As Harry sits beside Bobby's (Reno Wilson) hospital bed, he is abruptly summoned to investigate a fresh homicide: a gruesomely dismembered body, the victim of a chainsaw, has been discovered. To Harry's immediate disquiet, the deceased is revealed to be Barb (Kathleen Rose Perkins), Brian's former case worker. With suspicions of Brian's proximity heightened, Harry dashes to the crime scene, convinced that Brian's hand is once again at play.
Indeed, Harry's instincts prove correct as he spots Brian perched atop a nearby building, observing the chaos below. Stealthily, Harry slips away to confront his nemesis. When the two finally stand eye to eye, Brian admits himself as the notorious N.H.I. killer, recounting to Harry how each of his victims—Blake Kersten, the closet-confining foster home bully; Felix Woodard, the food-stealing schoolyard tormentor; Raul Martinez, the nurse who bullied him; Dr. Paul Petrie; and now Barb—are inextricably linked to him, much as Harry had surmised. Brian further reveals his calculated use of these murders as a lure to draw closer to Dexter and observe his methods.
Brian's narrative of how he was wronged by Dexter's absence interweaves with Harry's confession of unintended harm but ultimate helplessness in saving him creates a tense standoff. When Brian, hearing that any further interaction with Dexter would only sow pain and suffering, positions Harry's gun against his own temple, the tension reaches a fever pitch. Harry's hesitation to pull the trigger prompts Brian to incapacitate him and flee.
Upon waking, Harry finds the chilling words "YOU'RE RIGHT" inscribed in blood upon the wall, a grim testament to Brian's twisted acknowledgment. Meanwhile, following his narrow escape from Dexter's kill table in episode 9, Captain Spencer leads Dexter straight to Nicky (London Thatcher), who is being held captive on a cargo ship barely a stone's throw from the police station. Realizing he cannot reach Nicky before Spencer, Dexter devises a diversion, drawing the captain's attention away from his intended target.
The two engage in a relentless battle, culminating in Spencer's decisive kick that sends Dexter tumbling down to a lower level. In a moment of sheer desperation and disturbing resolve, Dexter performs an unconscionable act—to eliminate his own flesh and blood, he releases a valve, causing water to rush into Nicky's cell with terrifying swiftness. And there Nicky lies, helplessly chained to the cold, wet floor.
Their epic confrontation, thick with suspense, takes a dark turn as Spencer reveals to Dexter that Nicky is not his son. Dexter, pleading for Nicky's innocence, emphasizes that the boy is merely a child who doesn't deserve such a fate. This provokes a furious tirade from Spencer, insisting that merit has no place in this equation.
"I understand," Dexter concedes, his voice laced with empathy. "I grasp the fury. But believe me, there are better avenues to navigate through it. Just what manner of monster are you?"
"You have a choice: pursue me or save the child," Captain Spencer retaliates, his voice dripping with challenge. As he prepares to flee, he throws one final barb: "So, the real question lingers—what kind of monster are you?"
Dexter, driven by an unexpected surge of humanity, chooses to rescue Nicky. Granted, he may be a vigilante serial killer, but deep down, he retains fragments of his humanity. With Nicky safe and Spencer on the lam, the conflict does not conclude here. It spills over to Spencer's former abode, where he aims to eliminate both his ex-partner and her boyfriend, the true father of Nicky.
However, before harm can come to them, Dexter arrives and subdues Spencer, transporting him to a BOAT out in the open sea. Beneath a canopy of twinkling stars, Dexter straps Spencer to his infamous kill table and, with a decisive guillotine-like chop to the neck using a saber, ends his life once and for all.
Captain Spencer's disposal marks the debut of Dexter's new, meticulously crafted plan. He dismembers the body, carefully packages the parts in trash bags, and dumps them into the vast, unforgiving ocean. Enter the new, reformed Dexter Morgan—a figure both feared and fascinated by his renewed sense of purpose.
Amidst the veil of bloodshed and intensity, the season finale of "Dexter: Original Sin" grants us a well-deserved dose of resolution. Deb mends her relationship with Sophia and reconnects with her father, transforming the Morgan family into a newly cohesive unit, bound together even more tightly as Deb embarks on her journey to the police academy.
As the family basks in their celebration at a local eatery, Brian's eerie gaze pierces through the window from afar, a haunting reminder that their troubles with him remain unresolved. Although we receive an abundance of revelations concerning Brian, none of them bring closure; such is the nature of his character, who donned the mantle of the Ice Truck Killer in the original "Dexter."
Furthermore, for those wondering, Bobby emerges victorious, discharged from the hospital and ready to move forward. Similarly, Nicky is rescued and joyfully reunited with his parents. Captain Spencer, however, meets his untimely end, though his demise remains undisclosed to the police and the public, who believe him to be on the lam. Dexter, meanwhile, transitions seamlessly from an intern to a full-fledged employee at Miami Metro P.D.
The season finale of "Dexter: Original Sin" adeptly ties up several pivotal plot threads while deliberately leaving others dangling, paving the way for a seamless transition into the events of the original series. The recurring theme of loss and abandonment persists till the very end, weaving through the lives of each main character, who have each borne the scars of some form of loss or abandonment. We witness firsthand how these experiences contour their identities and steer their destinies.
A pivotal scenario that vividly underscores this transformation: Dexter's rescue of Nicky. Throughout the season, Dexter's Dark Passenger had been coiled with anticipation, eager to bring down the child-targeting killer. Imagine the tension brimming within him, a cauldron of pent-up desire. Thus, Dexter's choice to rein in his instincts, opting to safeguard the innocent rather than confront the guilty, marks a monumental step in his personal and moral evolution. It signifies that Harry's code has been internalized by Dexter, becoming his own guiding principle. Harry, watching from beyond, must surely take pride in his son's growth.
Moreover, "Dexter: Original Sin" not only delved deep into Dexter's backstory but also enriched our understanding of other pivotal characters, offering mouthwatering origin tales in its subplots. Now, with the season concluded, one can't help but speculate whether this installment has laid the groundwork for another spinoff, perhaps centered around the enigmatic Ice Truck Killer.
My sole gripe with "Original Sin" pertains to the discrepancy in the ages of Brian and Dexter between the prequel and the original series. While earlier narratives portrayed them as much younger during their mother's demise, "Original Sin" depicts them as older. One wonders: did the creators overlook this inconsistency, or was there a conscious decision behind the shift?
Despite this minor hiccup, we've been gifted a robust framework to navigate the intricate Dexter Morgan universe. This journey continues this summer with "Dexter: Resurrection" and, eventually, a spinoff centered around the Trinity Killer, promising further adventures in the dark and twisted world of Dexter Morgan.
