Dexter Original Sin: Code Blues

"What kind of monster are you?"

That's the question this first season has been asking.

Captain Aaron Spencer is a monster. For some reason we're never told, he has decided that Nicky is not his own son and that his wife Becca deceived him. This is his justification for killing not just Nicky, but also the judge's son Jimmy Powell. I get that Spencer killed Jimmy for cover, but it still feels like too huge a leap for a police captain.

But the scene in the ship's hold was satisfying. Spencer covered his escape by attempting to drown Nicky, who was chained to the deck. Dexter didn't hesitate; he didn't even start to go after Spencer and change his mind. Instead, he immediately jumped into the water to save Nicky. And he did.

So what kind of monster is Dexter? Or the better question – is Dexter even a monster at all? No matter what he's like in the future, right now twenty-year-old Dexter is a genuine vigilante. When Dexter got Spencer alone and Saranwrapped on the Slice of Pie and Spencer tried to distract him by talking about how Harry failed Dexter, Dexter wouldn't even listen. He just wasn't interested. Goodbye, McDreamy. You were a good villain. Probably because we're used to seeing you as a good guy.

Dexter's brother Brian is a much more complicated monster. It's difficult not to feel some level of compassion for him. Here, they gave us much more of little Brian as a victim of older children and adults in a string of unsuccessful foster homes and the mental hospital, which also filled out the identities of adult Brian's victims, ending with the shrink that wouldn't let him reunite with Dexter.

For me, what I found most touching was little Brian telling stories to little Dexter while they were trapped in that cargo container. Okay, the Three Little Pigs was a violent choice, but it was still brave, selfless and thoughtful of Brian to try to keep Dexter's mind occupied under such horrifying circumstances. Brian truly does love Dexter. And he proved it by leaving Harry alive on that rooftop, with a sign on the wall that said, "You're right."

Two conflicting things can be true at the same time. Brian can hate Harry, but know that he was, and is, the best thing for Dexter.

As I've no doubt mentioned too many times, the Deb plotline this season hasn't worked for me. It was nice to see her positive side in the hospital with her godfather Bobby Watt, and the whole Morgan family out celebrating her acceptance to the police academy as well as Dexter's promotion.

It wasn't just a Miami Metro promotion, either. Harry privately acknowledged and praised Dexter's work as a vigilante, too. In learning to channel his urge to kill in the "right" direction, Dexter has also absorbed the need for justice. Some people deserve to live. Like Nicky, and Bobby Watt.

Next season

Dexter: Original Sin has been renewed. I think this first season could stand alone, since it skillfully jigsawed pieces of the original series into this new one, body part pun intended. But I'm on board for another season. I am particularly impressed with Patrick Gibson's Dexter. They got the most important piece of the puzzle right.

I was surprised that Harry was still alive at the end of this season because we know he doesn't have long to live. Of course, Harry can continue as a ghost and the voice of Dexter's conscience without leaving the series.

To be honest, I don't know if I want to spend more time with Brian, although as with everything, it depends on how they do it. Will Brian continue to stalk Dexter in season two? Will Harry continue to cover for Brian, and how can he justify doing that? How far can the writers go without impinging on the amazing first and best season of OG Dexter?

I like Harry and LaGuerta as partners. Although she probably won't forgive him nixxing her serial killer theory.

I had thought that Tanya would end up evil and one of Dexter's victims, but so far, she's just Dexter's boss. She's even a good boss. But she's also addicted to gambling. Set up for the next season? How many bosses can Dexter get away with killing?

Michael C. Hall's always exceptional voiceover is a big plus for this series. I hope that doesn't change.

Bits and pieces:

Spencer and Dexter fought hand-to-hand, and Dexter immediately went for Spencer's finger. I don't know why I found that amusing.

Deb and Sofia made up. Sort of.

Dexter got his full-time permanent laminate, a happy ending for the season. And Patrick Gibson broke the fourth wall with a lift of his eyebrow, another callback to the original series.

Quotes:

Dexter: "I've always been more comfortable in darkness."

Harry: "Where's Dexter?"
Masuka: "He's off this shift. Which is a good thing. This is more of a big boy crime scene."
Multiple layers in that one. "Big boy crime scene." It's quite possible that if Dexter had worked it, it could have jolted his memory.

LaGuerta: "What kind of monster could do this?"

Dexter: "What kind of monster are you?"
Spencer: "I'll give you a choice. You can come after me. Or you can save him. So the real question is, ‘What kind of monster are you?'"

Harry: "We need to talk, Brian."
Brian: "Chainsaw give me away?"

Dexter the narrator: "What a beautiful night on the water."

Dexter the narrator: "Harry'd spent years teaching me that some people deserved to die. This was the first time I understood why I had to do... what I do. Because some people deserved to live."

Harry: "It's your code now."

As I've mentioned, I was reluctant to watch this series, but it turned out to be much better than I expected. I wish I'd watched and reviewed it as it aired, and I'll definitely be reviewing season two, as well as the upcoming Dexter: Resurrection. Four out of four monsters,

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

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