Dexter: Original Sin is the prequel to the highly acclaimed Showtime hit Dexter. Tracing the course of a young Dexter fresh out of medical school at the age of 20, Dexter: Original Sin explores the period in the serial killer's life while he was just getting started.
During the second episode of Dexter: Original Sin Season 1, a brief flashback hinted at the lead character's real biological father, Joe Driscoll. However, the episode didn't present conclusive evidence that might have led to his identification.
Dexter: Original Sin stars Patrick Gibson instead of the familiar Michael C. Hall, who played the lead in the original series. Gibson plays a young Dexter who has just entered the Miami law enforcement service as an intern and is on his way to becoming a blood-splatter specialist. The inner monologue of the character, however, is voiced by Hall as the character navigates through his daily life.
Dexter's biological father
The second episode of the prequel show contains a flashback to a time when Dexter's father, Harry Morgan, was working as an undercover policeman. He busts Dexter's mother, Laura Moser, while she is dealing cocaine with her boyfriend, Joe, and catches them in the act.
Laura Moser tries to make a run for it, but her plans are foiled when Harry's partner, Bobby Watts, intervenes. Laura is then booked for the crime and interrogated by Harry, who plainly tells her that Joe will be sent to prison for drug dealing.
Even though Dexter lore states that Dexter's biological father was named Joe Driscoll and that he was a drug dealer, the second episode of the prequel show doesn't make a conclusive connection between him and the Joe seen onscreen.
Joe's character is also not listed in the end credits for the episode. According to the original show, Joe Driscoll spent a large amount of time in prison as Laura Moser was killed.
Showrunner opens up on Dexter: Original Sin
Clyde Phillips has been associated with both the original show and the prequel, including Dexter: New Blood. In a recent interview with Variety magazine, he spoke at length about his experience of making the prequel, the timeline of the characters, and more. Regarding the setting of the prequel, he commented:
"This is Dexter looking back at his origin story. And as “Original Sin” goes on, we will see that it moves from an origin story to an evolution story. In fact, in subsequent episodes, we shoot in two time periods –– the time period we’re in, which is 1991 when Dexter is 20; and in 1973, when Harry met Dexter’s mother Laura and everything that ensued from that. It is really a lot of fun because anytime you move back and forth between them, it is invigorating."
Phillips also spoke about the famous first-kill moment adding:
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"It was an interesting thing. We sat with white boards in the writers’ room, and we talked and talked about everything. The way we realized we needed to look at it was from a different point of view from the first season. Part of it was that we understand Dexter more than we did in Season 1 of the original show, and we understand his relationship with his father and his unstoppable urge to kill. We needed to stay in his head and see him face temptations like the fight at the fraternity. We need to see how the urge is too big. And also, this nurse is killing his father and that just ain’t going to happen."
Dexter: Original Sin is available on Paramount+ with Showtime.
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