Dexter Original Sin: Kid in a Candy Store

"Homicide looks good on you."

It was Dexter's first day at Miami Metro, and he absolutely loved it. Yes, the equipment was outdated and his new workmates hassled him, but he almost immediately saw Miami Metro as a solution to his problem – a treasure trove of possible victims for his Dark Passenger tied up in a big red bow. A kid in a candy store, indeed.

This episode's case was the kidnapping of a judge's little boy, Jimmy Powell, by someone in a mask. The poor kid is definitely not in a candy store and has already lost his finger, which doesn't bode well for his survival. I was surprised that it ended with a cliffhanger. I always liked Dexter's connection to children and of course, I wanted him to focus on saving this boy. Instead, Dexter has fixated on a killer named Tony Ferrer, who caused the deaths of a guy named Rene along with Rene's mother.

Dexter's new boss, the "tiny but mighty" Buffy the Vampire Slayer, treated Dexter like his other workmates did – lots of hazing and making him fetch the coffee. It's impossible to tell so soon, but my first thought about Tanya was, "Is she evil?" Will Dexter have to kill her at the end of the season, which is what often happened to prominent guest stars in the original series?

The overexposed and brightly colored flashbacks to younger Harry acquiring Dexter's mother Laura Moser as his CI included Dexter's father, Joe Driscoll, and little Brian, the future Ice Truck Killer. (That gave me a bit of a frisson.) There was a conspicuous calendar at some point for January 1973, which means baby Dexter, whom Harry just met for the first time, is about to turn two years old. Harry and Doris are trying to have another child, while Dexter is waiting in the wings.

I am guessing that these flashbacks will span the entire season and end with the cargo container murders? (Don't tell me! I haven't seen any episodes after this one and have been careful not to read spoilers.)

I'm still waiting to warm to Patrick Gibson as Dexter, while once again acknowledging that it's only the second episode and Michael C. Hall is literally a tough act to follow. Christian Slater is doing Christian Slater, not James Remar; that's okay with me, I like them both. James Martinez as Angel Batista is great. It feels like the same actor, he's so good.

For me, the standout this time was Sarah Kinsey as Camilla, the records clerk who dumped Dexter's veggie tray in the trash. Originally played by the great character actress Margo Martindale, Camilla was featured in five episodes of the original Dexter, starting with the pilot episode and culminating in the consumption of a very special key lime pie in season three. Sadly, young Camilla said accurately that she would be dead and buried before all of those files were computerized.

I am very much a Deb fan. I loved Jennifer Carpenter immediately, starting with the pilot. While Molly Brown is doing a good job, the constant, loud focus on jealous blurting about Harry and Dexter's relationship is so over the top that it feels like cariacture. Deb just gave away her late mom's pearls, which I am sure she will miss, for a pair of sunglasses.

Even worse, Deb gave Dexter's Nurse Mary trophy earrings to her friend Sofia, and you know that will come back to bite someone. Or maybe it will just convince Dexter to try a new kind of trophy. Like the blank specimen slide he picked up in the lab, perhaps.

So okay. I probably should have tried this series sooner. I thought it was just going to be a series reset that would allow more serial killing while erasing eight seasons of Dexter's character development. Instead, these first two episodes have focused entirely on rehashing, recalling and resetting the original series.

And yet, I don't feel at home. I spent eight years reviewing Dexter, and this isn't it. It's like alternate reality Dexter. Uncanny valley Dexter. My daughter Samantha says that it feels like fan fic Dexter, which I thought was particularly apt.

Bits:

— Miami Metro has an 18% clearance rate. That seems very low to me.

— Masuka called Dexter "Dexedrine" and "Dex-Mex."

— Harry is seeing Miami Metro as methadone for Dexter. Nope. Harry did make a good move, asking Angel to take Dexter under his wing.

— Dexter got Nicorette for Harry. Unfortunately, Harry is still drinking and smoking on the sly.

— I liked the thing with Dexter taking health seriously and bringing in a veggie tray, and then correctly correcting his daily "I'm blending in" gift to donuts.

— Did we have those lunch snack tray things back in 1991?

Quotes:

Dexter: "My very first crime scene. It felt like Christmas morning. And I had been a good boy."

Deb: "Fuckosaurus Rex!"
Not quite her best, which for me will always be "Holy frankenfuck! Snakes!"

Dexter: "The truth is, there was no Nicorette for someone like me, no methadone. The Dark Passenger was rising up, and there was only one thing I could do about it."

I'm still unsure about how I feel about Original Sin. Anyone want to rate this episode for me? I'd really appreciate it,

Billie
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Billie Doux loves good television and spends way too much time writing about it.

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