Here’s what we hope to see in Season 2 of the prequel following its renewal.
Against all odds, the debut season of ‘Dexter: Original Sin’ was a critical success and a major win for Showtime; Landing it a season two renewal after an excruciating 46-day wait following the season finale. Couple that with the fact that filming is well underway for the debut season of ‘Dexter: Resurrection’ (set to premiere this Summer) and it’s hard to deny that Dexter fans are eating well.
With all of that in mind, I can finally stop holding my breath and start contemplating what the future of this prequel series might have in store for us. With most of the cast already signed on to return and the writers room gearing up to tackle the new season, the possibilities feel endless. There is still 15+ years of untold history to explore and the unavoidable backstory that we already knew from the original series has now been covered. In a sense, now the real fun can begin. Here are five things I personally think that should be included in the next season of ‘Dexter: Original Sin.’
1. Harry’s growing complicity in Dexter’s crimes
One of the most exciting aspects of the first season was how it started to explore Harry’s involvement in Dexter’s crimes and his internal struggles related to his complicity. With that said, when the dust settled, it felt like they had barely scratched the surface of this dynamic so my hope is that they continue to delve deeper into that aspect when the show continues. If you ask me, this is inevitable as the story brings us closer and closer to Harry's eventual demise; A major moment in Dexter’s known history that the show won’t be able to avoid or prolong for very long.
The first season was an impressive balancing act. They had to find the right way to re-introduce the character and cover the major points of his history that we already knew about without it feeling like an unnecessary recap and without dragging the overall pacing through the mud. While I think they largely succeeded at this, a few aspects of the story had to take a bit of a back seat. We didn’t see a ton of Harry training Dexter to be an effective killer or grappling with the guilt and depravity that led Harry to mold Dexter into a killer in the first place.
The revelation Harry lost a son was a bombshell that managed to recontextualize everything we thought we knew about him. For the longest time, I viewed Harry as a tragic villain; A misguided narcissist who was ultimately guilty of extreme child abuse. While I certainly don’t think he’s blameless, the show has already challenged my perception of the character in a big way.
Going forward, I want to see how deep and dark the rabbit hole gets. In episode five, when Dexter puts Harry on his table to prove himself capable, we got the briefest glimpse of the Harry I want to see more of in season two; A tortured, disillusioned man who has lost faith in the justice system and is starting to see his own son as his own personal vigilante hitman. Luckily, the fallout of Captain Spencer’s betrayal in season one seems like an obvious but natural factor that will push Harry further and further into darkness. Whatever the story in season two ends up being, my hope is that Harry’s demons are at the center of everything.
2. An unconventional ‘Big Bad’
Dexter is no stranger to memorable villains and while I certainly think Aaron Spencer qualifies, I expect them to go a bit bigger in season 2. Perhaps his most infamous and formidable targets were those introduced during the Clyde Phillips era of the show; An era that was rekindled with 'New Blood' and looks to be continuing well into the future with ‘Original Sin’ and ’Resurrection.’
So far, the creative team for ’Original Sin’ has demonstrated that they have a firm grasp on the character at this point in his life; Matching him not against an experienced serial killer, but a broken man with a very narrow and specific victim in mind. He was an opponent that seemed like a reasonable challenge for a novice killer but I expect the stakes to rise considerably in the second season. With that in mind, my hope is that they continue to experiment with new kinds of bad guys going forward.
But what makes a villain “unconventional?” For me, I think this simply boils down to motivation and there is (sadly) no shortage of real world inspiration to draw from. This is a series with many iconic villains and while some have ended up being more memorable than others, they have never shied away from taking big risks. If ’Original Sin’ introduces a run-of-the-mill serial killer as Dexter’s next target, it would seem like a huge missed opportunity. Say what you will about the “Barrel Girl” killers in season five or the Doomsday Killer in season six, but they were nothing if not unexpected and I want to see more of that as the series continues to grow.
3. More Flashbacks to Harry training Dexter
The first season of 'Original Sin' had a lot of ground to cover so it wasn’t entirely surprising that it sort of glazed over a lot of the history before Dexter took his first life. While the original series included a handful of flashbacks to Harry and Dexter’s training regiment, the prequel passed on the opportunity to expand upon them. That is something I want to see them delve into in the second season.
As I stated earlier, my main hope is that season two is built primarily around Harry’s involvement in Dexter’s life and grappling with his increasing sense of guilt that ultimately leads to his death. For that to work, I think it’s important to explore the circumstances that led Harry to train Dexter and to emphasize the emotional toll it had on him over the years. I want to see the exact moment that Harry made the decision to turn his back on the justice system and turn his traumatized son into a murderer.
Outside of Laura’s murder at the hands of the cartel, Harry’s breaking point is perhaps the single most important developmental moment in Dexter’s life. It was depicted in the original series in the briefest of flashbacks but with Laura Moser’s story in the rearview mirror, there is now plenty of room for Harry’s downfall to become the focus of the flashbacks in season 2. Not only will this enrich Harry’s story, it will be the perfect opportunity to give even more insight into how Dexter developed his M.O. (the plastic wrap, kill table, forensic countermeasures, pictures of the victims, etc.).
4. Grappling with the rapid improvements in forensic technology
One major aspect of the 90’s time period that is incredibly relevant and curiously absent from the first season of 'Original Sin' is the booming growth of forensic techniques and resources that were starting to take hold. As I am sure many of you noticed last season, Dexter (and many real life serial killers) was able to operate rather boldly without fear of much forensic scrutiny. With that said, the 90’s was a time of rapid technological growth in the field of forensics as computers became increasingly more complex.
For instance, the FBI had already started to develop what would eventually become the national DNA database in 1990. While it wasn’t formalized for use until the passing of the DNA Identification Act of 1994 and it wasn’t officially activated until 1998, its mere existence signified the growing reliance on DNA technology. Depending on much time has passed between seasons, it would make sense for them to start working these scientific developments into the story in the interest of making Dexter’s exploits riskier as his skill and confidence level grows.
5. A tangible connection to ‘Dexter: Resurrection’
As the Dexter saga continues to expand at opposite ends of the timeline, the creatives have the opportunity to do something truly unique: Introduce new characters and storylines that can then continue to develop or evolve in Dexter: 'Resurrection'. Not only is this an exciting prospect from a marketing standpoint, but it is an opportunity that is nearly unheard of in the industry and the possibilities are endless.
With that said, I can’t say for certain what form I would want this connection to take. We already have several new characters in 'Original Sin' that, in theory, could still be alive and kicking in 'Resurrection'. With the fates of Tanya, Bobby, and Clark yet to be revealed, there is still potential for them to appear in some capacity as the news of Dexter’s exposure starts to spread.
Another thought I have had is the possibility of introducing a younger character that evolves into a villain but eludes Dexter’s grasp in the 90’s only to have them re-emerge in 'Resurrection'. It would mean playing a long game and possibly even planting the seeds for Dexter’s final adversary years in advance but the payoff could be thrilling. I even considered the possibility of Nicky Spencer fitting into this role after being tortured at the hands of his father in season one but that feels like a stretch. Regardless, these spin-offs have opened the doors for some wild creative risks that I think they would be foolish to ignore.
With ’Dexter: Resurrection’ mere months away and confirmation of ’Original Sin’ being picked up for a second season, it’s safe to say that there is a lot of new Dexter in the years ahead. Some may argue it’s too much or even too little, too late but you can’t deny that there is a lot of potential for greatness thanks to the talented team of creatives involved and the commitment to the series already demonstrated by Showtime. All that’s left now is to wait and see what comes next and to anticipate updates from the writers room when they reconvene in the near future.