Dexter : Original Sinprequel to the cult series Dextertakes the gamble of rewriting an entire section of history, and removing a major character in the process. WARNING: SPOILERS!
While its release has not yet been announced on French screens, the series Dexter : Original Sin continues to divide the American public who was able to discover it last December. Where the last and late season Dexter : New Blood was perhaps already too much, the prequel to the cult series with Michael C. Hall, which includes Patrick Gibson in the role of a young Dexter and Christian Slater in that of his adoptive father and mentor Harry Morgan, has not yet aroused general enthusiasm.
And the most stubborn fans of the original series may well fault this new approach too many liberties taken with the genesis of the serial killer the most ethical of the small screen. It even seems that the new series chooses to remove a whole part of history of the Miami psychopath and the key character who went with it…
A key character put in-Dexter
Warning, this article contains spoilers regarding the original series and Original Sin.
There is a prescription, we can say it: season 8 of Dexterwhich was considered for a long time to be the last before New Blood arrives eight years later in 2021, is far from having achieved unanimous approval among the public. The ending (and the lumberjack shirt) reserved for Dexter, the fate of Debra, the twist in their relationship, the deus ex machina of the hurricane… Many elements deviated from the series as the fans had loved it, and many of them never forgave him.
So, is it a coincidence if, today, Original Sin cut into the fat of the story of season 8 to rewrite Dexter's youth? Because, according to the American media, and in particular the site Screen RantIt is a whole crucial part of this season which is amputated in Original Sin. A section which concerned in particular the character of Charlotte Rampling, who played Doctor Vogel in season 8.
This mysterious woman appeared in the first episode of the season, appearing know a lot about Dexter's past, and ended up revealing, as the episodes progressed, that she had knew Harry Morgan and had forged the “Harry code” with him. This famous code is the one to which Dexter adheres to to satisfy his murderous impulses, to satisfy his “black passenger”, and recommends in particular to only kill people who pose a threat to society.
It is precisely on the development of this code and on the first murders of young Dexter that the focus is Original Sinthe whole point of which is to put into images a genesis that the original series only told through flashbacks or dialogues. The revelation of Dr. Vogel's help in Dexter's “education” may or may not have been a good idea, but it still was. one of the main twists of the series, and one of the big bets of season 8.
At the time when it takes place Original Sinand according to the timeline of Dexter's first murder, Harry Morgan should meet the doctor already and begin to establish with her the famous code that would channel Dexter's murderous energy. But… this is not the case. According to Screen Rantthe character is simply absent from the series, and is not even mentioned. However, given the importance given to Vogel in season 8 of Dexterhe would be impossible to correctly tell this slice of the life of the young serial killer without making it appear.
Why this “forgetting”? Is it a desire to do more room for the character of Harry Morgannow physically present in the guise of Christian Slater, and to give him back an importance and a responsibility which had been diminished with the addition of Vogel last season? Or is the idea simply to to forget the unloved season 8by making a clean sweep of its last-minute filler revelations, sacrificing coherence in the process?
In both cases, it seems that this choice has not succeeded in changing the situation of a series which, according to feedback from across the Atlantic, has yet to prove itself. So, removing Vogel, good or bad idea? The answer should arrive on Canal+ in 2025.
