode, Dexter must now deal some serious damage control and contend with the wrath of an angry father. In a lot of ways, it’s an episode about growing up, accepting responsibility, and weathering adversity; Albeit, through the lens of a budding young serial killer. The reason Dexter has always resonated with audiences is because it finds unconventional ways of framing universal truths about what it means to be a human being. This is where episode 5 thrives and where I believe Original Sin has really found its stride. It is a beautiful episode with some important fan service and some jaw dropping moments that continue to enrich this story that we (Dexter fans) all treasure.
“I Only had 15 Minutes to do a Little Cleanup”
The episode picks up immediately where we left off last week. Dexter’s latest target escaped the kill room, fled into the street, and was hit by a speeding truck. Moments later, the distraught driver is desperately flagging down other cars for help but Mad Dog is most certainly dead. With that in mind, Dexter’s attention immediately turns back to following the code and hoping that he isn’t completely screwed.
In the simplest of terms, Dexter’s scramble to cleanup his mess serves as the first true test of his instincts when under pressure. Perhaps more importantly, it serves as a brutal wake up call to a young and inexperienced killer who has been letting his eagerness and confidence get the best of him. A common flaw in younger people but one that has dire consequences for someone living such a dangerous life.
Michael C. Hall’s iconic voice over shined in this episode. As Dexter races to clean up the kill room before police identify the victim and find the house, Michael talks us through the estimated response time of Miami law enforcement in 1991. He tears down the plastic wrap, finds and scrubs hints of blood from the scene, and makes the house presentable in the name of not arousing suspicions of foul play. Despite his efforts, police arrive earlier than expected and Dexter is forced to hide while police search the premises; A tense moment that Dexter appears to revel in. Luckily for him, his cleanup job does the trick and he is able to make it home where his next obstacle awaits.
“Death didn’t Feed my Dark Passenger… Killing Did”
To say that the “Mad Dog” debacle shakes Harry’s confidence in his son would be an understatement. He is not only furious that Dexter botched the kill in a very noticeable way but that he tried to keep it from him when confronted. It’s a common family dynamic and an interaction that many of us have experienced in our lives but Harry and Dexter’s relationship is anything but normal. Harry verbalizes his regret for giving Dexter the green light to kill Nurse Mary and for even thinking that he was ready to turn their training into a reality. It’s an appropriately tense exchange that results in Dexter basically being placed under house arrest while Harry tries to do his own damage control back at Miami Metro.
Being grounded by Harry leaves Dexter to ponder his predicament and dwell on a newfound truth: That merely witnessing death isn’t enough to quell his urges; He realizes now that he must be the one to deliver the killing blow or it has no effect. It’s a lesson learned but probably not the one that Harry was hoping for. Faced with the question of what to do next, Dexter feeds his other hunger… and ends up devouring a batch of Brownies that Deb had prepared for her Volleyball team. When Deb reveals they were actually Pot brownies, the two end up in a hilarious but touching moment of sibling bonding.
This scene worked incredibly well because I feel like we have been waiting all season for the moment these two would start to deepen their relationship. Dexter’s panic at realizing he has unintentionally relinquished control is hilarious but it was touching to see Deb leap at the opportunity to abandon her friends in favor of spending some quality time with her brother. What ensues feels like maybe the earliest form of the tradition they eventually form later in life of getting together to drink beer and cook steak. It’s an important piece of the Dexter puzzle that is finally starting to take shape… And it’s also a hilarious and effective means of breaking the tension of a rather intense episode.
“Accidents are a Fact of Life”
In an impressive show of dominance, Harry lets Dexter return to work and then tasks him with fingerprinting the driver who killed Mad Dog. It’s a power-play that threatens to complicate both of their lives - on the off-chance that he recognizes Dexter from the scene - but it demonstrates how serious Harry is about adhering to the code; An impression that clearly sticks with Dexter for the rest of his life. This scene was designed to juxtapose Dexter’s lack of empathy to that of an innocent person who is coming to terms with having killed someone. He clearly recognizes the intense emotion but doesn’t feel anything himself aside from relief. Yet another reminder of Dexter’s condition but one that illustrates what makes him such a fascinating character to begin with. As he takes the man’s fingerprints, he listens on as LaGuerta tries to soothe the man. She emphasizes the unfortunate truth that accidents are an unavoidable part of life but they don’t have to define who we are.
Ironically, as Dexter is taking this second-hand lesson to heart, Harry lets his own missteps completely devastate him. The trial of Levi Reed, the home invasion killer, begins and unfortunately for Harry, a potential key witness that he blew off is paraded in front of the court which leads to an immediate mistrial. In the fallout, Harry is benched by Captain Spencer, misses the anniversary of Doris’s death with his kids, and finds himself drinking heavily at a local bar. It’s this continuous juxtaposition of Dexter and Harry that is at the heart of Original Sin.
Rather than trying to rewrite or retcon the story, the writers have focused on challenging our perception of the characters dramatically. Here we see Dexter taking control of his life and not letting his mistakes define him or the path that he is on. On the other hand, Harry, who was originally framed as a tragic, morally divergent do-gooder, is constantly finding himself at odds with his own morality and then making the wrong choice. The path that he’s on now almost feels like it is steering him toward becoming one of the show’s unsung villains; And if you ask me, that is the smartest choice they could have made.
“How do you Calm a Beast?”
Dexter’s renewed focus on learning from his mistakes finally puts him on the path toward refining a key aspect of his M.O. After Tanya (hilariously) watches her prized horse lose a race on television and suffer an unfortunate accident, she inadvertently turns him on to the notion of tranquilizing his victims. This seemingly innocent exchange not only introduces him to M99, it even clues him in to where he might acquire some.
Later, Dexter sneaks his way into the barn at the local race track with the intent of raiding the Veterinary office. He lets a horse loose from one of the stables as a distraction and he’s off to the races; Calmly letting himself into the back room where he is able to pinch a few vials from the fridge. Not only was this a suitable explanation for how this aspect of his ritual developed, it also retroactively created a new connection to Dexter: New Blood; Subtly suggesting that nearly 30 years later, he would dig into his old bag of tricks in order to get his hands on some Ketamine.
When he is eventually forced to hide from the Vet before making his escape, he finds himself cornered by an intimidating horse in one of the adjoining stables. Michael C. Hall’s voiceover uses the showdown to once again call attention to the dichotomy of his character. He asks how one might calm a beast; Comparing his own troubled disposition to that of an animal. But in a surprise callback to something his foster mother once did, he calms the horse by tucking a piece of its mane behind its ear. In that moment, the voiceover acknowledges that the potential for tenderness exists inside even the most dangerous animal; Including himself.
“They don’t even See Me”
This may be Dexter’s story but Deb has always been his most undeserving victim and that sad but unavoidable truth bubbles to the surface in this episode in a big way. As hard as she tries to bring the family together for the sake of honoring Doris on the anniversary of her death, both Father and Brother let her down yet again. That failure sets the stage for a fascinating juxtaposition as all three Morgans eventually find themselves at the gravesite at separate times. To me, this was a really meaningful way of painting a very vivid picture of where each of these characters are emotionally and mentally as we cross the halfway point of the season.
Deb’s monologue to her dead mother at the grave is easily the highlight of Molly Brown’s performance thus far. She pours her heart out about her feelings of isolation and abandonment at the hands of Dexter and Harry and justifies her rebellious attitude with grace. It’s her biggest moment of growth thus far but it also pushes her even deeper into the arms of Gio; A character who is most certainly destined to be trouble.
Harry’s trip to the grave stands in stark contrast to Deb’s visit as he can’t quite find the words to say. The guilt that he feels is as clear as day even though he doesn’t actually say anything in the moment. Instead, the sight triggers a new flashback where we learn that Harry continued his affair with Laura on the very day that he came home to find out that Doris was pregnant with Deb. It’s a hell of his own making but it helps to contextualize his eventual demise by painting an ugly picture of a man full of regret and self-loathing.
Of course, the episode eventually ends when Dexter visits the grave himself and delivers a moving monologue of his own. It is a satisfying scene to end an episode on but most importantly, it is one of the most accurate and honest depictions of Dexter’s self-perception that we have seen. He admits to missing Doris’s perception of him the most; That she saw goodness in him even if it wasn’t there. But he also acknowledges that Harry saw the opposite. Either way, he seems content with the path that he’s on and even admits that he hopes he can make Doris proud by using his affliction to “do good” in the world. It’s sad and chilling but also strangely reassuring to see him maturing into the “neat monster” that we remember. In the end, he acknowledges “there is no going back;” Declaring himself a more refined and confident killer going into the second half of the season.
“That’s what you Made Me For”
The finale of episode 5 comes in the form of a wildly unexpected “kill room” scene that cements its place among the best episodes in the entire series. As Harry foolishly moves to assassinate Levi Reed on his own after feeling responsible for the killer’s new found freedom, Dexter intervenes; Knocking his own father unconscious with his very first dose of M99.
When Harry comes to, Dexter has him strapped to a fully-realized kill table in their kitchen without affording him any comforts. It’s a bold power move that frightens (and angers) Harry but it doesn’t appear to phase Dexter. He is committed to convincing Harry that not only are they past the point of no return but that Dexter is highly skilled and capable of learning from his mistakes.
The back-and-forth between Father and Son in this scene is one of the most rewarding and eye-opening interactions the two have ever had on screen. Dexter navigates Harry’s growing anger and apparent fear with ease and walks us (and Harry) through his process. In classic Dexter fashion, he has a response prepared for everything his father throws at him; Eventually expressing that he is finally “thinking through all of the possibilities” in an effort to appeal to Harry’s pride and bolster his confidence in Dexter.
Quite frankly, this scene was magnificent. It was crafted in such a way that it brings together all of the themes that were introduced to Dexter throughout the episode and then flips them on their head in the most unexpected way imaginable. It was also Patrick’s best performance of the season thus far; Bringing him that much closer to truly channeling Michael C. Hall’s iconic performance. But it also demonstrated how immoral and manipulative he can truly be. You can see Harry’s regret and fear throughout the scene which suggests that for a moment, he thought Dexter was actually going to kill him.
When Dexter does let Harry off the table, their relationship dynamic is forever changed. Harry sees that his training has worked frighteningly well and Dexter sees a father figure who has, in some ways, relinquished control. Dexter even uses Harry’s decision to take out Levi Reed as a choice that stands in direct conflict with why he trained Dexter in the first place. In one of the most manipulative moments of the entire series, Dexter says “That’s what you created me for” and Harry takes the bait; Officially opening the floodgates so the Dark Passenger can run wild. Michael C. Hall’s chilling voiceover even confirms the manipulation and reminds us of Dexter’s indifference to the turmoil his father is clearly suffering from.
F is for Fuck Up is not only the best episode of Dexter: Original Sin so far, it stands tall as one of the best episodes in the series’ long history. It capitalizes on the potential that a prequel story provides in unexpected ways and beautifully weaves its themes and message together with a compelling, untold story in Dexter’s history. Not only that, it moves the entire Morgan Family into new territory as we officially enter the back half of the season. To me, it feels like we reached a tipping point in the story as the endgame of the season starts to come into focus and I couldn’t be more excited to see where it goes from here.
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Next Week: “The Joy of Killing”